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Community and Public Health Nutrition (Poster Session)

(P20-018-24) Factors Associated With Nutritional Risk Among Disabled Persons in the Republic of Korea

Monday, July 1, 2024
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM CT
Location: Poster Board 512

    Presenting Author(s)

  • SC

    Seul Ki Choi, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    University of Seoul
    Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea

  • SC

    Seul Ki Choi, PhD

    Assistant Professor
    University of Seoul
    Seoul, Seoul-t'ukpyolsi, Republic of Korea

Disclosure(s):
Seul Ki Choi, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: Disabled persons may face a heightened risk of poor nutrition due to constraints in dietary management. Despite this, research on the nutritional status of disabled persons remains scarce. This study aimed to assess nutritional health status and to identify factors associated with nutritional risk among disabled persons in the Republic of Korea.

Methods: This study used data from the 2020 Disability and Life Dynamics Panel, a nationally representative survey of registered disabled persons in Korea, to examine the nutritional health status among disabled Koreans aged ≥20 years. Nutritional health status was assessed using the Nutrition Screening Initiative checklist and categorized into no risk, moderate nutritional risk, and high nutritional risk. The sociodemographic and disability-related characteristics, health status, and health behaviors of survey respondents were compared by their nutritional risk status. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with nutritional risk.

Results: Of the 4,401 disabled persons included in the analysis, 20.5% had moderate and 18.7% had high nutritional risk. Descriptive analyses showed significant differences in nutritional risk by disability characteristics, however, these associations weakened after adjusting for confounding factors. Moderate nutritional risk was associated with living alone (OR=1.52, 95% CI=1.13-2.05), having a chronic disease (OR=2.50, 95% CI=1.92-3.27) or depression (OR=1.53, 95% CI=1.21-1.95), and perception of being underweight (OR=1.49, 95% CI=1.07-2.07) or overweight (OR=2.00, 95% CI=1.47-2.72). High nutritional risk was associated with living alone (OR=2.20, 95% CI=1.64-2.94), the lowest quartile of income (OR=1.58, 95% CI=1.04-2.40, compared to the highest quartile), worse perceived health (OR=2.15, 95% CI=1.62-2.86), having a chronic disease (OR=2.43, 95% CI=1.76-3.36) or depression (OR=3.39, 95% CI=2.57-4.45), perception of being underweight (OR=2.12, 95% CI=1.53-2.93) or overweight (OR=2.50, 95% CI=1.77-3.53), and smoking (OR=1.83, 95% CI=1.26-2.67).

Conclusions: A significant proportion of disabled Koreans are at risk of poor nutrition. Tailored dietary interventions, considering the varied needs and characteristics of this population, are needed.

Funding Sources: None