A rural village in the southern county of Wando (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Individuals residing in the countryside consume more alcohol and tobacco compared to those in big cities, but they exhibit better mental health and lower stress levels, a government report showed Monday.
The nationwide smoking rate stands at 19.3 percent. Furthermore, the monthly alcohol consumption rate is 57.7 percent, with a high-risk alcohol consumption rate of 12.6 percent, according to a report by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
Regarding the current smoking rate, districts in Seoul exhibit the lowest percentage at 16.3 percent, while counties have the highest rate at 20.8 percent.
In terms of monthly alcohol consumption, which refers to the percentage of individuals who consume alcohol more than once each month within the past 12 months, Seoul districts record the highest rate at 59.4 percent, while counties have the lowest rate at 53.9 percent.
In contrast, the rate of high-risk drinking, defined as consuming more than seven cups of alcohol for men and more than five cups for women, more than twice a week, is 10.6 percent among Seoul districts and 13.9 percent among counties.
The obesity rate is lowest among Seoul districts at 30.2 percent, whereas it is highest among counties at 35.5 percent.
The stress recognition rate, indicating the percentage of individuals experiencing “high” or “considerably high” stress levels in their everyday lives, is 22.5 percent among counties and 25.7 percent among Seoul districts.
The percentage of people facing severe depression, which significantly impacts their daily lives for more than two consecutive weeks within the past 12 months, is lowest among counties (6.2 percent) and highest among districts in metropolitan cities and urban-rural consolidated cities (7.2 percent each).
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
