The three barometers include abstaining from smoking; low-risk drinking with consumption of less than seven cups for men and five cups for women at a time with a frequency of less than twice a week; and walking five times for more than 30 minutes in a week. (image: Kobiz Media / Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Korea Bizwire) – We should all take care of our health when we are young. However, Korean men in their 30s and 40s make little effort to protect their health according to a recent survey. In the meantime, many in their 60s practice healthy lifestyles with lower smoking rates, low-risk drinking, and exercise including walking.
According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which conducted a study surveying the health attitudes of 228,721 adults over the past seven years, only 23.8 percent in their 30s followed all the of three barometers of healthy life.
The three barometers include abstaining from smoking; low-risk drinking with consumption of less than seven cups for men and five cups for women at a time with a frequency of less than twice a week; and walking five times for more than 30 minutes in a week.
After 30-somethings, those in their 40s were most negligent in caring for their health, with only 25.0 percent following the three guidelines for healthy living. Those in their 60s had the highest rate of participation at 37.2 percent, followed by those in their 20s (35.4%) and in their 70s or more (29.8). The average rate was 29.6 percent.
Meanwhile, 6.6 percent in of those their 40s and 5.6 percent in their 30s didn’t follow any of the guidelines at all. Of note, 12.5 percent of Korean men in their fell under this category.
By sex, excluding those in their 70s and more, women surpassed men in their participation rates. The average rate for women was 37.5 percent, greatly exceeding the 21.3 percent rate for men. Only 0.5 percent of women never followed any of the guidelines.
By region, those living in the larger cities were generally more inclined to follow the guidelines. Seoul was tops at 39.2 percent, followed by Daejeon (24.5%) and Incheon (33.6%). In comparison, those living in Jeju (21.3%), South Gyeongsang (21.5%), North Gyeongsang (22.2%) and Gangwon Provinces (22.3%) were more negligent.
By John Choi (johnchoi@koreabizwire.com)
