Abstract

In order to investigate if the employment of housewives may affect the nutritional status of their family members, an analysis was made for the data of 2001 Korea National Health and Nutrition survey. Housewives aged 20 or over were divided into two groups of the working (W, 44.3%) and the non-working (NW, 55.7%), and household income levels were divided into 4 groups of low, middle, high, and high above according to the minimum cost of living in the year of 2001. Nutrient intakes were assessed by using dietary recommended intakes for Koreans of 2005. Working housewives showed similar levels to those of non-working housewives in most nutrients intakes except energy and vitamin C. However their families excluding housewives of W, than those of NW, took less protein, calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C when assessed as % of recommended intakes and took more sodium. Such differences were very strong in children and adolescents, and in the middle income households. More % of the families of W than those of NW consumed nutrients below the estimated average requirements. Percents of hypertension classified by both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were higher in adult family members of W than in those of NW. This tendency seemed to be more significant in the family members aged 30 to 49. Both obesity and under-weight rates of school children (7~12 yrs) in W were higher than those in NW. The above resuIts suggested that employment of housewives could have negative influences on the nutritional status of their family members, especially of their children and in the middle income class.

• Keywords: housewives; working; family member; nutritional status