[Association between single-person households and ambulatory treatment of endocrine and metabolic disease in Japan: analysis of the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions]

Abstract

Objectives: We examined the association between single-person households and ambulatory treatment of endocrine and metabolic disease in Japan.

Methods: We used random sample data from the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions in 2003. The study included 11,928 participants aged ≥20 years, excluding inpatients and nursing home residents. Household status was categorized in terms of two groups: single-person household or multi-person household. Three age categories were used: 20-49, 50-64, and ≥65 years. Endocrine and metabolic disease was defined as the prevalence of diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, and thyroid diseases. Men and women were analyzed separately. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) after adjusting for employment status, marital status, disability in activities of daily living, and smoking. The association between age, household, and ambulatory care for endocrine and metabolic disease was examined by a likelihood ratio test.

Results: There were 443 male and 529 female outpatients with endocrine and metabolic disease. In male outpatients from single-person households, the ORs for endocrine and metabolic disease were higher than for multi-person households across all age groups [single-person household, 1.62 (95% confidence interval: 1.03-2.56)]. The ORs for outpatients with endocrine and metabolic disease increased with age, and for those aged ≥65 years, these ORs increased gradually. There were no significant associations between age, households, and ambulatory care for endocrine and metabolic disease in men (for the interaction P=0.986). Furthermore, there was no significant association between single-person households and ambulatory care for endocrine and metabolic disease in women.

Conclusion: The data from the national survey suggest that single-person households are a risk factor for endocrine and metabolic disease in Japanese men. Our findings indicate the need for management of endocrine and metabolic disease across all age groups.