Socioeconomic and lifestyle factors as risks for suicidal behavior among Korean adults

•In Korea, risk of suicidal ideation increases with age in men but decreases in women.•Amount of drinking and smoking were associated with suicidal behaviors in women.•Physical activity is beneficial against suicidal ideation in men, but ambiguous in women.•Extensive physical labor may be a risk of suicidal ideation and attempt in women.•Food insufficiency was significantly associated with suicidal ideation and attempt.

BackgroundPreventing suicide has become a major public health priority in Korea. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associated factors of suicidal ideation (SI1) and attempt (SA2) among Korean adults.MethodsThe data were collected from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES), a nationally representative sample recruited using a multi-stage clustered probability design. The association of putative risk factors focused on nutrition and health behaviors which were evaluated using multiple logistic regression analyses after adjusting for confounding factors. Survey sample weights were used for all analysis.ResultsThe 12-month prevalence of SI and SA in Korea was 15.0% and 0.85%, respectively. Female, previously married status, lower education and lower household income were associated with SI and SA. In particular, the effect of age on SI presented a reverse pattern based on gender; there was a positive association for men and a negative association for women. Additionally, drinking, smoking, physical activity above moderate intensity and eating fewer meals were associated with SA in women, whereas regular exercise was protective against SI in men.LimitationsThe data were collected using a cross-sectional survey, embedding possible bias.ConclusionsHigher prevalence of SI and SA among women was associated with smoking, drinking, avoiding regular exercise and insufficiency of food. Lower prevalence of SI was observed in men who engaged in physical activity while men with insufficient food showed a higher prevalence of SI and SA.