25% of elderly have no single meal with family: study

By Kim Hyun-bin

One out of four elderly people has not had a single meal with a family member within the last year, a study showed, Tuesday.

These people have a 30 percent higher chance of developing depression compared to those who eat with their family.

According to the research conducted by Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine on 4,959 elderly people aged over 65 from 2010 to 2014, 25 percent of them responded they had not eaten a meal with their family in the last year.

The ratio of eating alone was higher among women at 33.5 percent, with 13.1 percent of men saying so.

Among those who said they have had at least one meal a day with family members, 11.8 percent said they had one meal, while 18.7 percent said two meals and 44.5 percent, three meals.

The eating habits had an effect on depression, the study showed.

People who had at least one meal a day with their family were 20 percent less likely to suffer depression than those who ate alone. People who had two or three meals a day with family reduced their chances of depression by 30 and 28 percent, respectively.

Elderly people who ate alone also showed up to 33 percent higher likelihood of contemplating suicide compared to people who ate with their family.

“The results show senior citizens having regular meals with family members strengthens communication with them and constructs stable relationships, which become protection factors for depression, anger and other psychological issues,” the study said.

“But those eating alone without family members tend to be less well-socialized, and this leads to loneliness and depression.”

The study was published in the latest journal by the Korean Academy of Family Medicine.