Analysis of Korean Traditional Dietary (Hansik) Consumption Patterns Focusing on Households’ Characteristics

In recent years, many researchers have examined the relationship between the types of households and dietary patterns as the family structure changes. Changes in the dietary patterns have recently been emphasized to promote traditional values and the level of consumption of domestic agricultural products. Given these observations, a need for research on the linkages between the types of households and dietary choices especially in the context of Korean traditional dietary choices can be addressed. This study focuses on the consumption patterns of Korean food, called Hansik, according to the household types using the 2013∼2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANS) data. The residence area, age, monthly income level and education level of households contributed significantly to the Hansik consumption rate. The major results from empirical analysis were also highlighted. First, a single-person household had a 2.51% higher Hansik consumption rate than a member of two or more-person households. Second, members of households with children showed a 0.88% higher Hansik consumption rate than members of households without children. Third, elderly household members had a 1.27% higher Hansik consumption rate than non-elderly household members. The analysis also showed that single-person households (—0.0251) had a negative impact on the Hansik consumption rate, whereas elderly households (0.0127) made a positive contribution to the Hansik consumption rate. This suggests that elderly households living alone are likely to consume less Hansik than elderly households living with family members. The tailor-made strategies are needed for each household to efficiently increase the Hansik consumption.