Association between Allergic Diseases and the Number of Persons per Household Using Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) and asthma are chronic allergic diseases that affect quality of life. Objective: In this study, we analyzed data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) to determine the association between allergic diseases and number of household members living with the patient. Methods: This study included 20,893 participants > 19 years of age from the KNHANES (2010~2013). Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the odds ratio (OR) for presence of AD or asthma according to number of household members.Results: The OR of allergic diseases including AD and/or asthma increased as the number of household members decreased in the age <40 group after adjustments for age, sex, smoking status, drinking status, regular physical activity, education level, income level, and stress level (1 member: adjusted OR [aOR]=2.019, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.256 ~ 3.245; 2 or 3 members: aOR=1.3, 95% CI= 1.031-1.64; ^4 members: reference). And those with an allergic disease were less likely to have a spouse and had a higher stress level compared to those without. Conclusion: Based on a nationwide population-based survey, this study showed that the number of household members was significantly related to rates of AD and asthma. The prevalence of allergic diseases tended to be higher in households with fewer members.