Health behavior typology and related factors of middle-aged men in single-person households using latent class analysis

Objectives: This study aimed to classify the health behavior patterns of middle-aged men living alone and identify the associated factors based on a socio-ecological model. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from the 2023 Community Health Survey, Population and Housing Census and various national databases related to public health and infrastructure. A total of 6,698 middle-aged men (aged 40– 64 years) living alone were included in the analysis. Latent class analysis was used to identify health behavior patterns, and multinomial logistic regression was applied to analyze the influencing factors. Results: Three distinct health behavior types were identified: “health-indifferent type” (50.39%), “positive health behavior but physically inactive type” (15.30%), and “health behavior with high alcohol consumption type” (34.31%). Factors significantly associated with these types included age, occupation, economic status, education, marital status, depression, social activity participation, and community-level factors such as the number of sports facilities. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of targeted interventions considering the economic vulnerability and social isolation of middle-aged men living alone. Future efforts should focus on developing tailored health promotion programs and strengthening social support systems to improve their health behaviors.