• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.84-93
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• 2015

Objectives: The present study was conducted in order to examine the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and osteoporosis prevalence in Korea and to assess whether different associations are found in single-person households. Methods: A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, from 2008 to 2011. The study subjects were people aged ${\geq}50$ years with osteoporosis as defined by bone mineral density. Multivariate logistic models were used to estimate prevalence odds ratios (pORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Gender differences in the likelihood of osteoporosis were analyzed based on household income, education level, and residential area. Results: There were 8221 osteoporosis patients aged ${\geq}50$ years, of whom 927 lived in single-person households. There was a gender-specific association between osteoporosis prevalence and all three SES factors that we analyzed: income, education, and residential area. After adjusting for age, SES, and health behaviors, including body mass index (BMI), low household income was only significantly associated with osteoporosis in men, whereas education level had an inverse relationship with osteoporosis only in women (p=0.01, p<0.001, respectively). However, after controlling for age and BMI, rural residency was only associated with osteoporosis in women living in single-person households (pOR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.05 to 2.43). Conclusions: The Korean adult population showed a gender-specific relationship between SES and osteoporosis prevalence, with a different pattern found in single-person households.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.33-41
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• 2013

Purpose: The study was done to explore relationships between residential areas and smoking rates and to identify related factors contributing to smoking in Korea adolescents. Methods: An analysis was done of smoking rates and socioeconomic position indicators by city size based on a 2012 cross-sectional nationwide online survey conducted with 74,186 Korean middle and high school students aged 12-18 years old. Data were analyzed using x2-test and multiple logistic regression with the SPSS/WIN18.0 program. Results: Analyses revealed that rural boys were more likely to be current smokers compared to metropolitan boys (odds ratio 1.18, 95%-confidence interval 1.01; 1.38) but residential areas and smoking rates among girls were not related. After adjusting for covariates, results showed that city size, Family affluence score, economic status, parents' education level, living with parents, school type, and school achievement were related to increased an proportion of adolescents who smoked. Conclusion: In conclusion, rural living is a determinant of smoking among boys. Tobacco control programs should recognize differences in living conditions between rural and urban areas.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.491-507
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• 2021

Background: This study aims to measure regional healthcare differences in Korea, and define relatively underserved areas. Methods: We employed position value for relative comparison index (PARC) to measure the healthcare status of 250 areas using 137 indicators in five following domains: healthcare demand, supply, accessibility, service utilization, and outcome. We performed a sensitivity analysis using t-SNE (t-distributed stochastic neighboring embedding). Results: Based on PARC values, 83 areas were defined as relatively underserved areas, 49 of which were categorized as moderate and 34 as severe. The provincial regions with the most underserved areas were Gyeongbuk (16 areas), Gangwon (13), Jeonnam (13), and Gyeongnam (12). Conclusion: This study suggests a relative comparison approach to define relatively underserved areas in healthcare. Further studies incorporating various perspectives and methods are required for policy implications.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.225-234
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to determine the oral health condition and behavioral status of Korean adults according to occupational status. The subjects were 7,676 adults, aged between 19 and 64 years, who completed both oral examination and questionnaire survey, among those who indicated that they were currently participating in economic activities, according to the data from the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Occupational class and employment status were selected as measures of occupational status. Complex-samples logistic regression models were used to assess the associations among oral health, behavioral, and occupational statuses. We found a significant occupational class-related difference in the oral health and behavioral statuses of both the men and women. In particular, the prevalence odds ratios of untreated dental caries in manual workers were 1.19 and 1.67 times higher than in non-manual workers, for men and women, respectively. As for oral health condition and behavioral status according to employment status, the health risk in temporary employment workers was higher than that in permanent employment workers. As for the prevalence odds ratios of the risk of dental caries, the highest values were observed for tooth brushing fewer than 3 times per day, not undergoing oral examinations, and chewing difficulty complaints. The risk of dental caries for agricultural, forestry, and fishing workers for both men and women was found to be the highest among other workers. Thus, strategies to promote workplace oral health in the microscopic and macroscopic perspectives should be developed to constantly monitor oral health problems, and to identify vulnerable social groups within occupational groups and the related factors that mediate oral health differences.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.277-284
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• 2015

Background: This study investigates the relationship of socioeconomic status with adverse birth outcomes (low birth weight, preterm birth) and the relationship of socioeconomic status with infant mortality, using the birth cohort in Korea, 1995-2010. Methods: 8,648,035 births from National Statistics Offics, 1995-2010 were studied with respect to social variation in adverse birth outcomes and infant mortality in Korea. The effect of social inequality was examined against adverse birth outcomes and infant mortality using multivariate logistic regression after controlling for other covariates. Results: Social inequality were observed in adverse birth outcomes: low birth weight (LBW, 1,500-2,499 g), very LBW (1,000-1,499 g), and extremely LBW (500-999 g) as well as moderately preterm birth (PTB, 33-36 weeks), very PTB (28-32 weeks), extremely PTB (22-27 weeks), and infant mortality. The effect of social inequality was higher among moderately LBW (1,500-2,499 g) and PTB (33-36 weeks) than very or extremely LBW and PTB. Conclusion: The social inequality in adverse birth outcomes (low birth weight and preterm) and infant mortality existed and increased in Korea from 1995 to 2010. The effect of maternal education on adverse birth outcomes as well as infant mortality was apparent in the study results. Especially, social inequailiy in infant mortality was greater among the sub-normal births (low birth weight [1,500-2,499 g] or preterm birth [33-36 weeks]), which suggests, social interventions should aim at more among the subnormal births. This study suggest that tackling inequality in births as well as infant mortality should be focused on the social inequality itself.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.362-370
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• 2020

Objectives: Despite greater access to training positions and the presence of more women in emergency medicine, it has remained a men-dominated field. This study aims to identify the key issues causing the gender gap in Korea and establish measures to overcome them. Methods: Using the annual statistical reports of the National Emergency Medical Center and data published on the Korean Society of Emergency Medicine website, cases that listed the current status and positions of members in its organization and its committees were analyzed. Secondary analysis was conducted using data from the 2015 Korean Society of Emergency Survey that included physicians' demographics, academic ranking, years of experience, clinical work hours, training and board certification, core faculty status, position, and salaries. Results: As of September 2019, women account for only 12.7% of the total number of emergency physicians (EP) in Korea; of 119 chair/vice-chair academic positions, women represented only 9.2%. Women EP were more often assistant professors and fellowship-trained, with fewer in core faculty. However, they worked the same numbers of clinical hours as their men counterparts. The median annual salary of women EP was less than that of men EP after adjusting for academic hospital rank, clinical hours, and core faculty status. Conclusions: A gender gap still exists among Korean EP, and women earn less than men regardless of their rank, clinical hours, or training. Future studies should evaluate more data and develop system-wide practices to eliminate gender disparities.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.327-340
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• 2017

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the barriers to promoting physical activity among obese children from low-income families using community child care (CCC) centers. Methods: This study employed an exploratory-descriptive qualitative research using focus group interviews. The participants were recruited from CCC centers, and 4 focus group interviews were conducted with 10 overweight and obese children and 14 primary caregivers. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed using content analysis. Results: The barriers to promoting physical activity were classified into three areas: 1) individual, a lack of will for physical activity; 2) interpersonal, a change in communicative mean with the peer group, absence of parental monitoring due to work-family balance, and an absence of consistent rules; and 3) organizational, lack of physical activity programs and human resources, and confined space for physical activity. Conclusion: The physical activity of children in low-income families is influenced by a range of ecological barriers. These findings can be used to develop tailored intervention to prevent and manage childhood obesity in low-income children.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.347-358
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to verify if metropolitan area and non-metropolitan area have an influence on health of the elderly and estimate and compare the difference between the two areas. To achieve this purpose, the study was conducted on 4,714 elderly people aged 65 or more among source materials of "The 3rd Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing in 2010" using OLS regression analysis and Oaxaca's decomposition method. Major results of the study are as follows. First, the elderly living in metropolitan area were found to have better health than the ones in non-metropolitan area(${\beta}=-.044$, p<.01). Second, in the result of looking into 'area' effect alone, which was decomposed to investigate actual effect of the difference between metropolitan area and non-metropolitan area, the elderly living in non-metropolitan area were found to have lower health status than the ones living in metropolitan area, confirming that the health gap among the elderly also originates from the characteristics of residential area(non metropolitan area-metropolitan area: 223.92, 109.50%; metropolitan area-non metropolitan area: -267.18, 130.66%). Through the results of the study, practical and policy implications and future study direction were suggested.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.458-464
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• 2023

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex disorder characterized by widespread chronic pain and tenderness in the muscles, ligaments, and soft tissues. It is a chronic pain condition often accompanied by other symptoms and comorbidities. To effectively manage FM, it is crucial to obtain fundamental epidemiological data pertaining to the target population. Therefore, this study was conducted to elucidate the epidemiological characteristics of FM in the Korean population. Methods: Population-based medical data of 51,276,314 subscribers to the National Health Insurance Service of Korea from 2014 to 2018 were used in this study. Results: The overall incidence of FM ranged from 441 (2014) to 541 (2018) cases per 100,000 person-years, with a higher prevalence observed among female patients compared to male patients. The incidence gradually increased until middle age, followed by a decrease. The highest incidence rates were observed in the fifth decade of life for females and the sixth decade of life for males. When categorizing the affected parts of the body, the shoulder region was observed to be the most frequently affected. A comparison of the drug prescriptions based on medical specialty showed that antidepressants were the most commonly prescribed medications. The management of FM leads to consistent increases in medical expenses, regional disparities, and variations in prescription patterns across different medical specialties. Conclusions: The findings of this study will not only contribute to the understanding of FM characteristics but also provide a vital foundation for efficient management of FM in Korea.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.72-79
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• 2015

Objectives: To identify the importance of preventing tuberculosis for HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infectees and to monitor their management of health, we investigated the proportion of HIV-TB (Tuberculosis) deaths among the HIV deaths and its related factors. Methods: Data for HIV deaths from 2002 to 2010 was acquired from Statistics Korea, after which the HIV deaths were reclassified into HIV-TB deaths or other deaths according to the KCD (Korean Classification of Diseases). We analyzed the proportion of HIV-TB deaths among HIV disease deaths and the relationship between HIV-TB deaths and related variables such as sex, age, educational level, marital status, etc. Results: There were 774 HIV deaths in South Korea between 2002 and 2010. TB was the main cause of death in 10.1% of all HIV deaths. The total proportion of HIV-TB deaths was 10.1% but its proportion reached 16.3% between 2005-2007 and then decreased to 4% in 2010. Also, the proportion of HIV-TB deaths was significantly high in the young age groups, but its proportion was significantly low in married groups and well educated groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: The result implies that the policy that takes care of HIV infectee regarding TB prevention has been getting systemized on a national scale. Also, HIV-TB deaths have been affected by social factors such as education and marriage status.