• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.35-59
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to investigate determinants of the saving behaviors, perceptions of economic situation and attitudes on the program of the Individual Development Account program participants in Korea. Data used for this article was the survey on the participants of 'Seoul Hope-plus Saving Account Program' implemented by Seoul Welfare Foundation for 3 years. In order to consider variances within-individual and between-individuals, Hierarchical Linear model is used for this study. The results are as follows. First, In demographic factors, disability, gender, education level, marriage status are significant factors on the effectiveness of the program. Second, the participation on the program has positive effects on the conception on the living standard and economic status of the participants. However, total amount of savings excluding savings on 'Hope plus' has decreased. The household income is positively related with the amount of savings. Thus, it is necessary to consider individuals' socio-demographic factors to planning the asset-based program.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-15
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• 2017

Objectives: About for twenty years, immigrant women in South Korea have steadily increased due to economic growth and industrialization. According to previous studies in terms of immigrants, subjective socio-economic status(SES) as well as objective SES such as income, occupation and level of education predict health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine association between subjective social status and perceived health among immigrant women. Methods: We analyzed 12,531 participants from the 2012 National Survey of Multicultural Families. Study variables included subjective SES in Korea, subjective SES in community and perceived health. Control variables were age, household income, employment, education, marital status, ethnicity, language proficiency. For this study, descriptive analysis, Chi-square test, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed. Results: Among immigrant women, after adjusting for control variables, level of education in community was not associated with perceived health. Otherwise, subjective social status in Korea(low subjective social status reference group vs high subjective status : OR 2.056) was associated with perceived health. Conclusions: Immigrant women in Korea would be culturally affected by inherent characteristic rather than social economic status. Through this study, in order to improve health inequality among immigrant women, we should consider developing social supports and networks.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.455-463
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• 2022

Objectives: Economic hardship has a serious impact on adolescents' mental health. The financial impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was more severe for low-income families, and this also impacted adolescents. This study aimed to examine the associations of economic deterioration (ED) caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and low socioeconomic status (SES) with adolescents' suicidal behaviors. Methods: This study analyzed data from the 2020 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, which included 54 948 middle and high school students. Odds ratios (ORs) of suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicide attempts related to ED and SES were calculated using multivariable logistic regression. We calculated relative excess risks due to interaction to assess additive interactions. Results: The ORs for suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicide attempts related to combined severe ED and low SES were 3.64 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.13 to 4.23), 3.88 (95% CI, 3.09 to 4.88), and 4.27 (95% CI, 3.21 to 5.69), respectively. Conclusions: ED and low SES were significantly associated with suicidal behaviors in adolescents. Although no significant additive interaction was found, the ORs related to suicidal ideation, suicidal planning, and suicide attempts were highest among adolescents from low-income families with severe ED. Special attention is needed for this group, considering the increased impact of economic inequality due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.115-122
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• 2006

Objectives : This study was conducted to examine the relationships of the several socioeconomic position indicators with the mortality risk in a representative longitudinal study of South Korea. Methods : The 1998 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was conducted on a cross-sectional probability sample of South Korean households, and it contained unique 13-digit personal identification numbers that were linked to the data on mortality from the National Statistical Office of Korea. Of 5,607 males and females, 264 died between 1999 and 2003. Cox's regression was used to estimate the relative risks (RR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) of mortality. Results: Socioeconomic differences in mortality were observed after adjustments were made for gender and age. Compared with those people having college or higher education, those people without any formal education had a greater mortality risk (RR=2.21, 95% CI=1.12-4.40). The mortality risk among manual workers was significantly greater than that for the non-manual workers (RR=2.73, 95% CI=1.47-5.06). A non-standard employment status was also associated with an increase in mortality: temporary or daily workers had a greater mortality risk than did the full-time workers (RR=3.01, 95% CI=1.50-6.03). The mortality risk for the low occupational class was 3.06 times greater than that of the high and middle occupational classes (95% CI=1.75-5.36). In addition, graded mortality differences according to equivalized monthly household income were found. A reduction of monthly household income by 500 thousand Korean Won (about 400 US dollars) was related with a 20% excess risk of mortality. Self-reported poor living standards were also associated with an increased risk of mortality. Those without health insurance had a 3.63 times greater risk of mortality than the insured (95% CI=1.61-8.19). Conclusions: This study showed the socioeconomic differentials in mortality in a national longitudinal study of South Korea. The existence of socioeconomic mortality inequalities requires increased social discussion on social policies in Korean society. Furthermore, the mechanisms for the socioeconomic inequalities of mortality need to be explored in future studies.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.207-213
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• 2014

How to eliminate health disparity to ensure health equity is one of major issues that are handled across the world. The purpose of this study was to examine any possible differences in self-rated oral health state according to socioeconomic status and the relationship between the two based on the data of the 5th National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey of 2010~2012. As for differences in self-rated oral health state according to sociodemographic characteristics, the women considered themselves to be in poorer oral health than the men. The older respondents found themselves to be in poorer oral health, and there was a tendency that the respondents who were less educated and whose household income was smaller rated their own health as worse. When a logistic regression analysis was made to determine influential factors for self-rated oral health status, the women perceived they were in better oral health than the men did, and the better-educated respondents were more likely to consider themselves healthier. Concerning disparities in self-rated health state according to income level, there were broader differences in that regard according to an increase of income. The findings of the study illustrated that there was oral health inequity according to social stratum. It's required to make a nationwide effort to promote national oral health, and appropriate support should especially be provided for disadvantaged people at the same time in order to get rid of the gap in oral health among different social classes, as there is a yawning gap between them and the other classes.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.31-60
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• 2012

This case study tried to explore the food insecurity experiences of poor households with children, since 'food insecurity experiences' of poor households represents economic inequality and social deprivation in the midst of a affluent society. Interviewees in this reports reported that they have found difficulties with buying right or enough food materials due to short of income. As well, they have usually experienced the selection and use of only low-grade foods, substitution for more cheap food materials, limitation of available food materials(especially, meats and fruits), and monotonous diets in their everyday lives. Sometimes, their children skipped their meals due to their monotonous diets. To sum up, I could identify that they(poor households with children) had experienced many components of 'food insecurity' constructs in their daily lives. In spite of, there are some distinction between reports through food insecurity scale and records of interviews and the various foods-supply programs have supplemented their food insecure situation. Therefore, we should give consideration to these in the use and interpretation of the results of food insecurity scales.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.17-36
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• 2023

This research aims to investigate the socio-demographic, financial, and housing statuses of young married couples in Chonsei housing and to analyze the determinants of their residential environment quality and housing expenditure in four districts - Seoul and Gyeonggi-Incheon Area(GIA) of the Seoul Metropolitan Area(SMA), and metropolises and non-metropolises of non-SMA. From the 2020 Korean Housing Survey(KHS), this cross-sectional analysis examined a sample of 691 households, and the findings revealed that most were headed by college-educated, salaried male workers aged 31 years old. While childless dual-earner couples were common in Seoul, single-income families of three were prevalent in non-SMA. The financial status of the couples in Seoul was a lot better than in the other three areas, particularly much higher in Chonsei deposit and total asset value. Further, many lived in a three-bedroom apartment unit sized 60m² and bigger, using a Chonsei loan. Regardless of areas, almost all the households spent a very low portion of their living expenses and income on housing costs. However, dual-earner families positively increased borrowing capacity, which improves the household's financial position that is likely to lead to equity increment in a volatile asset market in the long run. The statistical results indicated that residential environment assessment was influenced by neighborhood quality and housing expenditure was affected by housing size in Seoul, urban amenities in GIA and householder's gender in non-metropolises. Thus, this research proposes that strong measures be considered to mitigate housing inequality embedded in geographical and socio-economic disparities.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.255-276
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• 2015

This paper presents a multi-agent system model of land-use and cover changes, which is developed and applied to the Gariwang-san and its vicinity, located in Pyeongchang and Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon province, Korea. The Land Use Dynamics Simulator (LUDAS) framework of this study is well suited for representing the spatial heterogeneity and dynamic interactions between human and natural environment, and capturing the impacts of forest-opening policy interventions to future socio-economic and natural environment changes. The model consists of four components: (1) a system of human population, (2) a system of landscape environment, (3) decision-making procedures integrating human(or household), environmental and policy information into forest land-use decisions, and (4) a set of policy scenarios that are related to the forest-opening. The results of model simulation by different combination of various forest management scenarios are assessed by the levels of household income, ecosystem service value and income inequality in the study region. As a result, the optimal scenario of forest-opening policies in the study region is to open the forest to local residential community for the purpose of recreation, considering the distinctive topographical feature. The model developed in this research is expected to contribute to a decision support system for sustainable forest management and various land-use policies in Korea.