• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.182-190
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• 2010

We examined the association of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter < $10\;{\mu}m$ ($PM_{10}$) with asthma-related hospitalization, stratified by socioeconomic status (SES), among children less than 15 years of age in Seoul, Korea, between 2003 and 2005. In addition, we estimated the reduction in the number of asthma-related hospitalizations that would result from implementing the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline. SES was defined based on data concerning health insurance premium grades, and grouped into two levels: lower-income group and control group. The lower-income group was classified as having an accumulated income which did not exceed the 50th percentile of the median income. Time-series analysis was performed to evaluate the association between $PM_{10}$ and asthma-related hospitalization. The Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program was used to analyze the impact on children's health. Based upon an increase of $10\;{\mu}g/m^3$ of $PM_{10}$, the asthma-related hospitalization risk for the lower-income group was increased by 1.78% (95% confidence intervals (CI) = 0.79-2.78%), while the risk for the control group was increased by 0.83% (95% CI = 0.34-1.32%). Attaining the WHO guideline, relative to the concentration in 2007, would result in a reduction in asthma-related hospitalizations of 18 cases per 100,000 of the children population in the lower-income group, and 7 cases in the control group. The health benefits of improved air quality for children in the lower-income group were thus 2.5 times greater than for children in the control group. Our results show that the lower-income group is disproportionately burdened with asthma-related hospitalization arising from air pollution. Therefore, biologically- and socioeconomically-disadvantaged populations should be considered in public health interventions in order to protect the children's health.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.660-672
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to evaluate dietary habit and nutritional status by household income in female adults, using data from the $4^{th}$ Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007~2009). Subjects were 8,356 women over the age of 20 years. The subjects were classified into 4 groups by household income level. Dietary data from 24 hr recall methods were used to analyze nutritional status. The obesity rate of the low income group was significantly higher than the rates of other income groups. Additionally, the nutritional status of the low income group was worse than those of other groups. The percentage of carbohydrate in total energy intake was higher and food security status was lower in the low income group than in other groups. Awareness and adherence to dietary guidelines were also lower in the low income group. Adherence to a dietary guideline of 'avoiding salty foods and trying to eat foods with bland taste' and 'eating a variety of foods from each food group' were lower than those of other groups. However, the frequency of skipping breakfast among the low income group was lower than that of others. Therefore, this study suggested that low income women should decrease the percentage of carbohydrate in total energy intake and adhere to dietary guidelines, especially those of avoiding salty foods and eating a variety of food groups, in order to improve their nutritional status.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.547-553
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• 2015

BACKGROUNDS/OBJECTIVES: The effects of malnutrition on growth of toddlers and preschoolers by socioeconomic status are not well known. This study aimed to examine the effects of dietary intake on growth outcomes in toddlers and preschoolers by household income level. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study population was a total of 1,687 children aged 1 to 5 years that participated in the KNHANES from 2009 to 2011. Growth of children was assessed by height for age (HFA) and weight for height (WFH). Children were classified into three groups according to children's HFA and WFH compared to the $10^{th}$ and $90^{th}$ percentiles of the 2007 Korean Children and Adolescent Growth Standard. Average monthly household income was divided into quartile groups. Dietary intake data were obtained by using the one day 24-hr recall method. Risks of inadequate intake of nutrients and unfavorable growth were estimated by using a multiple logistic regression model adjusted for sex, age, region, and energy intake. RESULTS: The low HFA group (<$10^{th}$ percentile) had significantly lower intakes of energy, carbohydrate, and thiamin as compared with the high group (${\geq}90^{th}$ percentile). For WFH status, vitamin C intake was lower in the low group than in the high group. Household income level was related to WFH status but not HFA. Children from lower income households were more likely to have high WFH than those from higher income households (P for trend = 0.038). Household income status was also significantly related with risk of inadequate intake of micronutrients such as thiamin (P for trend = 0.032) and vitamin C (P for trend = 0.002), showing higher odds of inadequate intakes in children from lower income households. CONCLUSIONS: Children from lower income households were prone to be overweight and to have inadequate intakes of micronutrients such as thiamin and vitamin C. To reduce nutritional and health disparities, collective action in the public sector is required from early life.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 1980

This study attempts to assess the effect of the 1st class health insurance program to the income redistribution among the participants in a unit health insurance cooperative. One health insurance cooperative, located in Seoul, with 1558 members and 768 households was selected for this purpose. The relationships between amount of premium payed and benefits from the cooperative were compared. Necessary data were obtained from the bills submitted to the health insurance cooperative by the contracted medical institutions from 1st January 1977 to 30th June 1979. Households and individuals were the unit of the assessment. The indicators measuring income redistribution effect were the ratios between the benefit and expected benefit and the ratios between the benefit and the mean benefit. The major findings were: 1. The ratios between the benefits and the expected benefits were lower than 1 in the high income group and greater than 1 in the middle and lower income groups. This fact imply that the income redistribution effect was shown in the studied groups. It was shown that the middle income group received the greatest benefit, and then the lower income group. 2. The ratios between the benefit ana the mean benefit of the households in the higher standard income grade, were found to be higher. This means that the equity of the benefits of households were not achieved by the policy of the health insurance plan. 3. The health insurance utilization rates of the higher standard income group, measured by the household unit, were higher, and by the individual unit, the same rates of the middle income group were higher than other groups.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.613-622
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate infants' development, parenting characteristics, and the infants' daily routines by monthly family income, and examine variables related to infants' development. The 2010 data of the panel study on Koreans were used. The sample for this analysis was 1,802 children aged 21-23 months and their parents. The data were analyzed with ANOVA, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis with SPSS version 18.0. The results were as follows: First, the development of infants differed by the family income. Infants' communication and problem solving skills in families with an income at the 25th percentile or below was lower than those above the 25th percentile. Second, parenting characteristics differed by family income. In the lower income group, the mother's parenting stress was highest, but the father's parenting time on weekends was lowest. Third, the most frequent activity of infants differed by family income. Playing with friends or caregivers was lowest, but watching TV and videos was highest in the lower income family group. Fourth, there was a relation among infants' development (communication and fine motor skills) and parenting characteristics (mother's parenting style, stress, and father's parenting time on weekends), and the infants' daily routines (playing with friends or caregivers). Fine motor development was affected by playing with a caregiver.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.91-101
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• 2016

Using 1,419 lower-income group participating self-sufficiency program in Gangwon Province, this study investigated what would affect suicidal ideation of low-income. For the purpose showed significant differences in suicide ideation, as living status, subjective economic status, family friends neighbors contact frequency, using social services, chronic disease or not, drinking frequency, depression, the suicide of a family or someone close, suicide attempt by setting the independent variables was performed logistic regression analysis. The results showed that neighbors contact frequency, depression, the suicide of a family or someone close, suicide attempts affect suicidal ideation. It was an unusual result in lower-income group participating self-sufficiency program do not appear as factors affecting suicidal ideation. Based on the findings, this study provides suggestions to prevent suicide of lower-income and future research agenda.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.246-260
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of obesity, dietary habits, and nutritional status by age among low-income women, using data from the fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007~2009). Subjects were 8,356 women aged 20 and over. The subjects were classified into four groups by age. Dietary data from 24-hr recall methods were used to analyze nutritional status. The prevalence of obesity in the 50~64 years age group was significantly higher than those of the other age groups. Among age groups, malnutrition was the highest in the 65-and-over age group. It appears that women in the 20~29 and 65-and-over age groups were the highest nutritional risk. The percentage of carbohydrates in total energy intake was higher and the percentages of protein and fat were lower in the 65-and-over age group than other groups. Frequency of skipping breakfast was lower in women aged 65-and-over, and moderate physical activity significantly decreased with increasing age. Awareness of dietary guidelines was higher in women aged 30~49 years than other groups, whereas it was lower in those aged 65-and-over years. Adherence to dietary guidelines of 'eating a variety of foods from each food group' was significantly lower in women aged 65-and-over years than those of other groups. However adherence to dietary guidelines of 'eating breakfast everyday with a pleasant mind' was significantly lower in women aged 20~29 years than those of other groups. Therefore, this study shows that low income women have various nutritional problems by age group, and we should support a tailored approach to improve their nutritional status.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.1-12
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• 2002

This study aimed to examine the needs for the planning of group homes for the elderly with dementia in lower income class, who have more economic burden on the caring the demented aged. The survey was conducted by questionnaires collected from 300 respondents from December 2000 to March 2001. Methods of analysis were frequency distribution, mean and chi-square test. The results of this study were as follows: 1) The respondents perceived that the responsibility to take care of the elderly with dementia belonged to their family, not to society or the government, and the sons and daughters had to share the burden placed on care-givers. 2) The awareness of group homes for dementia was relatively low. 3) The respondents' needs for the group homes with dementia could be summarized as follows; small scale plan with homelike atmosphere, a total of 6-8 residents, structural type of detached house or three-storied town house, 2-3 persons per individual room, and management system by non-profit organization or the government. There were no big differences between the respondents of this study and upper and middle class studies conducted by other research, except for some details. Referring to results of this study, it is asserted that group homes for the elderly with dementia would be embraced throughout the country if poetical assistance combined with economic support were provided.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.7820-7830
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• 2015

Korean households' demand for food consumed away from home is on the steady increase. The ratio of eating-out expenditure of the household income, however, tends to decrease recently irrespective of income groups. This paper, therefore, aims to analyse the food-away-from-home expenditures of salary and wage earners' households by income decile group. The eating-out expenditure is modelled as a function of household income and then estimated using econometric methods such as regression, rolling regression, impulse response, and variance decomposition of forecast error. The regression results indicate that the higher the income decile group is, the lower the income elasticity of eating-out expenditure is, and the high income groups enjoy seasonal eating-out, the low groups do not. The coefficients of dynamic rolling regression are much smaller than those of static one, meaning that households tend to decrease the eating-out expenditure of their income. The impulse response analysis suggests that the eating-out expenditure increase of higher income groups lasts long relative to that of lower income groups. The variance decomposition, also, shows that household income plays much more important role in determining eating-out expenditure at the higher income groups than at the lower income groups.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.439-446
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• 2020

Objectives: This study analyzed the associations of hypertension (HTN) with symptoms and diagnosis of depression by income level among Korean adults. Methods: This study was based on the 2010-2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data; a total of 29 425 adults (aged 20 years or older) were analyzed. HTN was defined as a systolic blood pressure ≥140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg, or use of hypertensive medications. Depression symptoms were evaluated based on a questionnaire about depression-related symptoms. A depression diagnosis was defined based on questionnaire responses indicating that a participant had been diagnosed with depression. Household income was divided into higher or lower income ranges based on the median income of the participants. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the associations between HTN and depression symptoms/diagnosis in the higher-income and lower-income groups. Results: In the higher-income group, the odds ratio (OR) for the association between HTN and depression symptoms was 1.15 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97 to 1.37), and the OR for the association between HTN and depression diagnosis was 1.41 (95% CI, 1.13 to 1.76). In the lower-income group, the OR for the association between HTN and depression symptoms was 1.18 (95% CI, 1.04 to 1.34), whereas the OR for the association between HTN and depression diagnosis was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.70 to 0.97). Conclusions: The associations of HTN with symptoms and diagnosis of depression differed by income level.