• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제45권2호
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• pp.70-77
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• 2012

Objectives: Identify the characteristics related to the suicide rates in rural and urban areas of Korea and discover the factors that influence the suicide rate of the rural and urban areas. Methods: Using the data on causes of death from 2006 to 2008, the suicide rates were calculated and compared after age-standardization based on gender, age group and urbanicity. And, in order to understand the factors that influence suicide rate, total 10 local characteristics in four domains - public service, social integration, residential environment, and economic status - were selected for multiple regression analysis. Results: The suicide rates were higher in men than women, in rural areas than urban, and in older people than the younger. Generally, although there were variations according to age group and urbanicity, suicide rates were significantly related to residential environment and regional economic status but not related to regional welfare spending and social integration. In addition, the population over the age of 65 years, only regional economic status has significantly influence on their suicide rates. Conclusions: The influence of characteristics of regions on suicide rate is various by age-group, gender, and urbanicity. Therefore, in order to lower suicide rate and reduce the gap between regions, various approaches must be adopted by taking into account the socioeconomic characteristics of the regions.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제38권4호
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• pp.391-400
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• 2005

Objective : This study examined the socioeconomic differentials for the health and health related behaviors among South Korean middle school students. Methods : A nationwide cross-sectional interview survey of 3,449 middle school second-grade students and their parents was conducted using a stratified multi-stage cluster sampling method. The response rate was 93.3%. The socioeconomic position indicators were based on self-reported information from the students and their parents: parental education, father's occupational class, monthly family income, out-of-pocket expenditure for education, housing ownership, educational expectations, educational performance and the perceived economic hardships. The outcome variables that were measured were also based on the self-reported information from the students. The health measures included self-rated health conditions, psychological or mental problems, the feelings of loneliness at school, the overall satisfaction of life and the perceived level of stress. The health related behaviors included were smoking, alcohol drinking, sexual intercourse, violence, bullying and verbal and physical abuse by parents. Results : Socioeconomic differences for the health and health related behaviors were found among the eighth grade boys and girls of South Korea. However, the pattern varied with gender, the socioeconomic position indicators and the outcome measures. The prevalence rates of the overall dissatisfaction with life for both genders differed according to most of the eight socioeconomic position indicators. All the health measures were significantly different according to the perceived economic hardship. However, the socioeconomic differences in the self-rated health conditions and the psychosocial or mental problems were not clear. The students having higher socioeconomic position tended to be a perpetrator of bullying while those students with lower socioeconomic position were more likely to be a victim. Conclusions : The perceived economic hardships predicted the health status among the eighth graders of South Korea. The overall satisfaction of life was associated with the socioeconomic position indicators. Further research efforts are needed to explore the mechanisms on how and why the socioeconomic position affects the health and health related behaviors in this age group.

• 한국인구학
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.1-21
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• 1989

For the analysis of mortality differentials by socioeconomic factors based on death registration data, we have considered four variables : place of residence, educational attainment, marital status and occupation. The age range adopted were 5 to 64 years of age for place of residence, and 25 to 64 years of age for the other factors. The mortality differentials by socioeconomic variables were clear and in the expected direction: mortality levels among urban residents, better educated groups, and non- agricultural workers were lower than among the other sub- groups. The average mortality level in rural areas is much higher than in urban areas : the rural mortality levels were at least double the urban levels at ages below 40 years, but became smaller after age 40, and no clear differentials by urban I rural residence increased until 1974~76 for the both sexes, but since the then differentials have declined slowley for both sexes. This changing pattern of mortality differentials by place of residence can be explained by historical socioeconomic development : the development generally started in urban areas, and rural areas followed : in the course of socioeconomic development the differences between the death rates in the two areas became smaller and finally the mortality levels in the two areas became nearly the same, as is found in the developed countries nowadays. The inverse relationships between mortality and educational level became stronger between the periods 1970~72 and 1984~86, but showed the same atterns of mortality differentials in both period : larger differences among the younger age groups, and for males, than among the older age groups, and for females. The increasing mortality differentials in the fourteen-year period between 1970~72 and 1984~86 were caused by inadequate living standards of the non- educated, whose proportion in the total population, however, dropped sharply during that period. Also, the much lower proportions of low - educated groups or of persons with no formal education among males than females helped to establish the clearly pronounced differentials. The mortality differentials by marital status in Korea showed the usual pattern : the mortality rates of the married in each age and sex group were clearly lower than those of others during the fourteen-year period between 1970~72 and 1984~86. In Korean society which remotes universal marriage, the never married recorded especially high death rates, presumably mainly because of ill - health, but also possibly because of the stigma attached to celibacy. However, the mortality differentials by marital status changed with the changes in the proportionate distribution by marital status during the period : the differences between the death rates of the married and never married groups became smaller, the proportion of the never married group increased : in contrast, the differences between mortalities of the married and widowed / divorced / separated groups widened, with the decrease in the proportion of the later group ; this tendency was perticularly marked for females. Occupational groups also showed clear mortality differences : among four occupational groups mortality of males was highest among agricultural workers and lowest among 'professional, admi-nistrative and clerical workers, However, when the death rates were standardized by educational level, the death rates by occupation in age group 45~64 years were nearly the same (excet for the mixed group consisting of unemployed, students, military servicemen and unknown). Therefore, the clear mortality dfferentials by occupation in Korea resulted mainly from the differences in educational level between different occupation groups. Since socioeconomic characteristics are related to each other, the net effect of each variable was examined. Each of the three variables - ducational level, marital status and urban / rural residence affected significantly Korean adult mortality when the effects of the other variables were controlled. Among the three variables educational level was the most important factor for the determination of the adult mortality level. When male's occupation was added to the above three variables, the effects of occupation on adult mortality were notably smaller after control for the effects of the other three variables while the net effects of these three variables were nearly the same irrespectively whether occupation was included or not. Thus, the differences in educational level (mainly), place of residence and marital status bring out the clear differences in observed mortality levels by occupation.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제40권5호
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• pp.388-396
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• 2007

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the differences in employment status and self assessed health in Korea. Methods: We analyzed 4 year follow-up data generated by the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study(KLIPS), which was conducted on 1,207 men and 582 women who had undergone a change in employment status. The study subjects were placed into 1 of the following 4 groups based on their employment history; Non-precarious workers, Precarious to non-precarious workers, Non-precarious to precarious workers and Precarious workers. Logistic regression was then used to examine the relationship between the changes in employment status and self assessed health. Results: When males were considered, self assessed health was better among the precarious to non-precarious workers (OR 1.58, 95% CI=1.57-1.60) and the precarious workers (OR 1.29, 95% CI=1.28-1.30) than in the non-precarious workers, after adjusting for age, socioeconomic status (education level, occupational class, marital status, average equivalent household income and average number of hours worked per week), health behavior (smoking, drinking and exercise) and medical service access (regular medical examination, have chronic disease or hospitalized within 1 year). When female workers were considered, the precarious to non-precarious workers (OR 1.89, 95% CI=1.86-1.92), non-precarious to precarious workers(OR 1.24, 95% CI=1.23-1.26) and precarious workers (OR 1.27, 95% CI=1.25-1.28) all reported poorer health than the non-precarious workers after adjusting for the aforementioned factors. Conclusions: This study showed that changes in employment status were associated with differences in self assessed health among men and women. Specifically, the results of this study showed that a corresponding positive outcome based on self assessed health was greater for employees that changed from precarious to non-precarious jobs and for male employees with precarious jobs., whereas female employees with non-precarious jobs had higher self assessed health. However, additional longitudinal studies on the health effects of employment status should be conducted.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.57-65
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• 2021

Background: The objective of this study was to elucidate the relationships musculoskeletal pains with combined vulnerability in terms of age, gender, and employment status Methods: The fifth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) in 2010 (43,816 participants aged 15 years and over) analyzed for European employees and the third Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) in 2011 (50,032 participants aged 15 years and older) analyzed for Korean employees. In this study, three well known vulnerable factors to musculoskeletal pains (older age, female gender, and precarious employment status) were combined and defined as combined vulnerability. Associations of musculoskeletal pains with combined vulnerability were assessed with prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) estimated by Poisson regression models with robust estimates of variance. Results: The prevalences of musculoskeletal pains were lower but the absolute and relative differences between combined vulnerabilities were higher among Korean employees compared with the European employees. Furthermore, the increased risk of having musculoskeletal pains according to combined vulnerability was modestly explained by socioeconomic factors and exposure to ergonomic risk factors, especially in Republic of Korea. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the labor market may be more unfavorable for female and elderly workers in Republic of Korea. Any prevention strategies to ward off musculoskeletal pains, therefore, should be found and implemented to mitigate or buffer against the most vulnerable work population, older, female, and precarious employment status, in Republic of Korea.

• 농촌의학ㆍ지역보건
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.151-164
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• 2010

우리나라의 섬에는 18만 8천여 명의 주민이 거주하고 있다. 의료서비스에 대한 지리적 접근성문제와 의료서비스 공급부족 문제는 섬 지역에서 아직까지 큰 문제점으로 남아 있고, 섬 지역에는 고령인구와 같은 건강 문제가 발생하기 쉬운 취약한 사람이 많이 거주하고 있어 미충족 의료가 발생할 가능성이 크며, 이 같은 미충족 의료는 섬 지역주민의 건강을 위협할 수 있다. 이 연구의 목적은 일개 섬의 미충족 의료의 수준과 이와 관련된 요인을 조사함으로써 섬 지역의 의료문제 개선을 위한 하나의 기초 자료를 마련하는 것이다. 조사는 2008년 7월 30일에서 8월 1일까지 3일 동안 자원봉사 대학생에 의하여 전라남도 완도군 노화도에서 실시되었고 주민의 의료이용 수준, 일반적인 특성, 사회경제적 특성 및 일반적인 미충족 의료와 육지의 의료기관 이용과 관련한 미충족 의료를 조사하였다. 324명의 주민이 조사되었으며, 일반적인 미충족보건의료를 경험한 주민의 비율은 26.5%로 조사되었다. 단변량 분석에서는 여성과 독거하는 사람이 통계적으로 유의하게 미충족 의료를 많이 경험하는 것으로 조사되었고, 다변량 분석에서는 독거하는 사람만이 통계적으로 유의하게 미충족 의료를 많이 경험하는 것으로 분석되었다. 육지의 의료기관 이용과 관련한 미충족 의료를 경험한 주민의 비율은 13.2%였으며 단변량 분석결과 상대적으로 젊은 연령층과 직업이 상업인 주민에서 미충족 의료가 통계적으로 유의하게 증가하였고, 다변량 분석에서는 통계적으로 유의하게 육지의 의료기관 이용과 관련한 미충족 의료를 증가시키는 요인은 없는 것으로 조사되었다. 노화도에는 고령인 주민과 사회 경제적으로 취약한 주민들이 많이 거주하고 있으며, 상당한 수준의 미충족 의료 문제가 있는 것으로 조사되었다. 이후 섬 지역의 미충족 의료문제 해결을 위한 추가적인 연구와 사회적 지원이 필요할 것으로 판단된다.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제40권6호
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• pp.505-511
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• 2007

Objectives : While cervical cancer is one of the leading cancers among women worldwide, there are a number of effective early detection tests available. However, the participation rates in cervical cancer screening among Korean women remain low. After the nationwide efforts in 1988 and thereafter to encourage participation in cervical cancer screening, few studies have investigated the effects of socioeconomic inequality on participation in cervical cancer screening. The purpose of this study was to investigate 1) the level of socioeconomic disparities in receiving cervical cancer screening by age group and 2) if there was an improvement in reducing these disparities between 1995 and 2001. Methods : Using data from the Korean National Health Status, Health Behavior and Belief Survey in 1995, the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1998 and 2001 (sample sizes of 2,297, 3,738, and 3,283), age-standardized participation rates were calculated according to education level, equivalized household income, and job status. Odds ratios and the relative inequality index (RII) were also calculated after controlling for age. Results : Women with lower education levels were less likely to attend the screening test, and the disparities by education level were most pronounced among women aged 60 years and older. The RIIs among women 60 years and older were 3.64, 4.46, and 8.64 in 1995, 1998, and 2001, respectively. Higher rates of participation were reported among those in the highest income category, which was more notable among the middle aged women (40s and 50s). An inconsistent trend in the rate of participation in cervical cancer screening by occupational level was found. Conclusions : Indicators of socioeconomic position seem to have varying impacts on the inequalities in the rates of participation in cervical cancer screening according to age group. These results demonstrate the need for more aggressive and age-based interventions and policy programs to eliminate the remaining inequalities.

• 한국인구학
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.17-43
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• 2011

1990년대 중반부터 이혼율이 급증하여 한부모 가정이 증가하고 있다. 한부모 가정의 문제는 통상적으로 모자가정의 문제라고 인식되고 있지만, 본 연구는 최저소득층의 경우 모자가구의 형성자체가 어려워 편부가 자녀양육을 맡게 되고 따라서 편부의 사회경제적 지위가 편모에 비해 더 낮을 수도 있다는 가설을 제시하였다. 가설검증을 위해 2005년 센서스 2% 표본자료를 사용하였다. 먼저 12세 이하 아동표본을 바탕으로 한부모 가구 부모의 특성을 분석한 결과, 양친가구 모와 부, 별거가구 모와 부, 무배우 모와 부 중에서 무배우 부의 교육수준이 가장 낮았는데, 특히 중학교 이하의 비율이 가장 높았다. 무배우 모에 비해서 무배우 부의 취업률은 높지만 취업자만 볼 때 직업적 지위는 더 낮았다. 무배우 부가 속한 가구의 가구주도 무배우 모가 속한 가구의 가구주보다 교육수준이 낮았다. 다음, 분석에서 암시된 저소득여성의 자녀별거성향을 확인하기 위하여 12세 이하 자녀를 가진 이혼모 표본을 이용하여 자녀와 비동거하는 요인을 살펴보았다. 여성의 사회적 경제적 자원이 적을수록 자녀 비동거의 확률이 높다는 것이 확인되었다. 즉, 여성의 교육수준이 자녀 비동거와 뚜렷한 부의 관계를 보였고, 부모와의 동거가 자녀 비동거를 감소시키는 요인으로 나타났다. 결론적으로, 가구의 분포를 보면 무배우 모의 수가 무배우 부보다 더 많은 것이 사실이지만 한부모 가구의 사회경제적 지위가 일반적으로 양부모가구보다 현저히 낮다는 사실과 더불어 무배우 부 가정의 취약성에 주목할 필요가 있다.

• 대한간호학회지
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.307-323
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• 1990

This Study was done to design and test an instrument to measure the health status of the elderly including physical, psychologyical and social dimensions. Data collection was done from July 18 to August 17, 1990. Subjects were 412 older persons in Korea. A convenience sample was used but the place of residence was stratified into large, medium and small city and rural areas. Participants located in Sudaemun-Gu, Mapo-Gu, and Kangnam-Gu, Seoul were interviewed by brained nursing students, and those in Chungju, Jonju, Chuncheon, and Jinju by professors of nursing colleges. Rural residents were interviewed by community health practioners working in Kungsang-Buk-Do, Kyngsang- Nam - Bo, Jonla Buk -Do, and Kyung Ki- Do. The tool developed for this study was a structured questionnaire based on previous literature and then tested for reliability and validity. This tool contained 20 physical health status items, 17 mental-emotional health status items and 38 social health status items. Physical health status items clustered in to six factors such as personal hygiene, activity, home management, digestive, sexual, sensory, and climination functions. Mental-emotional health status items clustered into two factors, mental health and emotional health. Social health status items clustered into seven factors, grandparent, parent, spouse, friend, kinships, group member and religious role functions. Data analysis included percentage, average, S.D., t-test and ANOVA. The results of the analysis were as follows : 1. The tool measuring the health status of the elderly and developed for this research had a relatively high reliavility indicated by a cronbach＝0.97793. 2. Average score of the subjects physical health status was 4, 054 in a 5 point likert scale, mentalemotional health status was 3.803, social health status was 2.939 and the total average was 3.521. The social status of the subjects was the lowest and the next was mental-emotional health status ; physical health status was the highest. 3. Educational background, perceived health status, the amount of pocket money were related to physical and mental-emotional health status and family structure was related mental-emotional physical and social health status. Occupation was related to physical and mental-emotional status. Area of residence was related to metal-emotional and social status. Source of living in the expeneses was related to physical and mental-emotional health status marital status to mental-emotional and social health status, and the number living in the home physical health status and religion to social health status. The following conciusions were derived from the above results ; 1. The health status of Korean elderly was relatively sound but social health status was the most vulnerable. The Social activity for Korean elderly is needed to improve social health. 2. Educational background, perceived health status and the amount of pocket money must be considered in the health assessment criteria of the elderly, Family structure, marial status, occupation, residence variables and sources of living expense must also be considered as significant. 3. A health education program based on the educational background of the elderly, and provision of an occupational socioeconomic welfare policy will be useful in order to increase social health status of Korean elderly.

• 한국전문물리치료학회지
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• 제16권3호
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• pp.69-78
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to assess the level of quality of life and related factors among the elderly in Korea. In particular, we focused on factors affecting the quality of life of the elderly in long term care. We used the third Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) from 2005. We sampled a total of 3,571 (10.5%) elderly from the national survey. We compared the mean of quality of life to socioeconomic status, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), health behavior, and disease variables. We used EuroQol-5D among KNHANES to assess the quality of life. In this study, the mean score of the quality of life among the elderly was 2.57. Logistic regression showed that the elderly who were male, with spouses, with health insurance, and with good ADL levels enjoyed higher quality of life scores and odds ratios than those who were female, divorced, uninsured, and with low ADL levels (p<.05). The quality of life of the elderly was affected by socioeconomic, ADL, health behavior and disease variables. To improve long term care and the quality of life among the elderly, we need detailed research to clarify the effects of these factors.