• Journal of muscle and joint health
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.246-254
• /
• 2014

Purpose: This study aims to provide baseline data on children's health care and household safety management in one region and to support implementation of customized visiting health care services for children. Methods: 51 children and their caregivers from socially vulnerable group and 69 children and their caregivers from general group are selected as research participants. Data were collected through home visiting survey by 10 professional nurses. Results: Children from socially vulnerable group are at higher risks of poor health care and safety accidents in households than general group. Rates of taking developmental screening tests, medical check-up remain considerably low in vulnerable social group. Regarding home safety, vulnerable children are more likely to be exposed to unsafe conditions. Conclusion: These results indicate that in order to promote health care and safety conditions for vulnerable children, it is necessary to implement customized visiting health care programs which actually can reach vulnerable households and meet their demands. These findings can be used as baseline data to develop customized visiting health care programs for children.

• East Asian Economic Review
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.273-301
• /
• 2023

This study investigates the impacts of long-term climate variability on household consumption in Indonesia, a country highly vulnerable to climate change. The analysis combines household survey data from nearly 5,998 families with satellite-derived weather data from NASA POWER spanning 30 years. We use the long-term variability in temperature and precipitation as a proxy for climate change. This study examines the impact of climate change which proceeds over the long term, unlike previous studies concerning one-off or short-term climate events. In addition, using satellite data enhances the accuracy of households' exposure to climate variability. The analysis finds that households in a village with higher temperature and precipitation variability significantly consume less food. This implies that households more exposed to climate change are at higher risk of malnutrition in developing countries. This study has a limitation that it cannot rule out the potential endogeneity of choosing a climate-vulnerable residential location due to economic poorness.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.225-240
• /
• 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of households with risky debt loads. The study used financial ratios to determine which households were over-indebted. The 3 ratios used were Debt to Asset ratio, Debt to Financial asset ratio, and Debt Service ratio. Data for this study was the 2011 Survey of Household Finance. Households that demonstrated total debts of 70% or more when compared to total assets were 8.8%. Households that demonstrated a debt load totaling 5 or more times their total financial assets were 19%. Households with monthly repayment obligations of 40% or more of disposable income were 20%. Households that fulfilled all 3 financial ratio criteria were 1.5% of total indebted households. Over-indebted households demonstrated severe economic condition in terms of debt, but not all over-indebted households were categorized as being in economically vulnerable group. The major determinants of households with risky debts were income, asset, purpose of loans, and spending behavior of the households.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.275-296
• /
• 2012

Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University The national health insurance system in Korea is characterized as relatively high out-of-pocket payments, which are the principal source of catastrophic health expenditure (CHE). The objectives of this study are to estimate the incidence of household CHE and to clarify the characteristics that affect the occurrence and recurrence of household CHE using the Seoul Welfare Panel Survey database for 2008 and 2010. Thresholds to estimate CHE were 10% and 20% of the total household income (T/X), and 25% and 40% of the income excluding food share (T/Y). Determinants of the occurrence and recurrence of CHE at the threshold of T/X=10% were analysed using multiple logistic regression models. Out of the 3,665 households that responded in 2008 survey, households with CHE were 12.07% (T/X${\geq}$10%), 5.34% (T/X${\geq}$20%), 6.84% (T/Y${\geq}$25%), and 4.44% (T/Y${\geq}$40%). Risk factors associated with household CHE included living with a spouse, non-Medicaid beneficiary, householder unemployment, low household income, the number of disabled members, poor subjective health, and the number of chronic diseases. A total of 41.78% of households with CHE in 2008 repeatedly experienced CHE in 2010. Risk factors of CHE recurrence included decreased household income and an increase in chronic diseases over the two time periods, the number of members with disability or chronic diseases, and the presence of cancer patients in 2008. Households with lower socioeconomic and health status had a higher financial burden on health care than do their counterpart households. There is a need to enhance society-wide financial protection from health spending among vulnerable citizens in Seoul, particularly, households with low income, disabled members or cancer patients.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.147-160
• /
• 2007

This research challenges the general notion of one-person households of the elderly during widowhood as impoverished, isolated, and vulnerable. Recognizing a high potential vulnerability, however, this research attempts to describe the diverse composition of one-person households of the elderly. For this purpose, relying on 2% sample data from the 2000 census, it examines regional distribution, socio-economic characteristics, and determinants of one-person households of the elderly during widowhood. Socio-economic characteristics of one-person households of the elderly differ by region. Jeju island is distinct in terms of sex and age distribution, and residence area of children. In general, rates of economic activity and self-subsistence are higher in provinces than in cities. Compared to the elderly living with family, the elderly living alone show high rates of economic activity, self-subsistence, and capability of physical activity. Results of logistic regression analysis of determinants of living arrangement are consistent with those of descriptive statistics. Those who are economically active and able to move around without assistance tend to live alone after the death of a spouse. Number of sons and living in an urban area are negatively associated with living alone, whereas females are more likely than males to live alone. According to the separate analysis by age, the positive effect of economic activity is greater in the oldest of the old than in other age groups. Those who possess high educational attainment tend to live alone when they are 80 and older, unlike other age groups. Based on these findings, this paper finds that one-person households of the elderly nay not always be the most vulnerable group, and are diverse in terms of socioeconomic characteristics.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.37-50
• /
• 2012

This research was conducted for the analysis the middle-old aged empty nest households' debt holdings and their financial status(emergency fund index, liquidity index, debt burden index) considering the level of income and assets. In order to accomplish this study, we made use of the KReIS third beta-version data. The results of the analysis were as follows. First, in all income asset groups there were more non-debts holding houses compared to debt holding houses. Moreover in debts holding houses, compared to other groups high income high assets groups were more. Second, the households that possessed more assets, had more debts. Third, the financial status of the households holding debts were more vulnerable compared to households that had no debts. Moreover, all income asset groups' emergency fund index were low. Households having no debts possessed low real assets and so the liquidity index was higher in holding debts households. In holding debts households, debt burden index was high. And especially these houses suffered from high debt burden when their income and asset were low.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.20 no.12
• /
• pp.332-345
• /
• 2020

This study sought to explore the demand in the social service sector and present policy implications, focusing on the vulnerable in rural villages exposed to worse conditions amid the Covid-19 crisis. To this end, the social service needs of vulnerable groups by household type were analyzed by utilizing the raw data of the 2018 Survey on Rural Well-Being. Analysis showed that the greatest demand social services for all rural villages, the elderly, the disabled, one-person, one elderly and low-income households were income support services, while in household that included children the demand was for childcare and education-related services. The second-highest social services in terms of demand were cultural leisure vacation support services for all rural villages, healthcare-related services for the elderly, the disabled, one elderly and low-income households, cultural leisure vacation support services for households including children and daily life support services for single-person households. Based on these results, a measure was proposed to support social services, tailored to vulnerable groups in rural villages. In addition, the government's lack of a consultation system between urban and rural welfare policies, such as a basic plan for health and welfare in rural villages, led this paper to discuss the need for a feedback function and dedicated formulation of mid- to long-term policies in rural villages. It also proposed the establishment of conditions for providing customized social services for rural villages.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.288-302
• /
• 2019

Background: The one-person households (OPH) are rapidly increasing and vulnerable to socioeconomic and health problems. Because it is predicted to be inequitable to health care utilization, we would like to find out about the equity of health care utilization of the OPH by comparison with the multi-person households (MPH). Methods: This study followed the theoretical framework of Wagstaff and van Doorslaer (2000), O'Donnell and his colleagues (2008), where the horizontal inequity index is the difference between the concentration indices of actual health care utilization and health care needs. This study employed the 9th Korea Health Panel survey, and a total of 10,807 cases were analyzed. Health care needs were measured by age, sex, subjective health status, chronic disease count, Charlson's Comorbidity Index, limitation of activities, and disability. Results: Compared with the MPH, there were pro-poor inequities in hospitalization, emergency utilization, hospitalization out-of-pocket payments, and pro-rich inequities in outpatient out-of-pocket payments for the OPH. The decomposition of the concentration index revealed that chronic disease count made the largest contribution to socioeconomic inequality in outpatient utilization. Age, health insurance, economic activities, and subjective health status also proved more important contributors to inequality. The variables contributing to the hospitalization and emergency utilization inequity were age, education, Charlson's Comorbidity Index, marital status, and income. Conclusion: Because the OPH was more vulnerable to health problems than the MPH and there were pro-poor inequities in medical utilization, hospitalization, and emergency costs, it is necessary to develop a policy that can correct and improve the portion of high contribution to medical utilization of the OPH.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.93-103
• /
• 2020

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify unmet healthcare needs among man and woman one-person households and to explore related factors by gender. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The final sample consisted of 820 one-person households. The statistical analysis, conducted in SPSS version 20.1, included complex sampling analysis; descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and logistic regression. Results: The demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of women in one-person households were significantly different from those of men in one-person households. Women in single-person households were mainly in their 70s or older and married, and they tended to have a low education level, low income, and no formal occupation. Unmet healthcare needs were experienced by 17.3% of women in one-person households and 13.5% of men in one-person households, which was not a statistically significant difference (χ²=2.17, p=.139). Factors related to unmet healthcare needs were subjective health status and unmet dental care needs in single-person-household men. By contrast, having experienced impairment within the past year, stress, and unmet dental care needs were factors related to unmet healthcare needs in single-person-household women. Conclusion: As one-person households become increasingly common, more attention needs to be paid to them and our understanding of them needs to be improved. Women in one-person households, in particular, are especially vulnerable, as they experience more unmet healthcare needs.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
• /
• v.52 no.3
• /
• pp.335-368
• /
• 2021

This study was performed in order to to suggest the library service direction and program provision method for single-person households in the Seoul Public Library. by analyzing the current status of the operation of public services and library services for domestic and foreign single-person households and the results of the survey on perception of library users and experts. As a result, the suggested library service direction for single-person households was proposed to secure and provide information resources closely related to the lives of single-person households, and establish a support center in charge of services to utilize human resources efficiently with local libraries, and create a user-centered facility infrastructure including single-person households away from the material-oriented library, provide regional specifications and customised services based on the characteristics and distribution of single-person households. In addition, the reading culture program for single-person households believes that social activities support for vulnerable single-person households, social ties, care, volunteer work, leisure and cultural activities are more necessary than anything else, and proposed specialized library services and programs for young, middle-aged, and female single-person households.