• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.289-309
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• 2023

While South Korea's universal healthcare system has garnered attention in public health, the issue of inequality in healthcare service provision among different age groups has incessantly become a significant concern. The focus of this concern is primarily on essential healthcare services, encompassing fundamental aspects of healthcare such as internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatric and adolescent care. This inequality is not limited to differences among age groups (both junior and senior demographics) but also extends to potential disparities in healthcare services based on geographic location, particularly in urban and rural contexts. This paper aims to investigate disparities in primary healthcare service resources in South Korea's evolving economic landscape between 1995 and 2021. We utilize a set of inequality indices with a spatial perspective through geographic cluster analysis. The findings reveal that concerns about inequality have been amplified during various economic events, including the IMF crisis in 1999, the global financial crisis in 2008, and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. These years are identified as significant phases that have contributed to manifesting spatial disparities in primary healthcare provisions, with a particular emphasis on the senior-aged population rather than junior or all population groups. Our findings underscore the pressing need to address the unequal distribution of essential healthcare resources as part of preparedness for potential economic impacts, requiring a comprehensive consideration of the interconnected nature of demographic and spatial dimensions in healthcare services.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.140-149
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify activities of daily living, depression and self-rated health and related factors for Korean Elderly. Methods: Data from the survey for the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging in 2010 were used. The data were analyzed using frequencies, weighted proportions, and hierarchical multiple logistic regression. Results: Significant difference was observed in health status induced by socioeconomic status between men and women, but not among age groups. Socioeconomic status was strongly associated with self-rated health among male and female elders. Being unschooled and low net family asset were significantly related with dependency in activities of daily living and depressive symptoms among men. Only low net family asset was significantly related with depressive symptoms among women. Family support provides a slight decrease to the negative relationship between socioeconomic status and health status, especially depressive symptoms. Conclusion: This study suggests that interventions to reduce health inequalities should target elderly with lower socioeconomic status and with poor family support, using a gender-specific approach.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.94-103
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• 2014

Objectives: The present study examined relationships between socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity and body mass index (BMI) as well as the effects of health-related behavioral and psychological factors on the relationships. Methods: A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted on Korean adults aged 20 to 79 years using data from the 2001, 2005, and 2007 to 2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariate logistic and linear regression models were used to estimate odds ratios of obesity and mean differences in BMI, respectively, across SES levels after controlling for health-related behavioral and psychological factors. Results: We observed significant gender-specific relationships of SES with obesity and BMI after adjusting for all covariates. In men, income, but not education, showed a slightly positive association with BMI (p<0.05 in 2001 and 2005). In women, education, but not income, was inversely associated with both obesity and BMI (p<0.0001 in all datasets). These relationships were attenuated with adjusting for health-related behavioral factors, not for psychological factors. Conclusions: Results confirmed gender-specific disparities in the associations of SES with obesity and BMI among adult Korean population. Focusing on intervention for health-related behaviors may be effective to reduce social inequalities in obesity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1999-2004
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• 2013

Asian Americans experience disproportionate incidence and mortality rates of certain cancers, compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Primary care physicians are a critical source for cancer screening recommendations and play a significant role in increasing cancer screening of their patients. This study assessed primary care physicians' perceptions of cancer risk in Asians and screening recommendation practices. Primary care physicians practicing in New Jersey and New York City (n=100) completed a 30-question survey on medical practice characteristics, Asian patient communication, cancer screening guidelines, and Asian cancer risk. Liver cancer and stomach cancer were perceived as higher cancer risks among Asian Americans than among the general population, and breast and prostate cancer were perceived as lower risks. Physicians are integral public health liaisons who can be both influential and resourceful toward educating Asian Americans about specific cancer awareness and screening information.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.241-251
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify trends in health-related interventions on children attending Community Child Care (CCC) centers, which are part of a health policy to provide after-school care for vulnerable children in South Korea. Methods: From 2007, 109 papers were analyzed using the scoping study method. Results: The number of studies increased steadily between 2007 and 2016. Most studies were based on the social sciences, and the participants were mainly elementary school students. Psychological and social interventions were the most common types of interventions with socio-psychological indicators as measurements. In addition, only a few studies had a clearly defined conceptual framework. The majority of studies did not explicitly indicate that they followed ethical considerations. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop health-related interventions for children attending CCC centers using diverse subjects, types, and evaluation methods, along with improvements in the quality of research methodology. Furthermore, it is essential to clearly articulate and implement ethical considerations in research targeting vulnerable children.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.101-114
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to identify regional differences in problem drinking among adult males in single-person households and predict the determinants. Methods: This study used data from the 2019 Community Health Survey. Geographically weighted regression analysis was performed on 8,625 adult males in single-person households who had been consuming alcohol for the past year. The Si-Gun-Gu was selected as the spatial unit. Results: The top 10 regions for problem drinking among adult males in single-person households were located in the Jeju-do and Jeollanam-do areas near the southern coast, whereas the bottom 10 regions were located in the Incheon and northern Gyeonggi-do areas. Smoking, economic activity, and educational level were common factors affecting problem drinking among this population. Among the determinants of regional disparities in problem drinking among adult males in single-person households, personal factors included age, smoking, depression level, economic activity, educational level, and leisure activity, while regional factors included population and karaoke venue ratio. Conclusion: Problem drinking among adult males in single-person households varies by region, and the variables affecting each particular area differ. Therefore, it is necessary to develop interventions tailored to individuals and regions that reflect the characteristics of each region by prioritizing smoking, economic activity, and educational level as the common factors.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3411-3417
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• 2013

Over the last 10 years, the number of cancer survivors in South Korea has reached nearly one million with a survival rate of 49.4%. However, integrated supportive care for cancer survivors is lagging. One area in which the current cancer control policy needs updating is in the utilization of information and communication technology (ICT). The remarkable progress in the field of ICT over the past 10 years presents exciting new opportunities for health promotion. Recent communication innovations are conducive to the exchange of meta-information, giving rise to a new service area and transforming patients into active medical consumers. Consequently, such innovations encourage active participation in the mutual utilization and sharing of high-quality information. However, these benefits from new ICTs will almost certainly not be equally available to all, leading to so-called communication inequalities where cancer survivors from lower socioeconomic classes will likely have more limited access to the best means of making use of the health information. Therefore, most essentially, emphasis must be placed on helping cancer survivors and their caregivers utilize such advances in ICT to create a more efficient flow of health information, thereby reducing communication inequalities and expanding social support. Once we enhance access to health information and better manage the quality of information, as a matter of fact, we can expect an alleviation of the health inequalities faced by cancer survivors.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.404-410
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• 2007

Objectives: Due to the assumptions of homogeneity as well as challenges in the socioeconomic position of the elderly, they have been relatively neglected in studies of health inequalities. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the social inequalities in preventive services among elderly men and women. Methods: Data were obtained from a nationally representative sample of 342 men and 525 women aged 65 and over collected during the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Age adjusted proportions and logistic regression were used to identify the social patterning of preventive services among elderly Koreans using various social position indicators. Results: The findings of this study generally supported the presence of social gradients in preventive services among the Korean elderly. The likelihood of using the service becomes progressively higher with social position. Educational level, income, and self-rated living status were significantly associated with increased medical checkups and cancer checks. In addition, logistic regression detected educational inequalities only among older women receiving BP checks. After being stratified based on health status and chronic disease status, social disparities still existed when educational level and self-rated living status were considered. Among unhealthy individuals, place of residence was observed as a barrier to medical checkups. Conclusions: This study demonstrated strong and consistent associations between socioeconomic position and preventive services among the elderly in Korea. The results indicate that public health strategies should be developed to reduce the barriers to preventive services encountered by the elderly.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.41-53
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the factors affecting on unmet healthcare needs of married immigrant women, especially who are working in South Korea. Methods: It is designed as a cross-sectional descriptive study. We analyzed data from 8,142 working married immigrant women to the 'National Survey of Multicultural Families 2015.' Based on Andersen's health behavior model, logistic regression was conducted to determine the predictors of unmet healthcare need. Results: The prevalence of unmet healthcare needs among the subjects was 11.6%. In multivariate analysis, significant predictors of unmet needs included existence of preschooler, country of origin, period of residence in predisposing factors, monthly household income, helpful social relationship, social discrimination, Korean proficiency, working hour per week in enabling factors, and self-rated health, experience of grief or desperation in need factors. Conclusion: The association between labor-related factors and unmet healthcare needs of marriage immigrant women currently working was found from nationally representative sample. Support policies for immigrant women working more than legally defined hours and having preschooler should be supplemented to reduce unmet healthcare needs. In addition, eradicating discrimination in workplace, enlarging social relationship, and developing culturally competent nursing services tailored to health problems caused by labor are needed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6445-6450
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• 2013

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. Failure to prevent cervical cancer is partly due to non-participation in regular screening. It is important to plan and develop screening programs directed towards underscreened women. In order to identify the factors associated with underscreening for cervical cancer among women, this study examined Pap test participation and factors associated with not having a time-appropriate (within 3 years) Pap test among a representative sample of women in Ontario, Canada using Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) data. Materials and Methods: Univariate analyses, cross-tabulations, and logistic regression modeling were conducted using cross-sectional data from the 2007-2008 CCHS. Analyses were restricted to 13,549 sexually active women aged 18-69 years old living in Ontario, with no history of hysterectomy. Results: Almost 17% of women reported they had not had a time-appropriate Pap test. Not having a time-appropriate Pap test was associated with being 40-69 years old, single, having low education and income, not having a regular doctor, being of Asian (Chinese, South Asian, other Asian) cultural background, less than excellent health, and being a recent immigrant. Conclusions: Results indicate that disparities still exist in terms of who is participating in cervical cancer screening. It is crucial to develop and implement cervical cancer screening programs that not only target the general population, but also those who are less likely to obtain a Pap tests.