• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.44 no.6
• /
• pp.743-750
• /
• 2014

Purpose: The objective of this study was to provide a trend analysis of the prevalence of diabetes relative to the socioeconomic, lifestyle, and physiologic risk factors among Korean adults aged over 30 years for a 10-year period using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: Prevalence difference and the slope index of inequality were calculated for each risk factors using binomial regression by considering the repeated cross-sectional features of the data. The prevalence ratio and the relative index of inequality were calculated using log-binomial regression. Linear trend tests were performed using SAS 9.2. Results: Crude prevalence of diabetes increased over the 10-year period, and was higher for men than for women. It was very high for adults 60 years or over, consistently increasing over time. The prevalence among unemployed men, women with higher level of stress, women with hypertension, and adults with serum triglyceride levels over 135 mg/dL increased over the 10-year period in comparison with the respective control group. Conclusion: Considering the rapid economic development and associated lifestyle changes in Korea, action should be taken to control the prevalence of diabetes by both preventing and consistently monitoring these identified risk factors using a public-health approach.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.59-84
• /
• 1996

It is generally believed that the medical profession in Korea is an well-paid field along with legal profession. In this vein, the nursing is regarded one of well-paid profession. The actual data, however, reveals that nurses belong to low income bracket. We carefully compare the nurse's earnings with those of other professions. We selected 58 professions, which are similar in vocational characteristics and education background to nurses and conduct a regression analysis to estimate earning functions. Using the estimated coefficients, we project an optimum salary level for nurse, and compare it with the actual salary level. The estimated results show that the nurses are underpaid : their actual salary is less than the optimum level. We provide several explanations for this phenomenon : a tradition based on Confucian value, wage discrimination for women, and wage inequality among hospitals. Undercompensation will result either ratard professional development, or block the motivation for high quality of nursing care. If the current underpaying situation is not improved, a shortage of nurses along with an noticeable decline in the quality of medical services are expected. Therefore an adequate compensation for nurses must be properly assessed and addresed not only be health care authorities but also by legislators. Further research is needed to explain why there is such as wide salary inequality among nurses, and to find what cause it.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.99-114
• /
• 2003

This study was performed to determine the effect of social class distribution as measured by lower social class rate on all cause and cause specific mortality in Korea. I obtained data on social class, fiscal autonomy of municipalities, number of medical doctors, region(Si/Gun) from 1955 Korea Census Data and Regional Statistics Data. And all of the data on mortality adjusted for age for 1995 for each district from the National Statistics Office. Lower social class rate ranged from 18.9％ for Kangnam gu to 85.7％ for Imsil gun and age standardized mortality ranged from 385/100,000 population for Kangnam go to 803/100,000 population for Sinan gun. Lower social class showed had a significant correlation with total mortality adjusted for age(r=0.81, p<0.0001). The association of the rate to total mortality remained highly significant after adjusted for number of medical doctors per 1,000 population, fiscal autonomy of municipalities and region(p<0.0001). Effects of the lower social class were also found for neoplasm (p=0.0008)； cardiovascular disease (p<0.0001)； infectious disease(p=0.0115)； respiratory disease(p=0.0085)； gastrointestinal disease(p<0.0001)； accident ＆ poisoning (p<0.0001). The findings suggest that policies that deal with the inequality in social class may have an important impact on the health of the population.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.673-689
• /
• 2011

It is a qualitative study based on a focus group with an aim to figure out elderly people's experiences in health inequality in vulnerable health zones in agriculture and fisheries areas. Of eups, myeons and dongs selected as 40 vulnerable areas where standardized death rates had continued to be high from 2004 to 2007 in 20 counties and cities in Gyeongsang-do, 15 agriculture and fisheries areas were randomly chosen to extract 8 to 10 elderly people. Explanations were given to study subjects, and 7 to 8 people who agreed to take part in the study joined a regional focus group. Contents of interviews were analyzed with a phenomenological method by Colaizzi (1978) in order to accurately describe pertinent phenomena. The study has found four categories including ecological environmental problems, insufficient services for local community & harmful environmental problems, worsening economic conditions and insufficient health care management in terms of health behavior.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.40 no.6
• /
• pp.505-511
• /
• 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.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.217-229
• /
• 2014

This study was performed to identify neighborhood deprivation indicators associated with health and to test the contextual effects of those indicators on individual health. This study calculated SMR based on Dong district and see the differences of prediction across deprivation index and indicators. Then, a multi-level analysis using HGLM was conducted to test the contextual effect of neighborhood depreivation indicators on health after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic status of individuals. The results showed that regional SMR had strong correlations with land price, education, welfare recipients, female household proportion in Dong district but failed to show the correlation with individual health and neighborhood deprivation. Individual health was only associated with individual level of demographic and socioeconomic status. That is, spatial dispersion of illness is understood as the distribution of social classes in terms of socioeconomic status of individuals, not the contextual aspects of community.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.57-67
• /
• 2011

Objectives: This study gathered basic information for the development of a health promotion policy for employees and the selection of participants for health education by identifying the impact of socioeconomic status and health behavior on the health status of males and females. Methods: The 2008 National Health Nutrition and Examination Survey data were used to examine relationships between socioeconomic status, health behaviors, and health status of male and female employees. For the analysis, the $X^2$ test and logistic regression were used. Results: Heath behaviors had a very slight impact of the association between socioeconomic status and health status among male and female employees. And patterns of health inequality had the gender difference. Conclusions: When developing a health promotion policy for employees, and selecting health education subjects, it is necessary to consider both socioeconomic status and gender.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.32 no.4
• /
• pp.47-57
• /
• 2015

Objectives: This study reviews literature on health literacy and provides communication guidelines and policy implications for addressing health literacy for the Korean population. Methods: EBSCOHost, JSTOR, ProQuest, Web of Science, and PubMed were searched using the term "health literacy." The present study also reviewed reports and publications released by governments and healthcare agencies. Results: By reviewing existing articles and reports, the present study provides following suggestions : (a) implementation of a national health literacy survey on a regular basis, (b) development of tailored health literacy interventions for different target segments, (C) development of an appropriate model to evaluate the effectiveness of health literacy programs, and (d) development of health literacy guidelines for distributing health information and educating healthcare professionals. Conclusions: Health literacy issues must be addressed through establishment of appropriate policies and guidelines as well as collaboration between government and healthcare organizations.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.84-101
• /
• 2002

This study collected and analyzed the datum related to consultation fee in National Health Insurance Corporation and characteristics of dental clinics for 819 dental clinics in Daegu and Kyungpook districts to specify the distribution and concentration rate of health insurance consultation fee and the critical elements of insurance consultation fee income. The average health insurance consultation fee per one dental clinics is 77.2 million won and the case of women dentists is 78.7 million won. That is higher than 79.9 million won that the case of man dentist. According to age, under 39 is 85.5 million won that is highest, declining little by little above 60s the number decreased to merely 23.9 million won. And the dentists whose business years from 5 to 10 are the highest and declining gradually. The more of engaging members to dental clinics is the larger the income. The average insurance consultation fee of Daegu province is 69.3 million won, but that of Kyungpook is 89.6 million won. Decile distribution ratio of dental clinics consultation fee income is 0.526 and Gini coefficient is 0.303. Decile distribution ratio of Daegu district is 0.489, Gini coefficient is 0.320. This explain the larger inequality compared with Kyungpook(0.623, 0.273). With age, Gini coefficient of below 39 is 0.260, the higher age is, the larger the number is, up to abode 60 the coefficient is 0.504, the degree of inequality is most extremely. insurance consultation fee and the number of cases of consultation is related to the age of dentists, duration of practice, the number of dentists and staffs engaging and provinces. That is, the lesser the age is, the longer the years of engaging are, the more the number of dentists and staffs we, the larger insurance consultation fee income and the number of cases of consultations we. And the fee fur one case is closely related to age and provinces. The fee for one case is higher in lower age, and that of in Daegu dental clinics is higher than in Kyungpook.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.186-194
• /
• 2008

Objectives : This study describes trends in the socioeconomic disparities in breast cancer screening among US women aged 40 or over, from 2000 to 2005. We assessed 1) the disparities in each socioeconomic dimension; 2) the changes in screening mammography rates over time according to income, education, and race; and 3) the sizes and trends of the disparities over time. Methods : Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 2000 to 2005, we calculated the age-adjusted screening rate according to relative household income, education level, health insurance, and race. Odds ratios and the relative inequality index (RII) were also calculated, controlling for age. Results : Women in their 40s and those with lower relative incomes were less likely to undergo screening mammography. The disparity based on relative income was greater than that based on education or race (the RII among low-income women across the survey years was 3.00 to 3.48). The overall participation rate and absolute differences among socioeconomic groups changed little or decreased slightly across the survey years. However, the degree of each socioeconomic disparity and the relative inequality among socioeconomic positions remained quite consistent. Conclusions : These findings suggest that the trend of the disparity in breast cancer screening varied by socioeconomic dimension. Continued differences in breast cancer screening rates related to income level should be considered in future efforts to decrease the disparities in breast cancer among socioeconomic groups. More focused interventions, as well as the monitoring of trends in cancer screening participation by income and education, are needed in different social settings.