Socioeconomic Status In Korea Research Articles

Spatially Filtered Multilevel Analysis on Spatial Inequality of Tuberculosis in Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea

Objectives: This study aims to identify the spatial inequality of tuberculosis (TB) and related socio-environmental factors in Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea. Methods: This study explains TB incidences in a spatial perspective. A spatial multilevel regression model was applied to account for the spatial inequality of TB and related factors. Applied socio-environmental factors were average age, population density, Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), particulate matter (PM<sub>10</sub>), medical insurance, financial independence rate, and medical doctors per 1,000 people. Results: This study finds evident spatial inequality of TB in Gyeongsangbuk-do. Most TB hotspots are identified around Yeongyang-gun, the area with the lowest socio-economic status in Korea. The regression result shows that level 1 factors (Average age, NDBI, PM<sub>10</sub>) and level 2 factors (medical insurance, financial independence rate) were statistically significant related to TB incidences. Furthermore, spatial filtering applied to multilevel regression accounts for spatial autocorrelation of TB incidence. Conclusions: Regional socio-economic and demographic conditions in Gyeongsangbuk-do influence TB incidences. Given low expectations on Gyeongsangbuk-do’s socio-economic and demographic growth, reducing the spatial inequality of TB would be challenging.

The Distribution of Weight Status according to Familial Socioeconomic Status in Korean Adolescents: The Twelfth Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, 2016

Background: The influence of socioeconomic status (SES) on weight status varies depending on the countries' levels of social and economic development. There are many studies on a risk of adolescent obesity according to familial SES in Korea. However, it is not clarified what effects familial SES has...

Difference of stage at cancer diagnosis by socioeconomic status for four target cancers of the National Cancer Screening Program in Korea: Results from the Gwangju and Jeonnam cancer registries

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to evaluate whether stage at cancer diagnosis differed according to patient economic status.MethodsA total of 10,528 patients with cancer of the stomach, colorectum, breast, or cervix, which are target organs of the Korean National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP; fully implemented in 2005) were extracted from population-based cancer registries. The patients were classified into four groups based on socioeconomic status (SES), as determined using their National Health Insurance (NHI) monthly premium at the time of cancer diagnosis. Cancer stage at diagnosis was defined as early (in situ/local) or late stage (regional/distant) based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) summary stage. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the risk of non-local stage using age, residential area, and community deprivation index as covariates.ResultsThe lowest SES subjects showed significantly higher risks of being diagnosed at a later stage for stomach, colorectal, and female breast cancer, but not for cervical cancer, compared with the highest SES subjects. The estimated ORs were 1.28 (95% CI, 1.10–1.49), 1.29 (95% CI, 1.03–1.61), and 1.35 (95% CI, 1.02–1.81) in the lowest SES subjects with stomach, colorectal, and breast cancer, respectively.ConclusionsIn conclusion, later stage diagnoses of stomach, colon, and female breast cancer are still associated with SES in Korea in the era of the NCSP for the lower SES population.

Prospective Study for Evaluating Therapeutic Efficacy of Obese Patients of Low Socioeconomic Status in Korea

Prospective Study for Evaluating Therapeutic Efficacy of Obese Patients of Low Socioeconomic Status in Korea

Regional Deprivation Index and Socioeconomic Inequalities Related to Infant Deaths in Korea.

Deprivation indices have been widely used to evaluate neighborhood socioeconomic status and therefore examine individuals within their regional context. Although some studies on the development of deprivation indices were conducted in Korea, additional research is needed to construct a more valid and reliable deprivation index. Therefore, a new deprivation index, named the K index, was constructed using principal component analysis. This index was compared with the Carstairs, Townsend and Choi indices. A possible association between infant death and deprivation was explored using the K index. The K index had a higher correlation with the infant mortality rate than did the other three indices. The regional deprivation quintiles were unequally distributed throughout the country. Despite the overall trend of gradually decreasing infant mortality rates, inequalities in infant deaths according to the deprivation quintiles persisted and widened. Despite its significance, the regional deprivation variable had a smaller effect on infant deaths than did individual variables. The K index functions as a deprivation index, and we may use this index to estimate the regional socioeconomic status in Korea. We found that inequalities in infant deaths according to the time trend persisted. To reduce the health inequalities among infants in Korea, regional deprivation should be considered.

Assessment of environmental injustice in Korea using synthetic air quality index and multiple indicators of socioeconomic status: A cross-sectional study

ABSTRACTDespite the existence of the universal right to a healthy environment, the right is being violated in some populations. The objective of the current study is to verify environmental discrimination associated with socioeconomic status in Korea, using synthetic air quality index and multiple indicators of socioeconomic status. The concentrations of NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), CO (carbon monoxide), SO2 (sulfur dioxide), PM10 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <10 μm), and O3 (ozone) in ambient air were integrated into a synthetic air quality index. Socioeconomic status was measured at individual level (income, education, number of household members, occupation, and National Basic Livelihood status) and area level (neighborhood index). The neighborhood index was calculated in the finest administrative unit (municipality) by performing standardization and integration of municipality-level data of the following: number of families receiving National Basic Livelihood, proportion of people engaged in an elementary occupation, population density, and number of service industries. Each study participant was assigned a neighborhood index value of the municipality in which they reside. Six regression models were generated to analyze the relationship between socioeconomic status and overall air pollution. All models were adjusted with sex, age, and smoking status. Stratification was conducted by residency (urban/rural). Moran’s I was calculated to identify spatial clusters, and adjusted regression analysis was conducted to account for spatial autocorrelation. Results showed that people with higher neighborhood index, people living with smaller number of family members, and people with no education lived in municipalities with better overall air quality. The association differed by residency in some cases, and consideration of spatial autocorrelation altered the association. This study gives strength to the idea that environmental discrimination exists in some socioeconomic groups in Korea, and that residency and spatial autocorrelation must be considered in order to fully understand environmental disparities.Implications: This is the first study that provides the possible evidence of the environmental injustice in Korea using air quality index. The findings suggested that air quality index was negatively correlated with several important socioeconomic status measured at either individual or area level. The main implication of this paper, therefore, is to provide another insight to environmental policy makers to consider environmental injustice problem into community intervention for resolving the public health problems by air pollution.

Comparison of Calcium Intake Status by Region and Socioeconomic Status in Korea: The 2011-2013 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

BackgroundCalcium is an essential element nutrient in our body, and insufficient calcium intake is very common in Korean. Socioeconomic status (SES) is known to be associated with quality of diet and health. The purpose of this study was to compare between calcium intake by region and SES.MethodsThis study used data from a nationally represented sample of Koreans (n=19,249) from 2011 to 2013 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We were divided into six regions: Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do, Chungcheong-do, Jeolla-do, Gyeongsang-do, and Jeju-do. Daily calcium intake and dietary quality based on 24 hr recall data was calculated and analyzed by the sex, age, SES.ResultsThe regions with the highest calcium intakes in both males and females were Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The age groups with a significant difference in calcium intake, nutrient adequacy ratio, and nutrient density by region were 14 to 19, 20 to 29, and ≥65 years. Calcium intake and dietary quality were lowest in the low household income group. In terms of being a recipient of the dietary life supply, the calcium intake and dietary quality of the recipient group was low.ConclusionsWe found that daily calcium intake was very different by region and was significantly lower in region with lower SES. The findings of this study suggest social inequalities in calcium intake by region can be addressed in the development and implementation of tailored nutritional interventions to promote calcium nutritional status of Koreans.

Socioeconomic inequalities in health risk factors in Korea

Tackling socioeconomic inequalities in health risk factors is an important pathway for alleviating health inequalities. The aim of this study was to analyze the current state of inequality in health risk factors by socioeconomic status in Korea through a literature review of recently published studies and description of secondary data from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (KNHANES). We evaluated the extent and trends of socioeconomic inequalities in health behavior (smoking, high-risk alcohol drinking, moderate exercise, and nutritional deficiency) and clinical risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity) with 1998 to 2010 KNHANES data based on socio-economic status. Furthermore, we summarized the impact of several distal health determinants like income, education and occupation, and childhood period on health inequalities in Korea. The results showed that a wide range of health risk factors including more distal causes were socio-economically patterned to varying degrees. In order to reduce health inequalities by socioeconomic status, more comprehensive monitoring and measures, and well-designed studies are required for promoting the understanding of the causal pathway and developing interventional strategies.

SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE EXPOSURE OF CHILDREN IN KOREA.

Background and Aims: Exposure to environment tobacco smoke (ETS) can have serious health consequences, especially for children. It was reported that most of ETS exposure occurred at home and lower parental socioeconomic status (SES) increased a risk of ETS exposure at home. This study aims to investigate the relationship between individual level SES of parents and children’s ETS exposure, to examine the effects of individual level SES depending on the characteristic of residential areas, and to evaluate the interactive effects of area level and individual level SES in Korea. Methods Whether ETS exposure was associated with parental SES was evaluated using information on 7,059 children aged 6– 13 years from the Children’s Health and Environment Research (CHEER) study in Korea. First, bivariate and multivariate associations between parental SES and children’s ETS exposure were examined using logistic regression analysis. Secondly, to evaluate the effects of parental SES on children’s ETS exposure by deprivation level of residential areas, we estimated the model including the interaction term of deprivation level of residential areas with parental SES. Results: After adjustment for possible confounding variables, paternal education was found to be highly correlated with children’s ETS exposure, especially among children whose father had less than 12 year education living in the most deprived area (Odds ratio=2.82, 95% CI=(2.02–3.94)). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that characteristics of residential areas may influence ETS exposure of children directly and interactively with parental SES in Korea. Findings from this study could inform policy decision making of evidences regarding the associations of community as well as individual level socioeconomic factors with ETS.

The Extimated Influencies on the Socioeconomic Status in Korea

The Extimated Influencies on the Socioeconomic Status in Korea