• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.144-152
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• 2016

Purpose: This study compares beneficiaries of Korean Medicaid with those under the National Health Insurance program, seeking to understand how each group utilizes their healthcare. Methods: Data were obtained from a Health Promotion Survey in 2005. Health status was measured by the respondents' perception of health. Health service utilization included the availability of healthcare services, the type of healthcare institution, and intent to revisit. Predisposing and enabling factors, as well as health care needs were used for this study. Results: Compared to National Health Insurance beneficiaries, Medicaid beneficiaries reported lower levels of health status and fewer enabling factors. They had more chronic diseases and disabilities. Education level, existence of chronic diseases, exercise patterns, and disabilities were associated with health status. Conclusion: We found that Medicaid beneficiaries had fewer resources and higher levels of health needs. As Medicaid is reformed, policy makers and administrators should understand healthcare utilization behaviors of Medicaid beneficiaries and the factors hindering access to care.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.237-243
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• 2022

Unmet healthcare is an important indicator to measure accessibility of healthcare services. To examine the latest status of unmet healthcare needs in South Korea, four different data which is composed of nationally representative sample of South Korean population were used; the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2007-2020), the Community Health Survey (CHS, 2008-2020), the Korea Health Panel Survey (KHP, 2011-2018), and the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS, 2006-2020). The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs were 6.4% (KNHANES), 5.4% (CHS), and 12.2% (KHP). Annual percentage change (APC) which identifies trend for the follow-up period was -9.9%, -9.1%, and -5.5%, respectively. The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs due to cost were 1.0% (KNHANES), 0.4% (CHS), 2.2% (KHP), and 0.4% (KOWEPS). The APC was -11.3%, -17.0%, -12.2%, and -21.2%, respectively. Overall, the low-income and the elderly population reported a higher rate of unmet health care needs. Although the overall experience rate of unmet medical care due to cost decreased over the past decade, the disparity between the lowest and highest income groups still remained in 2020. Disparity between income levels and age groups is a challenge to address in healthcare system, and these results suggest the need for adequate health coverage for the low-income and the elderly populations.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.31-41
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• 2018

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate whether employment status is associated with the experience of unmet care needs. Methods: This study utilized the Korea Health Panel data from 2012 to 2016. A total of 4,083 workers were selected as baseline subjects in 2012 and were followed for four years. This study used the GLIMMIX procedure under the marginal model while adjusting for covariates. Results: A total of 12.4% of 4,083 people said they had failed at least once to have a treatment or checkup despite the needs. Those more likely to experience unmet care needs were women and people of lower income level, with worse health conditions and chronic disease. Precarious workers, the self-employed, and the unemployed were more likely to experience unmet care needs caused by economic burden than permanent workers (Odds Ratio: 2.14, 2.07, 2.74, respectively). Conclusions: This disparity means that precarious workers and the unemployed are more likely to face barriers in obtaining needed health services. Given their insecure employment status, meeting their needs for health care is an important consideration.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.9 no.11
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• pp.7-15
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• 2018

Purpose - This study surveys factors such as lifestyles, nutritional status, physical indicators, and physical fitness levels that affect the health of seniors over the age of 65 and based on the collected data attempts to create a senior health index model that provides health service information, help support seniors' successful aging, and improve their quality of life. Research design, data, and methodology - This paper conducted the development for senior health index model and the cross validity verification to examine the status of senior health level, and aimed at setting the health status evaluation criteria. Seniors 384 usable data were analyzed. Results - As an attempt to segment the senior health service market, I divided the results of this study based on measurability, accessibility, disparity between groups, and the size of the potential client base. I divided the senior market into five subgroups: very healthy, healthy, normal, weak, and very weak. Conclusions - The findings of this study may prove useful in preparing for the forthcoming super-aged society through segmentation of the senior market, understanding differences between groups with different health conditions, and discovering effective marketing strategies that meet the demands of different senior groups.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.267-274
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• 2011

Objectives: We examined health care disparities in Korean urban homeless people and individual characteristics associated with the utilization of health care. Methods: We selected a sample of 203 homeless individuals at streets, shelters, and drop-in centers in Seoul and Daejeon by a quota sampling method. We surveyed demographic information, information related to using health care, and health status with a questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was adopted to identify factors associated with using health care and to reveal health care disparities within the Korean urban homeless population. Results: Among 203 respondents, 89 reported that they had visited health care providers at least once in the past 6 months. Twenty persons (22.5%) in the group that used health care (n = 89) reported feeling discriminated against. After adjustment for age, sex, marital status, educational level, monthly income, perceived health status, Beck Depression Inventory score, homeless period, and other covariates, three factors were significantly associated with medical utilization: female sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR, 15.95; 95% CI, 3.97 to 64.04], having three or more diseases (aOR, 24.58; 95% CI, 4.23 to 142.78), and non-street residency (aOR, 11.39; 95% CI, 3.58 to 36.24). Conclusions: Health care disparities in Seoul and Daejeon homeless exist in terms of the main place to stay, physical illnesses, and gender. Under the current homeless support system in South Korea, street homeless have poorer accessibility to health care versus non-street homeless. To provide equitable medical aid for homeless people, strategies to overcome barriers against health care for the street homeless are needed.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.207-213
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• 2014

How to eliminate health disparity to ensure health equity is one of major issues that are handled across the world. The purpose of this study was to examine any possible differences in self-rated oral health state according to socioeconomic status and the relationship between the two based on the data of the 5th National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey of 2010~2012. As for differences in self-rated oral health state according to sociodemographic characteristics, the women considered themselves to be in poorer oral health than the men. The older respondents found themselves to be in poorer oral health, and there was a tendency that the respondents who were less educated and whose household income was smaller rated their own health as worse. When a logistic regression analysis was made to determine influential factors for self-rated oral health status, the women perceived they were in better oral health than the men did, and the better-educated respondents were more likely to consider themselves healthier. Concerning disparities in self-rated health state according to income level, there were broader differences in that regard according to an increase of income. The findings of the study illustrated that there was oral health inequity according to social stratum. It's required to make a nationwide effort to promote national oral health, and appropriate support should especially be provided for disadvantaged people at the same time in order to get rid of the gap in oral health among different social classes, as there is a yawning gap between them and the other classes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2259-2263
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• 2013

Background: Public use National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) and NHANES III linked mortality data were here applied to investigate the association between health insurance coverage and all cause and all cancer mortality in adults. Patients and Methods: NHANES III household adult, laboratory and mortality data were merged. Only patients examined in the mobile examination center (MEC) were included in this study. The sampling weight employed was WTPFEX6, SDPPSU6 being used for the probability sampling unit and SDPSTRA6 to designate the strata for the survey analysis. All cause and all cancer mortalities were used as binary outcomes. The effect of health insurance coverage status on all cause and all cancer mortalities were analyzed with potential socioeconomic, behavioral and health status confounders. Results: There were 2398 sample persons included in this study. The mean age was 40 years and the mean (S.E.) follow up was 171.85 (3.12) person months from the MEC examination. For all cause mortality, the odds ratios (significant p-values) of the covariates were: age, 1.0095 (0.000); no health insurance coverage (using subjects with health insurance), 1.71 (0.092); black race (using non-Hispanic white subjects as the reference group) 1.43, (0.083); Mexican-Americans, 0.60 (0.089); DMPPIR, 0.82, (0.000); and drinking hard liquor, 1.014 (0.007). For all cancer mortality, the odds ratio (significant p-values) of the covariates were: age, 1.0072 (0.00); no health insurance coverage, using with health coverage as the reference group, 2.91 (0.002); black race, using non-Hispanic whites as the reference group, 1.64 (0.047); Mexican Americans, 0.33 (0.008) and smoking, 1.017 (0.118). Conclusion: There was a 70% increase in risk of all cause death and almost 300% of all cancer death for people without any health insurance coverage.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.120-125
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• 2020

Unmet healthcare needs lead to increased disease severity, increased likelihood of complications, and worse disease prognosis. To examine the latest status of unmet healthcare needs in South Korea, the four different data configured with nationally representative sample of South Korean population were used: the Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNAHANES, 2007-2018), the Community Health Survey (CHS, 2008-2018), the Korea Health Panel Survey (KHP, 2011-2016), and the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS, 2006-2018). The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs were 7.8% (KNHANES, 2018), 8.8% (CHS), and 10.8% (KHP, 2016). Annual percentage change which characterizes trend for the follow-up period was -9.1%, -3.2%, and -6.8%, respectively. The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs due to cost were 1.2% (KNAHANES, 2018), 1.2% (CHS, 2018), 2.5% (KHP, 2016), and 0.5% (KOWEPS, 2018). Annual percentage change which characterizes trend for the follow-up period was -10.3%, -12.0%, -11.3%, and -18.8, respectively. The low-income population and the elderly population were vulnerable groups reporting the highest rate of unmet health care needs. The rate of unmet healthcare needs has been declining since the past decade, still, the disparity between different income groups and age groups suggests that there are many challenges to address.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.225-231
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• 2021

Unmet healthcare is an important indicator to measure accessibility of healthcare services. To examine the latest status of unmet healthcare needs in South Korea, the four different data which is composed of nationally representative sample of South Korean population were used; the Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNAHANES, 2007-2019), the Community Health Survey (CHS, 2008-2019), the Korea Health Panel Survey (KHP, 2011-2017), and the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS, 2006-2019). The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs were 5.8% (KNHANES), 5.3% (CHS), and 11.6% (KHP). Annual percentage change (APC) which identifies trend for the follow-up period was -9.5%, -8.0%, and -6.5%, respectively. The proportion of individuals reporting unmet healthcare needs due to cost were 1.1% (KNAHANES), 0.7% (CHS), 2.4% (KHP), and 0.4% (KOWEPS). The APC was -10.5%, -14.2%, -12.2%, and -19.6%, respectively. Compared to last year, the rate of unmet healthcare needs has declined in general. However, the low-income and the elderly population were reporting the highest rate of unmet health care needs, and the disparity between lowest and highest groups were remained. These results suggest that adequate benefit coverage is needed for low-income and elderly population.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.679-690
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Concerns about regional disparities in heathy eating and nutritional status among South Korean adults are increasing. This study aims to identify the magnitude of regional disparities in diet and nutritional status among Korean adults who completed the 2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). SUBJECTS/METHODS: The participants were a nationally representative sample of Korean adults aged 19 years and older from the 2017 KNHANES (n = 6,126). We employed the svy commands in STATA to accommodate the complex survey design. The relative concentration index (RCI), absolute concentration index (ACI) and index of disparity were used to measure regional nutritional inequalities. RESULTS: Overweight and obese adults were more prevalent among the poor than among the rich in urban areas (RCI = -0.041; P < 0.05), while overweight and obese adults were more prevalent among the rich than among the poor in rural areas of South Korea (RCI = 0.084; P < 0.05). Economic inequality in fruit and vegetable intake ≥ 500 g per day was greater in rural areas than in urban areas in both relative size (RCI = 0.228 vs. 0.091, difference in equality = 0.137; P < 0.05) and absolute size (ACI = 0.055 vs. 0.023, difference in equality = 0.032; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides useful information identifying opposite directions in the relative concentration curves between urban and rural areas. Adult overweight/obesity was more prevalent among the poor in urban areas, while adult overweight/obesity was more prevalent among the rich in rural areas. Public health nutrition systems should be implemented to identify nutritional inequalities that should be targeted across regions in South Korea.