Socioeconomic Inequity in Self-Rated Health Status and Contribution of Health Behavioral Factors in Korea.

Kim, Minkyung; Chung, Woojin; Lim, Seungji; Yoon, Soojin; Lee, Jakyoung; Kim, Eunkyung; Ko, Lanju

doi:2010.43.1.50

J Prev Med Public Health > Volume 43(1); 2010 > Article

English Abstract

Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health 2010;43(1): 50-61. doi: https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.2010.43.1.50

Socioeconomic Inequity in Self-Rated Health Status and Contribution of Health Behavioral Factors in Korea.

Minkyung Kim, Woojin Chung, Seungji Lim, Soojin Yoon, Jakyoung Lee, Eunkyung Kim, Lanju Ko

¹Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Korea. sjlim@yuhs.ac
²Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Korea.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The study is investigated socioeconomic variations in self-rated health status and contribution of health behavioral factors in Korea. METHODS: A nationally representative sample (2,800 men and 3,230 women aged 20-64 years) from the 2005 Korea National Health and Nutrition Surveys was analyzed using logistic regression. RESULTS: Self-rated health was lower among lower socioeconomic groups compared with higher socioeconomic groups, with gender being irrelevant. This association was attenuated when health behavioral and socio-demographic factors were adjusted. When each health behavioral factor was considered separately, mediators such as smoking in men, and stress or exercise in women explained a large part of the decreased socioeconomic health inequalities. CONCLUSIONS: In Korea, subjective health inequalities arise from different socioeconomic status, but this difference is decreased by health behavioral factors. Therefore, socioeconomic inequity in self-rated health status can be corrected more effectively by promotional health behaviors.

Key words: Social class; Health status; Socioeconomic factors; Health behavior; Korea