Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health

The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine (대한예방의학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Associations of Income and Wealth with Health Status in the Korean Elderly

  • Park, Bo-Hyun (Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University School of Public Health) ;
  • Jung, Min-Soo (Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University School of Public Health) ;
  • Lee, Tae-Jin (Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University School of Public Health)
  • Published : 2009.09.30
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Objectives : This study aimed to verify the association between wealth or income level and health status after adjusting for other socio-economic position (SEP) indicators among Korean adults aged 45 and over. Methods : Data were obtained from the 1st wave of Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (households: 6,171, persons: 10,254). We used self-rated health status and activities of daily living (ADLs) as dependent variables. Explanatory variables included both net wealth measured by savings, immovables, the other valuated assets and total income including pay, transfer, property and so on. Binary logistic regression was conducted to examine the relationships. Also, in order to determine the relative health inequality across economic groups, we estimated the relative index of inequality (RII). Results : The inequality of health status was evident among various wealth and income groups. The wealthiest group (5th quintile) was much healthier than the poorest group, and this differential increased with age. Likewise, higher income was associated with better health status among the elderly. However, these effects, as measured by the odds ratio and RII, showed that wealth was more important in determining health status of elderly people. Conclusions : This study suggests that economic capability plays a significant role in determining the health status and other health-related problems among the elderly. Particularly, our results show that health status of the aged is related more closely to the individual s wealth than income.

Keywords

References

  1. Link BG, Phelan J. Social conditions as fundamental causes of disease. J Health Soc Behav 1995; (Spec No): 80-94
  2. Marmot M. The Status Syndrome: How Social Standing Affects Our Health and Longevity. London: Holt Paperbacks; 2005. p. 61-81
  3. Lynch JW, Kaplan GA. Socioeconomic position. In: Berkman LF, Kawachi I, editors. Social Epidemiology. New York: Oxford University Press; 2000. p. 13-35
  4. Siegrist J, Marmot M, editors. Social Inequalities in Health: New Evidence and Policy Implications. New York: Oxford University Press; 2006. p.73-100
  5. Choi YJ, Jeong BG, Cho SI, Jung-Choi K, Jang SN, Kang M, et al. A review on socioeconomic position indicators in health inequality research. J Prev Med Public Health 2007; 40(6): 475-486. (Korean) https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.2007.40.6.475
  6. House JS. Understanding social factors and inequalities in health: 20th century progress and 21st prospects. J Health Soc Behav 2002; 43(2):125-142 https://doi.org/10.2307/3090192
  7. Macintyre S, McKay L, Der G, Hiscock R. Socio-economic position and health: What you observe depends on how you measure it. J Public Health Med 2003; 25(4): 288-294 https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdg089
  8. Geyer S, Hemstrom O, Peter R, Vagero D. Education, income, and occupational class cannot be used interchangeably in social epidemiology: Empirical evidence against a common practice. J Epidemiol Community Health 2006; 60(9): 804-810 https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2005.041319
  9. Khang YH, Kim HR. Explaining socioeconomic inequality in mortality among South Koreans: An examination of multiple pathways in a nationally representative longitudinal study. Int J Epidemiol 2005; 34(3): 630-637 https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyi043
  10. Galobardes B, Shaw M, Lawlor DA, Lynch JW, Davey Smith G. Indicators of socioeconomic position (part 1). J Epidemiol Community Health 2006; 60(1): 7-12 https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2004.023531
  11. Galobardes B, Shaw M, Lawlor DA, Lynch JW, Davey Smith G. Indicators of socioeconomic position (part 2). J Epidemiol Community Health 2006; 60(2): 95-101 https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2004.028092
  12. Duncan GJ, Daly MC, McDonough P, Williams DR. Optimal indicators of socioeconomic status for health research. Am J Public Health 2002; 92(7): 1151-1157 https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.92.7.1151
  13. Krieger N, Chen JT, Selby JV. Comparing individual-based and household-based measures of social class to assess class inequalities in women's health: A methodological study of 684 U.S. women. J Epidemiol Community Health 1999; 53(10): 612-623 https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.53.10.612
  14. Muntaner C, Eaton WW, Diala C, Kessler RC, Sorlie PD. Social class, assets, organizational control and the prevalence of common groups of psychiatric disorders. Soc Sci Med 1998;47(12): 2043-2053 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(98)00309-8
  15. Lee SG, Jeon SY. The relations of socioeconomic status to health status, health behaviors in the elderly. J Prev Med Public Health 2005; 38(2); 154-162. (Korean)
  16. Lee HY, Kim SA, Lee HJ, Jung SH. The relationship between socio-economic factors and self-rated health among older people. Korean J Health Policy Admin 2005; 15(2):70-83. (Korean) https://doi.org/10.4332/KJHPA.2005.15.2.070
  17. Jung MS. Applications of socio-economic position indicators in health inequality studies: Research trends and implications. Korean J Public Health 2007; 44(2): 133-154. (Korean)
  18. Zimmer Z. Poverty, wealth inequality and health among older adults in rural Cambodia. Soc Sci Med 2008; 66(1): 57-71 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.08.032
  19. Robert S, House JS. SES differentials in health by age and alternate indicators of SES. J Aging Health 1996; 8(3): 359-388 https://doi.org/10.1177/089826439600800304
  20. Braveman PA, Cubbin C, Egerter S, Chideya S, Marchi K, Metzler M, et al. Socioeconomic status in health research: One size does not fit all. JAMA 2005; 294(22): 2879-2887 https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.294.22.2879
  21. Zimmer Z, Kwong J. Socioeconomic status and health among older adults in rural and urban China. J Aging Health 2004; 16(1): 44-70 https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264303260440
  22. Ban JH. Analysis on the structure of asset inequality among the middle-aged and elderly households. Mon Labor Rev 2008; (4): 4-22. (Korean)
  23. Bae MK, Hong GS. A study of asset portfolio and impact variables affecting on the aged. Korean J Hum Ecol 2006; 15(6): 973-984. (Korean)
  24. Moon SJ, Joung SH, Yuh YK. Determinants of household s net worth level. J Consum Stud 2002; 13(3): 169-188. (Korean)
  25. Kim YJ. The comparative analysis of income, expenditure and asset between retired elderly households and employed elderly households. J Korean Home Econ Assoc 1998; 36(7): 57-67. (Korean)
  26. Nam SH, Kwon S. Asset distribution, inequality, and poverty among elderly households in Korea. Health Soc Welf Rev 2008; 28(2): 3-32. (Korean)
  27. Jeon SH, Lim BI. An analysis on changes of household asset and debt between 2000 and 2006. Korean J Public Finance 2008; 1(2):133-162. (Korean)
  28. The Korean Society for Equity in Health. Methods in Health Inequalities Measurement. Seoul: Hanul Publishing Group; 2007. (Korean)
  29. Sergeant JC, Firth D. Relative index of inequality: Definition, estimation and inference. Biostatistics 2005; 7(2): 213-224 https://doi.org/10.1093/biostatistics/kxj002
  30. Hayes LJ, Berry G. Sampling variability of the Kunst-Mackenbach relative index of inequality. J Epidemiol Community Health 2002; 56(10): 762-765 https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.56.10.762
  31. Jung Y, Cho YT, Oh JH. Differential effects of family income on self-rated health by age: Analysis of Seoul Citizens Health Indicators Survey 2001, 2005. J Prev Med Public Health 2007; 40(5): 381-387. (Korean) https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.2007.40.5.381
  32. Smith KV, Goldman N. Socioeconomic differences in health among older adults in Mexico. Soc Sci Med 2007; 65(7): 1372-1385 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.05.023
  33. Keddie AM, Peek MK, Markides KS. Variation in the associations of education, occupation, income, and assets with functional limitations in older Mexican Americans. Ann Epidemiol 2005; 15(8): 579-589 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2004.08.012
  34. Costa-Font J. Housing assets and the socioeconomic determinants of health and disability in old age. Health Place 2008; 14(3): 478-491 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2007.09.005
  35. Montgomery SM, Netuveli G, Hildon Z, Blane D. Does financial disadvantage at older ages eliminate the potential for better health? J Epidemiol Community Health 2007; 61(10): 891-895 https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2006.055558
  36. Krieger N, Williams DR, Moss NE. Measuring social class in US public health research: Concepts, methodologies, and guidelines. Annu Rev Public Health 1997; 18: 341-378 https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.18.1.341
  37. Lynch JW, Kaplan GA, Shema SJ. Cumulative impact of sustained economic hardship on physical, cognitive, psychological, and social functioning. N Engl J Med 1997; 337(26):1889-1895 https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199712253372606

Cited by

  1. Does Socioeconomic Inequality in Health Persist among Older People Living in Resource-Poor Urban Slums? vol.88, pp.2, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-011-9559-4
  2. Cross-national insights into the relationship between wealth and wellbeing: a comparison between Australia, the United States of America and South Korea vol.32, pp.1, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x11000080
  3. How do life-course trajectories of socioeconomic position affect quality of life in patients with diabetes mellitus? vol.23, pp.4, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-013-0549-8
  4. Functional Independence of Community-Dwelling Older Adults in China and South Korea vol.40, pp.4, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2014.905165
  5. The Incidence of Stroke by Socioeconomic Status, Age, Sex, and Stroke Subtype: A Nationwide Study in Korea vol.47, pp.2, 2014, https://doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.2014.47.2.104
  6. Obesity Explains Gender Differences in the Association Between Education Level and Metabolic Syndrome in South Korea : The Results From the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010 vol.27, pp.2, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539513488624
  7. Female disability disadvantage: a global perspective on sex differences in physical function and disability vol.36, pp.6, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x15000227
  8. Trends, correlates, and disease patterns of antipsychotic use among elderly persons in Taiwan vol.8, pp.4, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1111/appy.12230
  9. Does relationship satisfaction and financial aid from offspring influence the quality of life of older parents?: a longitudinal study based on findings from the Korean longitudinal study of aging, 200 vol.14, pp.None, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-016-0509-4
  10. A Survey of Asset Poverty Among Older Adults of Hong Kong vol.138, pp.2, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1674-5
  11. Factors Associated with Perceived Health Status of the Vietnamese Older People vol.12, pp.1, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12062-018-9218-6
  12. Relationship between diet quality and sarcopenia in elderly Koreans: 2008-2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey vol.14, pp.4, 2009, https://doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2020.14.4.352
  13. The effect of income, family and socio‐religious affiliations on self‐rated health of the aged in India vol.21, pp.4, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2589