OBJECTIVES This study was conducted in order to determine how the association between socioeconomic position(SEP) and health status changes with age among Seoul residents aged 25 and over. METHODS: We utilized the 2001 and 2005 Seoul Citizens Health Indicators Surveys. We used self-rated 'poor' health status as an outcome variable, and family income as an indicator of SEP. In order to characterize the differential effects of socioeconomic position on health by age, we conducted separate multivariate analyses by 10-year age groups, controlling for sociodemographic covariates. In order to assess the relative health inequality across socioeconomic groups, we estimated the Relative Index of Inequality (RII). RESULTS: The risk of 'poor health' is significantly high in low family income groups, and this increased risk is seen at all ages. However, the magnitude of relative socioeconomic inequality in health, as measured by the odds ratio and RII, is not identical across age groups. The difference in health across income groups is small in early adulthood (ages 25-34), but increases with age until relatively late in life (ages 35-64). It then decreases among the elderly population (ages more than 65). When the RII reported in 2005 is compared to that reported in 2001, RII can be seen to have increased across all ages, with the exception of individuals aged 25-34. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of health inequality is the greatest during mid- to late adulthood (ages 45-64). In addition, health inequalities have worsened between 2001 and 2005 across all age groups after economic crisis.
Summary
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Health inequalities for China’s low-income population: trends, subgroup differences, and influencing factors, 2010–2022 Qiwei Feng, Ying Wang, Xinbin Xia Frontiers in Public Health.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Association between Clustering of Lifestyle and Chronic Disease Using Healthcare Big Data Eul Hee Roh, Sang Chan Park Journal of Health Informatics and Statistics.2020; 45(2): 113. CrossRef
Health and Long-Term Care Systems for Older People in the Republic of Korea: Policy Challenges and Lessons Boyoung Jeon, Soonman Kwon Health Systems & Reform.2017; 3(3): 214. CrossRef
Association between working time quality and self-perceived health: analysis of the 3rd Korean working conditions survey (2011) Jaeyoup Jung, Gyuree Kim, Kyusung Kim, Domyung Paek, Sung-il Cho Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2017;[Epub] CrossRef
The Incidence of Stroke by Socioeconomic Status, Age, Sex, and Stroke Subtype: A Nationwide Study in Korea Su Ra Seo, Su Young Kim, Sang-Yi Lee, Tae-Ho Yoon, Hyung-Geun Park, Seung Eun Lee, Chul-Woung Kim Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.2014; 47(2): 104. CrossRef
The Effects of Hazardous Chemical Exposure on Cardiovascular Disease in Chemical Products Manufacturing Workers Ki-Woong Kim, Yong Lim Won, Kyung Sun Ko, Kyung-Hwa Heo, Yong Hyun Chung Toxicological Research.2012; 28(4): 269. CrossRef
Associations of Income and Wealth with Health Status in the Korean Elderly Bo-Hyun Park, Minsoo Jung, Tae-Jin Lee Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.2009; 42(5): 275. CrossRef
Relationship between Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Vigorous Physical Activity among Adult Seoul Residents Chung Gun Lee, Youngtae Cho Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.2009; 42(4): 215. CrossRef