title: Effects of the 2008 Global Economic Crisis on National Health Indicators: Results from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The relationship between economics and health has been of great interest throughout the years. The accumulated data is not sufficient enough to carry out long-term studies from the viewpoint of morbidity, although Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) was carried out yearly since 1998 in Korea. Thus, we investigated the effect of the 2008 global economic crisis on health indicators of Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Health indicators were selected by paired t-test based on 2007 and 2009 KNHANES data. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking, drinking, exercise, education, income, working status, and stress were used as confounding factors, which were analyzed with logistic and probit analyses. Validation was done by comparing gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates and probit analyses results of 2007-2012 KNHANES data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among several health indicators, the prevalence of hypertension and stress perception was higher after the economic crisis. Factors related with higher hypertension prevalence include older age, male gender, higher BMI, no current tobacco use, recent drinking, lower education levels, and stress perception. Factors related with more stress perception were younger age, female gender, current smoking, lower education levels, and lower income. GDP growth rates, a macroeconomic indicator, are inversely associated with hypertension prevalence with a one-year lag, and also inversely associated with stress perception without time lag.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The economic crisis increased the prevalence of hypertension and stress perception. In the case of GDP growth rate change, hypertension was an inversely lagging indicator and stress perception was an inversely-related coincident indicator.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Gyeongsil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jun-Suk
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyung-Seok
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Keun-Seung
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hur
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea. ; Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon, Korea. ; Institute on Aging, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Be-Long
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Cho
keywords: Economic Cycle; Economic Recession; Gross Domestic Product; Health; Hypertension; Stress