Income gaps in self-rated poor health and its association with life expectancy in 245 districts of Korea.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the income gaps associated with self-rated poor health at the district level in Korea and to identify the geographical correlations between self-rated poor health, life expectancy, and the associated income gaps.


METHODS
We analyzed data for 1,578,189 participants from the Community Health Survey of Korea collected between 2008 and 2014. The age-standardized prevalence of self-rated poor health and the associated income gaps were calculated. Previously released data on life expectancy and the associated income gaps were also used. We performed correlation and regression analyses for self-rated poor health, life expectancy, and associated income gaps.


RESULTS
Across 245 districts, the median prevalence of self-rated poor health was 15.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 14.6 to 16.8%), with interquartile range (IQR) of 3.1 percentage points (%p). The median interquintile gaps in the prevalence of self-rated poor health was 11.1%p (95% CI, 8.1 to 14.5%p), with IQR of 3.6%p. Pro-rich inequalities in self-rated health were observed across all 245 districts of Korea. The correlation coefficients for the association between self-rated poor health and the associated income gaps, self-rated poor health and life expectancy, and income gaps associated with self-rated poor health and life expectancy were 0.59, 0.78 and 0.55 respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Income gaps associated with self-rated poor health were evident across all districts in Korea. The magnitude of income gaps associated with self-rated poor health was larger in the districts with greater prevalence of self-rated poor health. A strong correlation between self-rated poor health and life expectancy was also observed.
Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Ikhan
0000-0002-6428-4159
I
Kim
Institute of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea.|Department of Public Health, Keimyung University, Daegu, Korea.
Jinwook
0000-0002-7715-9955
J
Bahk
Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sung-Cheol
0000-0001-8503-109X
SC
Yun
Department of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.|Institute of Health Policy and Management, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea.
Young-Ho
0000-0002-9585-8266
YH
Khang
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008017:Life Expectancy / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology
Geography; Income; Korea; Self-rated health; Socioeconomic factors