Monday, June 7, 2010

[EQ] Socioeconomic disparities in behavioral risk factors and health outcomes by gender in the Republic of Korea

Socioeconomic disparities in behavioral risk factors and health outcomes by gender in the Republic of Korea

Hak-Ju Kim 1 and Jennifer Prah Ruger 2
1 Dongguk University, Department of Social Welfare, Seoul, Republic of Korea

2 Yale University Schools of Medicine and Public Health, Division of Health Policy and Administration, New Haven, CT, USA
BMC Public Health 2010, 10:195 April 2010

…..The paper is one of gender inequalities in socioeconomic status, behavioral risk factors and health outcomes,
 the implications of which are applicable to numerous other countries and for global standards in equity research….. [
author]

Available online [19p.] at: http://bit.ly/bj9IgP

 

Abstract

“…….Few studies have examined socioeconomic disparities in health and behavioral risk factors by gender in Asian countries and in South Korea, specifically. We investigated the relationship between socioeconomic position (education, income, and occupation) and subjective and acute and chronic health outcomes and behavioral risk factors by gender, and compared results from 1998 and 2005, in the Republic of Korea….”

Methods:
We examined data from a nationally representative stratified random sample of 4213 men and 4618 women from the 1998 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and 8289 men and 8827 women from the 2005 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey using General Linear Modeling and multiple logistic regression methods.

Results:
Controlling for behavioral risk factors (smoking, drinking, obesity, exercise, and sleep), those in lower socioeconomic positions had poorer health outcomes in both self-reported acute and chronic disease and subjective measures; differences were especially pronounced among women. A socioeconomic gradient for education and income was found for both men and women for morbidity and self-reported health status, but the gradient was more pronounced in women. In 1998, the odds ratios (ORs) of higher morbidity for illiterate vs. college educated females was 5.4:1 and 1.9:1 for females in the lowest income quintile vs. the highest. The OR for education decreased in 2005 to 2.9:1 and that for income quintiles remained the same at 1.9:1. The OR of lower self-reported health status for illiterate vs. college educated females was 2.9:1 and 1.6:1 for females in the lowest income quintile vs. the highest in 1998, and 3.3:1

and 2.3:1 in 2005.

 

Conclusions:

Among Korean adults, men and women in lower socioeconomic position, as denoted by education, income, and somewhat less by occupation, experience significantly higher levels of morbidity and lower self-reported health status, even after controlling for standard behavioral risk factors.

Disparities were more pronounced for women than for men. Efforts to reduce health disparities in South Korea require attention to the root causes of socioeconomic inequality and gender differences in the impact of socioeconomic position on health.

 

 

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
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[EQ] WHO: A Human Rights Based Approach to Health

A Human Rights Based Approach to Health


Department of Ethics, Equity, Trade and Human Rights
Information, Evidence and Research (IER/ETH) - World Health Organization


Available online at: http://bit.ly/9D91mp

“……A human rights-based approach (HRBA) aims to support better and more sustainable development outcomes by analyzing and addressing the inequalities, discriminatory practices (de jure and de facto) and unjust power relations which are often at the heart of development problems.

Under a human rights-based approach, development efforts are anchored in a system of rights and corresponding State obligations established by international law. Civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights provide a guiding framework for development plans, policies and processes. A HRBA also appreciates the importance of capacity development  ….”

Three types of State obligations:

·          Respect: not to interfere directly or indirectly with the enjoyment of the right to health, e.g. refrain from limiting access to health-care services or marketing unsafe drugs.

·          Protect: prevent third parties from interfering with the right to health, e.g. ensure that private companies provide safe environmental conditions for their employees and surrounding communities

·          Fulfil: adopt appropriate legislative, administrative, budgetary, judicial, promotional and other measures to fully realize the right to health.

 

Related material:

Human Rights, Health and Poverty Reduction Strategies" is intended to provide a tool for health policy-makers to design, implement and monitor a poverty reduction strategy through a human rights-based approach.
Arabic :: Chinese :: English :: French Russian Spanish

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the WHO have issued a fact sheet on the Right to Health. The fact sheet aims to shed light on the right to health in international human rights law as it currently stands, amidst the plethora of initiatives and proposals of what the right to health may or should be. It illustrates implications for specific individuals and groups, elaborates upon States' obligations and ends with an overview of national, regional and international accountability and monitoring mechanisms.

 

Health and Human Rights Linkages
Promoting and protecting health and respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights are inextricably linked.
Click here to learn more [pdf 35kb]

 

*      *     *
This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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[EQ] Health and access to health care of migrants in the UK

Health and access to health care of migrants in the UK

Hiranthi Jayaweera

A Race Equality Foundation

Better Health Briefing 19 May 2010

Available online at: http://www.better-health.org.uk/files/health/health-brief19.zip

Key messages

·         The growing size and diversity of the proportion of the UK population who were born overseas have important implications for meeting health needs and for planning and delivering health services

·         As part of a commitment to reducing inequalities in access and in health outcomes, government policy has focused largely on addressing ethnic inequalities in health. Less emphasis has been placed on the possible impact for migrants of factors such as country of birth, language and length of residence and immigration status in the UK

·         Although there is some research focus on the health needs of specific groups of migrants, such as refugees and asylum seekers, there have been relatively few attempts to gather evidence on health outcomes, needs, care and barriers to care of broader categories of migrants, including those who come to study, to work or for family reasons, and more established groups

·         There is particular evidence of barriers to health care arising from restricted entitlement for some vulnerable migrants. Political concern over ‘health tourism’ negatively affects the delivery of, and access to, health care for migrants. These issues require further research and the implementation of specific policies and good practice.

 

*      *     *
This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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[EQ] Health Care Systems: Efficiency and Institutions

Health Care Systems: Efficiency and Institutions


Economics Department Working Papers No. 769, May 2010

Isabelle Joumard, Christophe André and Chantal Nicq

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OECD

Available online [132p.] at: http://bit.ly/cSKG9b

 

“…..This paper presents a set of indicators to assess health care system performance. It also presents new comparative data on health care policies and institutions for OECD countries.


This set of indicators allows the empirical characterisation of health care systems and the identification of groups of countries sharing similar health institutions. It also helps to uncover strengths and weaknesses of each country’s health care system and assessing the scope for improving value-for-money.

The empirical analysis suggests that there is room in all countries surveyed to improve the effectiveness of health care spending; there is no health care system that performs systematically better in delivering cost-effective health care – big-bang reforms are therefore not warranted; increasing the coherence of policy settings, by adopting best policy practices within a similar system and borrowing the most appropriate elements from other systems will likely be more practical and effective to raise health care spending efficiency….”

 

*      *     *
This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended
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recipient or a person responsible for delivering this
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any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission
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