Korean Journal of Health Promotion

Jeon, Kwak, Kwak, Kim, and Park: Factors Associated with Unmet Healthcare Needs of the Older Korean Population: The Seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017

Original Article

Published online: June 30, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15384/kjhp.2019.19.2.84

Factors Associated with Unmet Healthcare Needs of the Older Korean Population: The Seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017

Chan Hee Jeon¹, Jeon Won Kwak¹, Min Ho Kwak², Jeong Hyeon Kim¹, Yong Soon Park¹

¹Department of Family Medicine, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.

²Department of Educational Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.

Corresponding author: Yong Soon Park, MD, MPH, PhD. Department of Family Medicine, Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, 77 Sakju-ro, Chuncheon 24253, Korea.
Tel: +82-33-240-5311, Fax: +82-33-240-5440, pyongs@hanmail.net

Received May 15, 2019 Revised June 29, 2019 Accepted July 03, 2019

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ABSTRACT

Background: South Korea has the fastest growing aging population in the world, and older people require more healthcare services. Unmet healthcare needs still exist in Korea due to several complex reasons. This study aimed to evaluate the factors associated with unmet healthcare needs of the older Korean population.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 1,194 older adults, aged 65 years and older, who participated in the Seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2017. Sociodemographic factors, lifestyle and health status, comorbidity, and unmet healthcare needs were included in this study's analysis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between unmet healthcare needs and other factors.

Results: The prevalence of unmet healthcare needs in this study population was 7.8%. After adjusting for age, sex, education level, household income, living alone, private health insurance, regular walking, body mass index, unintended weight loss, and osteoarthritis, women (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.921; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.061–3.479) and unintended weight loss (aOR, 2.218; 95% CI, 1.105–4.453) were more likely to have unmet healthcare needs than their counterparts. The group with general obesity (aOR, 1.691; 95% CI, 1.015–2.816) was more likely to have unmet healthcare needs than the group with normal body mass index.

Conclusions: Among the older Korean population, being a woman, general obesity, and unintended weight loss may be risk factors for unmet healthcare needs.

Key words: Assessment of healthcare needs; Aging; Weight loss; KNHANES

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Table 1

General characteristics of study population with and without unmet medical needs (n=1,194)

Abbreviation: NHI, national health insurance.

Values are expressed as number and weighted percentage (standard error).

P-values are those of Pearson chi-square test with Rao-Scott correction using F statistic.

^aSeperated, divorced, or widowed.

Table 2

Factors associated with unmet medical needs of the older Korean population in the multiple logistic regression analyses

Values are expressed as odds ratio (95% confidence interval).

^aModel 1: adjusted for age.

^bModel 2: adjusted for age, sex, education level, household income, living alone, private health insurance, regular walking, body mass index, unintended weight loss, and osteoarthritis.