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Urban–rural differences in multimorbidity and associated factors in China and Korea: A population‐based survey study
Author(s) -
Yi Jae Yoon,
Kim Hongsoo,
Chi Iris
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/ggi.13771
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , rurality , medicine , china , geography , east asia , environmental health , socioeconomics , demography , vulnerability (computing) , multimorbidity , rural area , multivariate statistics , population , computer security , archaeology , pathology , sociology , computer science , statistics , mathematics
Aim To analyze differences in multimorbidity rates and associated factors between urban and rural regions of Korea and China. Methods Data were drawn from the Gateway to Global Aging Datasets. We describe multimorbidity patterns across rural and urban settings in each of the countries. Multivariate regression was used to identify factors associated with multimorbidity in each of the countries by region. Results In China, 31% of the sample had multimorbidity, with significantly higher proportions in the cities. In Korea, 24% had multimorbidity, with higher proportions in rural areas. However, multivariate analyses showed that rurality was associated with a lower risk of multimorbidity in both countries. Also, although there was significant socioeconomic disparity regarding multimorbidity in both rural and urban China, the disparity was focused around urban areas for Korea. Conclusions Multimorbidity rates and associated socioeconomic factors varied by country and region. The concentration of socioeconomic disparities associated with multimorbidity in urban regions call to attention the vulnerability of “urban poor” in East Asia against chronic conditions. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 1157–1164 .