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Changes in poor self‐rated health status among elderly K oreans over 10 years: C ommunity H ealth S urvey 2008–2017
Author(s) -
Jung JinGyu,
Yoon SeokJoon,
Ahn SoonKi,
Kim JongSung,
Nam HaeSung,
Ku Bon Jeong,
Kim Ho,
Kwon InSun
Publication year - 2020
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.14069
Subject(s) - medicine , self rated health , confidence interval , odds ratio , confounding , logistic regression , demography , gerontology , population , environmental health , sociology
Aim This study investigated the change in self‐rated health (SRH) status among elderly Koreans and sought influential factors affecting SRH by reference to data collected during the Korean Community Health Survey 2008–2017. Methods We obtained raw data from the Korea Community Health Survey for 10 years (2008–2017), which included sociodemographic and health information on Koreans aged ≥65 years (242 552 men and 349 586 women). SRH was measured using the SRH scale and divided into not‐poor and poor. Logistic regression analyses of poor SRH were performed using a weighted sampling method and interaction models (year × variables) to represent the entire Korean elderly population and estimate the changes in poor SRH over time. Results The proportion of elderly subjects in the population increased over 10 years. After adjusting for all confounding variables, the weighted adjusted odds ratios for poor SRH decreased consistently between 2008 and 2017 (men: 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.50–0.81; women: 0.62, 0.46–0.83). The odds ratios for poor SRH were markedly higher in subjects who reported being stressed (men: 7.02, 5.89–8.38; women 6.14, 5.33–7.08) and those who lacked formal education (men: 2.42, 2.18–2.69; women 3.12, 2.59–3.75) over times. Conclusions Despite the increase in the proportion of the elderly, poor SRH among elderly Koreans decreased over the past 10 years. Poor SRH was associated with high‐level perceived stress and a lower educational level in both elderly men and women. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 20: 1190–1195 .