오민정1, 김윤진2, 이정규2, 이유현2, 탁영진1, 황혜림1, 이승훈1

1부산대학교병원 가정의학과, 2부산대학교 의학전문대학원 가정의학과교실

Background: Income is a major socioeconomic index, and low household income is known to negatively affect
health. Nevertheless, there is a lack of research on the health status and health behavior of middle-aged and
older women with low-income. This study aims to provide basic information on the health status and health behavior
of low-income women, using data representative of South Koreans.
Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey. Among the total of 8,018 respondents, 2,713 women aged 35 years or older were enrolled in the study.
The subjects were classified by income status based on standard household income quartiles.
Results: The low-income group showed the lowest education levels and the highest unemployment rate
(P<0.001). The percentage of smokers was the highest, while the frequency of exercise was the lowest in this
group (P<0.001). The incidence of hyperlipidemia was highest (P=0.028), and they showed the highest body
mass index, waist circumference (P<0.001), blood pressure, fasting blood glucose (P=0.018), and triglyceride
level (P=0.03), as well as the lowest high density lipoprotein level (P=0.039), and the highest risk of cardiovascular
diseases (P=0.002). Additionally, perceived health status was negative and quality of life was lowest
among the groups (P<0.001). Although the enrollment rate for free health check-up services was highest
(P=0.007), subscription to private health insurance, adult health check-ups, cancer screening rate were all lowest
of the groups.
Conclusions: This study confirmed a health gap among middle-aged and elderly women of low income, compared
to higher income groups. Korean J Health Promot 2017;17(1):20-30
Keywords: Income, Female, Health behavior, Health status