Health status and health services utilization in elderly Koreans

Background: Korea is aging faster than any other country as the 'baby boomers' grow older. The purpose of this study is to describe the health status and health services utilization of older Koreans and examine the factors that are associated with effective health services utilization. Methods: Based on the 2008 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing which was conducted with Korean men and women aged 45 years or older, descriptive and logistic regression analysis was performed. The sample for this study was 4040 individuals who indicated they were 65 years or older. Bivariate analyses (chi-square tests) were used to examine the differences between men and women. Logistic regression analyses were then used to determine factors significantly associated with health services utilization. Results: More women (29.3%) than men (14.5%) rated their health as poor or very poor. A significantly higher number of women than men reported having hypertension, arthritis or heart disease, while a larger number of men reported having cancer or lung problems. Age, education, income, and presence of chronic conditions significantly predicted the residents' self-rated health. Respondents with chronic conditions were twice as likely to report self-rated poor health (Odds Ratio: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.91-2.67) than residents with no chronic conditions. Those who were more likely to have used primary care services, such as a physician or traditional Korean medicine, included those 80 and older, men, those who had a chronic condition or poor health status, and lower-income individuals. Conclusions: Respondents with poor health status were significantly older, less-educated, poorer and had a higher rate of chronic conditions. Health-related need factors and income were important predictors of Korean elders using physician services and/or traditional Korean medicine. This study provides an important contribution to the knowledge base of Korean elders. The findings show that elders in poor health status were significantly older and poorer, with higher rates of chronic conditions and health services utilization, which should help in the health care planning required to address this issue.