Social position and preventive medical care use among the elderly in South Korea

This study was to investigate social inequalities in preventive medical care use among Korean old men and women. The data came from a nationally representative sample of 343 men and 524 women aged 65 and over, the 2001 National Health and Nutrition, Examination Survey. Bivariate analyses and logistic regression were used to identify the social patterning of preventive medical care use (medical checkup, cancer check, and blood pressure check) among the Korean elderly. Social position was measured by education, equivalized household income, type of insurance, subjective economic status, and economic participation. Demographic factors and health status were controlled for multivariate analyses. The findings generally supported the presence of social gradients in preventive medical care use among the Korean elderly. The likelihood of being in more use of the service was progressively higher as one ascends the social position. Education, income, and subjective economic status were consistently related to nearly all outcome measures, while no relationship was observed by insurance type and economic participation. After controlling for other covariates, the educational level was significantly associated with the increase in medical checkup and cancer check, showing the stronger relation in older women than in older men. The socially patterned BP check was observed only among older women. This study demonstrated strong and consistent associations between socioeconomic position and preventive medical care use among the elderly in South Korea. The result calls for policy attention to the differential take up of preventive medical care among the elderly, to tackle health inequalities.