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Factors Influencing Unmet Healthcare Needs among Older Korean Women

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  • Jung A. Choi

    (Ewha Research Institute of Nursing Science, College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea)

  • Oksoo Kim

    (College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Korea)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine factors that influence the unmet healthcare needs of older women in Korea and to examine differences in the reasons for these unmet healthcare needs according to age and residential area. We analyzed data from the 2018 Korea Community Health Survey and enrolled 42,698 older Korean women in this study. Residential area, living arrangement, income, education, basic livelihood subsidy, activity of daily living, subjective health status, hypertension and diabetes, unmet healthcare needs, and the reasons healthcare needs were not met were assessed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors that influenced unmet healthcare needs. Chi-square tests were used to identify reasons for unmet healthcare needs according to age group and residential area. Of the participants, 4151 (9.7%) reported unmet healthcare needs over the past year. The primary reason participants could not use health services was “inconvenient transportation” (38.4%), followed by “financial burden” (28.4%) and “symptoms not severe” (16.8%). There were significant differences in “financial burden”, “difficulty making appointments”, “inconvenient transportation”, and “symptoms not severe” according to both age group and residential area. Factors that influenced unmet healthcare needs were residential area, living alone, lower family income, lower educational level, basic livelihood subsidy, difficult activities of daily living, hypertension and diabetes, and poor subjective health. Older women in Korea living alone in urban and rural areas had more unmet healthcare needs of than those who lived with other people. To address the unmet healthcare needs of older Korean women, transportation and medical facilities need to be improved or established.

Suggested Citation

  • Jung A. Choi & Oksoo Kim, 2021. "Factors Influencing Unmet Healthcare Needs among Older Korean Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-9, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:13:p:6862-:d:582810
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jens Hoebel & Alexander Rommel & Sara Lena Schröder & Judith Fuchs & Enno Nowossadeck & Thomas Lampert, 2017. "Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health and Perceived Unmet Needs for Healthcare among the Elderly in Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-18, September.
    2. Chenjing Fan & Wei Ouyang & Li Tian & Yan Song & Wensheng Miao, 2019. "Elderly Health Inequality in China and its Determinants: A Geographical Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-18, August.
    3. Evelina Pappa & Nick Kontodimopoulos & Angelos Papadopoulos & Yannis Tountas & Dimitris Niakas, 2013. "Investigating Unmet Health Needs in Primary Health Care Services in a Representative Sample of the Greek Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-11, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ryuichi Ohta & Mikiya Sato & Jun Kitayuguchi & Tetsuhiro Maeno & Chiaki Sano, 2021. "Potential Help-Seeking Behaviors Associated with Better Self-Rated Health among Rural Older Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-8, August.
    2. Chiyoung Lee & Jee-Seon Yi, 2021. "Socioeconomic Classes among Oldest-Old Women in South Korea: A Latent Class Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-13, December.

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