IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i3p1871-d743994.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Addressing the Social Determinants of Health in South Korea: Moderating Role of mHealth Technologies

Author

Listed:
  • Woohyun Yoo

    (Department of Mass Communication & Institute of Social Sciences, Incheon National University, 119 Academy-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 22012, Korea)

Abstract

Mobile health (mHealth) technologies may reduce or widen health inequalities. Despite the extensive literature in support of both of these contrasting views, little attention has been paid to the role of mHealth technologies with regard to social strata and health in the context of South Korea, a country with one of the highest usages of smartphones worldwide. This study examined the effects of social determinants on health self-efficacy and health status and explored how mHealth technologies moderate the impacts of social determinants on health outcomes. Data were collected via online surveys from 29 July to 3 August 2021. Survey data from 1187 Korean adults showed that men had higher levels of health self-efficacy than women. The higher an individual’s education level, the greater their subjective health status. Individuals with higher levels of monthly household income, social capital, and healthcare quality reported higher levels of health self-efficacy and superior health status. The use of mHealth technologies moderated the associations between social determinants and health outcomes. Specifically, monthly household income and social capital had smaller effects on health self-efficacy and health status among those who used higher levels of mHealth technologies. Among higher users of mHealth technologies, females reported better health status than males, while men showed better health status than women in the low-user group. These findings highlight the effectiveness of mHealth technologies in addressing health disparities.

Suggested Citation

  • Woohyun Yoo, 2022. "Addressing the Social Determinants of Health in South Korea: Moderating Role of mHealth Technologies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-13, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:3:p:1871-:d:743994
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/3/1871/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/3/1871/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. McDonough, Peggy & Walters, Vivienne, 2001. "Gender and health: reassessing patterns and explanations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 52(4), pages 547-559, February.
    2. Chun, Heeran & Khang, Young-Ho & Kim, Il-Ho & Cho, Sung-Il, 2008. "Explaining gender differences in ill-health in South Korea: The roles of socio-structural, psychosocial, and behavioral factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(6), pages 988-1001, September.
    3. Ruoyu Wang & Desheng Xue & Ye Liu & Penghua Liu & Hongsheng Chen, 2018. "The Relationship between Air Pollution and Depression in China: Is Neighbourhood Social Capital Protective?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-13, June.
    4. Mario Azevedo & Cora Araújo & Felipe Reichert & Fernando Siqueira & Marcelo Silva & Pedro Hallal, 2007. "Gender differences in leisure-time physical activity," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 52(1), pages 8-15, February.
    5. Denton, Margaret & Walters, Vivienne, 1999. "Gender differences in structural and behavioral determinants of health: an analysis of the social production of health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1221-1235, May.
    6. Pablo Orellano & Nancy Quaranta & Julieta Reynoso & Brenda Balbi & Julia Vasquez, 2017. "Effect of outdoor air pollution on asthma exacerbations in children and adults: Systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(3), pages 1-15, March.
    7. Ahmad Reza Hosseinpoor & Jennifer Stewart Williams & Avni Amin & Islene Araujo de Carvalho & John Beard & Ties Boerma & Paul Kowal & Nirmala Naidoo & Somnath Chatterji, 2012. "Social Determinants of Self-Reported Health in Women and Men: Understanding the Role of Gender in Population Health," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(4), pages 1-9, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Weden, Margaret M & Astone, Nan M & Bishai, David, 2006. "Racial, ethnic, and gender differences in smoking cessation associated with employment and joblessness through young adulthood in the US," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 303-316, January.
    2. Chen, Duan-Rung & Chang, Ly-Yun & Yang, Meng-Li, 2008. "Gender-specific responses to social determinants associated with self-perceived health in Taiwan: A multilevel approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(10), pages 1630-1640, November.
    3. M. Pilar Matud & M. Concepción García & Demelza Fortes, 2019. "Relevance of Gender and Social Support in Self-Rated Health and Life Satisfaction in Elderly Spanish People," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-15, July.
    4. Zunzunegui, Maria-Victoria & Alvarado, Beatriz-Eugenia & Béland, François & Vissandjee, Bilkis, 2009. "Explaining health differences between men and women in later life: A cross-city comparison in Latin America and the Caribbean," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 235-242, January.
    5. Chun, Heeran & Khang, Young-Ho & Kim, Il-Ho & Cho, Sung-Il, 2008. "Explaining gender differences in ill-health in South Korea: The roles of socio-structural, psychosocial, and behavioral factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(6), pages 988-1001, September.
    6. Bo Kyong Seo & In Hyee Hwang & Yi Sun & Juan Chen, 2022. "Homeownership, Depression, and Life Satisfaction in China: The Gender and Urban-Rural Disparities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-13, November.
    7. Trevor Peckham & Noah Seixas & A. B. de Castro & Anjum Hajat, 2022. "Do Different Patterns of Employment Quality Contribute to Gender Health Inequities in the U.S.? A Cross-Sectional Mediation Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-18, September.
    8. Luis Miguel Bello-Lujan & Jose Antonio Serrano-Sanchez & Juan Jose Gonzalez-Henriquez, 2022. "Stable Gender Gap and Similar Gender Trend in Chronic Morbidities between 1997–2015 in Adult Canary Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-19, July.
    9. Hyun Jin Lee & Dong Kun Lee, 2019. "Do Sociodemographic Factors and Urban Green Space Affect Mental Health Outcomes Among the Urban Elderly Population?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-13, March.
    10. Yi Yang & Jie Li & Guobin Zhu & Qiangqiang Yuan, 2019. "Spatio–Temporal Relationship and Evolvement of Socioeconomic Factors and PM 2.5 in China During 1998–2016," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-24, March.
    11. Shen, Ke & Zeng, Yi, 2014. "Direct and indirect effects of childhood conditions on survival and health among male and female elderly in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 207-214.
    12. Ragna Stalsberg & Arve Vorland Pedersen, 2018. "Are Differences in Physical Activity across Socioeconomic Groups Associated with Choice of Physical Activity Variables to Report?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-23, May.
    13. Fritzell, Sara & Ringbäck Weitoft, Gunilla & Fritzell, Johan & Burström, Bo, 2007. "From macro to micro: The health of Swedish lone mothers during changing economic and social circumstances," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(12), pages 2474-2488, December.
    14. Lee, Chioun & Ryff, Carol D., 2016. "Early parenthood as a link between childhood disadvantage and adult heart problems: A gender-based approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 58-66.
    15. Michelle Calvarese, 2015. "The Effect of Gender on Stress Factors: An Exploratory Study among University Students," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-8, November.
    16. Angelica I. Tiotiu & Plamena Novakova & Denislava Nedeva & Herberto Jose Chong-Neto & Silviya Novakova & Paschalis Steiropoulos & Krzysztof Kowal, 2020. "Impact of Air Pollution on Asthma Outcomes," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-29, August.
    17. O'Gorman, Melanie, 2021. "Mental and physical health impacts of water/sanitation infrastructure in First Nations communities in Canada: An analysis of the Regional Health Survey," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    18. Ellen M. Gee & Karen M. Kobayashi & Steven G. Prus, 2003. "Examining the "Healthy Immigrant Effect" in Later Life: Findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey," Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population Research Papers 98, McMaster University.
    19. Deepti Adlakha & J. Aaron Hipp & James F. Sallis & Ross C. Brownson, 2018. "Exploring Neighborhood Environments and Active Commuting in Chennai, India," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-15, August.
    20. Needham, Belinda & Hill, Terrence D., 2010. "Do gender differences in mental health contribute to gender differences in physical health?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(8), pages 1472-1479, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:3:p:1871-:d:743994. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.