Korean J Fam Med.  2015 Jul;36(4):162-167. 10.4082/kjfm.2015.36.4.162.

Effects of the 2008 Global Economic Crisis on National Health Indicators: Results from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

• Shin JH
• Lee G
• Kim JS
• Oh HS
• Lee KS
• Hur Y
• Cho BL

• KMID: 2085301
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.2015.36.4.162

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The relationship between economics and health has been of great interest throughout the years. The accumulated data is not sufficient enough to carry out long-term studies from the viewpoint of morbidity, although Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) was carried out yearly since 1998 in Korea. Thus, we investigated the effect of the 2008 global economic crisis on health indicators of Korea.
METHODS
Health indicators were selected by paired t-test based on 2007 and 2009 KNHANES data. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking, drinking, exercise, education, income, working status, and stress were used as confounding factors, which were analyzed with logistic and probit analyses. Validation was done by comparing gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates and probit analyses results of 2007-2012 KNHANES data.
RESULTS
Among several health indicators, the prevalence of hypertension and stress perception was higher after the economic crisis. Factors related with higher hypertension prevalence include older age, male gender, higher BMI, no current tobacco use, recent drinking, lower education levels, and stress perception. Factors related with more stress perception were younger age, female gender, current smoking, lower education levels, and lower income. GDP growth rates, a macroeconomic indicator, are inversely associated with hypertension prevalence with a one-year lag, and also inversely associated with stress perception without time lag.
CONCLUSION
The economic crisis increased the prevalence of hypertension and stress perception. In the case of GDP growth rate change, hypertension was an inversely lagging indicator and stress perception was an inversely-related coincident indicator.

Keyword

Economic Cycle; Economic Recession; Gross Domestic Product; Health; Hypertension; Stress

MeSH Terms

Body Mass Index
Drinking
Economic Recession
Education
Female
Gross Domestic Product
Guanosine Diphosphate
Humans
Hypertension
Korea
Male
Nutrition Surveys*
Prevalence
Smoke
Smoking
Tobacco Use
Guanosine Diphosphate
Smoke