Health Policy Manag.  2019 Sep;29(3):312-322. 10.4332/KJHPA.2019.29.3.312.

A Study on the Relationship between the Spatial Cluster Patterns of Male Suicide Rate and the Regional Characteristics in South Korea

• Choi S
• Lee KS

• KMID: 2460879
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4332/KJHPA.2019.29.3.312

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Since 2003, Korea has consistently shown the highest suicide rate among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, and suicide remains the major cause of death. In particular, men are 2-3 times more likely to commit suicide than women, which called the "˜gender paradox of suicide.' The areas with frequent suicide have spatially clustered patterns because suicide with a social contagion spreads around the neighborhood. The purpose of this study was twofold. The first was to estimate the hotspot areas of age-standardized male suicide mortality from 2008 to 2015. The second was to analyze the relationship between the hotspot areas and the regional characteristics for study years.
METHODS
The data was collected through the Korean Statistical Information Service. The study areas were 227 si · gun · gu administrative districts in Korea. The hotspot area was used as a dependent variable. Socio-demographic variables (number of marriages per 1,000 population, number of divorces per 1,000 population, and urbanization rate), financial variables (financial independence and social security budget), and health behaviors (EuroQol-5 dimension [EQ-5D], and depression experience rate) were used as independents variables.
RESULTS
The hotspot areas were commonly located in Gangwon-do, Chungcheongnam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Chungceongbuk-do. According to the results of panel logit regression, the number of divorces per 1,000 population, social security budget, and EQ-5D were statistically significant variables.
CONCLUSION
The results of hotspot analysis showed the need for establishing a prevention zone of suicide using hotspot areas. Also, medical resources could be considered to be preferentially placed in the prevention zone of suicide. This study could be used as basic data for health policymakers to establish a suicide-related policy.

Keyword

Suicide; Hotspot analysis; Panel analysis; Geographic information systems

MeSH Terms

Budgets
Cause of Death
Chungcheongnam-do
Depression
Divorce
Female
Gangwon-do
Geographic Information Systems
Gyeongsangbuk-do
Health Behavior
Humans
Information Services
Korea*
Male*
Marriage
Mortality
Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development
Residence Characteristics
Social Security
Suicide*
Urbanization