Analysis results showed that the high-income group in the top 20% are living eight years healthier than the low-income group in the bottom 20%, and that the health gap according to income has widened further compared to 10 years ago.
As a result of analyzing the ‘Comprehensive National Health Promotion Plan’ submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare by Representative Kim Nam-hee of the Democratic Party of Korea on the 15th, the healthy life expectancy of the top 20% of income earners was 73.4 years as of 2021, and that of the bottom 20% was 65.2 years, an 8.2 year difference. Healthy lifespan refers to the period of life without any special physical or mental problems.
Compared to 10 years ago, healthy life expectancy has all increased, but the gap in healthy life expectancy according to income has widened further. While the healthy life expectancy of the top 20% of income earners increased by 1.6 years from 71.8 years in 2011 to 73.4 years of age in 2021, the healthy life expectancy of the bottom 20% of income earners only increased by 0.5 years from 64.7 years to 65.2 years.
Dementia management rates, suicide mortality rates, and high blood pressure prevalence rates also showed differences depending on income. The gap in the registration and management rate of dementia patients at dementia care centers according to income increased from 52.2 percentage points (p) in 2018 to 56.5 percentage points (p) last year, and the gap in subjective health awareness rates between elderly men and women in the 1st to 5th income quintiles was 10% for men. p or more, and for women, it increased by more than 5%p.
For women, the gap in suicide death rate between the top 20% and the bottom 20% of the population increased by 1.1 from 8.9 per 100,000 people in 2018 to 10 in 2022, and the cancer incidence rate increased by 20.1 from 97.3 in 2018 to 117.4 in 2021. The gap widened further.
The gap in the prevalence of high blood pressure among men according to income also increased from 5.4%p in 2018 to 7.7%p in 2022, and the gap in the prevalence of obesity between the first and fifth income quintiles also widened from 1.1%p to 4.2%p over the same period.
As the gap in healthy life expectancy according to income is widening, it is pointed out that a welfare system is needed to resolve health inequality. Rep. Kim said, “Everyone has the right to live with dignity, but it is not right for people’s health to become unequal based on income, region, etc.” He added, “We must aim to organize an equal medical system by region and establish a more universal welfare system.” did it
ⓒCitizen Health Research Institute
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