Health Disparities in Contemporary Korean Society

Issues and Subpopulations

Sou Hyun Jang, Joong-Hwan Oh

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Year: 2020
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781978778580
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Global Development Studies
• Index: Social Sciences

Inequality in health reflects the deeper social and economic structures shaping everyday life.
This edited volume investigates the complex and uneven landscape of health disparities in contemporary Korean society, demonstrating how rapid economic and social transformations have produced unequal health outcomes across diverse populations. The collection highlights how factors such as employment conditions, social capital, and access to healthcare contribute to differences in self-rated health and patterns of healthcare utilization, including the financial burden of out-of-pocket costs and disparities among medical aid recipients.
Organized into two main parts, the book first examines structural determinants of health, focusing on links between employment status, working conditions, and access to care. It then turns to disparities across specific population groups, offering detailed analyses of employee health (including long working hours, night shifts, and workplace hazards), elderly well-being (such as environmental satisfaction and quality of life), and the health of children and adolescents (including obesity and socioeconomic inequalities). The final section expands the scope to immigrant and minority populations, addressing the health risks of marriage migrants and the mental health challenges faced by ethnic minority youth.
Across these chapters, the volume makes clear that health inequalities are not isolated issues but are embedded within broader systems of labor, family, and migration. By bringing together empirical research and policy-relevant insights, it underscores the urgency of targeted interventions and more equitable health policies. This collection is essential reading for anyone concerned with social justice and public health in rapidly changing societies.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Health Disparities in Contemporary Korean Society
• Series page
• Health Disparities in Contemporary Korean Society: Issues and Subpopulations
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part I Disparities in Health and Health-care Utilization
• Chapter 1
• Association between Employment Status and Self-Rated Health
• Chapter 2
• Social Capital and Its Association with Health and Well-Being
• Chapter 3
• Paying Out-of-Pocket for Health Care in Korea
• Chapter 4
• Multilevel Analysis of Health-Care Service Utilization among Medical Aid Beneficiaries in Korea
• Part II Health Disparities among Different Population Groups
• Chapter 5
• The Association between Long Working Hours and Self-Rated Health
• Chapter 6
• The Relationship between Night Work and Involuntary Weight Change
• Chapter 7
• The Association between Korean Employed Workers’ On-Call Work and Health Problems and Injuries
• Chapter 8
• Factors Associated with Health-Related Quality of Life in Korean Older Workers
• Chapter 9
• Hazards and Health Problems in Occupations Dominated by Aged Workers in South Korea
• Chapter 10
• Relation between Overall Health Status and Environmental Satisfaction of Community Elders
• Chapter 11
• The Effect of Health and Functional Limitation on Sexual Life Satisfaction
• Chapter 12
• Mothers’ Working Hours and Children’s Obesity
• Chapter 13
• Subjective and Objective Indicators of Socioeconomic Status and Self-Rated Health in Korean Adolescents
• Chapter 14
• Health Status and Associated Health Risks among Female Marriage Immigrants in Korea
• Chapter 15
• The Mental Health of Ethnic Minority Youths in South Korea and Its Related Environmental Factors
• Index
• About the Editors and Contributors