Background: Japan and South Korea represent "outliers" among rich nations with regard to having achieved high life expectancy but also ranking near the bottom on United Nations indices of gender equality. In the present study, we compared gender inequalities in self-rated health (SRH) across the life course captured in nationally representative surveys from South Korea and Japan. Our comparative analysis focused on the following questions, (1) Do Japan and South Korea exhibit similar patterns of gender inequalities in health as found in western settings (e.g. the "gender paradox" whereby women enjoy longer life expectancy, but worseself-rated health compared to men)? (2) Can gender differences in educational attainment and income account for gender differences in health in Japan & Korea? (3) Do gender inequalities in self-rated health differ over the life-course in Japan compared to South Korea?
Methods: Cross-sectional data were drawn from nationally representative surveys in South Korea and Japan. We analyzed data for 239,076 participants aged 20 years or older (226,105 in South Korea and 12,971 in Japan). We evaluated the gender gap in poor SRH between two countries using logistic regression models controlling for covariates sequentially.
Results: (1) The absolute female/male gap in prevalence of poor SRH was much narrower in Japan compared to South Korea; (2) the prevalence ratios of poor SRH (women relative to men) were significantly higher in South Korea than in Japan after retirement age; (3) but the difference in the prevalence ratios of poor SRH by gender between two countries largely disappeared after adjusting for educational attainment & comorbidity.
Conclusions: Each country needs to analyze their specific situations to understand what determines their population health status. In addition, there must exist other reasons for the"gender paradox" - i.e. why Japan & Korea have managed to achieve high longevity without gender equality.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112919 | DOI Listing |
Omega (Westport)
January 2025
Department of History, Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea.
Under Japanese rule in 1912, cremation was legalized in Korea, marking a shift from a strictly prohibited practice to an accepted funeral option. Initially viewed as a Japanese custom, cremation gradually transformed into a "civilized" choice, a perspective pushed by Japanese colonial authorities and some Korean modernizers. However, this narrative overlooks the gradual acceptance of cremation among Koreans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurosurg
January 2025
4Department of Neurosurgery, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Objective: Focused ultrasound (FUS)-mediated blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening is safe and potentially beneficial in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) for the removal of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques. However, the optimal BBB opening intervals and number of treatment sessions for clinical improvement remain undefined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and benefits of repeated and more extensive BBB opening alone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Med Internet Res
January 2025
Department of Psychiatry, Yongin Severance Hospital, Yongin, Republic of Korea.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of modern society, extending digital transformation to daily life and psychological evaluation and treatment. However, the development of competencies and literacy in handling digital technology has not kept pace, resulting in a significant disparity among individuals. Existing measurements of digital literacy were developed before widespread information and communications technology device adoption, mainly focusing on one's perceptions of their proficiency and the utility of device operation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Radiat Biol
January 2025
Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Cheongju, Republic of Korea.
Purpose: We aimed to identify the transcriptomic signatures of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) related to radioresistance and establish a model to predict radioresistance.
Materials And Methods: Nine STS cell lines were cultured. Adenosine triphosphate-based viability was determined 5 days after irradiation with 8 Gy of X-rays in a single fraction.
PLoS One
January 2025
Department of Ocean Integrated Science, Chonnam National University, Yeosu, Korea.
Ensuring the supply of safe and high-quality drinking water can be compromised by the presence of chironomid larvae in drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs), which may contaminate municipal water systems through freshwater resources. Chironomids are dominant species known for their resilience to a broad range of extreme aquatic environments. This study aimed to identify the morphological characteristics and obtain genetic information of the chironomid Paratanytarsus grimmii found in the water intake source and freshwater resource of DWTPs in Korea, highlighting the potential possibility of a parthenogenetic chironomid outbreak within DWTP networks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!