Abstract
A Comparative Study of the Mortality Rate in Relation to the South Korean Economic Crisis between Asian Economic Crisis in 1998 and Global Economic Crisis in 2008
Eun Hye Kim
Supervising Professor : Eunil Lee. M.D., Ph.D.
Department of En...
Abstract
A Comparative Study of the Mortality Rate in Relation to the South Korean Economic Crisis between Asian Economic Crisis in 1998 and Global Economic Crisis in 2008
Eun Hye Kim
Supervising Professor : Eunil Lee. M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Environmental and Global Health
Graduate School of Public Health Korea University
Objectives : The purpose of this study is to compare the mortality rates in relation to the South Korean Economic Crisis between Asian economic crisis in 1998 and Global economic crisis in 2008. To compare the health-related problems caused by the two economic crises, we compared the mortality rates from 1997 to 2003 and from 2007 to 2013. The causes of death statistics provided by the National Statistical Office were classified into the Korean standard disease (KCD) classification system, and the mortality rates were compared and analyzed according to total mortality, gender, and age.
Methods : This study was based on the Korea National Statistical Office 's national statistical portal for statistical data over seven years from 1997 to 2003 and the causes of death over seven years from 2007 to 2013. Using the SPSS 20.1 program, the mortality rates were compared according to the year, cause of death, sex, and age, and the total mortality rate, sex and age - specific mortality rates were compared with standardized mortality rates. The mortality rates for the three major causes of death in Korea were compared and these mortality rates were compared with those in previous studies.
Results : Infant mortality rates and mortality rates for 0-9 years were increased during the Asian financial crisis, but mortality rates were increased in the 30-39 year age group before and after the global financial crisis. Cause of death such as ‘Respiratory tuberculosis unspecified, without mention of bacteriological or histological confirmation (A169)’, 'Unspecified dementia (F03)', 'Respiratory distress syndrome of newborn (P220)', and 'Suicide (X60-X84)' were increased in both economic crises. The mortality rate due to transportation accident was decreased after the two economic crises. The mortality rates of 'malignant neoplasm', 'cerebrovascular disease', and 'heart disease', which are the major causes of death in Korea, increased steadily from 1997 to 2013. Most of the deaths did not show a similar pattern in the two economic crises.
Conclusion : In this study, the changes in mortality rates before and after the two economic crises differed more than those in common patterns. These differences were due to the different age groups that were affected by the form and duration of the economic crisis, and there were differences in the cushioning capacities of the local culture, policy, and health policy, and over time in the total population The results of this study show that there is a significant correlation among the common causes of death, but the temporal causality was limited in this study. Therefore, based on the results of this study, it is necessary to conduct an in-depth study considering the ecological, social, and economic aspects of the individual. Through these studies, we should be able to predict the health problems that will be caused by the economic crisis and suggest the direction of the health policy by establishing preventive measures in terms of health care.
Key words: Economic Crisis, Mortality Rate, Suicide Rate, Asian Financial Crisis, Global Financial Crisis