A Comparative Study of Urban and Rural Areas on Health Status and Residential Environment of Korean Elderly Living Alone
Abstract
Aim: The study was to examine and compare the health status and residential environment of elderly people living alone in urban and rural areas, South Korea.Material and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was employed. The study samples were A total of 482 elderly people living alone in urban (n = 222) and rural (n = 260) areas, South Korea. Questionnaire was designed to measure general characteristics of study participants, health status, and residential environment.Results: This study was showed that female elderly in rural areas were more than them in urban (χ2 = 13.16, p < 0.001). The most of elderly in urban areas had medical care assistance while the most of elderly in rural areas had national health insurance (χ2 = 77.91, p < 0.001). The most of health care institutions usually use hospitals, and eating habits tend to eat irregularly and eat salty. In the residential environment, there were more elderly people living alone in rural areas than in urban areas who answered that they had good heating (χ2 = 4.60, p = 0.032) and ventilation systems (χ2 = 51.10, p < 0.001), and did not lack living space (χ2 = 48.19, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The study will lead to a health policy to develop a basic life span, including the health and housing conditions of the elderly living alone in South Korea.References
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