|
KMID : 0904520120320010199
|
|
Health and Medical Sociology
2012 Volume.32 No. 1 p.199 ~ p.226
|
|
|
Determinants of Health Utilization by Life Transitional Period
|
|
Kim Jun-Ho
Seo Young-Joon
Chang Sei-Jin
Kim Chun-Bae
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
A life transitional period is a period in personal life when the risk of experiencing health issues such as chronic diseases increases compared to previous age periods. The increase of chronic diseases, increasing proportionately with age, leads to increase in health service use.
Personal sickness behavior, after acknowledging health issues, is affected by various factors, and many researches are being conducted on theoretical models to predict these factors.
This research utilizes ‘A Behavioral Model of Health Service Use’, which was proved of its validity through many empirical studies, by using the data of Korea Healthcare Panel in order to reveal the factors affecting health service utilization in terms of each life transitional period.
This research showed that for outpatients, the predisposing factors, possibility factors, necessity factors, health behavior and contextual characteristics equally affected personal disease behavior. The explaining power of the model was strongest for outpatient service, and inpatient service subsequently followed. For each life transitional period, the possibility factors and necessity factors mainly affected the middle-aged group and similar trends were shown in use behavior. For the old-aged group, the predisposing factor, possibility factors, and necessity factors were found to be equally affecting factors.
This research confirmed that even when using the same theoretical model, the explaining power of the entire model and belief variables can depend on the life transitional period. The outpatient health service could be explained solely by personal characteristics while the inpatient health service could only be explained in a limited manner by personal characteristics.
This research has analyzed representative data in the nation based on models verified through empirical researches. By revealing the belief factors affecting the use of health service per life transitional period, this research attempts to provide a valuable material for subsequent researches and to provide a strategy to establish health and welfare policies in the future.
|
|
|
KEYWORD
|
|
|
life transitional period, A Behavioral Model of Health Service Use, inpatient service, outpatient service, Korea Health Panel
|
|
|
FullTexts / Linksout information
|
|
|
|
|
|
Listed journal information
|
|
|
|