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KMID : 0928320170170020071
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Korean Journal of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
2017 Volume.17 No. 2 p.71 ~ p.79
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Health Literacy and Its Related Factors in North Korean Refugees
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Son Youn-Jung
Kim Hyun-Joon
Jeong Hye-Jin
Hwang In-Young
Kim Moo-Young
Lee Soo-Hyoung
Park Ki-Hyon
Park Kee-Ho
Kim Chae-Bong
Im Hyang
Lee Ji-Young
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Abstract
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Background: In September 2016, the number of North Korean refugees living in South Korea was 29,688. They have been struggling with health problems due to their poor health status and the differences in medical system and terminology between South and North Korea. We aimed to investigate the level of health literacy and its related factors in North Korean refugees.
Methods: This study was conducted with 142 patients who visited North Korean refugees' counseling center at Seoul Medical Center and National Central Medical Center and 100 South Korean patients who visited outpatient clinics or Health Promotion Center of Seoul Medical Center. General and health-related characteristics were surveyed through a questionnaire and health literacy was measured by using ‘Korean Adult Health Literacy Scale’.
Results: The average age of North Korean refugees was 48.92±11.49 years old. Almost 95% reported that their monthly income was less than 2 million KRW. The survey showed that North Korean refugees obtain health information mainly through TV, radio, and acquaintances and more than half (54.9%) said their health was bad or very bad. The mean score of North Korean refugees' health literacy was much lower than that of South Koreans (12.42±7.58 vs. 25.3±5.7, P<0.001). This discrepancy was maintained after adjusting related factors such as age, sex, and socioeconomic status with stratified analysis.
Conclusions: It suggest the urgent need for policies which support for futher researches and development of education system, which may lead to the improvememt of the health literacy of North Korean regugees.
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KEYWORD
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Health literacy, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Refugees
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