Why Do Japan and South Korea Record Very Low Levels of Perceived Health Despite Having Very High Life Expectancies?

Minhye Kim · Young‐Ho Khang

14 citations0/0 files storedYonsei Medical Journal

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Health disparities and outcomes Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life Aging, Health, and Disability

Abstract

Background: Japan and Korea show a unique pattern, in which life expectancy (LE) is among the highest among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, but the percentage of people with good self-rated health (SRH) is disproportionally low. We sought to explain this high-LE-low-SRH paradox by examining the associations among LE, the prevalence of good SRH, and healthcare utilization. The hypothesis was that countries with more frequent healthcare use would demonstrate poorer SRH, and that SRH would not show a meaningful association with LE among developed countries. Methods: This study utilized Health at a Glance 2017 by the OECD for the 26 countries with valid and comparable information about LE, SRH, and the number of doctor consultations per capita. The relationships between LE, good SRH, and the number of doctor consultations per capita were examined by correlation analyses. Findings: The number of annual doctor consultations per capita and the prevalence of good SRH were closely correlated (correlation coefficient = −·610). When we excluded outliers, the correlation coefficient was −·839. Similar patterns were observed when we replaced good SRH with poor SRH. Meanwhile, the correlation coefficient between annual per capita doctor consultations and LE was quite low (−·216). Interpretation: This study suggests that increased healthcare utilization might bring about perceptions of less good SRH. The high-LE-low-SRH paradox in Japan and Korea might be attributable to the high level of healthcare utilization in both countries. Funding Statement: This work was supported by a grant of the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea [grant number: HI18C0446]. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

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References

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