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Timely access to secondary pediatric services in Korea: a key to reducing child and adolescent mortality
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Minku Kang, Young June Choe, Hye Sook Min, Saerom Kim, Seung-Ah Choe
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Epidemiol Health. 2024;46:e2024059. Published online July 5, 2024
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2024059
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Geographic disparities in access to secondary pediatric care remain a significant issue in countries with universal health coverage, including Korea. This study investigated the link between geographic access to secondary pediatric care and mortality rates in children and adolescents (0-19 years) in Korea.
METHODS We analyzed district-level data to assess the percentage of those aged 0-19 years residing outside of a 60-minute travel radius from the nearest secondary pediatric care provider (accessibility vulnerability index, AVI).
RESULTS The AVI ranged from 0% to 100% across the districts for the study period. The confidence interval (CI) was -0.30 (95% CI, -0.41 to -0.19) in 2017 and -0.41 (95% CI, -0.52 to -0.30) in 2021, indicating that the proportion of those who could not access care within 60 minutes was disproportionately higher in districts with lower socioeconomic status. We found 8% rise in mortality rates among individuals aged 0-19 years for every 10% increase in AVI (95% CI, 1.06 to 1.10).
CONCLUSIONS The study highlights disparities in pediatric care access and their impact on child survival, emphasizing the need for improved access to achieve true universal health coverage.
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Korean summary
본 연구는 한국에서 소아 의료 서비스에 대한 지리적 접근성과 아동 사망률 사이의 연관성을 조사하여, 특히 COVID-19 대유행 기간 동안 접근성 제한이 높은 사망률과 관련이 있음을 발견하였다. 이 연구는 아동 및 청소년의 예방 가능한 사망률에 대한 지역 격차를 줄이기 위해 시기적절한 치료 접근성을 개선해야 할 필요성을 강조하였다.
Key Message
The study investigated the link between geographic access to pediatric services and child mortality in South Korea, finding that limited access, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, was associated with higher mortality. The research highlights the need for improved access to timely care to reduce regional disparities in preventable deaths among children and adolescents.
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Inequitable distribution of excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea, 2020
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Jin-Hwan Kim, Saerom Kim, Eunhye Park, Chang-yup Kim
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Epidemiol Health. 2022;44:e2022081. Published online September 26, 2022
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2022081
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES
This study analyzed inequities in excess mortality according to region and socioeconomic position to explain the distribution of excess mortality in Korea in 2020.
METHODS We acquired weekly all-cause mortality data from January 2015 to December 2020 from (1) the National Health Insurance Database and (2) Vital Statistics. Excess mortality for 2020 was calculated by comparing the weekly observed and expected deaths from the same period (2015-2019) using quasi-Poisson regression.
RESULTS An inequitable distribution of excess mortality was identified. The estimated excess mortality in Korea was -29,112 (95% confidence interval, -29,832 to -28,391), corresponding to -55 per 100,000, and the ratio of observed deaths to expected deaths was 0.91. Negative excess mortality was observed except for females in the 0-14 age group. Male Medical Aid beneficiaries showed positive excess mortality, while non-disabled and disabled groups showed similar negative values. When the standardized mortality ratio was calculated for the top 10 causes of death, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease and septicemia increased, whereas those from diabetes mellitus and cerebrovascular disease decreased. The decrease in mortality was primarily concentrated in older adults, while the mortality of young females increased due to increased intentional self-harm.
CONCLUSIONS This study adds essential evidence regarding the overall performance of Korea. The observed inequalities according to various socioeconomic variables indicate that the results of strict measures to control coronavirus disease 2019 were not distributed equitably. Efforts should be made to properly evaluate the current and future problems related to the pandemic.
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Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by  - Universal health coverage saves more lives among severely ill COVID-19 patients: A difference-in-differences analysis of individual patient data in South Korea
Daseul Moon, Jeangeun Jeon, Jieun Park, Min-Hyeok Choi, Myoung-Hee Kim, Hongjo Choi
Health Research Policy and Systems.2024;[Epub] CrossRef - Did the socioeconomic inequalities in avoidable and unavoidable mortality worsen during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea?
Rora Oh, Myoung-Hee Kim, Juyeon Lee, Rangkyoung Ha, Jungwook Kim
Epidemiology and Health.2023; 45: e2023072. CrossRef
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