Social Structural Influences on Healthy Aging: Community-Level Socioeconomic Conditions and Survival Probability of Becoming a Centenarian for Those Aged 65 to 69 in South Korea

Abstract

This study estimated the associations between community-level socioeconomic conditions and survival probability of becoming a centenarian (SPBC) for those aged 65 to 69 in South Korea to determine the social structural influences on healthy aging. The indicators of socioeconomic and data of centenarians were obtained from Statistics Korea database 2014: population census and social survey. Significant positive correlations were found between SPBC and community-level socioeconomic conditions (minimum cost of living and economically active population, water supply and sewerage, pave a road with asphalt, and urbanization). SPBC male and female predictors had higher economic level and base facilities (R²= 0.578, p < .001). The study provides evidence that community-level socioeconomic conditions are important correlates of SPBC for those aged 65 to 69 in South Korea. These strategies should include social structural influences on successful aging in the overall socioeconomic conditions.

Keywords

successful aging environment social constructs aging population well-being

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Amato

Querol

Johansson

Nagl

Alastuey

(2010) A review on the effectiveness of street sweeping, washing and dust suppressants as urban PM control methods review article. Science of the Total Environment 408(16): 3070–3084.

Baker

Meisner

B. A.

Logan

A. J.

Kungl

A. M.

Weir

(2009) Physical activity and successful aging in Canadian older adults. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity 17(2): 223–235.

Berr

Balard

Blain

Robine

J. M.

(2012) How to define old age: Successful aging and/or longevity. Médecine/Sciences 28(3): 281–287.

Bhargava

Jamison

D. T.

Lau

L. J.

Murray

C. J. L.

(2001) Modeling the effects of health on economic growth original research article. Journal of Health Economics 20(3): 423–440.

Bowling

(2007) Aspirations for older age in the 21st century: What is successful aging? The International Journal of Aging and Human Development 64(3): 263–297.

Candore

Balistreri

C. R.

Listi

Grimaldi

M. P.

Vasto

Colonna-Romano

Caruso

(2006) Immunogenetics, gender, and longevity. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1089: 516–537.

Caserta

(2011) Challenges, transitions, and healthy aging: Introduction to the special issue. The International Journal of Aging & Human Development 74(3): 189–191.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2011) Ten great public health achievements—worldwide, 2001–2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) 60(24): 814–818.

Chen

B. K.

Yang

C. Y.

(2014) Differences in age-standardized mortality rates for avoidable deaths based on urbanization levels in Taiwan, 1971–2008. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 11(2): 1776–1793.

10.

Clayton

G. M.

Dudley

W. N.

Patterson

W. D.

Lawhorn

L. A.

Poon

L. W.

Johnson

M. A.

Martin

(1994) The influence of rural/urban residence on health in the oldest-old. The International Journal of Aging & Human Development 38(1): 65–89.

11.

David

Bloom

D. E.

Canning

Sevilla

J. I.

(2004) The effect of health on economic growth: A production function. World Development 32(1): 1–13.

12.

Eckert

Kohler

(2014) Urbanization and health in developing countries: A systematic review. World Health & Population 15(1): 7–20.

13.

Ehrlich

Chuma

(1990) A model of the demand for longevity and the value of life extension. Journal of Political Economy 98(4): 761–782.

14.

Farooqui

Khan

Kazmi

S. U.

(2009) Investigation of a community outbreak of typhoid fever associated with drinking water. BMC Public Health 9: 476.

15.

Fewtrell

Colford

J. M.

Jr. (2005) Water, sanitation and hygiene in developing countries: Interventions and diarrhea – A review. Water Science and Technology 52(8): 133–142.

16.

Gilligan

A. M.

Skrepnek

G. H.

(2015) Determinants of life expectancy in the eastern mediterranean region. Health Policy Plan 30(5): 624–637.

17.

Gorman

(2007) Commentary: Defining a minimum income for healthy living (MIHL): Older age, England – A comment on implications for application in the developing world. International Journal of Epidemiology 36(6): 1307–1308.

18.

Häkkinen

Martikainen

Noro

Nihtilä

Peltola

(2008) Aging, health expenditure, proximity to death, and income in Finland. Health Economics, Policy and Law 3(2): 165–195.

19.

Hancock

Sanson-Fisher

R. W.

Redman

Burton

Butler

Walsh

(1997) Community action for health promotion: A review of methods and outcomes 1990–1995. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 13(4): 229–239.

20.

Heimer

Misigoj-Duraković

Ruzić

Matković

Prskalo

Beri

Tonković-Lojović

(2004) Fitness level of adult economically active population in the Republic of Croatia estimated by EUROFIT system. Collegium Antropologicum 28(1): 223–233.

21.

Hsu

H. C.

(2011) Impact of morbidity and life events on successful aging. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health 23(4): 458–469.

22.

Hunter

P. R.

MacDonald

A. M.

Carter

R. C.

(2010) Water supply and health. PLoS Medicine 7(11): e1000361.

23.

Johnson

D. S.

Smeeding

T. M.

Torrey

B. B.

(2005) Economic inequality through the prisms of income and consumption. Monthly Labor Review 128: 11.

24.

Kannisto

(1988) On the survival of centenarians and the span of life. Population studies 42(3): 389–406.

25.

Kim

J. I.

(2013) Social factors associated with centenarian rate (CR) in 32 OECD countries. BMC International Health and Human Rights 13: 16.

26.

Kim

J. I.

Kim

(2014a) Factors affecting the survival probability of becoming a centenarian for those aged 70, based on the human mortality database: Income, health expenditure, telephone, and sanitation. BMC Geriatrics 14: 113.

27.

Kim

J. I.

Kim

(2014b) Labor force participation and secondary education of gender inequality index (GII) associated with healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth. International Journal for Equity in Health 13: 106.

28.

Kim, J. I., & Kim, G. (2015). Country-level socioeconomic indicators associated with healthy life expectancy: Income, urbanization, schooling, and internet users: 2000–2012. Social Indicators Research, 1–12. First online: 29 September 2015.

29.

Kruger

T. M.

Savage

C. E.

Newsham

(2014) Intergenerational efforts to develop a healthy environment for everyone sustainability as a human rights issue. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development 80(1): 27–40.

30.

Lenzen

(2006) Decomposition analysis and the mean-rate-of-change index. Applied Energy 83(3): 185–198.

31.

Liu

Y. L.

Luo

K. L.

Lin

X. X.

Gao

R. X.

Wang

S. B.

Tian

X. L.

(2014) Regional distribution of longevity population and chemical characteristics of natural water in Xinjiang, China. Science of the Total Environment 473–474: 54–62.

32.

Mackenbach

J. P.

Looman

C. W.

(2013) Life expectancy and national income in Europe, 1900–2008: An update of Preston’s analysis. International Journal of Epidemiology 42(4): 1100–1110.

33.

Morris

J. N.

Deeming

(2004) Minimum incomes for healthy living (MIHL): Next thrust in UK social policy? Policy & Politics 32(4): 441–454.

34.

Morris

J. N.

Donkin

A. J. M.

Wonderling

Wilkinson

Dowler

E. A.

(2000) A minimum income for healthy living. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 54(12): 885–889.

35.

Morris

J. N.

Wilkinson

Dangour

A. D.

Deeming

Fletcher

(2007) Defining a minimum income for healthy living (MIHL): Older age, England. International Journal of Epidemiology 36(6): 1300–1307.

36.

Mossakowska

Barcikowska

Broczek

Grodzicki

Klich-Raczka

Kupisz-Urbanska

Kuznicki

(2008) Polish centenarians programme–multidisciplinary studies of successful aging: Aims, methods, and preliminary results. Experimental Gerontology 43(3): 238–244.

37.

Norman

Johansson

(2006) Studies of some measures to reduce road dust emissions from paved roads in Scandinavia. Atmospheric Environment 40(32): 6154–6164.

38.

Pei

Pillai

V. K.

(1999) Old age support in China: The role of the state and the family. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development 49(3): 197–212.

39.

Peretti-Watel

Legleye

Baumann

Choquet

Falissard

Chau

(2009) Fatigue, insomnia and nervousness: Gender disparities and roles of individual characteristics and lifestyle factors among economically active people. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 44(9): 703–709.

40.

Regidor

Ronda

Martínez

Calle

M. E.

Navarro

Domínguez

(2005) Occupational social class and mortality in a population of men economically active: The contribution of education and employment situation. European Journal of Epidemiology 20(6): 501–508.

41.

Robine

J. M.

Herrmann

F. R.

Arai

Willcox

D. C.

Gondo

Hirose

Saito

(2012) Exploring the impact of climate on human longevity. Experimental Gerontology 47(9): 660–671.

42.

Robine

J. M.

Paccaud

(2005) Nonagenarians and centenarians in Switzerland, 1860–2001: A demographic analysis. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 59(1): 31–37.

43.

Rowe

J. W.

Kahn

R. L.

(1987) Human aging: Usual and successful. Science 237(4811): 143–149.

44.

Shi

Chen

Wang

Teng

(2011) A comparative study of health risk of potentially toxic metals in urban and suburban road dust in the most populated city of China. Atmospheric Environment 45(3): 764–771.

45.

Shuval

H. I.

Tilden

R. L.

Perry

B. H.

Grosse

R. N.

(1981) Effect of investments in water supply and sanitation on health status: A threshold-saturation theory. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 59(2): 243.

46.

Simmons, B. E. (2014). Average rate of change. Mathwords: Terms and formulas. Retrieved from http://is.gd/xncx0W.

47.

Statistics Korea. (2014a). Korea statistical information service. Statistical database; resident demographics 2011–1975. Retrieved from http://is.gd/xorMbx.

48.

Statistics Korea. (2014b). Korea statistical information service. Statistical database; population census 1975–2011. Retrieved from http://is.gd/xorMbx.

49.

Statistics Korea. (2014c). Korea statistical information service. Statistical database; subjective income level (Household head aged 19 years and over) 2011. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/UL6FQh.

50.

Statistics Korea. (2014d). Korea statistical information service. Statistical database; summary table of economically active population 2010. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1leW99m.

51.

Statistics Korea. (2014e). Korea statistical information service. Statistical database; E-local indicators (indicator value) 2000–2013. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/UL3CaU.

52.

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. (2014). Statistical database, compiled from national and international (Eurostat and ILO) official sources. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1qxLMTF.

53.

Zheng

Liu

Wang

Liang

(2010) Health risk assessment of heavy metal exposure to street dust in the zinc smelting district, Northeast of China. Science of the Total Environment 408(4): 726–733.

54.

Zhou

Zheng

Liu

Wang

Sun

Liu

Zhang

(2015) Residents health risk of Pb, Cd and Cu exposure to street dust based on different particle sizes around zinc smelting plant, Northeast of China. Environmental Geochemistry and Health 37(2): 207–220.