한국 거주 이민자의 건강정보 이용 현황

Abstract

Purpose: Health information is essential to live a healthy life. Racial and ethnic disparities are well known in healthcare and occur when using health information. How immigrants use health information is unknown in Korea. Thus, in this paper, the use of health information by immigrants in Korea and the effect factors that could influence the use of health information were examined.

Methods: A survey tool was developed based on the Andersen Behavioral Health Model. The use of health information and the effect factors were explained by using 3 factors: the predisposition factors, enabling factors and needs factors. The questionnaire was served in four languages including Korean, English, Mongolian and Vietnamese. The survey was conducted in clinics that give free medical services to immigrants, and 170 adult immigrants from 19 nations participated in total. Data was analyzed by correlation analysis and regression analysis.

Results: The results of the correlation analysis between the sufficient use of health information and the three factors showed that the highest correlation was found in the education level of the predisposition factors, health information capacity of the enabling factors and health status of the needs factors. These variables were designated as representative variables for each factor. Regression analysis showed that the needs factor did not have a significant effect on the sufficient use of health information but that the predisposition and enabling factors had a significant main effect on the sufficient use of health information. Among the predictors, the enabling factor had the strongest effect on the sufficient use of health information. The predisposition factor did not have a significant effect on the needs factor

however, the enabling factor had a significant effect on the needs factor. The predisposition factor had a significant effect on the enabling factor.

Conclusion: In this study, the predisposition and enabling factors significantly affected the sufficient use of health information by immigrants living in Korea. Thus, concern and focus on increasing enabling factors are needed to improve the sufficient use of health information. Furthermore, social supports and policies are important to access health information easily and for its sufficient use.