J Korean Med Assoc.  2014 Mar;57(3):259-269. 10.5124/jkma.2014.57.3.259.

Public health concerns and risk perceptions in Korea: Focusing on the residents of the metropolitan cities

• Kim KH
• Kim HJ
• Lee E
• Kim S
• Choi JW

• KMID: 2064883
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2014.57.3.259

Abstract

This study aimed to measure the variation in the levels of risk perception associated with various health risk factors. We analyzed the variables of psychological paradigms that may affect such risk perception levels. According to the perception survey results, the perception of the risk of medical malpractice appeared to be at the highest level compared to other risk factors. According to the analysis of differences in psychological paradigms of health risk factors between genders, the known extent of hazard that medical malpractice, medicines side effects, vaccination accidents, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and food poisoning was much high in female than in male. According to the evaluation of the severity of the risk to future generations, it appeared that women believed that vaccination accidents, AIDS, chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, smoking, and drinking would have a greater effect on the risk to future generations than did men. The significance of this study is that the psychological paradigm affecting the perception level of health risk factors and the risk perceptions themselves have been analyzed by a survey of adults from the general population of Korea.

Keyword

Health; Risk; Risk perception; Risk communication

MeSH Terms

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
Adult
Chronic Disease
Drinking
Female
Foodborne Diseases
Health Status
Humans
Hypertension
Korea*
Male
Malpractice
Public Health*
Risk Factors
Smoke
Smoking
Social Responsibility
Vaccination
Smoke

Figure

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  Figure 1. Health risk and psychological paradigm risk cognitive map. a)Eigen value, 1.032; variance (%), 68.96. b)Eigen value, 2.416; variance (%), 48.32.

Reference

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