Prevalence and disease experience rates in Korean physicians

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Occupational Health
• Public Health

Background:

• Assessing the health status of physicians is crucial for understanding workforce well-being.
• Previous data on the morbidity of Korean physicians was limited, necessitating this feasibility study.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the disease prevalence and experience rates among Korean physicians.
• To establish baseline health data for a potential Korean physician cohort study.

Main Methods:

• A mail survey using self-administered questionnaires was conducted from January 1, 1995, to December 31, 1995.
• The study included 21,552 physicians (81.1% male, 15.5% female).
• Data analyzed included person-based prevalence and disease experience rates by age and sex.

Main Results:

• Overall disease prevalence was 17.7%, higher in males (18.3%) than females (13.8%), increasing with age.
• Circulatory diseases (5.16%) were most prevalent in males, and respiratory diseases (3.13%) in females.
• Hypertension was the most prevalent individual disease in males (3.77%), and allergic rhinitis in females (2.25%).
• Disease experience rates were 36.2% overall, higher in males (36.9%) than females (32.7%), also increasing with age.
• Digestive diseases had the highest experience rate in both sexes (males 10.05%, females 7.42%).
• Hypertension (5.00%) and allergic rhinitis (4.08%) showed the highest individual disease experience rates for males and females, respectively.
• Prevalence and experience rates varied significantly by age and sex.

Conclusions:

• Korean physicians exhibit varying disease prevalence and experience rates influenced by age and sex.
• Findings highlight the need for targeted health surveillance and interventions within the physician population.
• This study provides foundational data for future longitudinal research on Korean physician health.