Exploration of the Determinants of Subjective Health and Depression Using Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging Data

TL;DR

This study explores factors affecting health and depression in older Koreans, finding that exercise helps while medical and eating-out costs have complex effects.

Contribution

The study introduces a curved linear effect of medical and eating-out expenses on health outcomes, alongside the impact of regular exercise.

Findings

Medical and eating-out expenses have a curved linear effect on subjective health and depression.

Regular exercise positively affects subjective health and reduces depression.

The study used panel regression to analyze data from 7197 participants aged 72.10 on average.

Abstract

Aging is an imperative issue in Korean society, and a healthy life is important for a better quality of life for older adults. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to investigate the determinants of subjective health and depression in middle-aged and elderly Korean individuals. This study used three attributes as the determinants of subjective health and depression, including the curve linear effect of medical expenses and eating-out expenses and the linear impact of regular exercise. We utilized the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLOSA) to determine the associations between five attributes: subjective health, depression, medical expenses, eating-out expenses, and regular exercise. Research panel data were employed as the data source. The study period was between 2018 and 2020. This research implemented various multiple linear panel regression econometric analysis instruments: ordinary least squares, random effects, and fixed effects. The mean age of survey participants was 72.10 years, and 35 percent of participants were female. The number of observations for data analysis was 7197. The results revealed that medical and eating-out expenses had a curved linear effect on subjective health and depression. Moreover, regular exercise positively affected subjective health and resulted in less depression. These findings may inform policy decisions that promote regular exercise and manage medical and eating-out expenses, thereby enhancing subjective health and mitigating depression.

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