Impact of socioeconomic status on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prognosis: a national cohort study

BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, with socioeconomic status (SES) playing a significant role in disease outcomes. While the impact of individual SES on COPD has been reported, the influence of both individual and neighborhood S...

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Main Authors: Hyewon Lee, Jiyun Jung, Hee-Young Yoon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Medicine
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1584945/full
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author Hyewon Lee
Hyewon Lee
Jiyun Jung
Hee-Young Yoon
author_facet Hyewon Lee
Hyewon Lee
Jiyun Jung
Hee-Young Yoon
author_sort Hyewon Lee
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, with socioeconomic status (SES) playing a significant role in disease outcomes. While the impact of individual SES on COPD has been reported, the influence of both individual and neighborhood SES on clinical outcomes remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the association between SES and COPD outcomes.MethodWe conducted a retrospective cohort study using 2015–2018 data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort, linked with census data. SES was assessed at both individual (income, insurance type) and neighborhood levels (residential area, elderly proportion, education level, gross regional domestic product, and total population density). Outcomes included overall mortality and hospitalization, which were evaluated using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for demographic and air pollution.ResultsAmong 12,820 patients (mean age 63.5 years, 47.2% male), higher income was significantly associated with lower mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.961, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.936–0.986) in the adjusted model. Suburban residence was associated with increased mortality risk (HR = 1.432, 95% CI = 1.089–1.884), while rural residence was not significant after adjustment. For hospitalization, higher income was also significantly associated with a lower risk (HR = 0.987, 95% CI = 0.979–0.995). Suburban (HR = 1.097, 95% CI = 1.013–1.187) and rural (HR = 1.138, 95% CI = 1.046–1.239) residence also remained significantly associated with increased hospitalization risk in the adjusted models. Additionally, a higher proportion of older adults (HR = 1.010, 95% CI = 1.004–1.016) and lower educational attainment (HR = 0.992, 95% CI = 0.989–0.995) were also significantly associated with hospitalization risk.ConclusionThese findings suggest that individual SES is associated with both mortality and hospitalization among patients with COPD, while neighborhood SES influences hospitalization but not mortality after adjustment.
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spelling doaj-art-d5d2fe0110954ded96765f3fceeb498f2025-08-20T03:19:17ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Medicine2296-858X2025-06-011210.3389/fmed.2025.15849451584945Impact of socioeconomic status on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prognosis: a national cohort studyHyewon Lee0Hyewon Lee1Jiyun Jung2Hee-Young Yoon3Department of Health Administration and Management, College of Medical Sciences, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Software Convergence, Soonchunhyang University Graduate School, Asan, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Biostatistics, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Gyeongju, Republic of KoreaDivision of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Republic of KoreaBackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, with socioeconomic status (SES) playing a significant role in disease outcomes. While the impact of individual SES on COPD has been reported, the influence of both individual and neighborhood SES on clinical outcomes remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the association between SES and COPD outcomes.MethodWe conducted a retrospective cohort study using 2015–2018 data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort, linked with census data. SES was assessed at both individual (income, insurance type) and neighborhood levels (residential area, elderly proportion, education level, gross regional domestic product, and total population density). Outcomes included overall mortality and hospitalization, which were evaluated using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for demographic and air pollution.ResultsAmong 12,820 patients (mean age 63.5 years, 47.2% male), higher income was significantly associated with lower mortality risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.961, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.936–0.986) in the adjusted model. Suburban residence was associated with increased mortality risk (HR = 1.432, 95% CI = 1.089–1.884), while rural residence was not significant after adjustment. For hospitalization, higher income was also significantly associated with a lower risk (HR = 0.987, 95% CI = 0.979–0.995). Suburban (HR = 1.097, 95% CI = 1.013–1.187) and rural (HR = 1.138, 95% CI = 1.046–1.239) residence also remained significantly associated with increased hospitalization risk in the adjusted models. Additionally, a higher proportion of older adults (HR = 1.010, 95% CI = 1.004–1.016) and lower educational attainment (HR = 0.992, 95% CI = 0.989–0.995) were also significantly associated with hospitalization risk.ConclusionThese findings suggest that individual SES is associated with both mortality and hospitalization among patients with COPD, while neighborhood SES influences hospitalization but not mortality after adjustment.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1584945/fullhealthcare disparitiesenvironmental exposuresurvival raterisk factorslongitudinal studies
spellingShingle Hyewon Lee
Hyewon Lee
Jiyun Jung
Hee-Young Yoon
Impact of socioeconomic status on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prognosis: a national cohort study
Frontiers in Medicine
healthcare disparities
environmental exposure
survival rate
risk factors
longitudinal studies
title Impact of socioeconomic status on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prognosis: a national cohort study
title_full Impact of socioeconomic status on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prognosis: a national cohort study
title_fullStr Impact of socioeconomic status on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prognosis: a national cohort study
title_full_unstemmed Impact of socioeconomic status on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prognosis: a national cohort study
title_short Impact of socioeconomic status on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prognosis: a national cohort study
title_sort impact of socioeconomic status on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prognosis a national cohort study
topic healthcare disparities
environmental exposure
survival rate
risk factors
longitudinal studies
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1584945/full
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