Socioeconomic Differences in Health and Health Care in Japan

1)东京都市区中年男性死亡率的区域特征及影响因素。东京都及邻近4县市/区35~59岁男性死亡率存在地区差异。这种差异与居民的社会经济特征有关。观察了20世纪70年代末至90年代初中年男性死亡率在各城市/区的分布规律。2)中年人健康相关生活方式的职业差异20,234名年龄在30岁至59岁之间的男性劳动者在与健康相关的生活方式和主观健康方面的职业差异和特征。这些特征似乎是形成的，并受到工作时间等职业环境的影响，3)日本中老年男性的健康状况、对医疗保健的态度、对医疗服务利用的社会经济差异。健康状况受收入水平的影响，即低收入者比其他人差。受教育程度和职业类别不同，对医疗保健的态度也不同。4)西方工业化国家健康方面的社会不平等及其原因解释西方工业化国家近十年来进行的许多关于健康方面的社会不平等的研究表明，不同性别的老年群体在不同的健康指标、几种因果关系及其对社会政策的影响方面存在社会经济差异。

The results of this study being conducted from fiscal 1994 to 1996 are the following points.1) Regional characteristics and factors of the death rate of the middle aged men in Tokyo metropolitan area.There were regional differences in the death rate of the male aged 35 to 59 years in the cities/wards located in Tokyo and neighboring 4 prefectures.Those differences of the death rate were correlated with the inhabitants socioeconomic characteristics.There distribution pattern of the death rate of the middle aged men by city/ward were observed from the late 1970s till the early 1990s.2) Occupational differences in health-related life-styles among middle-aged male workers in secondary and tertiary sectors in Japan.Occupational differences and features in health-related life-style and subjective health were seen among 20,234 male workers aged between 30 and 59.These features seemed to be formed and influenced by occupational circumstances such as hours of work, work environment, working style, and job strain.3) Socioeconomic differences in health status, attitudes to medical care, utillization of health services among Japanese middle and higher aged men.Health status was influenced by income level, that is to say, peple who were low income worse than others. Differences in attitudes to medical care were seen by the level of education and occupational category. Utilization of health services were seen little differences by socioeconomic status.4) Social inequalities in health and its causal explanation in western industrialized countries.Many studies on social inequalities in health being conducted during a recent decade in western industrialized counntries showed the evidence of socioeconomic differences of every aged group in both sexes in diverse health indicators, several causal exphlanations, and its implications for social policy.