Gwangju Dong-gu Conducts Health Needs Survey... Clear Variations by Village

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] It has been found that residents' quality of life and health levels are influenced by the environmental, social, and economic conditions of their residential areas.

Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Im Taek) announced on the 24th that a ‘Health Needs Survey’ conducted over about a month from October to November last year targeting approximately 838 residents aged 19 and older in Dong-gu showed clear differences in perceptions of quality of life and health levels across the 13 neighborhoods (dong) within the district.

According to Dong-gu, neighborhoods near the old downtown area and villages (dong) where elderly living alone reside had lower perceptions of general environmental quality, whereas neighborhoods (dong) where residential conditions have improved recently due to redevelopment and urban development showed higher perceptions of both general and health environment quality.

In fact, when looking at perceptions of quality of life and health levels by type of residence, apartment residents rated 3.71 points and 3.61 points respectively (out of 5), showing positive perceptions, while residents of detached houses and others showed lower perceptions at 3.42 points and 3.30 points respectively.

This is interpreted as indicating that not only economic conditions but also urban environments affect the quality of life and health of local residents.

To minimize such differences by neighborhood (dong) and residence type and to simultaneously address quality of life and health issues in the community, the most efficient approaches demanded were local resident participation activities (42.6%), provision of various counseling programs (33.5%), and operation of educational programs (19.4%).

As health promotion projects that residents can directly participate in and lead, walking activities (50.6%), environmental cleanup (19.2%), and health gymnastics (19.0%) were preferred.

In particular, Dong-gu, which has entered a super-aged society with over 22% of its population aged 65 or older, identified dementia (4.56 points), health management for disabled and vulnerable groups (4.46 points), and prevention and management of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (4.45 points) as the top health issues to be prioritized due to the characteristics of the autonomous district.

Other responses included alcohol moderation, smoking cessation, physical activity, obesity prevention, nutrition, oral health, maternal and child health, and atopy/asthma in that order.

Accordingly, Dong-gu plans to not only implement health promotion projects reflecting local demands but also discover and promote projects that incorporate health into all district policies.

Additionally, strategies will be prepared through interdepartmental collaboration to minimize differences in quality of life, health issues, and health environment levels by neighborhood (dong).

Im Taek, Mayor of Dong-gu, said, “This survey aims to explore health-friendly projects by understanding residents’ quality of life, health needs, and environmental awareness levels,” adding, “We will promote sustainable healthy city projects reflecting the characteristics of communities with a high elderly population ratio and the needs of residents by neighborhood (dong) and residence type.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.