Trends of Morbidity in Urban and Rural Areas Estimated from National Health Insurance Records.
10.2185/jjrm.44.578
- VernacularTitle:国保傷病統計による都市と農村の受療動向
- Author:
Kenji TAMURA
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- From:Journal of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine
1995;44(4):578-585
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
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Abstract:
The national health insurance record is an important source of information regarding the trend of morbidity throughout Japan. Using the record, we clarified the characteristics and annual trends of morbidity for main diseases in municipalities in Ibaraki Prefecture.
Age-adjusted morbidity rates in each municipality were calculated from the number of patients actually covered by the national health insurance and the number of the insured population from 1980 to 1992. To classify municipalities by the degree of urbanization, the proportions of farming population were used. Eighty-seven municipalities were classified into the three groups; urban group (UG), middle group (MG) and rural group (RG).
According to the pattern of annual morbidity in the three groups (UG, MG, RG) from 1980 to 1992, main diseases were classified as follows. The diseases for which the rates in UG were always higher than that in RG during the study period: Total morbidity rate in UG was about 10% higher than other two groups. Diabetes, heart disease and liver disease were included in this category, and especially, morbidity rate for allergic rhinitis in UG was nearly twice as much as that in other groups. The diseases for which the rates in RG are higher than UG during the study period: Only hypertension was included in the category. The diseases for which the rates in RG were higher than that in UG in the beginning while the rate intersected in the study period: Cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction were included in this category.
There were no differences between UG and RG in morbidity rates for gastric cancer, intestinal cancer and lung cancer.
The results were confirmed by classifying the maps of municipalities into the three categorieswith 12-year average morbidity rates for main diseases.
