Table 1.
Demographic characteristics of children and young people with life-limiting conditions, 2015.
| Variables | Total, n (%) | Cancer, n (%) | Non-cancer, n (%) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 133,177 | 34,943 (26.2) | 98,234 (73.8) | |
| Gender | <0.001 | |||
| Male | 71,764 (53.9) | 17,121 (49.0) | 54,643 (55.6) | |
| Female | 61,413 (46.1) | 17,822 (51.0) | 43,591 (44.4) | |
| Age group (year) | <0.001 | |||
| <1 | 9,084 (6.8) | 363 (1.0) | 8,721 (8.9) | |
| 1–9 | 35,247 (26.5) | 5,743 (16.4) | 29,504 (30.0) | |
| 10–19 | 49,120 (36.9) | 13,987 (40.0) | 35,133 (35.8) | |
| 20–24 | 39,726 (29.8) | 14,850 (42.5) | 24,876 (25.3) | |
| Type of insurance qualification | <0.001 | |||
| National Health Insurance | 125,289 (94.1) | 33,304 (95.3) | 91,985 (93.6) | |
| Medical aid | 7,888 (5.9) | 1,639 (4.7) | 6,249 (6.4) | |
| Level of incomea | <0.001 | |||
| High | 46,137 (34.6) | 12,750 (36.5) | 33,387 (34.0) | |
| Medium | 53,547 (40.2) | 13,405 (38.4) | 40,142 (40.9) | |
| Low | 33,493 (25.1) | 8,788 (25.1) | 24,705 (25.1) | |
| Severity of disabilityb | <0.001 | |||
| Severe | 17,532 (13.2) | 1,452 (4.2) | 16,080 (16.4) | |
| Mild to moderate | 3,618 (2.7) | 1,140 (3.3) | 2,478 (2.5) | |
| Without confirmed disability | 112,027 (84.1) | 32,351 (92.6) | 79,676 (81.1) | |
| Diagnostic categoryc | ||||
| Malignancy | 34,943 (26.2) | |||
| Neurologic & neuromuscular | 29,106 (21.9) | |||
| Cardiovascular | 20,483 (15.4) | |||
| Renal & urologic | 19,595 (14.7) | |||
| Hematologic or immunologic | 12,716 (9.5) | |||
| Gastrointestinal | 11,732 (8.8) | |||
| Respiratory | 8,976 (6.7) | |||
| Other congenital or genetic defect | 7,778 (5.8) | |||
| Metabolic | 7,505 (5.6) | |||
| Premature & neonatal | 5,946 (4.5) | |||
| Miscellaneous | 511 (0.4) | |||
| Area of residence by administrative district | <0.001 | |||
| Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon | 80,996 (60.8) | 22,415 (64.1) | 58,581 (59.6) | |
| Gangwon | 2,580 (1.9) | 615 (1.8) | 1,965 (2.0) | |
| Chungcheong | 11,458 (8.6) | 2,970 (8.5) | 8,488 (8.6) | |
| Daegue, Gyeongbuk | 9,377 (7.0) | 1,815 (5.2) | 7,562 (7.7) | |
| Busan, Ulsan Gyeongnam | 17,288 (13.0) | 4,331 (12.4) | 12,957 (13.2) | |
| Jeolla | 10,018 (7.5) | 2,494 (7.1) | 7,524 (7.7) | |
| Jeju | 1,460 (1.1) | 303 (0.9) | 1,157 (1.2) | |
| Area of residence | 0.058 | |||
| Metropolitan | 60,322 (45.3) | 15,676 (44.9) | 44,646 (45.4) | |
| Non-metropolitan | 72,855 (54.7) | 19,267 (55.1) | 53,588 (54.6) |
aLevel of income was categorized based on patients’ NHIS premium as high level (upper 25% premium), intermediate level (middle 50%), and low level (lower 25%).
bSeverity of disability was divided according to their disability grade into severe (grade 1–3) and mild (grade 4–6).
cValues are not mutually exclusive.