Changes in Rural Health and Environmental Factors (2001-2010) A Comparison between Agricultural and Nonagricultural Groups

To verify welfare needs, rural health and environmental factors were compared between agricultural and nonagricultural groups over the past 10 years. Based on a survey of rural life by the Rural Development Administration, whose sample included agricultural (72.8%) and nonagricultural (27.2%) groups, all factors were analyzed using SAS ( 9.3). For rural home heating, the use of oil boilers (77.2%-78.0%) decreased (53.0%-53.7%) over the same period, whereas that of electric boilers increased (21.9 % and 13.5 % for agricultural and nonagricultural groups, respectively). The joint water- supply increased, and the use of flush toilets (52.4 % to 84.5 % in the agricultural group and 64.6 % to 81.4 % in the nonagricultural group) and hot-water bathing was higher in the agricultural group (79 % to 92.6%) than in the nonagricultural group (72.2 % to 87.6%) at the p<0.001 level. Incineration accounted for the largest portion of household waste until 2006, when it was replaced by other treatment methods such as the pay-per-treatment option (44.4 % and 68.3 % in the agricultural and nonagricultural groups, respectively) (p<0.001). Garbage disposal in 2001 was mainly burial or animal feed, but separate collection increased in 2010 (42.2 % and 64.3 % in the agricultural and nonagricultural groups, respectively) (p<0.001)