Relationship between policy dispute on Sejong City planning and local residents' health status

Abstract

Recently, Sejong City had been in the center of a policy dispute about city planning in Korea. Although Sejong City was chosen to be a new Multifunctional Administrative City in 2006, politicians continued to challenge the decision at the city level from 2009 upto 2010. This study aims to investigate what influences, such as the policy dispute, impacted the health behaviors and the mental health of local people. We used the survey data from the Community Health Survey in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 and compared the results through logistic regression analysis and direct standardization. Data were gathered from residents in Chungcheongnam-do, the province where Sejong City is located. Data from residents of four other provinces were used as a control: Gangwon-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Jeonlanam-do, and Gyeonggi-do. We found a significant increase in smoking and drinking rates in the residents of Chungcheongnam-do, which are indicators of health behaviors, in the year of 2009 when the Sejong City dispute erupted. It appears that controversial changes in government policy could have negative influences on local people. Therefore, we need proper measures to prevent them.