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Wan Kyoo Jeong

Seoul National University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Wan Kyoo Jeong's research lab focuses on population health economics and preventive medicine, with a strong emphasis on the socioeconomic determinants of health outcomes. The lab investigates how economic resources, such as income transfers and health insurance, influence maternal and child health, obesity-related conditions, and chronic disease risk. A key focus is on developing and validating novel anthropometric measures—like LBSIZ—to improve the prediction of metabolic and cardiovascular health beyond traditional BMI. The lab also explores health policy implications, particularly regarding nurse staffing, health insurance, and cost-effective interventions for chronic diseases such as liver disease.

health economicsobesity measuressarcopenic obesityhealth policyincome and health

Research Overview

Papers
66
Total Citations
752
Papers (5y)
20
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
20total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Citations per year (5y)
156total
20212022202320242025

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|64 citations·2015
MONEY TRANSFER AND BIRTH WEIGHT: EVIDENCE FROM THE ALASKA PERMANENT FUND DIVIDEND
Wankyo Chung, Hyungserk Ha, Beomsoo Kim
SJR Q1FWCI 4.3Economic Inquiry

Abstract The positive relationship between income and health is well established. However, the direction of causality remains unclear: do economic resources influence health, or vice versa? Exploiting a new source of exogenous income variation, this study examines the impact of the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend ( APFD ) on newborns' health outcomes. The results show that income has a significantly positive, but modest effect on birth weight. We find that an additional $1,000 ($2,331 in 2011 dol

Sociology and Political ScienceSocial Sciences
2
Article|40 citations·2018
Liver cirrhosis and cancer: comparison of mortality
Wankyo Chung, Changik Jo, Woo Jin Chung, Dong Joon Kim
SJR Q1FWCI 7.1Hepatology International
EpidemiologyMedicine
3
Article|35 citations·2016
Association of a New Measure of Obesity with Hypertension and Health-Related Quality of Life
Wankyo Chung, Chun Gun Park, Ohk‐Hyun Ryu
SJR Q1FWCI 4.5PLoS ONEOA

The LBSIZ is a standard normalized obesity measure independent of weight, height, and BMI. LBSIZ is a new measure of abdominal obesity with the ability to predict hypertension and impaired HRQOL, irrespective of BMI.

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational HealthMedicine
4
Article|27 citations·2019
Utility of the Z-score of log-transformed A Body Shape Index (LBSIZ) in the assessment for sarcopenic obesity and cardiovascular disease risk in the United States
Wankyo Chung, Jung Hwan Park, Hye Soo Chung, Jae Myung Yu, Ji Eun Lee, Shinje Moon
SJR Q1FWCI 1.8Scientific ReportsOA

Body mass index (BMI) has limited accuracy for predicting cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and is not capable of identifying sarcopenic obesity, the combination of sarcopenia (an age-associated decline in muscle mass and physical function) and obesity. To overcome this, the z-score of the log-transformed A Body Shape Index (LBSIZ) was recently introduced as a measure of obesity using waist circumference, height, and weight. We aimed to investigate the association of LBSIZ with sarcopenic obesity an

PhysiologyMedicine
5
Article|25 citations·2017
The Impact of Nurse Staffing on In-Hospital Mortality of Stroke Patients in Korea
Wankyo Chung, Min Sohn
SJR Q1FWCI 1.6The Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing

Policies to educate sufficient numbers of nurses and retain them in the field are warranted, especially because medical-cost containment has become a dominant concern in most countries. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms and other protective roles of nurse staffing to ensure long-term health outcomes after hospital discharge.

RehabilitationMedicine
6
Review|21 citations·2015
The cost of liver disease in Korea: methodology, data, and evidence
Wankyo Chung
SJR Q1FWCI 11.2Clinical and Molecular HepatologyOA

The economic burden of liver disease is immense because of the associated high mortality and morbidity, especially among the economically active population. This indicates the need to prioritize the development of appropriate health interventions.

Economics and EconometricsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance
7
Article|21 citations·2023
Effects of private health insurance on medical expenditure and health service utilization in South Korea: a quantile regression analysis
Kristine Namhee Kwon, Wankyo Chung
SJR Q1FWCI 6.1BMC Health Services ResearchOA

PHI enrollment is positively correlated with outpatient costs and inpatient care utilization. Government policies should consider these heterogeneous distributional effects of private health insurance.

FinanceEconomics, Econometrics and Finance
8
Article|16 citations·2003
Fringe Benefits and Inequality in the Labor Market
Wankyo Chung
SJR Q1Economic Inquiry

This study shows that when fringe benefits are accounted for, inequality increases at a point in time and grew faster from 1987 to 1994. Several alternative explanations of the observed discrepancies between wage inequality and compensation inequality are assessed. The evidence is that the disproportionately greater decline in income for less skilled workers is responsible for the greater decline in health insurance coverage, which in turn contributes to greater inequality growth when fringe ben

Economics and EconometricsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance
9
Article|14 citations·2021
Fluoroquinolone and no risk of Achilles-tendinopathy in childhood pneumonia under eight years of age—a nationwide retrospective cohort
Yunsun Kim, Gun Woo Park, Sangyoung Kim, Hui Jeong Moon, Sungho Won, Wankyo Chung, Hyeon‐Jong Yang
SJR Q2FWCI 1.1Journal of Thoracic DiseaseOA

AT was a rare adverse event of FQ use for childhood pneumonia, particularly under eight years of age. Clinicians could consider using FQs as a second-line option in the treatment of childhood pneumonia when there are no alternative therapeutic options.

EpidemiologyMedicine
10
Article|11 citations·2018
Effectiveness of Z-score of log-transformed A Body Shape Index (LBSIZ) in predicting cardiovascular disease in Korea: the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study
Shinje Moon, Jung Hwan Park, Ohk‐Hyun Ryu, Wankyo Chung
SJR Q1FWCI 1.4Scientific ReportsOA

Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) have limitations in stratifying cardio-metabolic risks. Another obesity measure, A Body Shape Index (ABSI), has been introduced but its applicability remains limited. To address this, the z-score of the log-transformed ABSI (LBSIZ) was recently developed. This study aimed to examine the ability of LBSIZ, compared to that of WC and BMI, to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The study included 8,485 participants aged 40-69 years (mean age

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational HealthMedicine
11
Article|11 citations·2018
Association of Z-Score of the Log-Transformed A Body Shape Index with Cardiovascular Disease in People Who Are Obese but Metabolically Healthy: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2010
Wankyo Chung, Jung Hwan Park, Ohk‐Hyun Ryu, Jae Myung Yu, Hyung Joon Yoo, Shinje Moon
SJR Q1FWCI 1.4Journal of Obesity & Metabolic SyndromeOA

LBSIZ had the lowest risk for CVDs in the first tertile of LBSIZ and a linear relationship with all its tertiles in MHO, MUNO, and MUO participants.

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational HealthMedicine
12
Article|10 citations·2013
Is the negative relationship between obesity and bone mineral content greater for older women?
Wankyo Chung, Jong-Seok Lee, Ohk‐Hyun Ryu
SJR Q2FWCI 1.3Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism
Orthopedics and Sports MedicineMedicine
13
Article|9 citations·2020
The association of BMI and physical activity on acetabular dysplasia in children
Wankyo Chung, Suzanne de Vos‐Jakobs, Fernando Rivadeneira, Sita Bierma‐Zeinstra, J.H. Waarsing
SJR Q1FWCI 0.8Osteoarthritis and CartilageOA
SurgeryMedicine
14
Article|7 citations·2019
The Association between Z-Score of Log-Transformed A Body Shape Index and Cardiovascular Disease in Korea
Wankyo Chung, Jung Hwan Park, Hye Soo Chung, Jae Myung Yu, Shinje Moon, Ji Eun Lee
SJR Q1FWCI 0.7Diabetes & Metabolism JournalOA

The findings of this study suggest that the LBSIZ might be more strongly associated with CVD risks compared to BMI or WC. These outcomes would be helpful for CVD risk assessment in clinical settings, especially the cut-off value of the LBSIZ suggested in this study.

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational HealthMedicine
15
Book Chapter|4 citations·2015
Korea’s Basic Old-Age Pension and its poverty reduction effects
Wankyo Chung
Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks

Wankyo Chung estimates the poverty reduction effect of the Basic Old-Age Pension (BOAP) in Korea. More specifically, he examines the poverty reduction effects of the direct income transfer through the BOAP to the elderly. Chung begins with an overview of the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and the BOAP. The NPS, initiated in 1988, was expanded to universal coverage in 1999. But by 2009 only about 28 percent of the elderly were recipients, because it had been introduced recently. Due to the low cov

DemographySocial Sciences

Research Areas

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational HealthPhysiologyEconomics and EconometricsSociology and Political ScienceHepatologyGeneral Health Professions

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