Purpose: This research was a survey to ascertain whether there are differences in opinion about designated doctors and hospitals, type of health care service utilized and health behavior between people who have applied to be Medical Aid Beneficiaries, but not using the Designated Doctor System. Method: The participants were from three groups, application for two years, one year and non-appliers. Data collection was done by Medical Care Client Managers through in-depth interviews using a structured questionnaire. Results: The participants expressed no negative effect of the designated doctor system in relation to designated doctor, hospital or health behavior but there was a significant effect in type of health care service utilized. Conclusion: In the future, the commitment of Medical Care Client Managers is important, but the role of health care providers will be emphasized in order to sustain the effectiveness of the health care system under the Designated Doctor System.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge of diabetes and self-care behavior of patients with diabetes mellitus living in rural area. Methods: Participants in this study were 94 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Data were collected from July 13 to September 14, 2012. The instruments were the knowledge of diabetes measurement developed by Park Oh Jang and the measurement of self-care behavior for patients with diabetes developed by Kim Young Ok. Data were analyzed using the SPSSWIN 18.0 program for t-test, one-way ANOVA and Scheffe test. Results: There were significant differences in knowledge of diabetes according to education level (p=.011), alcohol use (p=.010), regular exercise (p=.046), and duration of illness (p=.045). There were significant differences in self-care behavior of patients with diabetes according to satisfaction with income (p=.031), regular exercise (p<.001), experience with diabetes education (p=.001), number of diabetes education sessions (p<0.001), and complications (p=.001). Conclusion: Based on the result of this study, there is a need to develop and confirm the efficacy of education programs by examining their fit to characteristics of patients with diabetes mellitus living in rural areas.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the changing process of work activities of community health practitioners in medically vulnerable areas. Methods: For the study an historical research method was used, based on literature data and collected literature data related to the work of community health practitioners from 1940 to 2013. Results: There were 45 records according to the literature data about the work activities of the practitioners. Analysis of the process of work activities by time period was based on the historical records: first, the introduction period (1940~1980) saw the "community health practitioners begin their work activities"; second, the development period (1981~1997) involved "provision of comprehensive health and medical service"; third, the stagnation period (1998~2005) characterized by "attempts at new role changes in a crisis"; fourth, the expansion period (2006~2011) "focused on the work of health promotion"; and finally, the stable period (2012~the present) observed "work activities of community health practitioners recognized." Conclusion: Results showed five topics in the process of work activities of community health practitioners by time period. The results offer basic data to investigate work activities of these practitioners and enable discussions about the future of community healthcare.

Purpose: The study was done to explore relationships between residential areas and smoking rates and to identify related factors contributing to smoking in Korea adolescents. Methods: An analysis was done of smoking rates and socioeconomic position indicators by city size based on a 2012 cross-sectional nationwide online survey conducted with 74,186 Korean middle and high school students aged 12-18 years old. Data were analyzed using x2-test and multiple logistic regression with the SPSS/WIN18.0 program. Results: Analyses revealed that rural boys were more likely to be current smokers compared to metropolitan boys (odds ratio 1.18, 95%-confidence interval 1.01; 1.38) but residential areas and smoking rates among girls were not related. After adjusting for covariates, results showed that city size, Family affluence score, economic status, parents' education level, living with parents, school type, and school achievement were related to increased an proportion of adolescents who smoked. Conclusion: In conclusion, rural living is a determinant of smoking among boys. Tobacco control programs should recognize differences in living conditions between rural and urban areas.