• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.84-95
• /
• 2012

Background: In Korea, private health insurance has neglected to induce externality on national health insurance by moral hazard. Therefore, we conducted this study in order to explore the influence of private health insurance on unnecessary medical utilization among patients with cervical or lumbar sprain. Method: The study examined a population of 449 patients (admission, 384; out-patient; 85) diagnosed with simple cervical or lumbar sprain without neurological symptoms at 20 small hospitals or clinics in Gwangju and Jeollanam provinces from Jul. 1 to Aug. 31 2008. The data were collected using structured, self-administrated questionnaire which collected information such as whether or not the patient was admitted (as a dependent variable), whether or not they had private health insurance (as a independent variable), and covariates such as socio-demographic characteristics, the factors related to the sprain, and characteristics of the insurance provider. Results: From hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis, it was found that the admission rate of patient with private health insurance was higher than that those without it (Odds ratio=3.31, 95% Confidence interval; 1.14-9.58), meaning that private health insurance was an independent factor influencing the admission of patients with these conditions. Other determinants of admission were patient age and physician referral. Conclusions: This study is the first empirical study to explore the influence of private health insurance on inducing moral hazard in admission services, specifically among patients with cervical or lumbar sprain. Regulation of benefits provided by private health insurance may be necessary, as the effect of this moral hazard may mean existence of externality.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.33-45
• /
• 2009

In the industry of landscape architecture, in which the core of production is manpower, the management of manpower is of utmost importance. The industry of landscape architecture, however, is highly sensitive to economic shifts and policy changes; this sensitivity renders the management of manpower-maintaining the balance between supply and demand-often times difficult. Currently, this vicious circle appears to persist in the sense that the industry suffers from a lack of skilled employees, and a new body of skilled laborers from the paucity of jobs. This study, in analyzing current manpower management as well as the prospective supply and demand in the field, looks forward to the stability of the supply and demand in landscape architecture in the nation. According to this study, the number of new skilled laborers-those who have a higher credential than that of "landscape architect-engineer"-is expected to increase by 10% per year. The number of new skilled laborers being 1,137 in 2008, it can be inferred that there will be a new group of 1,251 skilled laborers in the field in 2009. Meanwhile, estimating that the number of current skilled laborers in the field of landscape architecture is 14,783, the demand for new skilled laborers remains approximately 540. The supply of 1,251 skilled laborers outnumbers the demand of 540 by nearly 230%. Hence, the educational institutions of landscape architecture must be prepared to deal with this imbalance between the excessive supply and the lesser demand of skilled laborers. The issue of the excessive supply of manpower is particularly critical, because it may well undermine the competitiveness of the industry as a whole: compared to other related industries such as architecture and civil engineering, for instance. With the customary validation of long work experience no longer in effect, the need for an engineer's license will keep on increasing. It is time that educational institutions took this issue into full account and helped their students to be better qualified and more competent.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.41 no.8
• /
• pp.754-766
• /
• 2008

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of nutrient intake levels on the relative risk of breast cancer in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk area. The case subjects were 103 patients newly diagnosed as breast cancer at Kyungpook National University Hospital. The control subjects were 159 healthy women without breast cancer-related disease in the same community selected by frequency matching of age and menopausal status. The survey was administered by individual interviews by trained dietitians using semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires. The odds ratios were determined by using unconditional logistic regression after adjusting for the confounding factors found in the analysis of general characteristics of the subjects. In overall, it has been found that high consumptions of energy and carbohydrates significantly raised the relative risk of breast cancer, and that high intakes of total fat, plant fat, dietary fiber, all kinds of fatty acids, vitamin E and calcium significantly lowered the risk of breast cancer. The results of the study suggest that the possible protective factors to the breast cancer risk include a higher intakes of total fat, especially plant fat, dietary fiber, and micronutrients such as vitamin E, folic acid, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. On the other hand, high intakes of energy and carbohydrate appeared to be the risk factors.

• Korean Security Journal
• /
• no.52
• /
• pp.73-91
• /
• 2017

This study is based on the political and economic standpoint of each country, Use advanced equipment to prevent new terrorism from causing widespread damage, In order to establish a countermeasures against terrorism in accordance with the reality of Korea, which is effective in responding to terrorist attacks, Korea conducted a SWOT analysis of the terrorist environment and terrorist environment through specialists. First, internal strengths of Korea 's terrorist environment include stable security situation, weakness of religious and ethnic conflicts, strong regulation and control of firearms, and counter terrorism capabilities and know - how accumulated during major international events. Second, the internal weaknesses of the terrorist environment in Korea include the insecurity of the people, the instability caused by the military confrontation with North Korea, the absence of anti-terrorism law system, the difficulty of terrorism control and management by the development of the Internet and IT technology. Third, the external opportunities for Korea 's terrorist environment are as follows: ease of supplementation and learning through cases of foreign terrorism failure, ease of increase of terrorist budget and support with higher terrorism issues, strengthening of counterterrorism through military cooperation with allied nationsRespectively. Fourth, the external threats to the terrorist environment in Korea are the increase of social dissatisfaction due to the continuous influx of defectors and foreign workers, the goal of terrorism from international terrorist organizations through alliance with the United States,Increased frequency of incidents, and increased IS coverage of terrorism around the world. In addition, the SWOT in - depth interviews on the terrorist environment of the expert group were conducted to diagnose and analyze the problems, terrorism awareness and legal system in the Korean terror environment. The results of the study are summarized as follows.First, the basic law on terrorism should be enacted.Second, the establishment of an integrated anti-terrorism organization.Third, securing and nurturing specialized personnel in response to terrorism.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.151-172
• /
• 1998

Over the past two decades, the process of globalization of multinational corporations has increased at a rapid rate. One manifestation of this process is the establishment of corporate head offices in a variety of international centers to administer and coordinate, the day-to-day operations in the host countries. In establishing a subsidiary overseas a firm creates a direct link between the operations of the domestic corporate center and the foreign host center This paper investigates elements of stability and change in the international linkage patterns among domestic parent corporations and host subsidiaries over the past several decades. In particular, it seeks answers to a number of question related to stability and change in linkages among foreign centers of control and those Canadian centers selected to administer the subsidiary operations from 1970 to 1991 over the four primary sectors, namely, resources, manufacturing, services, and finance. By confirming the core stability and dispersed linkages hypotheses, the papar offers some generalizations with respect to the location and stability of subsidiary headquarters centers in Canada and their respective subsector specialties. Finally, it addresses further research avenues fer the quaternary place study.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.99-128
• /
• 2008

Nearly all Koreans are insured through National Health Insurance(NHI). While NHI coverage is nearly universal, it is not complete. Coverage is largely limited to minimal level of hospital and physician expenses, and copayments are required in each case. As a result, Korea's public insurance system covers roughly 50% of overall individual health expenditures, and the remaining 50% consists of copayments for basic services, spending on services that are either not covered or poorly covered by the public system. In response to these gaps in the public system, 64% of the Korean population has supplemental private health insurance. Expansion of private health insurance raises negative externality issue. Like public financing schemes in other countries, the Korean system imposes cost-sharing on patients as a strategy for controlling utilization. Because most insurance policies reimburse patients for their out-of-pocket payments, supplemental insurance is likely to negate the impact of the policy, raising both total and public sector health spending. So far, most empirical analysis of supplemental health insurance to date has focused on the US Medigap programme. It is found that those with supplements apparently consume more health care. Two reasons for higher health care consumption by those with supplements suggest themselves. One is the moral hazard effect: by eliminating copayments and deductibles, supplements reduce the marginal price of care and induce additional consumption. The other explanation is that supplements are purchased by those who anticipate high health expenditures - adverse effect. The main issue addressed has been the separation of the moral hazard effect from the adverse selection one. The general conclusion is that the evidence on adverse selection based on observable variables is mixed. This article investigates the extent to which private supplementary insurance affect use of health care services by public health insurance enrollees, using Korean administrative data and private supplements related data collected through all relevant private insurance companies. I applied a multivariate two-part model to analyze the effects of various types of supplements on the likelihood and level of public health insurance spending and estimated marginal effects of supplements. Separate models were estimated for inpatients and outpatients in public insurance spending. The first part of the model estimated the likelihood of positive spending using probit regression, and the second part estimated the log of spending for those with positive spending. Use of a detailed information of individuals' public health insurance from administration data and of private insurance status from insurance companies made it possible to control for health status, the types of supplemental insurance owned by theses individuals, and other factors that explain spending variations across supplemental insurance categories in isolating the effects of supplemental insurance. Data from 2004 to 2006 were used, and this study found that private insurance increased the probability of a physician visit by less than 1 percent and a hospital admission by about 1 percent. However, supplemental insurance was not found to be associated with a bigger health care service utilization. Two-part models of health care utilization and expenditures showed that those without supplemental insurance had higher inpatient and outpatient expenditures than those with supplements, even after controlling for observable differences.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.287-293
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study was to examine the professionalism of dental hygiene students as dental hygienists, who received education to become dental hygienists. The findings of the study were as follows: 1. Concerning the relationship of degree programs to the factors of professionalism, there were statistically significant gaps in use of the professional organization as a major reference, beliefs in service to the public and autonomy according to degree programs(p<0.001), and statistically significant gaps were found belief in self-regulation and sense of calling to the field according to degree programs(p>0.05). 2. As for connections between geographic region and the factors of professionalism, there were statistically significant differences in use of the professional organization as a major reference and sense of calling to the field(p<0.001) according to geographic region. Statistically significant gaps were found in beliefs in service to the public and autonomy(p<0.01), and there were statistically significant differences in self-control(p>0.05). 3. Concerning links between the background of the establishment of the educational system and the factors of professionalism, there were statistically significant differences in use of the professional organization as a major reference, beliefs in service to the public, sense of calling to the field and autonomy(p<0.001), and a belief in self-regulation(p<0.05). 4. In regard to the background variables of the students, there were statistically significant differences in their background variables according to bachelor's degree programs(p>0.05), and statistically significant gaps were found according to geographic region and the background of the establishment of the educational system(p<0.001).

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.1-17
• /
• 2001

This study was conducted to investigate the role of drinking pattern in the relationship of alcohol consumption by face-to-face interview in rural elderly(n=994) aged 60~64 in Dalsung County, April to September in 1996. Pattern of alcohol drinking included drinking status, alcohol drinking at the morning without breakfast, average drinks per day, frequency of drinks per month, quantity of alcohol drinking, kind of preferred alcoholic beverage and duration of alcohol drinking. Blood pressure was measured once in each subject using a portable automatic sphygmomanometer. Difference in means of systolic blood pressure, alcohol drinking status, alcohol drinking at the morning without breakfast, and kind of alcoholic beverage were statistically significant before adjusting covariates, but alcohol drinking status and alcohol drinking at the morning without breakfast were statistically significant after adjusting covariates. And difference in means of diastolic blood pressure, kinds of alcoholic beverage was statistically significant before adjusting covariates, but no variables was significant after adjusting covariates. Model I multiple regression for systolic blood pressure that included average drinks per day as the variable of drink pattern, age, educational attainment and, previous history of cardiovascular disease were statistically significant, and multiple regression for diastolic blood pressure, educational attainment, BMI, and previous history of cardiovascular disease were statistically significant. Model II multiple regression for systolic blood pressure that included drinking patterns variables except average drinks per day, previous history of cardiovascular disease were statistically significant. However, multiple regression for diastolic blood pressure, no variables were significant. So, inconsistent with prior research, a positive relationship was not found between average drinks per day and diastolic and systolic blood pressure. The effect of alcohol drinking patterns on blood pressure has public health as well as clinical relevance. The study should be replicated to determine the reliability of our findings.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.287-301
• /
• 2004

Objectives: The development of internet programs for smoking cessation was motivated to quit smoking in the large group of smokers. This personalized program consisted of tailored message to consider the smokers characteristics, and contain the informations on the outcomes of smoking cessation and the skills to be used in the quit attempts. The purpose of this study was to develop the internet management program and information push-delivery system for smoking cessation to encourage the personal intention to quit smoking. Methods: We conducted in 3 steps as developing push service to encourage intention of smoking cessation, analyzing problems of smoking cessation program through the pilot test and suggesting improvements by implication stages. Results: This program is delivered for 30 days. if the participants do not fail to quit smoking. The contents consisted of 13 stages which were divided on starting period. practical period, maintenance period and success period. And push service afforded the tailored message to participants using their e-mail. According to the evaluation of pilot test, the problems of internet information push-delivery service for smoking cessation were the over-tasks per visiting time, recording style of participants, difficulty of terms and sentences, lack of visual effects, absence of follow-up module and unsuitable link with main homepage. Improvements were divided on 3 stages by implication period. The first stage included the immediate improvements as improving link with homepage, modifying menu of smoking information and upload file of notice part. The second stage included the short term improvements as alleviating condition of withdrawal, coordinating start stage of retrial, modifying errors of information push-delivery service and addition of educational materials. The third stage included the long term improvements as development of follow-up module, cost-effectiveness evaluation, reducing contents quantity, introduction of checking style, compensation of graphics effect and review for SMS utilization. Conclusions: This program contribute to improving smoking cessation rate. Therefore this program should be tested in a community to evaluate the effectiveness. To promote the effectiveness, this program should be developed the contents and the strategies for various targets, and established the follow-up system for ex-smokers.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
• /
• v.34 no.3
• /
• pp.31-65
• /
• 2012

We study the sustainability of the current fiscal policy of Korea, and the effects of the social welfare policy expansion, which has been recently discussed among the political circles, on the government budget and the generational equity, using generational accounting. We follow the generational accounting approach, considering the fact that most of the social welfare policies are the entitlement programs, which imposes the limitation of the policy maker's discretion to control the cost of their provision. The social welfare expenditure will change due to the change in the policy environments of the future, such as population aging. Therefore, we need to take into account the government cash flow of the future as well as of the present to investigate its effects on the fiscal sustainability, which implies that the national debt or the budget balance is not a proper index for the investigation. Our findings are as follows. The current fiscal policies are not sustainable, and the long-term budgetary imbalance is shown very serious. The required tax adjustment, which is defined as the percentage change of tax burden required to attain the long-term budgetary balance, is very large. Unless the level of the government expenditure is properly controlled, the tax burden and the social contribution level will rise to the untolerable level. Moreover, the expansion of the social welfare policies, which has been discussed among the political circles, will substantially increase the fiscal burden of the future generations. Even though the provision of the free lunch to the primary and the secondary school students, the free child care, and the discounted college tuition do not increase the fiscal burden much, because their magnitude at present is not large and will decrease due to the decrease in the number of the newborns and the students resulting from the fall in the fertility rate, that of the free health care service will increase tax burden of the future generations very much, because the magnitude of the government expenditure needed at present is very large and the population aging will further increase the magnitude of the health care expenditure. The findings indicate that the structural reforms, to prevent the explosive increase in the social welfare expenditure in the future, are necessary before the implementation of the welfare policy expansion. In particular, the cost control of the social transfers to the elderly needs to be made, because the speed of the population aging of Korea is among the highest in the world. The findings also indicate that the budget balance or the national debt can cause the fiscal illusion, which makes the Korean government budget look sound, even though the fiscal policy will rapidly increase the social welfare expenditure in the future, as the population ages. The generational accounting, which takes into account the cash flow of the future as well as of the present, unlike the budgetary balance and the national debt, which shows the results of the government financial activities of the past and the present, is a useful method to overcome the fiscal illusion.