• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 1976

This study was conducted for the purpose of obtaining basic information on the patterns of medical care expenditures, and identifying some determinants of medical care expenditures in the rural Korea. Nine guns were chosen from the eight provinces, excluding Cheju island. One gun in each province and two villages were selected from the each myon or ub within the selected guns. The total number of households was 1,789 and the sample size was 9,826 non-institutionalized people. Followings are the major findings of the study : 1) Medical care expenditures increase proportionally with age in terms of cost per patient, per episode of illness, per treated case, and per person. Averagely, it cost 2,756 won per patient, 2,614 won per spell of illness, 4,361 won per treated case, and 413 won per person. 2) Medical care expenditures increase proportionally with educational level of patients. College graduates spent the most, 4,726 won per patient, 5,987 won per treated case, and 670 won per person. 3) The male spent a little more than the female in terms of per patient, per episode, and per person. For example, a male spent 23 won more than a female. 4) Those who were suffering from illnesses longer than 1 year spent three times more than that had illnesses of less than 1 year duration. 5) The simple correlation coefficient between activity restriction and medical care expenditures was the highest among others, 0.491. The next was 0.294 between duration of illness and medical care expenditures. 6) Attempts are made to identify the explanatory variables in medical care expenditures. Thirty one per cent of the variances in tile expenditures can be accounted for by the selected 15 predictors. Those predictors belonged to clinical renditions, such as activity restriction, duration of illness, and nature of conditions, are proved to be the most potent independent variabes. Level of education and monthly family income are also significant in terms of beta coefficient. Further studies are called for to unreveal the determinants of medical expenditures.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.19-41
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• 2016

This study examines the human capital, economic capital, and psychological factors that influence social participation among the elderly in the future. The data, 'Survey on the Elderly in 2014', were collected from 'The Ministry of Health & Welfare' and the 'Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs'. The samples included 10,279 elderly people who were over 65 years of age. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the research model. The findings are as follows. First, the highest participation awareness level of all was for the hobbies and leisure activities, and the lowest participation awareness level was for volunteer activities. Second, human capital factors such as age, education level, and health status, and economic capital factors such as household consumption expenditure and standard of living signigicant affected social participation awareness among the elderly. Psychological factors such as self-esteem, depression, and the subjective age of becoming elderly, also affected the social participation awareness. Third, awareness differed by sex. In particular, age and depression were restrictions of social participation awareness that were more common among elderly women than among elderly men, although single women were more likely to participate in religious, learning, and hobby and leisure activities. In contrast, chronic diseases and household consumption expenditures were more restrictive of social participation awareness among elderly men compared to elderly women. These results show that human capital, economic capital, and psychological factors heavily influence the social participation awareness of the elderly, although the degree of influence of these factors differs by sex.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.573-581
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• 2008

Although it is well known that cancer patients suffer from malnutrition, there are few published studies on malnutrition in outpatients receiving chemotherapy in Korea. This study aimed to evaluate nutritional risk in oncology outpatients receiving chemotherapy and to show the baseline data to set up nutritional management programs for cancer patients. This is a retrospective observational analysis on 1,962 patients referred for nutritional education before or during chemotherapy at Seoul National University Hospital Cancer Center from January 2006 to May 2007. According to a malnutrition screening tool, the proportion of patients having malnutrition risk was 23.0%. In the case of upper gastrointestinal cancer, more than 50% of patients were assessed as being at the risk of malnutrition. They showed more than 7% weight loss compared to their usual body weight and poor oral intake; energy intake was less than 100% of Basal Energy Expenditure(BEE) and protein intake was less than or equal to 0.77 g/kg/d. However, only 6.3% of breast cancer patients had risk of malnutrition and their oral intake was better; energy intake was 121% of BEE, and protein intake was 0.90 g/kg/d. Outpatients receiving chemotherapy had different nutritional risk depending on their cancer site. Nutritional management program should be conducted differently, depending on the cancer site and upper gastrointestinal cancer patients at high risk of malnutrition should basically have nutritional assessment and intervention.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.692-707
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• 2018

Purpose: We aimed to examine the effects of an integrated physical activity (PA) program developed for physically inactive workers on the theoretical basis of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model. Methods: Participants were 268 workers in three departments of L manufacturing unit in South Korea. The three departments were randomly allocated into integration (n=86) (INT), education (n=94) (ED), and control (n=88) (CT) groups. The INT group received self-regulation, support, and policy-environmental strategies of a 12-week integrated PA program, the ED group received self-regulation strategies only, and the CT group did not receive any strategies. After 12 weeks, process evaluation was conducted by using the measures of self-regulation (autonomous vs. controlled regulation), autonomy support, and resource availability; impact evaluation by using PA measures of sitting time, PA expenditure, and compliance; and outcome evaluation by using the measures of cardiometabolic/musculoskeletal health and presenteeism. Results: Among process measures, autonomous regulation did not differ by group, but significantly decreased in the CT group (p=.006). Among impact measures, PA compliance significantly increased in the INT group compared to the CT group (p=.003). Among outcome measures, the changes in cardiometabolic/musculoskeletal health and presenteeism did not differ by group; however, systolic blood pressure (p=.012) and a presenteeism variable (p=.041) significantly decreased only in the INT group. Conclusion: The integrated PA program may have a significant effect on increases in PA compliance and significant tendencies toward improvements in a part of cardiometabolic health and presenteeism for physically inactive workers. Therefore, occupational health nurses may modify and use it as a workplace PA program.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.1-10
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate determinants of purchasing indemnity private health insurance and its impact on the healthcare utilization among outpatients with chronic disease. Methods: The study analyzed 4,997 chronic ill patients using 2015 Korean Health Panel data. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the factors affecting the purchase of indemnity private health insurance and multiple regression analysis was conducted to analyze the effect of private health insurance on the number of outpatient visits and outpatient expenditures. Findings: The age, education level, and number of chronic diseases were significant factors affecting the purchasing of indemnity private health insurance among chronic patients. As a result of analyzing the impact of indemnity private health insurance on healthcare utilization, the number of outpatient visits for those who enrolled in the indemnity private health insurance was higher than the number of outpatient visits for those who did not. But there was no statistically significant difference in outpatient medical expenses. Practical Implications: The results of this study shows that indemnity private health insurance may cause inequality in the healthcare utilization of the socially vulnerable. It is necessary to seek ways to strengthen the health security of chronic disease patients and high-risk elderly people who need more healthcare.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.256-262
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the accuracy of the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) for estimating the energy requirements of older adults, and to develop and validate new equations for predicting the energy requirements of this population group. MATERIALS/METHODS: The study subjects were 25 men and 23 women with a mean age of $72.2{\pm}3.9\;years$ and $70.0{\pm}3.3\;years$, and mean BMI of $24.0{\pm}2.1$ and $23.9{\pm}2.7$, respectively. The total energy expenditure (TEE) was measured by using the doubly labeled water (DLW) method, and used to validate the DRI predictive equations for estimated energy requirements (EER) and to develop new EER predictive equations. These developed equations were cross-validated by using the leave-one-out technique. RESULTS: In men, the DRI equation had a -7.2% bias and accurately predicted the EER (meaning EER values within ${\pm}10%$ of the measured TEE) for 64% of the subjects, whereas our developed equation had a bias of -0.1% and an accuracy rate of 84%. In women, the bias was -6.6% for the DRI equation and 0.2% for our developed equation, and the accuracy rate was 74% and 83%, respectively. The predicted EER was strongly correlated with the measured TEE, for both the DRI equations and our developed equations (Pearson's r = 0.915 and 0.908, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The DRI equations provided an acceptable prediction of EER in older adults and these study results therefore support the use of these equations in this population group. Our developed equations had a better predictive accuracy than the DRI equations, but more studies need to be performed to assess the performance of these new equations when applied to an independent sample of older adults.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.9-47
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to analyse the change of consumption structure of households due to spending on private tutoring, then analyse the difference of change depending on income bracket. The results of the study show that the proportion of private tutoring spending of poor households is relatively higher than high or middle income households although the amount is smaller than them. The consumption items adjusted by the change of private tutoring spending are different depending on income level, and adjustment possibility of them of poor households is very lower than other classes. These show their risk of insufficient consumption of food, clothing, and shelter is high. The burden of private tutoring spending of the poor increase the economic insecurity, therefore various supportive approaches such as improvement of the quality of public education, economic support the poor suffering from the burden of private tutoring spending are necessary to prevent the latent problems of the poor and their children.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.25-32
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• 2021

This study was to analyze the Physical Activity Therapy Programs (PATPs) in U rban-rural region before and after COVID-19 in order to suggest a way of activating program. The subjects were the 43 PATPs performed in 4 Community Health Centers of Gimcheon, Jeongeup, and Pyeongtaek. The basic data was collected by official documents, expenditure budget, the homepage of the centers, national information disclosure portal, telephone interview, and e-mail with the person in charge of the programs. All the data were classified to the administrative districts, the health-related fitness variables, and the life cycles. The American College Sports Medicine Guidelines were used to evaluate the PATPs. As a results, the number of the PATPs was too small compared to the population of the regions. Also, the PATPs were not considered to the characteristics of participants such as Life-Cycle and regional facilities so on. The organization and management of the PATPs were principally deficient in improving health-related fitness variables. In 2020 as the period of COVID-19 pandemic, the number of programs and participants with face-to-face PATPs was significantlry decreased compared to 2019, while that was increased with non-face-to-face PATPs. In conclusion, PATPs should be increased and operated in accordance with scientific exercise prescription guidelines. Also, the programs should be considered with the proportion and characteristics of Life-Cycle population. Further, the various with non-face-to-face PATPs should be developed and screened with based on scientific data for post-corona virus pandemic. Further, non-face-to-face PATPs programs should include a kind of practical way to promote the individual physical activity.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.103-121
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the entire world population in many ways. This study aimed to analyze the patterns of changes in eating, food purchasing and preparation, physical activity, and subjective health after COVID-19 outbreak by various sociodemographic factors and to understand the factors associated with changes in subjective health. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A cross-sectional survey using a representative sample from Seoul was used for the analysis. The data collection was conducted from September to October 2020. A total of 3,833 citizens aged more than 18 years old participated in the Seoul Food Survey. Descriptive statistics and generalized ordinal logistic regression models were used to understand the changes in health behaviors, health indicators, and subjective general health by various socioeconomic status. RESULTS: It was shown that the changes in household income, food expenditure, food consumption and physical activities differed significantly by age, education, occupation, income, weight, and food security status. Low-income and food-insecure households were affected more severely by the pandemic. Older age, household food insecurity, income reduction, increased home cooking and frequency of having instant foods, decreased physical activity and weight gain were significant factors explaining worse perceived health during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that focusing on older populations and low-income families with food insecurity should be prioritized during infectious disease outbreaks. In addition, the role of physical activities and instant food consumption in explaining perceived health should be investigated further in this prolonged battle with the pandemic situation.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.283-304
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• 2022

This study aims to increase understanding of current status and changes of academic libraries in South Korea in comparison with those of academic libraries in North America and United Kingdom (UK). The five-year statistics of academic libraries were collected from Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS), Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL), and the authors compared the statistical indicators that are comparable to each other. The circumstance and performance of academic libraries in North America were much better than those of South Korea. In addition, the area of library buildings in South Korea was larger than those in UK, and they also had more books and carrels than UK libraries; however, UK libraries had more library staffs, expenditure on material purchase, and interlibrary loan requests. These findings imply that there should be more support on academic libraries in South Korea to increase library staffs and budget, which will invigorate library services and use.