• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.363-369
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• 2023

The term "catastrophic health expenditure" means assessing the extent to which medical costs cause financial hardship for households. The aim of this research is to analyze the percentage of households that faced severe financial strain due to medical expenses from 2006 to 2021. This was achieved by utilizing data obtained from the National Survey of Tax and Benefit (NaSTaB), Korea Health Panel (KHP), and Households Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES). A trend analysis was conducted to examine the percentage of households that experienced catastrophic healthcare expenses. The households that experienced the catastrophic health expenditure was 2.49% in 2021 using the NaSTaB data. The trend analysis yielded a statistically significant result, indicating a decreasing trend (annual percent change [APC], -4.79; p<0.0001) in the proportion of households facing catastrophic health expenditures. Also, the results of the 2019 KHP and the 2021 HIES showed 1.09% and 2.44% for the households that experienced catastrophic health expenditure. The trend was increased according to the KHP (APC, 0.55; p=0.0004) and the HIES (APC, 7.04; p<0.0001). As a result, this study proposes that sustained attention and further interventions are necessary to ease the economic pressure caused by catastrophic health expenses, particularly for low-income households.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.34-54
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• 1995

Occupational health services in Korea have been operated as dual types: one is operated by occupational health care manager and the other is health care agency without their own personnel. The performance of occupational health service should be different due to the variety of characteristics of health care manager and workplace, qualification of health care manager. This study is to analyze performance of occupational health care services with a particular consideration of job, based on comparing those two types of health care management to show on the basic data for the settlement of more qualitative. health care management system at workplace. For this study, total 391 places in Seoul and Inchon city area: 154 places (39.4%) managed by designated. health care manager and 237 places (60.6%) by the agency with their commission are selected as research samples. Tools for data collection are questionnares have been investigated during the period of 20 September 1993-20 December 1993. Those data are compared with percentiles, mean, standard deviation due to the characterstics of each variable and analyzed for impacting factors with relation to the using multiple regression analysis using SPSS PC program, especially using t -test method in order to compare each type of health care management. Conclusions observed from the tests and each comparison could be summerized as follows : 1. Occupational health care have been accomplished at workplaces with designated people than with agencies people, and coverage rate of the occupational health care services has differences, due to management types. The reason of these results is due to visit only one or two times monthly by the agencies, while their own health care manager obsess, at the workplaces all the times. 2. The common sickness management is the most accomplished item in health care area of occupational health care services, while the preventive care and control for the workers who have serious health problems are insufficient in workers health care area. 3. An insufficient accomplishment of overall health education has been shown because it is difficult to perform health education due to almost no chance of the direct introduction at workplaces. Therefore a strong support system for making and supplying the media is necessary in order to activate indirect health education by means of media. 4. Because health care managers and the agencies managers where take the workplaces for this study are almost nurses who have been comparatively high work site rounding rate about an environmental management at the workplaces, that non-profession can also do it, the activities about the professional area not enough. Therefore, an appropriate referral system should be established in order to complement professional area. 5. Two factors which have an effect on the coverage rate of occupational health care services are : one is those from the workplaces such as type of services, the number of workers, the number of harzadous factors and safety & health committee, the other from health care organization about whether there is its own manager or not.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.502-502
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• 2005

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.25-39
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• 2013

Objectives: The purpose of this manuscript was to come up with ideas about supportive policies and multi-sectoral collaboration for Mental health Promotion. Methods: The authors reviewed about 40 various international & internal scientific articles including WHO's publications related with mental health programmes and mental health promotion. Besides, we reviewed inter-sectoral and multi-sectoral collaborations of mental health works for policy recommendations. Results: There are many problems in present mental health services; lack of budgets, existence of many vulnerable people, lack of mental health indexes, low accessibilities to mental health services, lack of supportive policies, and no existence of comprehensive control tower. Conclusions: It is important to strengthen public mental health services focused on health promotion. In addition, reinforcement of the infra-structures and establishment of a comprehensive control tower for mental health promotion should be done immediately. The control tower will have specific roles in structures of different government sectors and infrastructures for inter-sectoral collaboration.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.96-101
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• 2021

Background: Many studies have reported noticeable increases in the proportion of employees working either relatively short or relatively long hours. Such trends have been accompanied by an increasing concern regarding work hour mismatches defined as a discrepancy between actual and preferred work hours. The aim of this study was to investigate association between work hour mismatch and depression. Methods: Data regarding work hour mismatches for 47,551 adults were extracted from the 2017 Korean Working Conditions Survey. The World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index was used to measure depression. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between work hour mismatch and depression. Results: Men and women workers with work hour mismatch were more likely to have depression [underemployed males: odds ratio (OR) = 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14-1.49, overemployed males: OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.18-1.40; underemployed females: OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.20-1.56, overemployed females: OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.02-1.23]. Underemployed workers, workers who worked more than 52 hours per week, and workers with a high income level, all had higher ORs for depression. The greater the discrepancy between actual and preferred work hours, the higher OR for depression among both underemployed and overemployed workers. Conclusions: A difference between actual and preferred work hours was associated with depression. Underemployed workers had a higher risk of depression than that of overemployed workers. As a work hour mismatch negatively affected workers' mental health, it is important to reduce work hours mismatches as well as shorten the absolute number of work hours.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.87-119
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• 1999

The main purpose of this research is to measure and analyze how productive the health centers are and how much inputs(or outputs) in the inefficient health centers should be decreased(or increased) for efficiency. The evaluation of the performance of health centers gives a strong incentive to improve resource allocation in regional health planning. It has been, however, implemented very rarely until now. In this regard, this paper measures the performance of the health centers with a single indicator for multiple-outputs in terms of productivity(technical efficiency), based on Data Envelopment method. The 20 Kyungnam health centers which provide clinic services and specific primary health care services were analyzed. The results show that 50.0% of 20 health centers were productive with respective to overall technical efficiency, 65.0% were productive for pure technical efficiency, and 50.0% for scale efficiency. The inefficient group includes Geoje, Mahsan, Miryang, Sahchun, Tongyoung, Gosung, Nahmhae, Euryang, Hahmahn, Hahbchun health centers. The worst case was identified as Tongyoung health center which represented a 47.5% efficiency, compared with productive health centers. The empirical results for input-output analysis indicates that the low-productive health centers have excessive manpower in administration department, producing low outputs in clinical services and vaccination program. These findings imply that a systemic evaluation of the performance of the Korean health centers and the subsequent structural reform are strongly required.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1998.10b
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• pp.256-257
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• 1998

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 2023

Purposes: There exist many non-covered services that the National Health Insurance does not cover, and thus, their prices are set by individual health care providers. However, little study has been done to investigate how hospitals set prices for those services. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between ownership, profitability, and prices of those services for a sample of general hospitals. Methodology/Approach: Data regarding the prices of major non-covered services (e.g., upper-level hospital room fees, MRI, Da 7inci robot surgery, and LASIK) were obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service and the financial information, as well as other characteristics, were derived from the financial reports from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and multiple linear regression analyses were used to test the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variables. Findings: Hospitals owned by private universities appeared to have higher prices for non-covered services while regional public hospitals tend to have lower prices. Profitability, measured by operating margin, was not significantly related to the prices. Hospitals that charge higher prices were more likely to be located in the capital area (Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi), and to employ larger number of personnel. Practical Implications: Public hospitals tend to charge lower prices for non-covered services. Relative market power appears to be related to pricing. Further research is needed to investigate whether such a relationship varies over time and its effects on the quality and access.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.117-133
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• 2023

This study assessed the ecological health of border areas using the ecological health index and suggested Indicators for maintaining and promoting ecological values. We analyzed the change trends, pressures, and resilience of ecosystems and services in border areas, and identified their current status and sustainability. The main findings were: (1) ecological assets and ecosystem services in border areas could be compared through ecosystem health assessment; (2) it can be used to set priorities for management and conservation by identifying the relative importance and vulnerability of ecosystems and ecosystem services in each border area; and (3) the index presented in this study can be judged to have explanatory power for the characteristics of border areas and ecosystem health when compared to previous studies. Limitations of this study include the lack of literature and statistical data at the local government level and the resulting limited application of evaluation methods, which limited direct regional comparisons. To overcome the research limitations, further studies are needed, such as establishing ecological information in border areas, mapping and assessment of ecosystem services, and developing and applying assessments that reflect the opinions and participation of various stakeholders. This study was the first attempt to assess the health of ecosystems and ecosystem services in border areas and provided an important baseline for future changes in border areas. In the future, it will be helpful in national and local government policies and ecological assetecosystem management by supplementing insufficient information and presenting clear goals.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.244-256
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• 2017

Purpose: This research was conducted to identify methods of inducing health promotion behavior, perceived health status, social participation and empowerment in the frail elderly receiving home visiting services. Methods: The subjects were 255 frail elders aged over 65 registered in the home visiting services of five public health centers in Daegu. Data were collected from June 9 to August 10, 2015. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe's test and Pearson's correlation coefficient using SPSS Win 18.0. Results: The mean health promotion behavior, perceived health status, social participation and empowerment scores were 2.56 (${\pm}0.33$), 7.11 (${\pm}1.98$), 2.60 (${\pm}0.69$) and 2.90 (${\pm}0.29$), respectively. There was significant difference in health promotion behavior by client classification and life satisfaction. There were significant differences in perceived health status by life satisfaction, social participation by religion and client classification and empowerment by past jobs. Health promotion behavior, perceived health status, social participation and empowerment were positively correlated. Conclusion: An integrative health care program that includes these significant variables of subjects is essential to management and prevention of deterioration of frailty in elderly.