• Health Policy and Management
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.121-150
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• 2001

This study was conducted to investigate provider's behavior change after releasing the information on the Cesarean section rate. Claims data filed at the National Health Insurance Corporation was used for this analysis and the focus of this study was the change of cesarean rate after the public disclosure of information. Average rates of the year 1999 and 2000 were compared, on the institutional basis, and range and coefficient of variation were estimated. For the last decade, Cesarean section rate has been increased dramatically. Clinical or demographic factors could not adequately explain the increase. Instead, nonclinical factors, such as financial incentive, physician's convenience, practice characteristics, etc., were more significant in explaining the increasing rate. Providers' behavior was significantly affected by the public release of information: after the release, average rate was decreased by 10.2%, and variations were also decreased. In particular, the extent of decrease was explained mainly by nonclinical factor rather than clinical ones. The results suggest that disseminating practice information to providers and consumers could contribute to reducing unnecessary medical service.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.68-86
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• 1994

In order to provide data of effective health education for practice of preventive health behavior for visual acuity care. The authors investgated the actual acuity and health behavior for visual acuity care. The subjects of this study were 2250 students in high school. The data were collected by questionnaire developed for the purpose of this study which has been made through references and student's health record. The results were as follows, 1) As students move up to grade, the number of students with decreased visual acuity had a tendency to increase. In cases with decreased visual acuity below 0.2 in one or both eye, the number of cases was increased in accordance with moving up to grade, especially visual acuity of right eye was more decreased than that of left eye. 2) As to proportion of the group with decreased visual acuity among the total students, among 2250 students, students with decreased visual acuity was 35.6%(800 students). According to school type, in academic school, frequency of students with decreased visual acuity in day school was higher then that in night school. In commercial school, the frequency of students who had decreased visual acuity in night school were higher than that of students in day school. 3) As to variables influencing the decreased visual activity, there was a significant different between groups with normal visual acuity and groups with subnormal in terms of awareness of visual acuity by themself, parent's visual acuity, unbalanced eating habit, distance from television, or books, posture in watching television, posture in reading, awareness of illumination in classroom. 4) As to practice of protective and preventive health behavior for visual acuity care, In group with normal visual acuity. There was good practice such as proper eating habit, proper studying habit, and health habit in its descending order, but proper illumination and regular eye test were practiced poorly. In group with subnormal visual acuity, one of the vest practice in visual acuity care was an effort to prevent eye strain. Other good practice involve tasking regular eye test, maintaining proper studing habit, in its descending order.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.124-131
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• 2008

The impacts of guideline for digestives on physicians' prescription of GI medication Clinical practice guidelines provide benefits to physicians, patients, and researchers. It also helps doctors to make decisions in medical services. In many countries, practice guidelines lead to activities of quality improvement and are developed using evidence based methods. This research was to assess the impacts of Korean Medical Association's guideline for digestives on the change of physicians' behavior. This study was progressed as one-group pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design using health insurance claims data. The unit of analysis was institution. Data was analyzed using paired t-test for change of prescription rate before and after the distribution of practice guidelines. And the multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the independent impact of the guideline on the prescribing rate of GI medication. Prescription rates of GI medication per claim by medical institution increased significantly, 1.98%point (from 50.27% to 52.25%) and multivariate regression analysis showed significant increase in the prescription rate of GI medication after the distribution of guideline (p<0.001). In conclusion, the distribution of guideline for digestive might not have the effects on the change in provider's behavior. Furthermore, to activate the use of practice guideline, it would be necessary to educate the contents to physicians as well as to develop practice guideline.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.213-239
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• 1997

In recent years, adolescent issues including smoking, drinking, drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, deviant sexual behavior, mental health problems, high suicide rate, misconducts and absence without due notice, etc are emerging as serious social problems and the debate on these controversial issues is heating up. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to analyze factors which are changeable and fixable among the factors influencing the adolescent's health behavior and misconducts and, eventually influencing factors which can be used as the basis to establish health policies and health promotion program to reduce the health risk behavior and misconducts of adolescents. The smoking rates are 34.1% for male students of prep schools and 13.8% for females students of the same school and 55.7% for males, 31.8% for females of the vocational schools and 58.3% for males and 48.8% for females of social institutional schools, which showed the great diffence among the different types of schools and between sex. In particular, male students of social institutional school showed 1.7 times higher smoking rate than those of prep schools and in case of female students, 3.5 times higher rate. The time of initial smoking was most frequently during the middle school days for both males and females. In case of drug abuse, 5.4% of males and 2.7% females of general schools were using adhesives and inhalants which was 2.5 times higher for males and 6.3 times higher for females of social institutional schools. 41.8% of males and 30.3% of females of prep schools, 41.8% of males and 59.4% of females of vocational schools and 55.1% of males and 36.6% of females of social institutional schools have experienced kissing. Regarding the health promoting behavior and misconducts, female students practiced the health promoting behavior more than male students while male students showed higher rate of health risk behavior and misconducts than female students, which was statistically significant. The group of students who have not attended the health education class, in comparison to those who have attended, were more likely to practice health risk behavior and misconducts. Those with higher academic achievement was more likely to practice the health promoting behavior while those with poor academic achievement were more likely to practice health risk behavior and misconducts. As the perceived health status was higher and as students experienced less illness, the health promoting behavior was higher.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.2111-2114
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• 2016

Opisthorchiasis is a health problem in Thailand particularly in northeast and north regions where have been reported the highest of cholangiocarcinoma. Active surveillance is required, therefore a cross-sectional surveyed was conducted in Nong Bunnak sub-district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. A total of 367 participants were selected by multistage sampling from 5 villages located near natural water resources. Participants completed a predesigned questionnaire containing behavior questions regarding liver fluke disease, covering reliability and validity knowledge (Kuder-Richardon-20) = 0.80, attitude and practice (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) = 0.82 and 0.79, respectively. Descriptive statistics included frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. The majority of the participants were female (58.3%), age group between 21-30 years old (42.5%), with primary school education (59.9%), occupation in agriculture (38.1%), and married (80.9%). They had past histories of raw fish consumption (88.3%), stool examination (1.4%), anti-parasite medication used (4.6%). Heads of villages, village health volunteers, television, and village newstations were the main sources for disease information. Participants had a moderate level of behavior regarding liver fluke disease. The mean scored of knowledge regarding liver fluke life cycle, transmission, severities, treatment, prevention and control was 10.9 (SD=0.5), most of them had a moderate level, 95.1%. The mean score for attitude regarding liver fluke prevention and control was 45.7 (SD=9.7), and for practice was 30.6 (SD=10.5). Participants had a moderate level of attitude and practice, 94.5% and 47.7, respectively. This study indicates that health education is required in this community including stool examination for liver fluke as further active surveillance screening.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.585-594
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aimed to understand the effect of factors, possibilities, and desires on oral examination experience behavior of the elderly using raw data from the 2017 Community Health Survey. Methods: Hierarchical logistic regression analysis, an analysis method that controls the input order of a series of independent variables, was performed for 67,835 senior citizens aged 65 and older. Results: In terms of predisposing factors-in women, the higher the level of education, the higher the oral examination practice rate, and the lower the oral examination practice rate in divorce and bereavement among those aged 75 years or older. Regarding enabling factors, the lower the income rating, the higher the oral examination experience rate in religious and social participants as well as, leisure and charity participants, and the lower the oral examination experience rate in the natural environment. Regarding the need factors, the oral examination practice rate was high when the subjective oral health level was recognized as good. Conclusions: As a result, Anderson's model confirmed that various factors affect oral examination experience behavior, and institutional support for policy consensus is needed to promote oral examination experience behavior in older people in various directions.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.342-352
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• 2018

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of physical activity practice rates and knowledge related to cardiocerebrovascular disease prevention on the health behavior of middle aged women. Data were collected from Oct to Nov 2017 from 142 middle-aged women living in 24 Eup, Myeon, and Dong areas in North Gyeongsangbuk-do Province using a structured questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. The major factors influencing health behavior were found to be alcohol consumption (${\beta}=0.15$, p=0.009), diet (${\beta}=0.16$, p=0.003), vigorous intensity (${\beta}=0.14$, p=0.011), marriage (${\beta}=0.19$, p<0.001), interest in one's own health (${\beta}=0.23$, p<0.001), and health recognition (ill: ${\beta}=0.31$, p<0.001). Alcohol consumption and diet were factors of cardiocerebrovascular knowledge, vigorous intensity was a factor of physical activity practice rate, marriage and interest in one's own health were factors of general characteristics, and health recognition was a factor in health-related characteristics. Health-promotion activity was positively correlated with knowledge regarding cardiocerebrovascular disease prevention (r=0.41, p<0.001) and physical activity practice rate (r=0.44, p<0.001). It will be necessary to develop and apply practical intervention programs based on disease prevention knowledge and physical activity to enhance the health behavior of middle aged women.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1713-1716
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• 2016

Background: Liver fluke infection is associated with cholangiocarcinoma; the bile duct cancer found frequently in the northeast and north of Thailand. Prevention and control particularly requires health education and behavior change. Objective: This study aimed to improve health behavior among village health volunteers (VHV) regarding liver fluke exposure in an epidemic area. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental study was performed during July 2015 to January 2016 in Sang Kha district of Surin province, Thailand. A total of 67 VHVs underwent a health education program (HEP) and data were collected on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) before and after participation for HEP 3 months with a pre-designed questionnaire. The Students paired T-test was used for comparisons of mean KAP levels before/after the intervention. Results: The results revealed that knowledge (P-value=0.004), attitude (P-value=0.004), and practice level (P-value=0.000) were significantly improved after participation in the HBP. Attitude was significantly associated with knowledge (r=0.266, p<0.05), and practice (r=0.348, p<0.01). Conclusions: The implementation of health education among VHVs is feasible and increases their KAP. This improvement should have potential in liver fluke prevention and control in local communities in rural Thailand.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.111-117
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• 2009

We intended to identify the health state of Oriental medical students and also to know how many things of health practice are in healthy group and non-healthy group classified by the THI average score, according to sasang constitution. We collected data with self-administered health questionnaires from 297 men and women, in 9 Korea oriental medical colleges. We diagnosed Sasang constitution using QSCC II and also estimated health degree using THI. Non-healthy group practiced much more health behaviors than healthy one, and there were significant difference in Taeeumin and Soeumin. Non-healthy group of Taeeumin, Soeumin and Soyangin all practiced much more constitutional health behaviors than healthy one, and Soeumin non-healthy and healthy one all practiced much less health behaviors than Taeeumin and Soyangin group. Non-healthy group practiced health behavior for health care and maintenance more than healthy-one, and health state was related with sasang constitution health care. Therefore, institutional and systematic environmental condition would be needed in practicing healthy behaviors for improving the quality of health, and especially developed health promotion programs according to Sasang constitution too.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.268-275
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• 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine handwashing-related factors in nurses. Specific purposes of this study were to examine 1) the applicability of the hypothetical model constructed for this study, on the basis of Theory of Planned Behavior(TPB), and 2) relationships between handwashing practice and other variables such as age, career, level of education, and level of recognition about handwashing. Method: Data were collected from 187 nurses in one university hospital in Kyung-Ki province. Result: The hypothetical model based on TPB was revealed applicable, but the degree of the variance explaining handwashing practice was small(26%). Perceived behavioral control(PBC) was the most strong variable explaining handwashing practice, and intention didn't have a significant effect on handwashing practice. Norm and PBC had significant effects on intention, but attitude was not a significant factor of intention. Age, career, and the level of awareness of handwashing practice were significantly related to handwashing practice. Conclusion: The result of this study suggests that we should focus on perceived behavioral control, awareness of handwashing practice and subjective norm about handwashing practice to increase the level of nurses' handwashing practice.