• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.65-79
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• 2017

Objectives : This study aimed to investigate the types of unmet health care needs of the elderly and factors affecting them. Methods : This study used data from the 2012 Community Health Survey. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the relevance between each type of unmet health care needs and predisposing, enabling, and needs factors, based on the cases without unmet health care needs. Results : Persons with unmet health care needs were 4,460 (9.5%) of the total sample. By types of unmet health care needs, 1,171 (2.5%), 1,026 (2.2%), and 2,263 (4.8%) persons reported inaccessibility, non-accommodativeness, and unaffordability respectively. It was concluded that the there were differences in the associated factors according to the types of unmet medical needs. Conclusions : It is suggested that unmet health care needs in the elderly should be examined from diverse angles rather than from a single aspect of partial limits. In particular, diverse types of unmet health care needs for health care in the elderly according to limited accommodation shoulder be examined. Finally, strategies to decrease unmet health care needs that reflect the associated factors should be developed.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.29-47
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• 2005

Objectives: Individuals' self-reported unmet needs are an important indicator of heath care of their society. Using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Cycle 1.2, we examine unmet needs for mental health care in Canada and discuss its implications to health education. Results: The most frequently reported reason for unmet needs was barriers to acceptability issues, which stem primarily from lack of knowledge of mental health, negative attitudes towards mental disorder, and mistrust of mental health professionals. Unmet needs for mental health care appeared an especially serious issue among the young. Also, individuals who reported unmet needs tended to have some ill health behavior such as illicit drug use that could be their coping mechanism. On the other hand, emotional and informational support factors have shown an important mitigating effect on unmet needs. Conclusions: These findings of unmet needs pose a major challenge to health education. To effectively address unmet mental health care needs, it is recommended that the focus of relevant policies and programs should be on enhancing a multi-level mental health education strategy including efforts on individual, environmental and professional level education.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 2022

Background: This study was designed to examine regional proportions for people who experienced unmet health care needs due to reduced mobility or unhealthiness and factors associated with experience of unmet health care needs by them. Methods: A total of 11,620 people were retrieved from the Korea Health Panel data (2014-2018). Regional proportions for people who experienced unmet health care needs due to reduced mobility or unhealthiness were estimated using cross-sectional weights and the factors associated with them were analyzed using generalized estimating equation. Results: The number of people who experienced unmet health care needs due to reduced mobility or unhealthiness was estimated as 278,083 in 2018. Women, the aged (65+), below elementary school, single as marital status, low income, bad self-rated health, people with disabilities, and long-term insurance beneficiaries were statistically significantly associated with experience of unmet health care needs due to reduced mobility or unhealthiness. Conclusion: Given high and dispersed demand for visiting health care, government need to expand the infrastructure and finance to facilitate visiting health care.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.245-250
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• 2023

Objectives: This study was conducted to analyze the factors related to unmet dental care needs in Korean adults who needed dental treatment. Methods: This study analyzed data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016-2018). Among the adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2,723 dental treatment who performed oral examinations were the final subjects. General characteristics and oral health characteristics were analyzed with complex sample chi-square test using the IBM SPSS program. Factors related to unmet dental care were analyzed by multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: As for unmet dental care needs related factors, bad oral health was 3.383 times higher, and usually was 1.736 times higher. In the use of dental clinic unmet dental care needs was 0.121 times lower. Unmet dental care needs was high, 1.366 times for those with the experience of tooth pain and 2.736 times for those with chewing difficulty. Conclusions: Based on the above results, it can be seen that oral health status or oral discomfort is related to unmet dental care needs. It is necessary to set goals to improve unmet dental care, recognize that one's oral health condition is very important, and continuously educate about oral health for each life cycle.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.767-774
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• 2016

Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors affecting unmet dental care needs of Korean using 6th Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination survey(KNHANES). Methods: The subjects were 13,718 Koreans from the 6th KNHANES data. The questionnaire consisted of general characteristics of the subjects, reason for dental care needs by socio-economic status and unmet dental care needs. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 program. Results: The proportion of unmet dental care needs accounted for 27.4% and the main reasons were financial burden and less priority. Male had 0.21 times less unmet dental needs than female. Low, mid low, and mid high economic income groups had 1.27, 1.24, and 1.08 times respectively more unmet dental care needs than high income group. Those having good and average self-perceived oral health status experienced 0.83 and 0.63 times less dental care needs. Conclusions: Socio-economic factors and health status were the important factors of unmet dental care needs and it is necessary to provide a variety of public service of dental care for the low income group.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2011

This study investigated unmet health care needs and associated factors among patients with hypertension and those with diabetes. Patients were identified by medical professionals. Patients who did not take pharmaceuticals to treat their disease(s) were defined as those with unmet health care needs. Using data from 2005 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 3,635 hypertension patients and 1,431 diabetes patients were analyzed. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to examine factors associated with unmet needs. Overall, 16.6% of hypertension patients, 20.3% of those with diabetes presented unmet needs. Common factors associated unmet needs for both hypertension and diabetes were sex, insurance type, self-reported health status and length of disease. Study findings suggest that hypertension and diabetes should be treated in early stage and further study is needed to examine the reasons for unmet needs to improve patient's status effectively.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.289-295
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• 2022

Objectives: In this study, raw data from the 7th (2016-2018) of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used, and a total of 2,430 people were selected as participants to analyze the factors related to unmet dental care needs in postmenopausal women. Methods: Frequency analysis, cross analysis, and logistic regression analysis were performed for general characteristics, oral health characteristics, and unmet dental care needs related factors using IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0 program. Results: The unmet dental care related factors were 1.527 times higher in the case of not having oral examinations than in the case of having oral examinations. For those who did not make use of the dental clinic, 8.667 times, 2.913 times for bad oral health, and 1.912 times for usually showed that unmet dental care was higher. Inconvenience with speaking was 1.578 times higher, and in the absence of implants, unmet dental care needs was 1.510 times higher. In the case of no chewing difficulty, was 0.380 times lower. Conclusions: Based on the above results, in order to achieve the policy goal to reduce unmet dental care needs, policy support and interest are needed above all to accurately identify and solve specific problems.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.31-41
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• 2018

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate whether employment status is associated with the experience of unmet care needs. Methods: This study utilized the Korea Health Panel data from 2012 to 2016. A total of 4,083 workers were selected as baseline subjects in 2012 and were followed for four years. This study used the GLIMMIX procedure under the marginal model while adjusting for covariates. Results: A total of 12.4% of 4,083 people said they had failed at least once to have a treatment or checkup despite the needs. Those more likely to experience unmet care needs were women and people of lower income level, with worse health conditions and chronic disease. Precarious workers, the self-employed, and the unemployed were more likely to experience unmet care needs caused by economic burden than permanent workers (Odds Ratio: 2.14, 2.07, 2.74, respectively). Conclusions: This disparity means that precarious workers and the unemployed are more likely to face barriers in obtaining needed health services. Given their insecure employment status, meeting their needs for health care is an important consideration.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.273-294
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• 2023

Background: Most developed countries are working to improve their universal health coverage systems. This study investigates regional disparities in unmet healthcare needs and their causes in South Korea. Additionally, it compares the unmet healthcare needs rate in South Korea with that of 33 European countries. Methods: The analysis incorporates information from 13,359 adults aged 19 or older, using data from the Korea Health Panel. The dependent variables encompass the experience of unmet healthcare needs and the three causes of occurrence: "burden of medical expenses," "time constraints," and "lack of care." The primary variable of interest is the region of residence, while control variables encompass 14 socio-demographic, health, and functional characteristics. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis, accounting for the sampling design, is conducted. Results: The rate of unmet healthcare needs in Korea is 11.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.0%-13.3%), which is approximately 30 times higher than that of Austria (0.4%). The causes of unmet healthcare needs, ranked in descending order, are "lack of care," "time constraints," and "burden of medical expenses." Predictive probabilities for experiencing unmet healthcare needs and each cause differ significantly between regions. For instance, the probability of experiencing unmet healthcare needs due to "lack of care" is approximately 10 times higher in Gangwon-do (13.5%; 95% CI, 13.0%-14.1%) than in Busan (1.3%; 95% CI, 1.3%-1.4%). The probability due to "burden of medical expenses" is approximately 14 times higher in Seoul (4.1%; 95% CI, 3.6%-4.6%) compared to Jeollanam-do (0.3%; 95% CI, 0.2%-0.4%). Conclusion: Amid rapid sociodemographic transitions, South Korea must make significant efforts to alleviate unmet healthcare needs and the associated regional disparities. To effectively achieve this, it is recommended that South Korea involves the National Assembly in healthcare policy-making, while maintaining a centralized financing model and delegating healthcare planning and implementation to regional authorities for their local residents-similar to the approaches of the United Kingdom and France.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2015

Background: The objective of this research is to investigate and provide analysis of the economic participatory change affecting the unmet needs of health care in Korean adults. Methods: We used Korea health panel 4th and 5th data of 10,261 adults. The method of investigation is threefold. First, We identified the regional factors affecting unmet needs of health care. Second, we analyzed the effect of economic participatory change as it affects the unmet needs of health care. Third, we also investigated whether there were discernable differences between the age subgroups. Results: It was determined that influencing factors included sex, education, economic level, and health status. And after the subgroup analysis of age, we found that the economic participatory change was associated with the economical unmet needs of health care especially for those over 40 years of age. Also the population are facing unemployment enduring particular economic hardship in meeting their medical needs. Conclusion: This study finds that there are some policy recommendations for the sake of medical service equality. Medical welfare policy for those 40 years of age and older has been identified as an area that needs improvement. And considering that those 40 years of age and older are facing unemployment enduring particular economic hardship in meeting their medical needs, this study finds a need for government sponsored medical stipends or subsidizing of medical premiums, co-payment, and other fees.