• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.155-167
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• 2009

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate healthy city project related characteristics to members of the Korea Healthy Cities Partnership(KHCP). Methods: This study analyzed general characteristics of healthy city, characteristics of healthy city(political support, collaboration & citizen participation, healthy city project, infrastructure development, capacity building), self-evaluation of healthy city and etc by self-questionnaires from February to December, 2007, which were distributed to government workers who were in charged in health city project of 23 membership cities of KHCP. Results: The number of urban city was 11(47.8%) and that of rural municipality was 12(52.5%). Public health center was almost in charge of healthy city project(73.9%). As for the characteristics of healthy city, healthy city municipal budget(91.3%), city health profile(91.3%), technical support of cooperative university(82.6%), healthy city regulation(78.3%), citizen participation(78.3%), committee(73.9%), setting approach(69.9%) and healthy city network(69.6%) were good. But intersectoral collaboration(34.8%), long-term healthy city plan(39.1%), administrative policy or campaign promise(43.5%), programs to the vulnerable population(47.8%), department in charge(47.8%) and seminar(47.8%) were not good. Especially, characteristics of healthy city according to the existence of department in charge were significantly different in intersectoral collaboration, citizen participation, setting approach and healthy city network. Conclusions: In spite of rapid expansion in healthy cities, there were great difficulty in political support, collaboration, department in charge and programs of health equity. So we need to go a long way to achieve the vision of healthy cites by its principles and characteristics.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.262-274
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• 2023

Objectives: This study examined the evaluation and potential improvements of 'Integrated Healthcare and Social Welfare service model' based on the experiences of practitioners from institutions participating in the 'Dalgubeol Health Doctor Services' and the service recipients. Methods: Qualitative research was conducted from September to November 2022 in this study, focusing on 4 providers from the dedicated Dalgubeol Health Doctor Services Team, 5 contact partners from affiliated organizations, and 6 service beneficiaries. The data gathered underwent thematic analysis. Results: The evaluation indicated that Dalgubeol Health Doctor Services has proven to be effective in addressing the complex needs of vulnerable populations. By providing integrated services through quick and simple beneficiary selection and resource linkage, it has contributed to the resolution of complex demands, recovery of positive attitudes towards life, and improvement in quality of life for users who have fear the use of medical and welfare services. Dalgubeol Health Doctor Services has established an integrated health care system involving not only public but also private organizations, from the referral agency to the service provider. Centered around Daegu Medical Center and involving five tertiary hospitals, it has established a model that supports treatment appropriate to the severity of the patient, from mild to severe. Conclusions: These findings indicate an enhancement in health equity, achieved through the active identification and subsequent health and welfare issue resolution of individuals marginalized from medical benefits.

• Proceedings of The Korean Society of Health Promotion Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.89-109
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• 2004

The Korean Government has produced the Health Plan 2010 aimed at setting up healthy Korea objectives, policies on preventing chronic diseases, reshaping the country's health and medical infrastructure. The policy goal targets the people's healthy life expectancy at 75 by 2010, and includes healthy life practice measures including health education, health improvement services, and disease management measures, in achieving the objectives. Also, the plan provides life cycle-based health improvement and disease prevention services, as well as pushes ahead with projects with greater ripple effects in each area. To this end, the government is simultaneously pushing to operate an experts-centered health promotion committee and establishing the infrastructure including the augmentation of national health improvement funds. Through its Health Plan 20 I 0, the Korean Government will exert efforts to achieve its policy objectives as addressed in the measures by enhancing the national potential health and providing systematic disease prevention services.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.87-105
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• 2003

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the health care utilization pattern and its related factors of low-income population with abnormal results through health examination. Methods: Analysed data were collected through a questionnaire survey, which was given to 263 persons who 30 years or over with abnormal results through health examination at Health Center. This survey was conducted in March, 2003. This study employed Andersen's prediction model as most well known medical demand mode and data were analysed through 2-test, and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: The proportion of medical utilization for thorough examination or treatment among study subjects was 51.0%. In multiple logistic regression analysis as dependent variable with medical utilization, the variables affecting the medical utilization were 'feeling about abnormal result(anxiety versus no anxiety: odds ratio 2.25, 95% confidence intervals 1.07-4.75)', 'type of health security(medicaid type I versus health insurance: odds ratio 2.82, 95% confidence intervals 1.04-7.66; medicaid type II versus health insurance: odds ratio 3.22, 95% confidence intervals 1.37-7.53)', 'experience of health examination during past 2 years(odds ratio 2.39, 95% confidence intervals 1.09-5.21)' and 'family member's response for abnormal result(recommendation for medical utilization versus no response: odds ratio 4.90, 95% confidence intervals 1.75-13.75; family member recommended to utilize medical facilities with him/her versus no response: odds ratio 19.47, 95% confidence intervals 5.01-75.73)'. The time of medical utilization was 8-15 days after they received the result(29.9%), 16-30 days after they receive the result(27.6%), 2-7 days after they received the result(20.9%) in order. The most important reason why they didn't take a medical utilization was that it seemed insignificant to them(32.4%). Conclusions: In order to promote medical utilization of low-income population, health education for abnormal result and its management would be necessary to family member as well as person with abnormal result. And follow-up management program for person with abnormal result through health examination such as home-visit health care would be necessary.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.209-232
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• 2012

The purposes of this study is to calculate the gender-based Life Expectancy and Disability Free Life Expectancy of 65-year-olds in accordance with the regions of 16 in Korea based on the years 2005 and 2010 by using the Sullivan method. We used the Census in 2005, 2010, the Korea National Statistical Office(10% sample). We also reviewed examining the changes in LE and DFLE and understanding the relevance between the DFLE of 65-year-olds of the year 2010 and related factors. As a result of this study, it was shown that the LE of the group of all 65-year-old in Korea increased from 18.15 years in 2005 to 19.75 years in 2010 and DFLE increased from 11.41 years in 2005 to 11.64 years in 2010. Regionally, the highest LE for total of 65-year-olds was found to be the entire Jeju area and DFLE was the highest in the city of Seoul. And the highest LE and the highest DFLE for 65-year-old male were found to be in the city of Seoul. Regarding the regional LE of 65-year-old female, both in 2005 and 2010 Jeju area was seen to be the highest. The results of a correlation analysis showed that the DFLE of 65-year-olds in 2010 was found to be increasing with high LE and high population density and in regions with low average temperatures, low number of beds and low age standardized death rates of malignant neoplasms and circulatory disease.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.195-218
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• 2017

The increase in medical expenses for convalescent hospitals is increasing abnormally, which puts enormous burden on the National health insurance finances. This is a phenomenon that has been associated with the social phenomenon of rapid aging. The fact that the convalescent hospitals are paid the fixed amount per day for hospitalization became the incentive for some hospitals to use the patients as means of making money. And these hospitals intend to get regular care or take medicines at other hospitals in order to reduce medical expenses, even when the medical fee is paid. In order to prevent such financial leaks, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service adjusted the patient group for inpatients in a hospital with the above behavior, and then cut the cost of medical care benefits. However, Above decision was canceled by the court on the grounds that there was no basis rule. However, based on the above case, I think that it can be an opportunity to draw up the problem and to improve of the Medical Fee System of hospital. The modified medical fee system can strengthen the medical function of the convalescent hospital. In addition, it seems reasonable to exclude admission for "physically disabled group". Even if admission is allowed for the physically disabled group due to social needs, it should be excluded from the National health insurance for the fianacial soundness and the sustainability of the system.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• no.39
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• pp.395-423
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• 2008

This study investigated population characteristics that influencing treatment service use of people who are voluntarily using drug dependency treatment services by using logistic and hierarchical regression analysis. The research model of the current study was driven by the framework of the 'the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use(the Andersen model)' that has been broadly applied to study on health behavior. This study used data from a sample group of 80 adults by using purposive sampling. This study found that some predisposing factors, enabling factors and need factors have direct effects on service use. In detail, individuals who graduated from high school use drug dependency treatment utilities more than those who did not. Further, individuals who were given more support from family, peers, or others, use the treatment utilities more frequently and were more willing to use the utilities continuously. Furthermore, the greater the perceived need felt by the dependent, the greater the tendency to enter hospitals or shelters. The important implications of this study for social work practice and social policy can be summarized as follows: first, this study supports the idea that intervention for drug dependents in Korea should be focused on environment resources rather than population characteristics; and government must support drug dependent treatment systems; the present study was the first to investigate Korean drug dependents through taking a more positive view, as well as the first to apply 'the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use', and as such represents an example of how studies could be productively conducted in the future. Despite these implications, there remain some limitations in this study. These include the following: limitation in generalizability of the results; the cross-sectional nature of the study design; survey research through the questionnaire method; using foreign scales; and the difficulty of classifying treatment settings.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.291-298
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to suggest a smart city strategy through smart growth considering the human, social and cultural meaning. It seeks opportunities to develop the cities that has not grown by integrating the ICT, a new growth tool for smart cities, into the spatial and physical renewal project. Method: Analyzing policy and strategy of smart living lab and digital cultural contents on the smart growth process under the experience in Amsterdam and Paris. Results: Smart city is expected to be reflected not only the technical aspects but the social characteristics of the city in order to enhance the living environment of the citizens by embracing diverse viewpoints throughout the city. It examines the smart growth plan in the improvement of the living conditions of the citizens. Conclusion: Planning smart city is to discover the smart city adaptability that can enhance the capability of cities to improve the life condition and quality of citizens by applying the core strategies and specialized programs with community service and urban marketing, which are emerging as smart cities based on ICT technologies.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.90-109
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• 2008

Government has extended the benefit coverage and reduced out-of-pocket (OOP) payment for cancer patients in 2005. This paper intends to examine the impact of the above policy on the equity in health care utilization. This paper analyzed the national health insurance data and compared the health care utilization of cancer patients before and after the policy change for people with 10 different income levels. For the equity in health care utilization, we examined the change in concentration index (CI) for visit days, inpatient days, and health expenditure. In the case of outpatient care, CI of visit days and health expenditure were positive(favoring the rich) in both regional and employee health insurance members and both 'before' and 'after' the policy change. CI values rarely changed after the policy change, and the policy change seems to have little impact on the equity of outpatient care utilization except expenditure of regional subscriber. In the case of inpatient care, CI of inpatient days was negative and CI of health expenditure was positive in both regional and work subscriber and both 'before' and 'after' the policy change. After the policy change, CI of inpatient expenditure in both groups of members decreased. CI of inpatient days changed in the direction favoring the poor in regional insurance members, but it rarely changed in employee insurance members. These results suggest that the policy of reducing OOP payment has a positive impact and reduced the inequity particularly in the utilization of inpatient care of cancer patients.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.256-264
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• 2016

Equity-focused public health policy has solid theoretical and practical basis, in addition to ethical one. In the Republic of Korea (hereafter Korea), however, equity in health has not had a high priority in policy goals, regardless of policy areas and particular actors or approaches. Equitable health has been only a minor concern in most public health issues and their decision-making. Generic public health policies are needed to reduce inequity in health, but the importance of a firm basis for sound policy-making cannot be overemphasized. Health equity should be 'mainstreamed' in all public health policies. Potential approaches include intersectoral collaboration, health impact assessment, and 'Health in All Policies.' Public policy agendas for equitable health cannot be formulated without measurement and recognition of the problem. Korea is still suffering from the lack of reliable information on the current status of health inequity, resulting in a relatively weak awareness of the problem among both the general public and policy-makers. More information is needed to increase recognition and awareness that will increase intervention and actions. The absence of decision-making and actions should not be justified even by the lack of information on determinants and pathways of health inequities. Generic plausible solutions can often work in the real world according to political and social commitment. I have discussed several aspects of public health policy from the perspective of health equity, focusing on current status and plausible explanation. Policy process, agenda setting in particular, is highlighted and theories and concepts are presented along with analysis and description of current situation.