• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.425-436
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• 2015

This study is to investigate how the expenditures for hypertension is affected by socioeconomic, health care resources, and health behavior factors with a special emphasis on geographic variations and to provide the data about regional management for hypertension. To analyze, we combined a unique data set including key indicators from Medical Service Usage Statistics 2012 by Region by National Health Insurance Corporation, Annual Community Health Survey 2012 by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government organizations at the 247 small administrative districts. We found that the average expenditures of hypertension in 249 small districts is 62,000 won and coefficient of variation is 30.0. Major factors of differences in hypertension expenditure is population density, marital status, household income, number of hospital per 100 thousand, medical expenses outside the jurisdiction, drinking rate, moderate and over-intensity physical activity, and hypertension diagnosis rate. The results of decision tree was that there were significant differences between regions in hypertension diagnosis rate, household income, marital status, number of hospital per 100 thousand, obesity rate, drinking rate. This study concluded that determinants of geographic variations in hypertension spending are not only health resources and socioepidemic characteristics but health behaviors.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.451-459
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• 2018

The aim of this study is to compare the differences in health promotion behaviors by the use of complementary alternative therapy(CAT) in elderly women with osteoarthritis. A total of 621 elderly women with osteoarthritis from public health centers and their branches at a city of C state were enrolled. This study analyzed the frequency and percentage of complementary alternative therapy utilization; a Chi-square test was used for utilization analysis according to subjects' general characteristics and disease features. Degree of health promotion behaviors according to CAT utilization was analyzed by a t-test and ANOVA. The study found that the CAT utilization rate for the total of 621 people was 61.7 %. For health promotion behaviors according to CAT utilization, statistically significant differences were found in exercise (p<0.001), health responsibility (p<0.001) and self-realization (p=0.016) from the domains. This study demonstrated the differences of health promotion behaviors based on CAT utilization. Due to the results of this study it is notable to mention that counseling, instruction for CAT utilization, and strategy development for health promotion are necessary for elderly women with osteoarthritis.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.393-399
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• 2015

Nowaday, beyond the time of wellbeing and LOHAS, many people have great interest in self therapy, so it is called healing era. As the folk medicine fields are actively industrialized and the interest in health improvement, not disease cure, is increased, many researches about the alternative medicine and therapy in various fields are being performed. In the times of the interest in health improvement and spontaneous, natural healing ability of human body is getting increase, it is very meaningful to search the factors which consist of recognition to folk medicine. So in this study, we developed the questionaries on the basis of previous studies, researched the factors affecting the recognition to folk medicine using factor analysis, and tested statistically the difference of recognition character according to demo-statistical traits. As the result, the twenty-four measurable variables related to folk medicine are sorted to four factors, ie, health improvement factor, safety factor, psycholocial factor, and substitutional factor. And overall, the middle and senior ages, the forties to sixties, and higher-educated peoples have more experiences in folk medicine than the younger ages, below thirties and lower-educated peoples. The distiction of sex makes little differences.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.295-307
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of credibility of health information (CHI) source and e health literacy (eHL) on health information orientation (HIO) of parents of hospitalized children. Convenience sampling method of 109 parent whose children were admitted in a children's hospital in D city was used. The hierarchial regression model with general characteristics and characteristics of children for step 1 and eHL and CHI for step 2 against HIO was statistically significant (F=8.22, p<.001). And this model could explain 40% of HIO ($R^2$=.40). Especially, eHL (${\beta}$=.54, p<.001) and CHI (${\beta}$=.21, p=.008), subjective health perception (${\beta}$=.19, p=.016), and age (${\beta}$=-0.15, p=.048) were identified the influencing factors on HIO. Based on these findings, to foster the HIO of parents of inpatient children, credible health information should be given to these population and a approach with eHL enhancement should be considered. And further research that is to explore the way to enhance the eHL should be carried out to suggest the practical application

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.327-338
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• 2016

The purpose of the present study is to determine the occurrence of dyslipidemia and the effects of health life practices among Korean males and females. The study subjects were 4,036 persons aged at least 19 years, as selected from the health questionnaire data out of the third year data(2012) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They were divided into a dyslipidemia group of 2,092 subjects (male 1,042, female 1,050) and a normal group of 1,944 subjects (male 740, female 1,204) by applying the dyslipidemia treatment guidelines of the Korean Society of Lipidology and Atherosclerosis. In the present study, the SPSS 18.0 program was used to conduct t-tests, a ${\chi}^2-test$, and a logistic regression analysis of descriptive statistics. Therefore, dyslipidemia-related healthy life practice programs should apply the characteristics of Korean males and females that show differences in serum lipid concentrations and to this end, continued studies, and national-level customized education applying the effects of healthy life practices is considered necessary.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.391-397
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• 2014

This paper is concerned with medical tourism, which is expected to become the new growth engine of the 21st century. Medical tourism is a collaborative and synergistic composition of Healthcare and Tourism, and has led to a remarkable growth in 2012 since the year 2009, exhibiting huge growth potential. This paper reviews the emerging market of the medical tourism with five major hospitals in Korea from the perspective of medical tourists, and makes suggestions for the global health care and the sustainable development in Korean medical tourism as a growth market: the construction of websites for active services and transparent management of medical expenses with proper arrangement of medical consulting and advices, cooperation of the health care center and the medical tourism industry, and the activation of healthcare communication. For the smooth progress of medical tourism, this paper suggests two separate communication channels: one for the patient tourists and the other for the medical tourism coordinators. The former needs accuracy with professional knowledge on the healthcare and communication, which should be classified as medical interpreters working with disease-oriented medical tourists. The latter refers to international medical coordinators dedicated to the smooth progress of medical tourism and services. This paper also points out the creative efforts to improve the relatively poor infrastructure of tourism industry to accommodate the medical tourists, and improve the medical tourism industry.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.277-288
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• 2015

This study aims to identify determinants affecting on geographic variations in the prevalence of arthritis in Korean women using data mining. Data from Korean Community Health Survey 2012 with 249 small districts were analyzed. Socio-demographic, health behavior and status, and morbidity status measures were analyzed using conventional regression model and convergence analysis method such as decision tree for convergence analysis. Rate of workers in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, salaried workers, persons higher than high school graduates, non-treatment of needing care, non-treatment of care because of economic reason, obesity, heavy drunkers, complaining persons of chewing difficulty, persons with experiencing depression, persons with perceiving stress, and persons with diagnosing hypertension and angina pectoris were variation determinants of prevalence of arthritis in 249 small districts and these districts were classified 10 area groups by decision tree model. Our finding suggest that the approach based characteristics by small area groups rather than national wide or individual level would be effective to reduce in variations of prevalence of arthritis.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.353-366
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine how region-specific characteristics affect the occurrence of cardiac arrest. To analyze, we combined a unique data set including key indicators of health condition and cardiac arrest occurrence at the 244 small administrative districts. Our data came from two main sources in Korea Center For Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC): 2010 Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Surveillance and Community Health Survey. We analyzed data by using multiple regression, geographically weighted regression and decision tree. Decision tree model is selected as the final model to explain regional variations of cardiac arrest. Factors of regional variations of cardiac arrest occurrence are population density, diagnosis rates of hypertension, stress level, participating screening level, high drinking rate, and smoking rate. Taken as a whole, accounting for geographical variations of health conditions, health behaviors and other socioeconomic factors are important when regionally customized health policy is implemented to decrease the cardiac arrest occurrence.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.11 no.9
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• pp.229-238
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• 2013

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a major public health problem in Korea. The survival rate to discharge remains at approximately 3.5% and only 1% have good neurological function. To increase the survival rate, prehospital care should restore spontaneous circulation. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors associated with return of spontaneous circulation(ROSC) after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Data used for this study were collected from KCDC Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Surveillance 2009. As for the results of decision tree analysis, it is clear that prehospital CPR, cardiac arrest witness, activity, past history(cancer/heart disease/stroke), place, bystander CPR, response time, age, etc are significant contributing factors in ROSC. Among 16 cardiac arrest types from decision tree classification, the ROSC rate of type 1 is the highest(29.6%). Also notable is the fact that bystander CPR was strongly correlated with ROSC of patents with cardiac arrest occurring in non-public places. Community resources should be concentrated on increasing bystander CPR and early prehospital emergency care.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.38B no.9
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• pp.722-727
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• 2013

Medical treatment for animals is very difficult as the opinions of pets' masters take priority over treatment regardless of the seriousness of pets' disease or the needs of medical treatment. In case that a pet has heart disease, especially, it is difficult to get the direct answer from the pet's master on the decision or confirmation of treatment. For those reasons, it is almost impossible to predict and treat the pet before an emergency like the heart failure or an unexpected death happens. Using stethoscope can be the first diagnosis method to check the heart or any kinds of disease inside the body. High-tech equipments like CT, X-ray or Ultrasound can be used, but they can only be used as a second choice of diagnosis method since it requires professional skills and its high price. That's why stethoscope is still the best diagnostic tool when one makes the first diagnosis. In this study, we give a detailed account of digital diagnosis system in which veterinarians can analyze the sound from stethoscope without bringing it to their ears and make a diagnosis wherever they are. And we suggest a new concept of diagnosis system surrounding, which shows the relativeness of disease through Level Crossing Rate(LCR) and energy level from the stethoscope sound made in this system.