• International Journal of Contents
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.61-68
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• 2012

Previous research on online health (e-health) information was primarily focused on consumer information search behavior and information quality. Although studies addressing online information quality have flourished, they have yet to thoroughly examine whether consumers actually use the information they search. The purspose of this study suggests a conceptual framework that examines the potential antecedents of a consumers' willingness to depend on e-health information as an indicator of the consumer's trust of the provided e-health information. The proposed antecedents include healthcare product involvement, online skill level, perceived quality, and credibility of the source. Using structural equation modeling on online survey data, seven hypotheses, which describe the relationships between the variables of the model, were tested. The results indicate that consumer willingness to depend on provided e-health information was significantly influenced by the consumers' perceived quality and credibility of specific e-health information. Consumer involvement in healthcare and their online skill-level, respectively, also positively related to perceived quality and credibility regarding e-health information.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.85-94
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• 2017

The paper examines critical factors affecting consumer behavioral intentions in accepting online health communication through social networking sites. Unlike recent research under this topic, the paper assimilates some components of service quality dimensions and consumer behavior theories. The paper employs factor analysis and structural equation modelling analysis with latent variables to identify critical factors from the survey data collected from Korean consumers. The results of the study identifies three major constructs: consumer needs for health information, the perceived value of tangible attributes of health information providers, and the perceived value of intangible attributes of health information providers. The results show that consumer needs for health information and the tangible and intangible attributes of health information providers should be considered as important antecedents of accepting online health communication through social networking sites. The findings suggest that the success of online health communication via social networking sites largely depends on the tangible and intangible attributes of health information providers.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.23 no.2 s.74
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• pp.63-76
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• 2005

Health is the most important factor in the Quality of life. Without appropriate treatment, dental caries could have serious effects on self-esteem, nutrition, and health of a person throughout his/her life. The purpose of this study was to investigate ways to develop a consumer information program that could help improve teens' oral health. To develop an effective information program, we surveyed 1) how teens feel about oral health information in the market, 2) how judiciously they use their information, and 3) how they actually apply the information to practice. On the other hand, we investigated relationships between dietary patterns and dental caries among middle school students. The results indicate a serious lack of oral health information for middle school students. Moreover, we found that the intake of vegetables, fruits and legumes prevents dental caries. Using these results, we developed a system for organizing and conveying the oral health information for teens.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.403-414
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the emergency-room nurse's perception and performance about the protection behavior of the consumer health information. Method: The participants were 191 emergency-room nurses in secondary, tertiary medical center nationally. The data were analyzed by SPSS 12.0 program. Result: First, the total average scores of the degree of the perception and performance by emergencyroom nurses on protection behavior of the consumer health information were $4.24{\pm}0.30$ and $3.51{\pm}0.26$. Second, the degree of the perception and performance on protection behavior of the consumer health information was heavily dependent on the following general characteristics of the participants: age, nurse position, career, and education experience on protection behavior of the consumer health information. Third, there was a positive correlation between the degree of perception and performance about the protection behavior of the consumer health information. Conclusions: The results showed the statistically significant partial correlation between the degree of perception and performance. Therefore, it is suggested to apply the concrete education program to enhance the perception in order to improve the performance.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.263-281
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• 2005

This study was to elucidate the theoretical backgrounds and realities of consumer health information services from a review of the literature, to manifest the actual conditions of consumer health information services by domestic hospital libraries and public libraries, and then to activate library services at least to meet the needs of the services by enhancing their role for consumer demand for health information. This paper propose to activate consumer health information services, as follows : First, librarians both in hospital and in public libraries cognize that consumer health information services really are needed. Furthermore, they expect that when consumer health information services are implemented, the function of the library would be expanded even to the realm of preventive health medical care for consumers and as well as to the patients' right to know. Second, it is recommended that hospital libraries should actively perform their consumer health information services, along with the active collection of health information and materials and develop related bibliographies for hospital libraries to provide patients and their families with medical information. Public libraries also are required to actively collect, maintain and manage health information and to equip themselves with special books in their reference rooms. Third, it is recommended to launch such a cooperation network with a subsystem of MEDLIS as CHIN or CHIPS in the United States of America, to construct an integrated database of consumer health information and materials, an interlibrary system, a reference room service system as well as a cooperation network among hospital and public libraries.

• Food Quality and Culture
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.82-88
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• 2009

This study developed learning content and web pages providing information on Health/Functional Food (HFF) for consumers who come across information indiscriminately from a variety of advertising media such as the Internet and TV. After coming to an understanding of the current situation through literature review and fact-finding, we collected information and commercials on HFF that are exposed to consumers. Focusing on advanced countries such as the U.S. and Japan, we examined the current status of consumer education programs, especially in terms of HFF industry. Further, we referred to the guidelines for consumer education provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and monitored the information from a web site that sells dietary supplementary products in the U.S. In addition, we surveyed consumer information on foods for special health use provided by the Japanese National Institute of Health & Nutrition, and investigated a DB of raw materials of function food (functionality/safety documents). Upon a literature review, the 13 functions of HFF were classified. As a result of conducting interviews with consumers, we developed content that was fit for consumers' perspectives. Through this research, we established a web page to enable people to search for information by function and then by raw material. After searching for information by raw materials, searching products by raw materials can be done in cooperation with E-marketplace. Subsequently developed content and education programs were offered on an HFF web page, which has been in operation since 2005. Therefore, it is expected that appropriate information on HFF will be available.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.957-967
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• 2007

The purposes of this study were to find the sub-factors of consumer consciousness toward well-being and to identify the variables influencing their well-being oriented consumer behaviors in the area of dietary life of married women. 579 married women were surveyed by internet portal site azoomma.com. The collected data were treated with the SPSS Windows 12.0 program and analyzed in terms of frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, oneway ANOVA, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The findings were summarized as follow: 1. Consumer consciousness toward well-being has four sub-factors; pro-environmental attitude, personal and family health, means of business, and consciousness regarding others. 2. In the multiple regression analysis, concerns of information, price level, consciousness of personal and family health, health status, educational level explained the purchasing behavior about 25.7%. On the other hand, health status, pro-environmental attitude, consciousness of personal and family health, consciousness regarding others, and concerns of information explanined the using behaviors about 17.0%. Pro-environmental attitude, health status, consciousness of personal and family health, consciousness regarding others, and status of employment were effective variables, and explained the disposal behavior about 19.5%.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.13-28
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was aimed to identify the expressions used by consumers to talk and by mediator to provide information about hypertension in the internet and suggest more understandable vocabulary for consumers. Methods: A researcher collected archival postings associated 78 hypertension-related vocabularies from internet websites for extracting consumer and mediator vocabulary respectively. Then, the consumer and mediator vocabularies with the same meaning as 78 vocabularies were extracted from postings collected by two non-professional extractors and a researcher, respectively. Both consumer and mediator vocabularies manually mapped to the 78 hypertension-related representing vocabularies. Finally, the survey was conducted from 110 inpatients and 115 nurses from December 27 to 31, 2013 for the selection of recommended vocabulary related to hypertension. Data were analyzed using the SPSS program and included descriptive statistics. Based on the survey results, the recommended vocabularies were selected for laypersons. Results: 67 consumer and 73 mediator vocabularies were linked with the 78 vocabularies. Two vocabularies unmapped to both consumer and mediator vocabularies were 'wheeze' and 'angioplasty'. 49 recommended vocabularies related to hypertension were selected for helping laypersons understand hypertension information. Conclusions: The consumer-oriented vocabularies may be helpful to overcome the vocabulary problem between non-professionals and professionals.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.241-248
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• 2008

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to identify a gap between consumer characteristics and utilization of health information on the Internet. Methods: A telephone survey of nationally representative samples was conducted using structured questionnaires, and 1,000 of the 1,189 responses obtained were included in our analysis. The following variables were included in the analysis as potential predictors of health information use on the Internet: predisposing factors such as gender, age, and education status; enabling factors such as region and monthly household income; consumer need for health information; and attitude to health. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between utilization rate and the potential predictors. Results: Thirty-nine percent of consumers had obtained health information on the Internet over a one-year period. The utilization rates were higher for consumers who were young, educated, worked in the office setting, had higher incomes, wanted health information, and were able to use the Internet. The utilization rate was 5.35 times higher in the younger group (20-30 years) than in the elderly group (95% CI=2.21-12.97); 2.21 times higher for office workers than for manual workers (95% CI=1.16-4.20); 3.61 times higher for college graduates than for middle school graduates and below (95% CI=1.07-11.59); 1.99 times higher for people with monthly household incomes over 3,000,000 won than for those with monthly household incomes below 1,500,000 won (95% CI=1.01-3.92). Conclusions: There needs to be a paradigm shift, with consideration of not only Internet accessibility in the digital age, but also consumer ability and attitudes toward utilization of health information.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.55-69
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• 2004

The purpose of this study is to reduce the side effect of functional health foods. The research is done by in-depth interview method. The nineteen officials who worked in local administration or KFDA(Korea Food & Drug Administration) were interviewed. The questions were asked regarding the current status of consumer reports related to functional health foods, the problems which officials perceived, and the regulations required to reduce the problems. The findings are as follows: 1) the consumers report the side effect of functional health foods to nongovernmental organization. 2) officials feel that the problems are the difficulty in finding the cause of the side effect, unjust sale tactics, deceptive and small-sized manufacturers. and the distorted consumer conception on functional health foods. 3) officials think that improvement on the regulations are required to reduce the problems caused by the side effects. It includes the indication of the ingredient's origin and warnings considering physical conditions, close cowork between administration and nongovernmental organization. introduction of sales license for functional health foods and the increase of the opportunity for consumers to get information and education on functional health foods.