• Title/Summary/Keyword: Health equity

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An Exploratory Study upon The Factors for Discriminating Generations: Focusing on Welfare Attitudes Values on Social Issues (한국인의 세대 판별요인에 대한 탐색적 연구: 복지태도와 가치관을 중심으로)

  • Sin-Young Kim
    • The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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    • v.10 no.4
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    • pp.169-174
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    • 2024
  • This study purports to identify the factors that contribute to the classification of age groups or generations of Koreans. Independent variables such as respondents' attitudes toward welfare, attitudes toward equity, education level, perception of inequality in Korean society, tax awareness, and health status are included in the model that were put into the analysis with the main interest. Since this study does not construct any hypothesis prior to analysis, the nature of this study can be said exploratory. The data utilized for the analysis are from the 17th year of the Korean Welfare Panel collected in 2022, and a linear discrimination analysis technique will be used. First and foremost, a theoretical review of the generational classification will be conducted through domestic and international literature in the past. To date, there is no quantitative studies in Korea that have a significant influence on the generational classification. Therefore, in this study, a theoretical review of political tendencies and values, which are estimated to have a significant influence on the generational classification, that is, the difference between generations, will be significant. The perception and attitude toward welfare will be discussed in the review of values. Next, analysis models, analysis techniques, and variables to be used in the analysis will be introduced. After

A comparative study on sex-consciousness and sexual values between urban and rural elementary schoolers (도시와 농촌 초등학생의 성의식 및 성가치관에 관한 비교 연구)

  • Nho, Mi-Yeoung;Park, Yeoung-Soo
    • The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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    • v.6
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    • pp.17-34
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    • 2005
  • The purpose of this study was to examine the sex-consciousness and sexual values of school children by geographic region. It's specifically attempted to make a comparative analysis of sex-consciousness and sexual values between urban and rural elementary schoolers to help provide efficient sex education for them to build the right sexual values. The subjects in this study were 400 elementary schoolers in their sixth year of elementary schools located in Danyang-gun and Chungju city, north Chungcheong province. After a survey was conducted, answer sheets from 387 students that were analyzable were analyzed. For data handling, SPSS program was employed, and t-test was utilized to see if there's any differences between the urban and rural elementary school youngsters in sex consciousness and sexual values. And $x^2$ test was used to make a comparative analysis of their view of sex education. The findings of the study were as follows : First, regarding sex-consciousness, they had general knowledge on sex. Especially, they were highly aware of sexual violence and the generation of baby, but many of them didn't know about where and how egg cells were produced. This indicated that systematic education should be offered in various ways. Concerning geographic gap, there was a significant difference in sexual knowledge between the urban and rural students. As to sexual attitude, they took a relatively positive attitude toward display of affection or sex-related talk on TV or in movies, as they viewed it as natural. This finding implied that the elementary schoolers were recipient toward sex and took an active attitude toward sexual expressions. Concerning geographic gap, there was no difference between the rural and urban students. As for sexual practices, the largest group of the students had a liking for the opposite sex, which showed that their needs for sex were unveiled in the course of having some trouble due to the other sex rather than through firsthand experiences or activities. As to geographic gap, there was a significant difference between the urban and rural students in that regard. Besides, the urban students put their sex-consciousness in practice more often than the rural students did. After they are educated to build the right sexual values, systematic sex-education programs should also be offered for them to be exposed to sustained sex education and to team how to apply their sex-consciousness to real life. Second, as for sexual values, the school children had relatively positive and equalitarian sexual values. Regarding geographic gap, there were significant gaps between the two groups' view of the opposite sex, sexual roles and chastity. Concerning view of the opposite sex, they attached more importance to the inner aspects of the opposite sex than his or her look, and they wanted to date in a natural manner. Regarding sexual roles, they were relatively well cognizant of gender equity and the importance of male and female roles. As to view of chastity, they looked upon sex as natural, not as what's ugly or ashamed of. Third, concerning their outlook on sex education, approximately more than half the students felt the needs for sex education, and there was a significant difference between the urban and rural students. They wanted to receive education about the prevention of sexual violence and physical changes during puberty the most, and there was a significant gap between the urban and rural students in this aspect. As to the time for sex education, they thought that students should start to be exposed to sex education in their fifth or sixth year. This finding signified that fifth or sixth graders who were in the beginning of puberty started to have a lot of interest in their own physical changes. Therefore, sex education would produce better effects when it's provided to fifth or sixth graders. Nearly half them preferred single-gender class when they received sex education, and there's no gap between the urban and rural students in that regard.

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The Location of Medical Facilities and Its Inhabitants' Efficient Utilization in Kwangju City (광주시(光州市) 의료시설(醫療施設)의 입지(立地)와 주민(住民)의 효율적(效率的) 이용(利用))

  • Jeon, Kyung-Sook
    • Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.163-193
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    • 1997
  • Medical services are a fundamental and essential service in all urban areas. The location and accessibility of medical service facilities and institutions are critical to the diagnosis, control and prevention of illness and disease. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a study on the location of medical facilities in Kwangju and the utilization of these facilities by the inhabitants. The following information is a summary of the findings: (1) Korea, like many countries, is now witnessing an increase in the age of its population as a result of higher living standards and better medical services. Korea is also experiencing a rapid increase in health care costs. To ensure easy access to medical consultation, diagnosis and treatment by individuals, the hierarchical efficient location of medical facilities, low medical costs, equalized medical services, preventive medical care is important. (2) In Korea, the quality of medical services has improved significantly as evident by the increased number of medical facilities and medical personnel. However, there is still a need for not only quantitative improvements but also for a more equitable distribution of and location of medical services. (3) There are 503 medical facilities in Kwangju each with a need to service 2,556 people. This is below the national average of 1,498 inhabitants per facility. The higher locational quotient and satisfactory population per medical facility showed at the civic center. On the other hand, problem regions such as the traditional residential area in Buk-Gu, Moo-deung mountain area and the outer areas of west Kwangju still maintain rural characteristics. (4) In the study area there are 86 general medicine clinics which provide basic medical services. i. e. one clinic per every 14,949 residents. As a basic service, its higher locational quotient showed in the residential area. The lower population concentration per clinic was found in the civic center and in the former town center, Songjeong-dong. In recently build residential areas and in the civic center, the lack of general medicine clinics is not a serious medical services issue because of the surplus of medical specialists in Korea. People are inclined to seek a consultation with a specialist in specific fields rather than consult a general practitioner. As a result of this phenomenon, there are 81 internal medicine facilities. Of these, 32.1% provide services to people who are not referred by a primary care physician but who self-diagnose then choose a medical facility specializing in what they believe to be their health problem. Areas in the city, called dongs, without any internal facilities make up 50% of the total 101 dongs. (5) There are 78 surgical facilities within the area, and there is little difference at the locational appearance from internal medicine facilities. There are also 71 pediatric health clinics for people under 15 years of age in this area, represents one clinic per 5,063 people. On the quantitative aspect, this is a positive situation. Accessibility is the most important facility choice factor, so it should be evenly located in proportion to demander distribution. However, 61% of 102 dongs have no pediatric clinics because of the uneven location. (6) There are 43 obstetrical and gynecological clinics in Kwangju, and the number of residents being served per clinic is 15,063. These services need to be given regularly so it should increase the numbers. There are 37 ENT clinics in the study area with the lower concentration in Dong-gu (32.4%) making no locational differences by dong. There are 23 dermatology clinics with the largest concentration in Dong-Gu. There are 17 ophthalmic clinics concentrated in the residential area because of the primary function of this type of specialization. (7) The use of general medicine clinics, internal medicine clinics, pediatric clinics, ENT clinics by the inhabitants indicate a trend toward primary or routine medical services. Obstetrics and gynecology clinics are used on a regular basis. In choosing a general medicine clinic, internal medicine clinic, pediatric clinic, and a ENT clinic, accessibility is the key factor while choice of a general hospital, surgery clinic, or an obstetrics and gynecology clinic, thes faith and trust in the medical practitioner is the priority consideration. (8) I considered the efficient use of medical facilities in the aspect of locational and management and suggest the following: First, primary care facilities should be evenly distributed in every area. In Kwangju, the number of medical facilities is the lowest among the six largest cities in Korea. Moreover, they are concentrated in Dong-gu and in newly developed areas. The desired number of medical facilities should be within 30 minutes of each person's home. For regional development there is a need to develop a plan to balance, for example, taxes and funds supporting personnel, equipment and facilities. Secondly, medical services should be co-ordinated to ensure consistent, appropriate, quality services. Primary medical facilities should take charge of out-patient activities, and every effort should be made to standardize and equalize equipment and facility resources and to ensure ongoing development and training in the primary services field. A few specialty medical facilities and general hospitals should establish a priority service for incurable and terminally ill patients. (9) The management scheme for the inhabitants' efficient use of medical service is as follows: The first task is to efficiently manage medical facilities and related services. Higher quality of medical services can be accomplished within the rapidly changing medical environment. A network of social, administrative and medical organizations within an area should be established to promote information gathering and sharing strategies to better assist the community. Statistics and trends on the rate or occurrence of diseases, births, deaths, medical and environment conditions of the poor or estranged people should be maintained and monitored. The second task is to increase resources in the area of disease prevention and health promotion. Currently the focus is on the treatment and care of individuals with illness or disease. A strong emphasis should also be placed on promoting prevention of illness and injury within the community through not only public health offices but also via medical service facilities. Home medical care should be established and medical testing centers should be located as an ordinary service level. Also, reduced medical costs for the physically handicapped, cardiac patients, and mentally ill or handicapped patients should be considered.

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Rapid Rural-Urban Migration and the Rural Economy in Korea (한국(韓國)의 급격(急激)한 이촌향도형(離村向都型) 인구이동(人口移動)과 농촌경제(農村經濟))

  • Lee, Bun-song
    • KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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    • v.12 no.3
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    • pp.27-45
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    • 1990
  • Two opposing views prevail regarding the economic impact of rural out-migration on the rural areas of origin. The optimistic neoclassical view argues that rapid rural out-migration is not detrimental to the income and welfare of the rural areas of origin, whereas Lipton (1980) argues the opposite. We developed our own alternative model for rural to urban migration, appropriate for rapidly developing economies such as Korea's. This model, which adopts international trade theories of nontraded goods and Dutch Disease to rural to urban migration issues, argues that rural to urban migration is caused mainly by two factors: first, the unprofitability of farming, and second, the decrease in demand for rural nontraded goods and the increase in demand for urban nontraded goods. The unprofitability of farming is caused by the increase in rural wages, which is induced by increasing urban wages in booming urban manufacturing sectors, and by the fact that the cost increases in farming cannot be shifted to consumers, because farm prices are fixed worldwide and because the income demand elasticity for farm products is very low. The demand for nontraded goods decreases in rural and increases in urban areas because population density and income in urban areas increase sharply, while those in rural areas decrease sharply, due to rapid rural to urban migration. Given that the market structure for nontraded goods-namely, service sectors including educational and health facilities-is mostly in monopolistically competitive, and that the demand for nontraded goods comes only from local sources, the urban service sector enjoys economies of scale, and can thus offer services at cheaper prices and in greater variety, whereas the rural service sector cannot enjoy the advantages offered by scale economies. Our view concerning the economic impact of rural to urban migration on rural areas of origin agrees with Lipton's pessimistic view that rural out-migration is detrimental to the income and welfare of rural areas. However, our reasons for the reduction of rural income are different from those in Lipton's model. Lipton argued that rural income and welfare deteriorate mainly because of a shortage of human capital, younger workers and talent resulting from selective rural out-migration. Instead, we believe that rural income declines, first, because a rapid rural-urban migration creates a further shortage of farm labor supplies and increases rural wages, and thus reduces further the profitability of farming and, second, because a rapid rural-urban migration causes a further decline of the rural service sectors. Empirical tests of our major hypotheses using Korean census data from 1966, 1970, 1975, 1980 and 1985 support our own model much more than the neoclassical or Lipton's models. A kun (county) with a large out-migration had a smaller proportion of younger working aged people in the population, and a smaller proportion of highly educated workers. But the productivity of farm workers, measured in terms of fall crops (rice) purchased by the government per farmer or per hectare of irrigated land, did not decline despite the loss of these youths and of human capital. The kun having had a large out-migration had a larger proportion of the population in the farm sector and a smaller proportion in the service sector. The kun having had a large out-migration also had a lower income measured in terms of the proportion of households receiving welfare payments or the amount of provincial taxes paid per household. The lower incomes of these kuns might explain why the kuns that experienced a large out-migration had difficulty in mechanizing farming. Our policy suggestions based on the tests of the currently prevailing hypotheses are as follows: 1) The main cause of farming difficulties is not a lack of human capital, but the in­crease in production costs due to rural wage increases combined with depressed farm output prices. Therefore, a more effective way of helping farm economies is by increasing farm output prices. However, we are not sure whether an increase in farm output prices is desirable in terms of efficiency. 2) It might be worthwhile to attempt to increase the size of farmland holdings per farm household so that the mechanization of farming can be achieved more easily. 3) A kun with large out-migration suffers a deterioration in income and welfare. Therefore, the government should provide a form of subsidization similar to the adjustment assistance provided for international trade. This assistance should not be related to the level of farm output. Otherwise, there is a possibility that we might encourage farm production which would not be profitable in the absence of subsidies. 4) Government intervention in agricultural research and its dissemination, and large-scale social overhead projects in rural areas, carried out by the Korean government, might be desirable from both efficiency and equity points of view. Government interventions in research are justified because of the problems associated with the appropriation of knowledge, and government actions on large-scale projects are justified because they required collective action.

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