• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.89-99
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• 2018

Objectives : To compare the degree of achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) among 39 developing countries in Africa and to investigate the correlation between health care financing and the UHC index. Methods : For data, 14 UHC indexes were used in 2015 supplied by the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, this study used a 10% of threshold point corresponding to the catastrophic health expenditures and a 25% of threshold points as a health care financing index. Results : It was found that there were significant difference among Least Low Developed Countries (LLDCs), Other Low Income Countries (Other LICs), Lower Middle Income Countiies (LMICs), Upper Middle Income Countires (UMICs) to compare the average value by nation on the UHC index. This study showed that the UHC index of LLDCs was lowest, but the average value was higher as it moved towards LMICs and UMICs. In addition, it was found that there was an average value difference among the groups like LLDCs, Other LICs, LMICs and UMICs. As a result of comparison, it was found that the spending of household health expenditure increased as LLDCs moved towards UMICs when the burden of household health expenditure was 25%. Conclusions : This study aimed to compare the UHC indexes of African nations and to investigate the correlation between the degree of spending of total expenditure on health and burden of household health expenditure and UHC, and its effect.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.407-409
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• 2012

The ACTION (Asean CosTs In ONcology) Study will be one of the largest observational studies of the burden of cancer ever conducted in Asia. The study will involve 10,000 newly diagnosed patients with cancer and will be carried out across eight low- and middle income countries within the ASEAN region (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Viet Nam, Laos and the Philippines). Patients will be interviewed three times over 12 months to assess their health, use of health care services, out of pocket costs related to their illness, social and quality of life issues. The project is a collaboration between the George Institute for Global Health, the ASEAN Foundation and Roche. The aim of the study is to assess the health and socioeconomic impact of cancer on patients in ASEAN communities, and the factors that may impact on these outcomes.

• Journal of Information Science Theory and Practice
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.60-76
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• 2024

Broadband Internet has proven to be vital for economic growth in developed countries. Developing countries have implemented several initiatives to increase their broadband access. However, its full potential can only be realized through adoption and use. With lower-middle-income countries accounting for the majority of the world's unconnected population, this study employs the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to investigate users' intentions to adopt broadband. Rural Tanzania was chosen as a case study. A cross-sectional study was conducted over three weeks, using 155 people from seven villages with the lowest broadband adoption rates. Non-probability voluntary response sampling was used to recruit the participants. Using the TPB constructs: attitude toward behavior (ATB), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC), ordinal regression analysis was employed to predict intention. Descriptive statistical analysis yielded mean scores (standard deviation) as 3.59 (0.46) for ATB, 3.34 (0.40) for SN, 3.75 (0.29) for PBC, and 4.12 (0.66) for intention. The model adequately described the data based on a comparison of the model with predictors and the null model, which revealed a substantial improvement in fit (p<0.05). Moreover, the predictors accounted for 50.3% of the variation in the intention to use broadband Internet, demonstrating the predictive power of the TPB constructs. Furthermore, the TPB constructs were all significant positive predictors of intention: ATB (β=1.938, p<0.05), SN (β=2.144, p<0.05), and PBC (β=1.437, p=0.013). The findings of this study provide insight into how behavioral factors influence the likelihood of individuals adopting broadband Internet and could guide interventions through policies meant to promote broadband adoption.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.485-486
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• 2023

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.463-469
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• 2020

Reduction of the under-5 mortality rate is a target of the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate under-5 child mortality rates in 52 low-migration countries using population data. The study utilized population data from the US Census Bureau from 1990 to 2015. The method involved first estimating mortality rates for countries with negligible net migration and then applying these rates to countries with matching mortality profiles, where it is reasonable to assume that migration is negligible for children under the age of 5 years. The highest child mortality was concentrated in the African region, followed by Asia and the Western region. However, steady progress in child mortality trends was concentrated in low-income countries. This simple method demonstrated that child mortality has significantly improved in high-income countries, followed by middle- and low-income countries. To reduce the under-5 mortality rates even further in these 52 countries, there is a need to accelerate equitable plans and policies related to child health to promote children's longevity and survival.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.5035-5042
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• 2014

Background: Knowledge and individual perceptions about adverse effects of all forms of tobacco exert direct influence on the level of tobacco consumption in various socio-demographic groups. The objective of this study was to determine the nature, extent and demographic correlates of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of use of tobacco among adults in low and middle income countries. Materials and Methods: The Global Adult Tobacco Survey, conducted in fourteen different countries from 2008-2010, was sourced for the data analyzed in this study. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted to determine the prevalent knowledge and individual perceptions amongst adults about all forms of tobacco consumption. Results: There was relatively high awareness about the harmful effects of smoking tobacco with main awareness being about its relationship with lung cancer (>90% in most countries). In contrast, there was relatively low awareness about harmful effects of smokeless tobacco (< 90% in all countries except India and Bangladesh), and observed correlation of smoking tobacco with heart attack (40.6% in China, 65.1% in India) and stroke (28.2% in China, 50.5% in India). Conclusions: A large proportion of adults living in low and middle income countries possess adequate knowledge about smoking tobacco but have inadequate awareness as well as false perceptions about smokeless forms of tobacco. Popular beliefs of inverse relationships of tobacco consumption with knowledge, attitudes and perception of populations towards tobacco are challenged by the findings of this study.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.111-127
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• 2023

Objectives: Pre-pregnancy diet has an important role in preparing for healthy generation. However, evidence on this issue has been scarce. A scoping review synthesising current evidence will support the demand to map 'what has been researched' on pre-pregnancy diet and maternal and child health. Methods: Systematic search was performed using PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, and Study design) framework in electronic databases. Articles were screened for eligibility, summarized, and the quality was assessed using the National Institute of Health assessment tool. The review structure complies with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guide. Results: Forty-two articles were included after full-text screening. Twenty-five studies were in high-income countries (HICs), six in each upper-middle income, five in lower-middle income countries (LMICs), and one in low-income countries (LIC). Based on the regions: North America (n=16), Europe (n=5), South America (n=4), Australia (n=4), Asia (n=5), Middle East (n=2), and sub-Saharan Africa (n=1). The two-most observed diet-related exposures were dietary pattern (n=17) and dietary quality (n=12). The most assessed outcome was gestational diabetes mellitus (n=28) and fetal and newborn anthropometry (n=7). The average quality score±standard deviation was 70±18%. Conclusions: Research related to pre-pregnancy diet is still concentrated in HICs. The context of diet may vary; therefore, future research is encouraged in LMICs and LICs context, and Mediterranean, South-East Asia, Pacific, and African regions. Some maternal and child nutrition-related morbidity, such as anemia and micronutrient deficiencies, have not been discussed. Research on these aspects will benefit to fill in the gaps related to pre-pregnancy diet and maternal and child health.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.602-617
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• 2020

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of income-led growth path induced by government and consumption expenditures. Six of Nordic countries, Latin American countries and South Korea are selected for this purpose due to the fact that these countries have been pursuing income-led growth policy for more than the last decade except South Korea. The structural equation is formulated based on the government and consumption expenditures with lagged variable, and the GLMs estimation is employed for empirical analysis. Although the impacts are not overwhelmingly effective, empirical evidence suggests that income-led growth path contributes to stimulate economic activities which are associated with increasing in national income in Nordic countries and South Korea. However, the income-led growth path is quite weakly operated. Furthermore, it is even unstable in Latin American countries. In addition to this, the policy target would rather be focused on middle consumption group than low consumption group. Overall, it would be concluded that the income-led growth policy should be implemented for complementary purpose. And, it also has to be mentioned that sustainable growth may not be achievable by this policy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.35-46
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• 2022

Background: The growing prevalence of overweight and/or obese children is an important public health problem in both developed and developing countries. Although the association of obesity between parents and their children is well known, its underlying mechanisms are not well established. Purpose: This meta-analysis examined parent-child (PC) relationships in obesity and identified factors such as world region and country income level that may influence this relationship. Methods: We identified all related studies published between January 1, 2015 and May 31, 2020 by conducting a literature search using the MeSH terms "obesity," "overweight," "body mass index," "parent," "child," "associate," and "relate" in the PubMed database in English. Results: The meta-analysis of 23 studies that reported an odds ratio (OR) for parent and child obesity associations found a significant association between parents and children who were overweight or obese (pooled OR, 1.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.85-2.10). A meta-regression analysis was used to examine the sources of interstudy heterogeneity. The association between parent and child obesity was higher in Asia than in Europe and the Middle East and higher in high-income countries than in middle-or low-income countries. In addition, a higher association between parent and child obesity was found when both parents were obese than when only the father or mother was obese. This study from multiple countries indicates a significant PC relationship in weight status that varies according to PC pair type, parent and child weight statuses, world region, and country income level. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the risk of childhood obesity is greatly influenced by parental weight status and indicate that parents could play an important role in preventing child obesity.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.88-109
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• 2019

Purpose - This paper examines the effects of host country's non-economic factors on foreign affiliate's financial and operational performance. Design/Methodology - Using Korean-owned foreign affiliate-level data, we employ various measures that represent host country's non-economic factors and examine their effects on foreign affiliate's performance. We further investigate the effects of local top managers and local middle managers on the impact of country's non-economic factors on foreign affiliate's performance. Findings - We find that local top managers are effective in increasing foreign affiliate's financial performance by dealing with institutional and cultural factors, particularly in high-income countries, while local middle managers are effective in increasing affiliate's operational performance by responding to the changes in doing business factors, particularly in low-income countries. Originality/value - Considering that most of previous FDI studies focus on examining host country's economic factors on firm's FDI decision, our findings suggest that country's non-economic factors are strongly associated with actual business performance of foreign affiliates.