• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.328-334
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• 2021

Background: This study was conducted to investigate factors related to unmet medical needs of medical care in adult diabetes patients and to suggest factors related to unmet medical in Korea. Methods: This study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES) 2014-2017. The subjects of the study were conducted on patients with unmet medical needs experience among the patients and analyzed using the IBM SPSS ver. 25.0 program (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results: Overall, 10.9% of patients had unmet medical needs. Being female, less educated, and lower medical aid were related to unmet medical needs. And subjects with poor subjective health and higher stress level were more likely to report unmet medical needs. Conclusion: Although comprehensive health insurance coverage, 10.9% of people with diabetes experienced unmet healthcare needs. The results of this study suggest that socioeconomic factors such as low education and medical aid were associated with unmet medical needs.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.31-41
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• 2018

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate whether employment status is associated with the experience of unmet care needs. Methods: This study utilized the Korea Health Panel data from 2012 to 2016. A total of 4,083 workers were selected as baseline subjects in 2012 and were followed for four years. This study used the GLIMMIX procedure under the marginal model while adjusting for covariates. Results: A total of 12.4% of 4,083 people said they had failed at least once to have a treatment or checkup despite the needs. Those more likely to experience unmet care needs were women and people of lower income level, with worse health conditions and chronic disease. Precarious workers, the self-employed, and the unemployed were more likely to experience unmet care needs caused by economic burden than permanent workers (Odds Ratio: 2.14, 2.07, 2.74, respectively). Conclusions: This disparity means that precarious workers and the unemployed are more likely to face barriers in obtaining needed health services. Given their insecure employment status, meeting their needs for health care is an important consideration.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.273-294
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• 2023

Background: Most developed countries are working to improve their universal health coverage systems. This study investigates regional disparities in unmet healthcare needs and their causes in South Korea. Additionally, it compares the unmet healthcare needs rate in South Korea with that of 33 European countries. Methods: The analysis incorporates information from 13,359 adults aged 19 or older, using data from the Korea Health Panel. The dependent variables encompass the experience of unmet healthcare needs and the three causes of occurrence: "burden of medical expenses," "time constraints," and "lack of care." The primary variable of interest is the region of residence, while control variables encompass 14 socio-demographic, health, and functional characteristics. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis, accounting for the sampling design, is conducted. Results: The rate of unmet healthcare needs in Korea is 11.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.0%-13.3%), which is approximately 30 times higher than that of Austria (0.4%). The causes of unmet healthcare needs, ranked in descending order, are "lack of care," "time constraints," and "burden of medical expenses." Predictive probabilities for experiencing unmet healthcare needs and each cause differ significantly between regions. For instance, the probability of experiencing unmet healthcare needs due to "lack of care" is approximately 10 times higher in Gangwon-do (13.5%; 95% CI, 13.0%-14.1%) than in Busan (1.3%; 95% CI, 1.3%-1.4%). The probability due to "burden of medical expenses" is approximately 14 times higher in Seoul (4.1%; 95% CI, 3.6%-4.6%) compared to Jeollanam-do (0.3%; 95% CI, 0.2%-0.4%). Conclusion: Amid rapid sociodemographic transitions, South Korea must make significant efforts to alleviate unmet healthcare needs and the associated regional disparities. To effectively achieve this, it is recommended that South Korea involves the National Assembly in healthcare policy-making, while maintaining a centralized financing model and delegating healthcare planning and implementation to regional authorities for their local residents-similar to the approaches of the United Kingdom and France.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.22-31
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• 2017

Purpose: The purposes of this secondary analysis study was to examine prevalence, risk factors and unmet healthcare needs among adults with hypertension. Methods: A sample of 3,386 adults over the age of 40 with hypertension were drawn from the Korea Health Panel Study (2013). Using SPSS 22.0 version, descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, chi-square and logistic regression were performed. Results: Results showed that 18.9% of the sample reported unmet healthcare needs with the most frequently cited one was financial burdens (43.2%). The reported experiences of unmet healthcare needs differed by gender, marital status, vision or hearing impairment, memory problem, impaired mobility, subjective health status, total family income, depressive episode and the difficulty in making decisions. The sample participants were more likely to report unmet healthcare if they had vision impairment, low income and perception that their health status as moderate to poor. Those without vision impairment were less likely to report unmet healthcare needs. Conclusion: The identified risk factors of unmet healthcare needs should be addressed which would enhance access both to health care and to resolution of unmet healthcare needs. Since visual ability seems to impact perception of unmet healthcare needs, it may be useful to find ways to address this factor.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2015

Background: The objective of this research is to investigate and provide analysis of the economic participatory change affecting the unmet needs of health care in Korean adults. Methods: We used Korea health panel 4th and 5th data of 10,261 adults. The method of investigation is threefold. First, We identified the regional factors affecting unmet needs of health care. Second, we analyzed the effect of economic participatory change as it affects the unmet needs of health care. Third, we also investigated whether there were discernable differences between the age subgroups. Results: It was determined that influencing factors included sex, education, economic level, and health status. And after the subgroup analysis of age, we found that the economic participatory change was associated with the economical unmet needs of health care especially for those over 40 years of age. Also the population are facing unemployment enduring particular economic hardship in meeting their medical needs. Conclusion: This study finds that there are some policy recommendations for the sake of medical service equality. Medical welfare policy for those 40 years of age and older has been identified as an area that needs improvement. And considering that those 40 years of age and older are facing unemployment enduring particular economic hardship in meeting their medical needs, this study finds a need for government sponsored medical stipends or subsidizing of medical premiums, co-payment, and other fees.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

Purposes: The purpose of this study, was to identify similar factors between reasons for unscreening and unmet health care needs through prior research, and based on this, we wanted to figure out the relevance between the medical screening and unmet health care needs. Methodology: The analysis was conducted using data from 9,640 adults aged 19 or older who don't have a missing value from 16,277 participants in the 7th, 1st&2nd Year (2016&2017) of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Unmet health care needs were investigated as a self-reported questionnaire of whether medical service was required but not received. And the analysis was performed through the Chi-Square Test and Multi-logistic Regression analysis. Findings: As a result of the analysis, unmet healthcare needs were higher who received only one type of screening comparative to who screened both. and were highest who screened neither. Practical Implications: Unmet health care needs are the center of a vicious cycle, such as morbidity and mortality, which is detrimental to the quality of life, and continues to increase. Therefore, it is necessary to find ways of realizing health care that guarantees the health rights of all citizens by policy guarantee and support for the subjects to recognize the importance of thorough education of screenings rather than only health screening or cancer screening.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.125-132
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• 2023

Objectives: This study used the 2018 Korea Health Panel Survey data to analyze factors affecting employment status and income relating to unmet dental and medical care needs. Additionally it investigated measures to reduce oral health inequality among various socioeconomic classes. Methods: Descriptive statistics for the subjects' unmet dental and medical care needs were calculated through chi-square test analysis, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to identify factors affecting the unmet dental and medical care needs. The odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated for each level. These data were analyzed using STATA 17.0 SE (64-bit) version, and the statistical significance level was set to p<0.05. Results: As a result of unmet dental and medical care needs according to general characteristics, the lower the education level (p<0.001), the higher the age (p<0.001) and the lower the household equalization income (p<0.024) and the smoker status (p<0.003) were, respectively. Factors that have a statistically significant impact on unmet dental and medical care needs were divorce, separation and bereavement (p<0.001) in individuals than in married persons, and being smokers than non-smokers (p<0.009). The frequency of unmet dental and medical care needs were found to be lower in the cases of a high school graduate than an elementary school graduate (p<0.018), and of higher household equalization income (p<0.001) than the lowest household equalization income, respectively. Conclusions: It was found that various factors such as age, education level, household equalization income, employment status, type of working hours type, and smoking status affect unmet dental and medical care needs.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.571-580
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• 2020

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with unmet dental needs among adults with activity limitations. Methods: Data were obtained from the seventh Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). The final sample consisted of 945 adults aged 20 years or older with limited activity. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the influence of predisposing, enabling, and need factors on unmet dental needs. Results: The proportion of adults with unmet dental needs during the last year was 52.2% in the middle-aged group and 45.5% in the older adult group. Higher household income was associated with fewer unmet dental needs in both groups. In the older adult group, married people were less likely to have unmet dental needs. In the middle-aged group, adults who perceived their oral health as poor were more likely to have unmet dental needs. Conclusions: All three factors (predisposing, enabling, and need) were found to be associated with unmet dental needs among adults with activity limitations. Special efforts should be made to improve access to dental care services for middle-aged adults with activity limitations.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.787-795
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• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to investigate the degree of disparity in unmet dental care needs in Korean adults. Methods: Using data from the 5th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 9,573 adults between 25-54 years old were selected. The reason for unmet dental care needs was analyzed by chi square test and logistic regression analysis. Results: Those having unmet oral health care needs accounted for 41.3%. The majority of the reason (1,036 persons) was "busy with school or work" and the second reason was financial burden (1,028 persons). Those who were female individuals (OR: 1.14, CI: 1.02-1.27), having higher income (OR: 0.85, CI: 0.72-0.99), and perceiving poor oral health status (OR: 5.68, CI: 4.64-6.95). Conclusions: It is necessary to extend and implement the nationwide public assistance of dental care services among the second-to-the bottom and low income people.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.355-360
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to examine unmet dental care needs and related factors among adults in Korea. The study included a nationally representative sample of Koreans (Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2104). The dependent variable was unmet dental care need and the independent variables were socioeconomic status and oral health status. The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were performed to identify the associations between explanatory variables and unmet dental care needs. The major causes of unmet dental care needs included economic burden, work life, and academic reasons; in addition, dental treatment was considered to have lower priority. The factors that had statistically significant relationships with unmet dental care needs were sex, age, self-rated oral health status, and difficulty in mastication. The findings of the study, suggest a need for lower dental insurance copayments in keeping with the policies and principles aimed at strengthening the national health insurance system. In addition, groups with limited access to dental services should be identified, and effective health care policies and services should be established for these individuals.