• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.99-128
• /
• 2008

Nearly all Koreans are insured through National Health Insurance(NHI). While NHI coverage is nearly universal, it is not complete. Coverage is largely limited to minimal level of hospital and physician expenses, and copayments are required in each case. As a result, Korea's public insurance system covers roughly 50% of overall individual health expenditures, and the remaining 50% consists of copayments for basic services, spending on services that are either not covered or poorly covered by the public system. In response to these gaps in the public system, 64% of the Korean population has supplemental private health insurance. Expansion of private health insurance raises negative externality issue. Like public financing schemes in other countries, the Korean system imposes cost-sharing on patients as a strategy for controlling utilization. Because most insurance policies reimburse patients for their out-of-pocket payments, supplemental insurance is likely to negate the impact of the policy, raising both total and public sector health spending. So far, most empirical analysis of supplemental health insurance to date has focused on the US Medigap programme. It is found that those with supplements apparently consume more health care. Two reasons for higher health care consumption by those with supplements suggest themselves. One is the moral hazard effect: by eliminating copayments and deductibles, supplements reduce the marginal price of care and induce additional consumption. The other explanation is that supplements are purchased by those who anticipate high health expenditures - adverse effect. The main issue addressed has been the separation of the moral hazard effect from the adverse selection one. The general conclusion is that the evidence on adverse selection based on observable variables is mixed. This article investigates the extent to which private supplementary insurance affect use of health care services by public health insurance enrollees, using Korean administrative data and private supplements related data collected through all relevant private insurance companies. I applied a multivariate two-part model to analyze the effects of various types of supplements on the likelihood and level of public health insurance spending and estimated marginal effects of supplements. Separate models were estimated for inpatients and outpatients in public insurance spending. The first part of the model estimated the likelihood of positive spending using probit regression, and the second part estimated the log of spending for those with positive spending. Use of a detailed information of individuals' public health insurance from administration data and of private insurance status from insurance companies made it possible to control for health status, the types of supplemental insurance owned by theses individuals, and other factors that explain spending variations across supplemental insurance categories in isolating the effects of supplemental insurance. Data from 2004 to 2006 were used, and this study found that private insurance increased the probability of a physician visit by less than 1 percent and a hospital admission by about 1 percent. However, supplemental insurance was not found to be associated with a bigger health care service utilization. Two-part models of health care utilization and expenditures showed that those without supplemental insurance had higher inpatient and outpatient expenditures than those with supplements, even after controlling for observable differences.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.59-69
• /
• 2010

Green or an environmental consciousness has been a major issue for businesses and government offices, as well as consumers, worldwide. In response to this movement, the Korean government announced, in the early 2000s, the era of "Green Growth" as a way to encourage green-related business activities. The Korean fashion industry, in various levels of involvement, presents diverse eco-friendly products as a part of the green movement. These apparel products include organic products and recycled clothing. For these companies to be successful, they need information about who are the consumers who consider green issues (e.g., environmental sustainability) as part of their personal values when making a decision for product purchase, use, and disposal. These consumers can be considered as eco-sumers. Previous studies have examined consumers' purchase intention for or with eco-friendly products. In addition, studies have examined influential factors used to identify the eco-sumers or green consumers. However, limited attention was paid to eco-sumers' disposal or recycling behavior of clothes in comparison with their green product purchases. Clothing disposal behaviors are ways that consumer can get rid of unused clothing and in clue temporarily lending the item or permanently eliminating the item by "handing down" (e.g., giving it to a younger sibling), donating, exchanging, selling, or simply throwing it away. Accordingly, examining purchasing behaviors of eco-friendly fashion items in conjunction with clothing disposal behaviors should improve understanding of a consumer's clothing consumption behavior from the environmental perspective. The purpose of this exploratory study is to provide descriptive information about Korean eco-sumers who have ecologically-favorable lifestyles and behaviors when buying and disposing of clothes. The objectives of this study are to (a) categorize Koreans on the basis of clothing disposal behaviors; (b) investigate the differences in demographics, lifestyles, and clothing consumption values among segments; and (c) compare the purchase intention of eco-friendly fashion items and influential factors among segments. A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on previous studies. The questionnaire included 10 items of clothing disposal behavior, 22 items of LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) characteristics, and 19 items of consumption values, measured by five-point Likert-type scales. In addition, the purchase intention of two eco-friendly fashion items and 11 attributes of each item were measured by seven-point Likert type scales. Two polyester fleece pullovers, made from fabric created from recycled bottles with the PET identification code, were selected from one Korean brand and one US imported brand among outdoor sportswear brands. A brief description of each product with a color picture was provided in the survey. Demographic variables (i.e., gender, age, marital status, education level, income, occupation) were also included. The data were collected through a professional web survey agency during May 2009. A total of 600 final usable questionnaires were analyzed. The age of respondents ranged from 20 to 49 years old with a mean age of 34 years. Fifty percent of the respondents were males and about 58% were married, and 62% reported having earned university degrees. Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation was used to identify the underlying dimensions of the clothing disposal behavior scale, and three factors were generated (i.e., reselling behavior, donating behavior, non-recycling behavior). To categorize the respondents on the basis of clothing disposal behaviors, k-mean cluster analysis was used, and three segments were obtained. These consumer segments were labeled as 'Resale Group', 'Donation Group', and 'Non-Recycling Group.' The classification results indicated approximately 98 percent of the original cases were correctly classified. With respect to demographic characteristics among the three segments, significant differences were found in gender, marital status, occupation, and age. LOHAS characteristics were reduced into the following five factors: self-satisfaction, family orientation, health concern, environmental concern, and voluntary service. Significant differences were found in the LOHAS factors among the three clusters. Resale Group and Donation Group showed a similar predisposition to LOHAS issues while the Non-Recycling Group presented the lowest mean scores on the LOHAS factors compared to the other segments. The Resale and Donation Groups described themselves as enjoying or being satisfied with their lives and spending spare-time with family. In addition, these two groups cared about health and organic foods, and tried to conserve energy and resources. Principal components factor analysis generated clothing consumption values into the following three factors: personal values, social value, and practical value. The ANOVA test with the factors showed differences primarily between the Resale Group and the other two groups. The Resale Group was more concerned about personal value and social value than the other segments. In contrast, the Non-Recycling Group presented the higher level of social value than did Donation Group. In a comparison of the intention to purchase eco-friendly products, the Resale Group showed the highest mean score on intent to purchase Product A. On the other hand, the Donation Group presented the highest intention to purchase for Product B among segments. In addition, the mean scores indicated that the Korean product (Product B) was more preferable for purchase than the U.S. product (Product A). Stepwise regression analysis was used to identify the influence of product attributes on the purchase intention of eco product. With respect to Product A, design, price and contribution to environmental preservation were significant to predict purchase intention for the Resale Group, while price and compatibility with my image factors were significant for the Donation Group. For the Non-Recycling Group, design, price compatibility with the factors of my image, participation to eco campaign, and contribution to environmental preservation were significant. Price appropriateness was significant for each of the three clusters. With respect to Product B, design, price and compatibility with my image factors were important, but different attributes were associated significantly with purchase intention for each of the three groups. The influence of LOHAS characteristics and clothing consumption values on intention to purchase Products A and B were also examined. The LOHAS factor of health concern and the personal value factor were significant in the relationships with the purchase intention; however, the explanatory powers were low in the three segments. Findings showed that each group as classified by clothing disposal behaviors showed differences in the attributes of a product, personal values, and the LOHAS characteristics that influenced their purchase intention of eco-friendly products. Findings would enable organizations to understand eco-friendly behavior and to design appropriate strategic decisions to appeal eco-sumers.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.432-437
• /
• 2006

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of mulberry-leaf powder Tofu (MPT) on serum lipids profiles, Ca levels, Ca/P ratio and Pb levels in 30 middle aged obese women living in the Choongnam area. 100 g/day MPT was consumed for 4 weeks. The nutrient contents per 100 g MPT were 86.71 kcal (energy), 8.98 g protein, 0.53 mg fiber, 211.33 mg Ca and 1.59 g fat. Anthropometric measurements, 24 h recall dietary intakes, serum levels of protein, albumin, glucose, Ca and Pb, lipid profiles (cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol), and the Ca/P ratio were analyzed before and after consumption of MPT. After consumption of MPT, there were no significant differences in anthropometric measurements, the levels of serum protein, albumin, glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, lipase activity, HTR (HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol), CRF (cardiac risk factor), Ca, Ca/P ratio and Pb. There were decreases in the levels of serum triglyceride, LDL-cholesterol, AI (atherogenic index) and LHR (LDL-cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol). Significantly increased dietary intakes of plant protein, total Ca, and plant Ca were observed.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2018.05a
• /
• pp.27-27
• /
• 2018

The production scale of mushroom cultivation in Korea is approximately 600 billion won, which is 1.6% of the Korean gross agricultural output. Annually, ca. 190,000 tons of mushrooms are harvested in Korea. Although the numbers of mushroom farms and cultivators are constantly decreasing, the total mushroom yields are increasing due to the large-scale cultivation facilities and automation. The recent expansion of the well-being trend causes increase in mushroom consumption in Korea: annual per capita consumption of mushroom was 3.9kg ('13) that is a little higher than European's average. Thus the exports of mushrooms, mainly Flammulina velutipes and Pleurotus ostreatus, have been increased since the middle of 2000s. Recently, however, it is slightly reduced. However, Vietnam, Hong Kong, the United States, the Netherlands and continued to export, and the country has increased recently been exported to Australia, Canada, Southeast Asia and so on. Canned foods of Agaricus bisporus was the first exports of the Korean mushroom industry. This business has reached the peak of the sale in 1977-1978. As Korea initiated trade with China in 1980, the international prices of mushrooms were sharply fall that led to shrink the domestic markets. According to the high demand to develop new items to substitute for A. bisporus, oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) was received the attention since it seems to suit the taste of Korean consumers. Although log cultivation technique was developed in the early 1970s for oyster mushroom, this method requires a great deal of labor. Thus we developed shelf cultivation technique which is easier to manage and allows the mass production. In this technique, the growing shelf is manly made from fermented rice straw, that is the unique P. ostreatus medium in the world, was used only in South Korea. After then, the use of cotton wastes as an additional material of medium, the productivity. Currently it is developing a standard cultivation techniques and environmental control system that can stably produce mushrooms throughout the year. The increase of oyster mushroom production may activate the domestic market and contribute to the industrial development. In addition, oyster mushroom production technology has a role in forming the basis of the development of bottle cultivation. Developed mushroom cultivation technology using bottles made possible the mass production. In particular, bottle cultivation method using a liquid spawn can be an opportunity to export the F.velutipes and P.eryngii. In addition, the white varieties of F.velutipes were second developed in the world after Japan. We also developed the new A.bisporus cultivar "Sae-ah" that is easy to grown in Korea. To lead the mushroom industry, we will continue to develop the cultivars with an international competitive power and to improve the cultivation techniques. Mushroom research in Korea nowadays focuses on analysis of mushroom genetics in combination with development of new mushroom varieties, mushroom physiology and cultivation. Further studied are environmental factors for cultivation, disease control, development and utilization of mushroom substrate resources, post-harvest management and improvement of marketable traits. Finally, the RDA manages the collection, classification, identification and preservation of mushroom resources. To keep up with the increasing application of biotechnology in agricultural research the genome project of various mushrooms and the draft of the genetic map has just been completed. A broad range of future studies based on this project is anticipated. The mushroom industry in Korea continually grows and its productivity rapidly increases through the development of new mushrooms cultivars and automated plastic bottle cultivation. Consumption of medicinal mushrooms like Ganoderma lucidum and Phellinus linteus is also increasing strongly. Recently, business of edible and medicinal mushrooms was suffering under over-production and problems in distribution. Fortunately, expansion of the mushroom export helped ease the negative effects for the mushroom industry.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.223-232
• /
• 2012

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify the relationship between fish consumption and blood mercury levels in a sample of adult Koreans. Methods: The study subjects were 299 residents of Busan (male: 65, female: 234) and 185 residents of Namhae (male: 69, female: 116), South Korea. Demographic characteristics, current smoking, current drinking, fish consumption per week, past history of amalgam treatment, and residential district were recorded by trained interviewers in June and July, 2009. We considered a portion of fish to be equivalent to 70 gm weight, and calculated amounts of fish consumed per week. Using chi-square tests, t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analysis, we estimated the relationships between blood mercury levels and amount of fish consumed per week and other factors. Results: The mean blood mercury level of our subjects was 6.61 ${\mu}g/L$, higher than the criterion defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (5.8 ${\mu}g/L$). In multiple linear regression analysis, residential district and amount of fish consumed per week were associated with blood mercury levels. However, marital status, current drinking, and gender, and age were not associated with blood mercury levels. Conclusions: In conclusion, we suggest the implementation of systematic and periodic population-based studies to decrease the risks of mercury poisoning among South Koreans who consume fish as a regular part of the diet.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.27-44
• /
• 2024

Objectives: This study aimed to provide foundational data for preventing adolescents smoking by analyzing the relationship between adolescents' lifestyles and smoking experiences and identifying influencing factors. Methods: Secondary data analysis was conducted using the 17th (2021) Youth Health Behavior Survey data, encompassing 54,848 students from 796 schools. Variables included general characteristics, smoking status, lifestyle habits, physical activity, sleep patterns, and stress perception. Frequency analysis was used to examine general characteristics, while further analysis employed frequency analysis and the Pearson Chi-square test to compare lifestyle differences based on smoking presence. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was employed to determine factors influencing smoking experience, with IBM SPSS Statistics 28 used for all analyses at a significance level of p<.05. Results: Analysis revealed with general characteristics that the group with smoking experience exhibited a higher proportion of male students (67.4%) compared to the non-smoking group (50.1%) (p<.001). Analysis revealed that the smoking group was more likely to skip breakfast (27.7%), not consume fruit (17.8%), and consume fast food more than three times daily (0.9%). Furthermore, a higher percentage of smokers engaged in 60 minutes or more of breathless physical activity (8.4%) seven times a week, reported insufficient fatigue recovery through sleep (21.6%), and experienced very severe normal stress (17.2%) (p<.001). Analysis of the relationship between lifestyle and smoking indicated increased likelihood of smoking with zero breakfast consumption (OR=1.759, p<.001) and increased fruit consumption (OR=1.921, p<.001), while zero fast food consumption decreased smoking likelihood (OR=0.206, p<.001). Adequate sleep-related fatigue recovery reduced smoking likelihood (OR=0.458, p<.001), whereas increased stress elevated it (OR=1.260, p<.05). Conclusion: Adolescents' lifestyle habits significantly correlated with their smoking experiences, highlighting the necessity of considering lifestyle factors in smoking prevention strategies. This study provides crucial insights for promoting healthy lifestyle changes to prevent smoking among youth.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.43-63
• /
• 2004

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to classify the patterns of health behaviors of some rural residents in Korea by sub-grouping them into populations with similar patterns of diet quality, physical activity, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking, and then to investigate the relationship between these health behavior patterns and health status or health management of them. Methods: The study subjects were 722 rural residents above 20 years old on a typical rural district in Korea, and the data used in this study was from the survey data for health planning of a health center. Study questionnaire for this survey was developed from modifying the questionnaire for 'National Nutrition and Health Study' conducted in 1998. To classify health behavior patterns, cluster analysis was conducted. And to test the association of health behavior patterns with health status or health management, multiple logistic regression analysis were conducted. Results: The results and their implications of this study were as follows: 1. We identified six health behavior typologies : 67.8% of the sample had a good diet quality but showed sedentary activity level(good diet lifestyle) and 10.9% had heavy smoking behavior(smoking lifestyle). Individuals included in fitness lifestyle cluster(6.2%) had high physical activity level and those in drinking life style(2.6%) had had mainly large amount of alcohol. Zero point six percent of sample were included in hedonic lifestyle cluster, who showed poor health behaviors in all. Those included in passive lifestyle(11.9%) had no active health promoting activities but tended to avoid risk taking health behavior such as cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking. 2. As a result of logistic regression analysis, to compare with the individuals in good diet lifestyle, the prevalence of chronic diseases of those in fitness lifestyle showed higher and that of those in smoking lifestyle, drinking lifestyle, hedonic lifestyle, passive lifestyle showed lower than them, retrospectively. 3. Adjusting with general characteristics and health status, to compare with the individuals in good diet lifestyle, the proportion of those who had good health management practices in fitness lifestyle was higher, and the proportion of those who had health check in past 2 years was lower than them, retrospectively. Conclusions: There were some differences in health behavior patterns between rural population and national population, which influenced significantly on health status and health management practice of them. We suggested that the health promotion program for them be developed with considering these points.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.50 no.3
• /
• pp.270-283
• /
• 2017

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine coffee consumption behaviors, dietary habits, and nutrient intakes by coffee intake amount among university students. Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to 300 university students randomly selected in Gongju. Dietary survey was administered during two weekdays by the food record method. Results: Subjects were divided into three groups: NCG (non-coffee group), LCG (low coffee group, 1~2 cups/d), and HCG (high coffee group, 3 cups/d) by coffee intake amount and subjects' distribution. Coffee intake frequency was significantly greater in the HCG compared to the LCG (p < 0.001). The HCG was more likely to intake dripped coffee with or without milk and/or sugar than the LCG (p < 0.05). More than 80% of coffee drinkers chose their favorite coffee or accompanying snacks regardless of energy content. More than 75% of coffee takers did not eat accompanying snacks instead of meals, and the HCG ate them more frequently than LCG (p < 0.05). Breakfast skipping rate was high while vegetable and fruit intakes were very low in most subjects. Subjects who drank carbonated drinks, sweet beverages, or alcohol were significantly greater in number in the LCG and HCG than in the NCG (p < 0.01). Energy intakes from coffee were $0.88{\pm}5.62kcal/d$ and $7.07{\pm}16.93kcal/d$ for the LCG and HCG. For total subjects, daily mean dietary energy intake was low at less than 72% of estimated energy requirement. Levels of vitamin C and calcium were lower than the estimated average requirements while that of vitamin D was low (24~34% of adequate intake). There was no difference in nutrient intakes by coffee intake amount, except protein, vitamin A, and niacin. Conclusion: Coffee intake amount did not affect dietary nutrient intakes. Dietary habits were poor,and most nutrient intakes were lower than recommend levels. High intakes of coffee seemed to be related with high consumption of sweet beverages and alcohol. Therefore, it is necessary to improve nutritional intakes and encourage proper water intake habits, including coffee intake, for improved nutritional status of subjects.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.38-45
• /
• 2017

We evaluated the association between sleep duration, dental caries, and periodontitis by using representative nationwide data. We examined 8,356 subjects aged ${\geq}19$ years who participated in the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013~2014). Sleep duration were grouped into ${\leq}5$, 6, 7, 8, and ${\geq}9$ hours. Presence of dental caries was defined as caries in ${\geq}1$ permanent tooth on dental examination. Periodontal status was assessed by using the community periodontal index (CPI), and a CPI code of ${\geq}3$ was defined as periodontitis. A chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to determine statistical significance. Model 1 was adjusted for age and sex, model 2 for household income, educational level, and marital status plus model 1, and model 3 for smoking status, alcohol consumption, blood pressure level, fasting blood glucose level, total cholesterol level, and body mass index plus model 2. The prevalence of dental caries according to sleep duration showed a U-shaped curve of 33.4%, 29.4%, 28.4%, 29.4%, and 31.8% with ${\leq}5$, 6, 7, 8, and ${\geq}9$ hours of sleep, respectively. In the fully adjusted model 3, the risk of developing dental caries was significantly higher with ${\leq}5$ than with 7 hours of sleep (odds ratio, 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.06~1.43). The prevalence of periodontitis according to sleep duration showed a U-shaped curve of 34.4%, 28.6%, 28.1%, 31.3%, and 32.5%, respectively. The risk of periodontitis was significantly higher with ${\geq}9$ than with 7 hours of sleep in models 1 and 2, whereas the significant association disappeared in model 3. In a nationally representative sample, sleep duration was significantly associated with dental caries formation and weakly associated with periodontitis. Adequate sleep is required to prevent oral diseases such as dental caries and periodontitis.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.49 no.5
• /
• pp.313-322
• /
• 2016

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the relationship among cognitive function, nutrition screening initiative (NSI) score, and food intake status. Methods: A total of 409 subjects aged over 60 years were recruited from the Yongin dementia prevention and control center. Mini Mental State Examination Dementia Screening (MMSE-DS) method was used to assess the cognitive function of the subjects. Information on health related behaviors and food intake was collected by face to face interview using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaires included the NSI DETERMINE checklist, food intake sheets by 24 hr recall method and by semi-quantified food frequency questionnaire. Results: Subjects were divided into low cognitive or normal groups according to the MMSE-DS result. The prevalence of low cognitive function in the subjects was 25.7%. The low cognitive group exercised less and had higher nutritional health risk than the normal group. The low cognitive group had lower consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acid and higher tendency of thiamin, riboflavin, and iron deficiency. The low cognitive group had less frequency of eating mackerel, pepper, tangerine, and watermelon and higher frequency of eating white rice and cookies than the normal group. Conclusion: The results of this study imply that the cognitive function of elderly is related to exercise behavior, nutritional health risk, and food and nutrient intake status.