Background: Reports would say that the health needs of Overseas Filipino Workers are not adequately addressed due to the lack of adequate funds. However, maintaining good health may be less costly and more beneficial in the long run. Objective: This study looks into health priorities and health risk profile of Overseas Filipino Workers to identify specific behaviors to target in promotion of wellness and prevention of disease. Methods: Cross-sectional study of Filipino temporary migrant workers with data collected by means of convenience at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. Results: One hundred seventy-five (60%) were in the unattached young adult stage. Two hundred four (76%) deemed their overall health status as fair with only 1 (0.3%) evaluated their overall health status as poor. The BMI of 48% were within normal range. One hundred twenty-eight (46%) ranked physical health their top priority while social health was deemed least (31%). Eating habits and exercise patterns put the majority (605 each respectively) at moderate health risk. Conclusion: While the participants may feel that they are in good health, they may still have behaviors that may put them at significant health risk. To address this problem, certain information such as the stage in the family life cycle may help in developing a more directed health program. This study hopes to be a springboard for future studies and for innovations in practices. Hopefully primary and secondary measures may be implemented and studied according to their efficacy and efficiency.
HEALTH PRIORITIES

Background: Considering the scope and magnitude of the National Unified Health Research Agenda (NUHRA), the implementation of the agenda requires adequate planning. Reviewing the implementation of the first and second versions of NUHRA, implemented from 2006 to 2010 and from 2011 to 2016 respectively, is thus useful in identifying potential challenges for implementing the current version. Objectives: This article aimed to 1) describe strategies employed in the previous NUHRAs,2) describe uptake of the previous NUHRAs; and 3) identify lessons learned from the implementation of NUHRA 1 and 2. Methods: Review of the NUHRA 1 and 2 evaluation reports and minutes of PNHRS Research Agenda Committee meeting was conducted. Interviews with PCHRD division head and staff and representatives from the academe and regional consortia were also conducted. Results: A total of 96 of the 422 NUHRA 1 priorities were implemented, while 45 of the 56 NUHRA 2 priorities were implemented. While NUHRA 1 implementation was delegated to numerous agencies, dissemination was conducted primarily by PCHRD through launch events and fora. Implementation of the NUHRA 2 was delegated only to the four core agencies of the PNHRS, with each agency employing different strategies for the dissemination of the NUHRA 2. Conclusion Involvement of agencies beyond the core of PNHRS may be the better direction for implementation of the current NUHRA. Strong support and commitment of the core agencies will be key in the effective implementation of the NUHRA.
Health priorities

Introduction: The National Unified Health Research Agenda is a major document whose creation by the Philippine National Health Research Systems is mandated by Philippine Law. Multiple frameworks, methods, and approaches for the development of a health research agenda exists. Available literature on research priority setting have mostly focused on its methods, results, or implementation. There are limited studies on the operations management of conducting a national health research priority-setting exercise. Objectives: This paper aims to describe the operational components utilized to develop the NUHRA 2017-2022 and provide lessons learned for future research priority setting endeavors. Methods: This paper identified and categorized the operational components to develop the NUHRA 2017-2022 using the Enabler Criterion of the European Foundation for Quality Management’s (EFQM) Excellence Model. Results: Operationalizing the development of a national health research agenda requires the harmonization of multiple components. Having region-based staff involved in the production of a regional situational analysis improved its context and accuracy. The workload for each cluster team must be considered and anticipated by the management. Stakeholder engagement requires political, diplomatic, advocacy, marketing, management, and technical skills. The process requires building relationships with various institutions. In a largescale project, management processes must be in place to effectively track and monitor its progress. Conclusion Operations and management are usually a neglected area in research and development projects. In a bottoms-up research priority-setting approach, iteration and flexibility is needed which requires a lot of management skills and insight. Duration of the project, planning, resources available, and quality of outputs have a strong interconnected relationship.
Health Priorities ; Organizational Innovation

Introduction: Priority setting in the context of health research is important for developing countries as it assists policymakers and researchers in effectively and efficiently targeting research topics with the greatest benefit for public health. In the local setting, the Philippine National Unified Health Research Agenda (NUHRA) was formulated to prioritize health research topics that address the health needs of the population alongside the health sector’s goal for universal health care. This paper attempts to understand the alignment of the health research outputs by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) in addressing the priority health needs of the country. Methods: Review of secondary data and key informant interviews was done. Using a thematic analysis approach, we extracted secondary data from the 2006 to 2017 PCHRD Annual Reports to identify the completed PCHRD-funded health research projects. Excluded in scoping of secondary data were the zonal and other unpublished or not readily available online reports. Results: Results show that most research outputs address NUHRA priorities on health technology development and on the health needs on all life stages and triple burden of diseases under the Philippine Health Agenda. However, for research outputs to improve health outcomes, efforts must first be focused on health systems strengthening and the utilization of existing research information. Conclusion Gaps and challenges in the previous NUHRAs suggest that even as researches are aligned to the agenda, they do not necessarily address the health needs of the Philippines.
Support of Research ; Health Priorities

This study was conducted to identify the important research fields and areas for solving current and future health care problems in Korea and to develop priorities in selected research fields and areas. Delphi technique was used to collect expert's opinion. Questionnaire surveys were carried out three rounds, and 29 panel members were invited. From second questionnaire survey, we proposed the median value of score and respondent's score in each item. Prevalence, seriousness and manageability were the main criteria to select the research fields and areas and in priority setting. In health fields, 20 research fields were selected and population, family planning, and environmental pollution were the most important research fields among them. In each research field, several research areas were selected. Because our study had 85 research areas, the priority of research areas was selected in each research fields.
Health Planning/trends* ; Health Priorities/trends* ; Health Services Research/trends* ; Human ; Korea

A main objective of public health work is to increase life expectancy in the best health conditions possible. Mortality data represent essential elements for the quantification of health problems. Death counts and related rates are among the simplest indicators to analyze mortality. They represent a summary measure of a population's mortality experience that may be used to establish and monitor health priorities or objectives. Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) is a measure of the relative impact of several diseases and health problems in a society, The objective of this indicator is to provide a wider view of the relative importance of the most relevant causes of premature mortality and it is used primarily in the planning and definition of health priorities. To proffer the idea for the development of total Hansen service system programme, I present the reviews of the life expectancy and Years of Potential Life Lost in the case under Hansen service and general population in Korea.
Health Priorities ; Humans ; Korea ; Leprosy* ; Life Expectancy* ; Mortality ; Mortality, Premature ; Public Health

This study aims to evaluate the status of Korean healthcare among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries and to monitor the trend of health care status since 2000. The position value for relative comparison (PARC) index was selected to gauge the level of healthcare status in demand, supply, accessibility, quality, and cost as per healthcare policy aspects. The Mann-Kendall test was conducted to allocate healthcare status of Korea since 2000. The PARC values indicate strength and weakness of Korean healthcare system by the mathematical comparisons. Korea positioned higher in demand, supply, accessibility, and quality. Yet, there are shortages in human resources and primary care. In conclusion, we suggest utilizing this study provides evidence to prioritize health care problems that can lead to establishing healthcare policy.
Decision Making ; Delivery of Health Care ; Health Policy ; Health Priorities ; Humans ; Korea ; Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development ; Primary Health Care

China, as a whole, is about to meet the Millennium Development Goals for reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR), but the disparities between rural area and urban area still exists. This study estimated the potential effectiveness of expanding coverage with high impact interventions using the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). It was found that gestational hypertension, antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage, preterm birth, neonatal asphyxia, and neonatal childhood pneumonia and diarrhea are still the major killers of mothers and children in rural area in China. It was estimated that 30% of deaths among 0-59 month old children and 25% of maternal deaths in 2008 could be prevented in 2015 if primary health care intervention coverage expanded to a feasible level. The LiST death cause framework, compared to data from the Maternal and Child Mortality Surveillance System, represents 60%-80% of neonatal deaths, 40%-50% of deaths in 1-59 month old children and 40%-60% of maternal deaths in rural areas of western China.
Child Mortality ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Health Priorities ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Maternal Mortality ; Pregnancy

The purpose of this study was to compare the occupational health concerns and opinions among 4 groups: workers, employers and managers, government officials, and health & safety managers. It could help establishing occupational health plans efficiently and providing the way to solve health problems in workplaces in the Inchon area. The delphi technique which is used for deciding group opinion was adopted for this study. Questionnaires regarding health problems and their priorities in the workplaces were sent to four groups three times. All items were measured by five degree ordinal scales. The four groups agreed with questionnaire items, improvement of working environment, occupational health concerns of the employers, the health concerns of workers, and measurement and analysis of working environment, as the upper five priorities for solving the occupational health problems. Besides with the first five priorities, health examinations, health education, and occupational diseases were suggested as important health problems in workplace.
Delphi Technique ; Health Education ; Health Priorities ; Humans ; Incheon* ; Occupational Diseases ; Occupational Groups ; Occupational Health* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Weights and Measures

Korea is known as the country with the lowest coronary heart disease mortality in the world. The pattern of coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality in Korea has changed remarkably during the last two decades. The objective of this review is to address the recent epidemiologic study findings of CHD in Korea. The age-adjusted mortality from CHD increased significantly during the period 1984~2000. In 2000, the rates for Korean men and women were 15.0 and 10.7, respectively. These rates were 5 times higher than those in 1984 for both men and women. The event rates of CHD, which were estimated in a city in Korea and standardized to the world population for men and women, were 93 and 33 per 100,000, respectively. According to studies conducted in Korea, the major risk factors for CHD are smoking, hypertension and high serum total cholesterol level, similar in western populations. The population attributable risks of smoking, hypertension, and high serum cholesterol level were 41%, 21%, and 20%, respectively. Because Korean men show the highest prevalence rate of smoking in the world (65% in men aged 20 years and older) and the prevalence of hypertension is also high (30% in men aged 30 years and older), a high health priority should be granted to the prevention and control of smoking and hypertension in order to avert the epidemic of CHD.
Cholesterol ; Coronary Disease* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Female ; Financing, Organized ; Health Priorities ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea* ; Male ; Mortality ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking