OBJECTIVES: The symptoms of fungal infections vary from minor to severe. According to recent reports, fungal infection prevalence is increasing due to increases in the aging population and in patients with compromised immune systems. However, the total prevalence of fungal infections in South Korea is unknown. We investigated the recent 5-year prevalence of each type of fungal infection in South Korea across age, sex, and regional groups. METHODS: Nationwide data from the National Health Insurance of South Korea were used. The target population included patients who had received treatment for a fungal infection that was listed as the main disease. For each patient, multiple treatments were counted as one case per year in the data analysis. RESULTS: The annual prevalence of all-type mycoses increased from 6.9% in 2009 to 7.4% in 2013. Among the specific groups, the prevalence of dermatophytosis was highest (5.2%), followed by that of opportunistic mycoses (1.7%) and superficial mycoses (0.2%). The prevalence of subcutaneous mycoses and generalized mycoses was very low (8 cases per 100,000 persons and 3 cases per 1 million persons, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Every year, approximately 7.1% of the Korean population receives treatment for fungal diseases. Cases of opportunistic mycoses are assumed to increase each year. Therefore, further research is needed to understand and monitor the prevalence of mycoses to establish management policies to reduce the burden of fungal diseases.
Aging ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Immune System ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Mycoses ; National Health Programs* ; Prevalence* ; Statistics as Topic ; Tinea

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop a health needs assessment (HNA) tool for persons with brain disorders and to assess the unmet needs of persons with brain disorders using the developed tool. METHODS: The authors used consensus methods to develop a HNA tool. Using a randomized stratified systematic sampling method adjusted for sex, age, and districts, 57 registered persons (27 severe and 30 mild cases) with brain disorders dwelling in Seoul, South Korea were chosen and medical specialists investigated all of the subjects with the developed tools. RESULTS: The HNA tool for brain disorders we developed included four categories: 1) medical interventions and operations, 2) assistive devices, 3) rehabilitation therapy, and 4) regular follow-up. This study also found that 71.9% of the subjects did not receive appropriate medical care, which implies that the severity of their disability is likely to be exacerbated and permanent, and the loss irrecoverable. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the HNA tool for persons with brain disorders based on unmet needs defined by physicians can be a useful method for evaluating the appropriateness and necessity of medical services offered to the disabled, and it can serve as the norm for providing health care services for disabled persons. Further studies should be undertaken to increase validity and reliability of the tool. Fundamental research investigating the factors generating or affecting the unmet needs is necessary; its results could serve as basis for developing policies to eliminate or alleviate these factors.
Adult ; Aged ; Brain Diseases/*physiopathology ; Disabled Persons/rehabilitation/*statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Health Services Needs and Demand/*statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Needs Assessment/*standards

PURPOSE: To identify the effectiveness of policy evaluation, consistent monitoring is necessary. This study aimed to carry out mid-term evaluation of objectives and programs related to comprehensive plans for sodium intake reduction by 2020 for Seoul city and then reestablish the objectives of the sodium intake reduction plans. METHODS: Literature reviews, data analysis, and reviews of expert focus-groups were performed to evaluate objectives, to develop a new goal, and to identify the priority subjects of the sodium intake reduction programs. In order to examine target populations for the programs, awareness and behaviors related to sodium intakes among Seoul citizens were examined by sex, age, and income level using the 2008~2013 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. RESULTS: Current objectives of the sodium intake reduction plan by 2020 for Seoul city were not appropriate, so objectives were reset to 3,600 mg of sodium intake by 2020 among Seoul citizens with 2% reduction per year. Although sodium intake showed a decreasing trend by year, it was still high, especially in men. The sodium intake reduction programs currently in progress have not been assessed at multiple levels across multiple sectors and have only been assessed fragmentarily. For dietary behavior related to sodium intakes by sex, age, and income level, sodium intake was higher in the group with less than 100 g of fruit intake compared to the group with 100 g or more. Subjects aged 30~59 years and the low household income group showed relatively higher sodium intakes. Based on the data analysis and the expert review, the priority subject of the sodium intake reduction programs was determined to be adult men. In terms of a program strategy for sodium intake reduction, multi-level and setting approaches, including work sites, home, and restaurants, were suggested to reduce sodium intakes of the target subject. CONCLUSION: The suggested objectives should be consistently monitored by data analysis, and the determined programs need to be phased in over 5 years.
Adult ; Family Characteristics ; Fruit ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Korea ; Local Government* ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys ; Restaurants ; Seoul* ; Sodium* ; Statistics as Topic

OBJECTIVEIn China, the coverage rate of work injury insurance was 23.2%in 2011, which was far lower than expected. The factors affecting the insurance's enrollment has very little known. This paper aims to study the existing coverage of work injury insurance scheme and its influencing factors.

METHODSThe data were collected from 2 836 workers who came from 9 industries in three cities of Zhejiang province using face-to-face questionnaire interview.

RESULTSOf these 2836 workers, the work injury insurance coverage was 50.1%, and 29.6% were not sure if they were covered or not. The results showed that the awareness of occupational disease and industrial injury insurance was helpful in increasing the coverage rate. Besides, the logistic regression analysis showed that in certain circumstances working population shared higher coverage of work injury insurance. For examples, male workers with local household registration and longer working years; people who had been informed about occupational risk factors, and thus gained more training on the issue; people who had exposed to occupational hazards or involved in administrative duties; and people who had already insured by a medical insurance scheme. In the contrary, the heavier family burden with longer working hours per week they needed, the lower possibility they joined the insurance scheme.

CONCLUSIONSThe coverage of work injury insurance is higher than native average level but much lower than the average international level. The awareness of occupational disease and injury insurance was closely associated with the coverage of work injury insurance. Therefore, it is imperative to popularize the knowledge on OHS for migrant workers, as well as to reinforce the supervision and management of the issue would have been an effective way to elevate the coverage rate of work injury insurance.

China ; Cities ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Insurance Coverage ; statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Occupational Diseases ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Transients and Migrants

The demand for knowledge of productive health and the current status of productive health services provided by relevant governmental institutions were qualitatively and quantitatively studied. The study identified the key factors that influenced the demand for the productive health services and results of the services. It also discussed the effective approaches to control, planning and sustainable development of the reproductive health services for the floating populations.
Attitude to Health ; China ; Health Services Accessibility ; Health Services Needs and Demand/*statistics & numerical data ; Questionnaires ; *Reproductive Health Services/supply & distribution ; Sampling Studies ; Transients and Migrants ; Travel ; Urban Health Services/*organization & administration ; Urban Health Services/standards ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the treatment compliance and basic health needs of rural patients with gastric ulcer. METHODS: One hundred and sixteen patients with gastric ulcer were measured with treatment compliance questionnaire. The questionnaire contained 3 aspects: chemical therapy, regular callback, and improvement in life style, and had another part of questions which were designed to investigate the basic health needs of the patients. RESULTS: The patient compliance rate in the aspect of improvement in life style was 4.3% (n=5). Both of the counterparts in the other 2 aspects were 7.8% (n=9). The main correlative factor with treatment compliance of the investigated patients was economic income. There were 105 patients (90.5%) needing health consultation, 98 patients (84.5%) needing diet instruction and 93 patients (80.2%) needing regular physical examination among the 116 patients investigated. CONCLUSION The treatment compliance rate of rural patients with gastric ulcer was very low. It is necessary to emphasize health education.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Compliance ; statistics & numerical data ; Peptic Ulcer ; Rural Health Services ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

UNLABELLEDOBJECTIVE To understand the demands and influencing factors on the community-based health care service (CHS) among the elderly and to provide evidence of implementing health service for them

METHODSCluster sampling method was used on 717 persons aged 60 and above in Yanjiao Developing Area. A survey was carried out, using questionnaire and focus group discussion approaches.

RESULTSData showed that a two-week prevalence of diseases was 56.3% while the overall prevalence of chronic diseases was 92.1% with 70.0% of them suffering from more than two kinds of chronic diseases. The rates of ADL and IADL loss were 1.8% and 7.0% respectively with 37.0% of them sought medical consultation in the past two weeks. Major reason affecting the use of health service was low income. 57.7% of the elderly expressed their willingness of accepting CHS with the strongest demands as regular physical check-up, health education and consultation, specialized care services, home care service while major reasons hindering the acceptance of CHS could be referred to self-perception on good stamina and lack of awareness to CHS.

CONCLUSIONThe demands of CHS in the elderly were greater than those in general population that called for CHS programs to be acceptable and relevant to meet the different needs.

Aged ; China ; Community Health Services ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; statistics & numerical data ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care ; statistics & numerical data

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the demand in breast cancer patients during hospitalization and the affective factors. METHODS: A self-developed " breast cancer patients demand questionnaire" was used in 115 breast cancer patients in hospital, and multiple linear regression was used to analysis of the impacts of each domains and total scores. RESULTS: The average score in domain of disease knowledge is highest, about 3.77. The total score,physiological score, social psychological need score in patients during operation are higher than those in patients during chemotherapy,the scores were 140.07, 31.82, 59.57 and 126.38, 28.87, 51.64,respectively. The total scores were effected by the type of pathology and education levels. In addition, the demands also were related with the type of surgery, treatment stage, family structure and family economic income. CONCLUSION The demand in breast cancer patients during hospitalization includes the disease knowledge, physiological, social psychological need. Different individualized intervention should be taken in the difference patients.
Adult ; Breast Neoplasms ; psychology ; therapy ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; statistics & numerical data ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Health Education ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Health ; statistics & numerical data ; Rural Population ; statistics & numerical data ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Transients and Migrants ; statistics & numerical data ; Young Adult

Adolescent ; China ; Female ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Male ; Referral and Consultation ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases ; prevention & control ; Single Person ; Young Adult