BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are medical conditions that are associated with long durations, slow progress, and lifetime medications. This study aimed to assess the household out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures on NCDs in a 4th class municipality.

This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the characteristics of the households and household heads, healthcare needs, expenditures on medicines, health, and household, and alternative coping strategies to avail healthcare needs.

This study surveyed 200 households from all ten barangays of Ternate, Cavite. Top NCDs recorded include hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, and asthma, while top NCDs medicines recorded were Losartan, Amlodipine, Metformin, and Glimepiride. Blood tests were the most needed medical laboratory service, while X-ray was the most needed diagnostic imaging service. Although more than half of the households have a member with only one NCD— the most prevalent being hypertensive disease, diabetes mellitus and other metabolic diseases—it is also common to have household members taking medicines for two to three NCDs.

This study highlights the need to address issues with lack of access and availability of essential medicines for NCDs especially in the primary health care setting. This study provides evidence on the minimal financial risk protection provided for medicines with data suggesting that it is the primary cause of CHEs for NCDs. Households covered by the Primary Care Benefit Packages were excluded from the study, thus, the estimates derived from the sample may be an overestimate of the true prevalence of CHE in the municipality. Therefore, there is a need to have mechanisms in place to expand insurance coverage and increase government programs catering to certain population groups to reduce the financial burden of medicines for NCDs.

BACKGROUND: We investigated the association between long workhours and marital status change from married to divorced or separated status that might have bad health effects. METHODS: A total of 40,654 participants with married status in 2014 were followed up in 2015. Weekly workhours were categorized into four groups: ≤ 40, 41–52, 53–60, and > 60 hours per week. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between groups of workhours and marital status change after adjusting for age, total monthly household income, working type, and depression with sex stratification. RESULTS: The study populations consisted of 8,346 (20.5%) females and 32,308 (79.5%) males. Odd ratios (ORs) of marital status change for females working for more than 60 hours per week was 4.26 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25–14.5), when working less than or equal to 40 hours per week was used as reference in the crude model. ORs of working more than 60 hours per week was 4.57 (95% CI: 1.02–20.5) in female workers when considering age, total household earning per month, working type of daytime, and depression in a dose-response manner. However, for male workers, long workhours were not significantly related to change of marriage status. CONCLUSIONS: Long workhours for more than 60 hours per week had significantly higher risk of divorce or separation in females, but not in males. Further follow-up studies are needed to evaluate long term effects of long workhours on divorce risk.
Depression ; Divorce ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Marital Status ; Marriage

Sexual function may be affected by diabetes complications, often resulting in marriage difficulties. This study introduced 'I-message' as a communication technique. This study is to understand Gottman's dysfunctional communication between the couple so that they do not use it. Therefore, this study aims to help married couples with diabetic partner to better understand sexual function affected by the diabetes and thereby communicate happily with each other using the 'I-message' technique.
Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Family Characteristics* ; Marriage

This study was undertaken to find out the perception of marital relationship and to understand the typology. The Q-population consisted of 153 statements that were collected and 33 Q-samples were selected. The P-samples for this study were made up of 30 who were married. Each responded to a Q-set of marital relationship according to 9-point scale. The results of Q-sorting were coded and analysed using QUANL PC program. Typological observations were as follows. 1) One in body and spirit type : In type 1, couples had different backgrounds respectively but felt one in body and spirit. 2) Companionship type : 2. Couples had not so much a hierarchial as a horizontal relationship. Couples perceived themselves as interdependent and friends. 3) Adaptation type : Couples readily adapted themselves to a marital relationship. They only depended on their spouses at times and stressed the relationship. Marriage was accepted as destiny rather than choice. On the basis of these results, we suggest: When a marriage is in trouble, that we assess the type of marital relationship in advance and intervene with a proper program. In addition, practical intervention programs need to be developed tailored to the type of subjective perception about the marital relation.
Family Characteristics ; Friends ; Humans ; Marriage* ; Q-Sort ; Spouses

PURPOSE: This study was designed to identify whether alcohol use predicts marital stability and to investigate the mediating effects of marital communication and social support in international married Korean men who lived in a rural area. METHODS: The participants were 200 of the international married men. The data were collected during June, 2010. The instruments were Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Marital Instability (MI), Marital Communication (MC), Social Support (SS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: The mean score for AUDIT was 9.6, and alcohol use was negatively correlated with marital stability, marital communication and social support. We also found that marital communication fully mediated the association between alcohol use and marital stability, while social support did not mediate this association. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of this study indicates a need to develop intervention strategies and education programs that include emphasis on moderate drinking and communication skills for couples in international marriages.
Drinking ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Male ; Marriage ; Negotiating*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the effects of a marital relationship enrichment program on communication, conflict resolution and marital satisfaction in multicultural couples. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group pre-post test design was used. Participants were sampled from couples registered at 2 local centers and 2 multicultural family support centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Sixteen pairs each were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. The experimental group received the marital relationship enrichment program for 120 minutes/session/week for 6 weeks. Data were analyzed using chi2-test, Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, and t-test for subject homogeneity verification, and ANCOVA to examine the hypotheses. RESULTS: Communication and marital satisfaction increased significantly after the program in experimental group compared with control group. Among conflict solution styles, collaborating and compromising increased and avoiding decreased significantly after the program in the experimental group. Competing decreased significantly after the program for wives in the experimental group. Accommodating did not change significantly in either experimental or control groups. CONCLUSION: Results of the study confirm that marital relationship enrichment programs are effective in promoting multicultural couples' communication and marital satisfaction, and causing positive changes in conflict resolution.
Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Marriage ; Negotiating ; Spouses

Parenting needs to be approached by cultural and economic aspects. Our society has become disordered because of the conflicts of multicultural values caused by dramatically developing economy. Between generations there are differences of ideas of many things, which are marriage, diet, daily living, and even relationships with the others. In old days, children were used to learn these values through their extended family. It did not need to be said or shared, but acquired just naturally. We, however, live in a society in which concept of parenting is rapidly changing almost every five years. There is no such a thing called a success or a failure. It can differ based on the perspective we try to look at. There is also difference in peoples' goal. Parenting has a meaning of raising myself, which means that parents become true parents by raising their offspring. Children can be the happiest when they grow surrounded by family and can have strong ties to their parents. There is tremendous amount of stress during perinatal period to both mother and her child. Therefore, closely monitoring mother's anxiety about infant care is the most important step to build proper bonds between a mother and a child. Affection is a crucial mental connection, which makes possible for children to live and also be able to help others. Stable bonds can be foundations of becoming positive and active person and it will affect the child's life entirely. It will be better to teach them how to listen to the others rather than focusing on them too much. Children need to learn how to solve their problems and build their own future. Thus, what parents should do is taking a step back, giving them a time, and waiting for their children to grow up. I believe this is the ultimate parenting purely from love.
Anxiety ; Child ; Diet ; Family Characteristics ; Foundations ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Care ; Love ; Marriage ; Mothers ; Parenting* ; Parents*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate actor and partner effects of sexual attitude and marital intimacy on sexual satisfaction in pregnant couples. METHODS: Data were collected from 176 pairs of the pregnant couples visiting for prenatal care at hospitals from June 18 to September 24, 2016. The collected data were analyzed by paired t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficients using SPSS 18.0 and interdependent effect (Actor-Partner Interdependence Model analysis) through AMOS 18.0. RESULTS: The sexual attitude and marital intimacy of the pregnant woman did not have a partner effect on the sexual satisfaction of her husband, respectively (β=.12, p=.141), (β=.01, p=.938). The sexual attitude of the husband had a partner effect on the sexual satisfaction of the pregnant woman (β=.13, p=.021), but the marital intimacy of the husband did not show a partner effect (β=.07, p=.202). CONCLUSION: Study suggests that the sexual attitude and marital intimacy of pregnant couples should be considered as factors when developing an intervention to improve sexual satisfaction in couples. Moreover, pregnant couples should participate in intervention together because the sexual satisfaction has conceptual view of interdependence in two-person relationships.
Family Characteristics* ; Female ; Humans ; Marriage ; Orgasm* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Care ; Spouses

PURPOSE: The study was aimed to investigate the levels of marital intimacy and quality of life (QOL) among women with breast cancer. METHODS: As a descriptive study, a total of 67 married women with breast cancer was recruited via convenient sampling from a breast clinic in an university hospital. A structured, self-reported questionnaire was administered to the participants. RESULTS: The most participants were housewives in their 40s and 50s, and were in high socioeconomic status. Two thirds of women perceived the marital intimacy with their spouse were increased after the diagnosis of breast cancer. Women's marital intimacy significantly differed by their levels of education. The level of cognitive intimacy was the highest among the subscales, whereas, sexual intimacy was the lowest. The family factor of QOL showed the highest score, and there were differences in QOL by employment status and cancer stage. The QOL and marital intimacy were not correlated significantly. CONCLUSION: Further research on the couples with breast cancer and intervention for increasing their marital intimacy are needed in the future.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Employment ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Humans ; Marriage ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Social Class ; Spouses

The number of international marriages in South Korea has drastically increased since the year 2000, and among these, the proportion of couples with a Korean husband and foreign wife accounts for more than 70%. At the same time, the number of children resulting from an international marriage has also risen dramatically; this tendency is especially evident in preschool children below 6 years of age. This review article shows some of the similarities and differences between children from international marriages and those from non-international households with respect to their growth, development and language skills.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Marriage ; Multilingualism ; Republic of Korea ; Spouses