BACKGROUND

Polyphenol intake is associated with reduced cardiometabolic risk factors such as dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and obesity. Pigmented rice varieties such as red, purple, and black rice contain polyphenols; however, are not commonly consumed. Apart from price and sensory properties, awareness of its availability, perception of health benefits, and intent to purchase may influence consumer preference and consumption.

This study aimed to develop and validate a short questionnaire designed to determine awareness of the availability, perception of health benefits, and intent to purchase pigmented rice.

The study included three phases: (1) tool development, (2) expert validation, and (3) reliability testing. Questions were initially evaluated for clarity and relevance by two Nutritionist-Dietitians and then by seven lay individuals through a focus group discussion. Following the revision, seven food and nutrition experts evaluated the face and content validity of the questionnaire. Validity was assessed via computation of Item and scale content validity indices and kappa statistics. The validated tool was then tested for internal consistency and parallel form reliability of English and Filipino versions among lay individuals (n=31) and then evaluated for reliability based on Cronbach’s alpha and Intraclass correlation coefficients.

The questionnaire was found to have an acceptable face (I-CVI: 1.00; S-CVI/UA: 1.00; K=1.00) and content validity (I-CVI: 0.86-1.00; S-CVI/UA: 0.96-1.00; K= 0.85-1.00) and reliability (α=0.96-1.00).

The developed questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for assessing awareness of the availability, perception of health benefits, and intent to purchase pigmented rice.

The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of the hospital and insurer in causing delayed reimbursement of medical insurance benefits. We analyzed major variables at three different sized hospitals to examine the effect of the hospital and insurer using the two-way ANOVA method. The results were as follows: 1. The time interval between claim by hospitals and payment of the benefit was statistically different according to hospital in both admission and outpatient care. 2. The time needed by the insurer for investigating the claimers was statistically different according to hospital and insurer in both admission and outpatient care. There was interaction between the hospital and insurer factors in outpatient care. 3. Although there was interaction between the hospital and insurer factors in admission care, the time interval between claim and payment was statistically different. In outpatient care, the payment interval between claim and payment was also statistically different according to the hospital and insurer.
Ambulatory Care ; Insurance Benefits* ; Insurance Carriers ; Insurance*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing practices of health behavior for cancer prevention in university students. METHODS: Data were collected by questionnaires from 332 university students in J city. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Scheffes test, and stepwise multiple regression analysis were performed with SPSS/WIN 21.0. RESULTS: The mean score of practices of health behavior for cancer prevention was 3.18+/-.41. Significant factors that affect practices of health behavior for cancer prevention in university students were self-efficacy, perceived benefits, health status, activity related affect, exercise, family's economic status, and the fear of cancer. These variables explained 31.7% of practices of health behavior for cancer prevention. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that the level of practices of health behavior is not sufficient for cancer prevention among university students. Therefore it is necessary to develop a tailored education program to improve the practices of health behavior for cancer prevention in university students. It is also suggested that the education be focused on self-efficacy, perceived benefits and activity related affect.
Education ; Health Behavior* ; Humans ; Insurance Benefits

Like any other medical technology or intervention, diagnostic tests should be thoroughly evaluated before their introduction into daily practice. Increasingly, decision makers, physicians, and other users of diagnostic tests request more than simple measures of a test's analytical or technical performance and diagnostic accuracy; they would also like to see testing lead to health benefits. In this last article of our series, we introduce the notion of clinical utility, which expresses-preferably in a quantitative form-to what extent diagnostic testing improves health outcomes relative to the current best alternative, which could be some other form of testing or no testing at all. In most cases, diagnostic tests improve patient outcomes by providing information that can be used to identify patients who will benefit from helpful downstream management actions, such as effective treatment in individuals with positive test results and no treatment for those with negative results. We describe how comparative randomized clinical trials can be used to estimate clinical utility. We contrast the definition of clinical utility with that of the personal utility of tests and markers. We show how diagnostic accuracy can be linked to clinical utility through an appropriate definition of the target condition in diagnostic-accuracy studies.
Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Humans ; Insurance Benefits

The objective of this study was to provide basic reference data for stabilization scheme of medical insurance benefits through forecasting of the medical care utilization rate, the medical expense per case, and the treatment days per case in medical insurance program for government employees and private school teachers and for industrial workers. For the achievement of above objective, this study was carried out by Bos-Jenkins time series analysis (ARIMA Model), using monthly statistical data from Jan. 1979 to Dec. 1989, of medical insurance program for government employees and private school teachers and for industrial workers. The results are as follows; ARIMA model of the medical care utilization rate in medical insurance program for government employees and private school teachers was ARIMA (1, 1, 1) and it for outpatient in medical insurance program for industrial workers was ARIMA (1, 1, 1), while it for inpatient in medical insurance program for industrial workers was ARIMA (1, 0, 1). ARIMA model of the medical expense per case in medical insurance program for government employees and private school teachers and for outpatient in medical insurance program for industrial workers were ARIMA (1, 1, 0), while it for inpatient in medical insurance program for industrial workers was ARIMA (1, 0, 1). ARIMA model of the treatment days per case of both medical insurance program for government employees and private school teachers and industrial workers were ARIMA (1, 1, 1). Forecasting value of the medical care utilization rate for inpatient in medical insurance program for government employees and private school teachers was 0.0061 at dec. 1989, 0.0066 at dec. 1994 and it for outpatient was 0.280 at dec. 1989, 0.294 at dec. 1994, while it for inpatient in medical insurance program for industrial workers was 0.0052 at dec. 1989, 0.0056 at dec. 1994 and it for outpatient was 0.203 at dec. 1989, 0.215 at 1994. Forecasting value of the medical expense per case for inpatient in medical insurance program for government employees and private school teachers was 332,751 at dec. 1989, 354,511 at dec. 1994 and it for outpatient was 11,925 at dec. 1989, 12,904 at dec. 1994, while it for inpatient in medical insurance program for industrial workers was 281,835 at dec. 1989, 293,973 at dec. 1994 and it for outpatient was 11,599 at dec. 1989, 11,585 at 1994. Forecasting value of the treatment days per case for inpatient in medical insurance program for government employees and private school teachers was 13.79 at dec. 1989, 13.85 at dec. 1994 and it for outpatient was 5.03 at dec. 1989, 5.00 at dec. 1994, while it for inpatient in medical insurance program for industrial workers was 12.23 at dec. 1989, 12.85 at dec. 1994 and it for outpatient was 4.61 at dec. 1989, 4.60 at 1994.
Forecasting ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Insurance Benefits ; Insurance* ; Moclobemide* ; Outpatients

PURPOSE: In the present study, the difference in patients' nursing demands and nursing performance as perceived by the patients was examined. METHODS: The participants were 272 patients on maintenance hemodialysis at five university hospitals. Nursing need and nursing performance were measured using the tool developed by Lee for this study. RESULTS: The mean score for nursing demand was 3.35 points out of 4. The scores were higher for participants with middle school graduation or less, those not professing religion, and those whose medical insurance was of the medicaid type. The mean score for perceived nursing performance was 3.22 points out of 4. Nursing performance as perceived by hemodialysis patients was lower than nursing demand for 22 of 28 items. The item with the largest difference between nursing performance and nursing demand was 'Give a pain-free injection', followed by 'Explain about insurance benefits and supports' and 'Maintain quiet environment in the hemodialysis unit enabling rest during hemodialysis'. CONCLUSION: The results show that nursing performance as perceived by hemodialysis patients was lower than nursing demand. This result indicates a need to develop appropriate strategies to enhance nursing performance, especially for items that showed low nursing performance.
Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Insurance ; Insurance Benefits ; Medicaid ; Oxalates ; Renal Dialysis

Development of new drugs using the incrementally modified drug (IMD) technique is becoming increasingly popular in the pharmaceutical industry. The technique addresses the critical need of pharmaceutical companies to reduce the astronomical budget required to develop a new drug. Incremental drug modification can encompass modification of the structure, formulation, or indication of existing drugs. Typical examples of the technique include modification of chemical structure, changes to formulation, and development of compound drugs. While some large pharmaceutical companies use the technique as a strategic tactic to prolong patent rights and maintain a profitable brand, it can also offer many health benefits, such as the discovery of new uses for the same compound, improved safety, and raised patient compliance. Several incrementally modified drugs have already been marketed for psychiatric use, and many more are waiting for approval. This new trend may expand the options available to clinicians; the usefulness of chiral and long-acting drugs has already been proven in clinical practice. This review presents an overview of the incrementally modified drug technique and its current status in psychopharmacology. It also discusses the economic and clinical implications of the current popularity of this technique.
Budgets ; Drug Industry ; Human Rights ; Insurance Benefits ; Patient Compliance ; Psychopharmacology*

Development of new drugs using the incrementally modified drug (IMD) technique is becoming increasingly popular in the pharmaceutical industry. The technique addresses the critical need of pharmaceutical companies to reduce the astronomical budget required to develop a new drug. Incremental drug modification can encompass modification of the structure, formulation, or indication of existing drugs. Typical examples of the technique include modification of chemical structure, changes to formulation, and development of compound drugs. While some large pharmaceutical companies use the technique as a strategic tactic to prolong patent rights and maintain a profitable brand, it can also offer many health benefits, such as the discovery of new uses for the same compound, improved safety, and raised patient compliance. Several incrementally modified drugs have already been marketed for psychiatric use, and many more are waiting for approval. This new trend may expand the options available to clinicians; the usefulness of chiral and long-acting drugs has already been proven in clinical practice. This review presents an overview of the incrementally modified drug technique and its current status in psychopharmacology. It also discusses the economic and clinical implications of the current popularity of this technique.
Budgets ; Drug Industry ; Human Rights ; Insurance Benefits ; Patient Compliance ; Psychopharmacology*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the factors affecting vegetable preferences of children based on the social cognitive theory to reduce imbalances in vegetable consumption. METHODS: The survey investigated 177 elementary school students in Yangsan, Gyeongsangnam-do, in June of 2018. The subjects consisted of 44 fifth graders (27.7%) and 128 (72.3%) sixth graders. RESULTS: Among personal factors of the Social Cognitive Theory, positive outcome expectation and self-efficacy of the vegetable preference group were significantly higher than those of the non-preference group. Negative barrier scores of the non-preference group were significantly higher than those of the preference group, and the biggest barrier was that vegetables were tasteless. Among behavioral factors, the nutritional knowledge of vegetables was high, but the degree of practice was low. Practice score of the vegetable preference group was significantly higher than that of the non-preference group. Among environmental factors, the vegetable preference group was more likely to accept advice from people around them than the non-preference group and the most influential people were doctors and parents. In the vegetable intake environment, children in the vegetable preference group had high accessibility to vegetables. Correlation analysis and regression analysis of the social cognitive factors and vegetable preferences revealed all factors except nutritional knowledge showed significant correlation with vegetable preference. And surrounding people (p < 0.01), practice (p < 0.01), and self-efficacy (p < 0.05) had positive effects on vegetable preference. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that providing the health benefits from eating vegetables and educating children for improving their self-confidence are necessary for increasing the preference for vegetables and their intake by children.
Child ; Eating ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Humans ; Insurance Benefits ; Parents ; Vegetables

This study was conducted to assess the equity in the regional insurance scheme through analysis of the computerized data from one regional insurance society and National Federation of Medical Insurance. We analysed the insurance contribution and benefit by the classes based on total and income-related contribution per household. The major findings of this study are as follows: 1. The average proportion of income-related contribution among the total was 39.2% and the upper classes show higher proportion of the income-related contribution. 2. The upper classes show higher health care utilization rate than the lower classes. It suggests that the lower classes have relatively large unmet medical needs. 3. The analysis through the Lorenz curve reveals that there exists transference of contributions from the upper to lower classes. But the cumulative percentage of insurance benefit is smaller than that of the number of the insured. It implies that regional medical insurance scheme in Korea has still some inequity in the context of social security principles.
Delivery of Health Care* ; Family Characteristics ; Insurance Benefits ; Insurance* ; Korea ; Social Security