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Objectives: This study analyzed the financial performance and its determinants in Korean long-term care hospitals (LTCHs), to provide for managerial implications. Methods: A multivariatre regression analysis was conducted using 2023 financial and resource data from 181 LTCHs to investigate three financial indicators (operating margin, net profit, and operating revenue per 100 beds) related to hospital-level and regional factors. Results: A Larger bed size improved operating margins. A high number of doctors per 100 beds enhanced financial measures operating margin and operating revenue per 100 beds ; conversely, increased labor and administrative costs consistently lowered LTCHs’ performance. Metropolitan location and private ownership displayed positive associations. However, regional competition had no significant influence. Conclusions: LTCHs’ financial performance is primarily shaped by internal operational efficiency and structural factors, with limited direct influence from regional competition. These findings underscore the importance of strategic management in adapting to evolving healthcare policies.

Objectives: This study analyzed the financial structure factors affecting the profitability of psychiatric hospitals by utilizing newly disclosed financial statements from 2022, following the expansion of mandatory financial disclosure requirements. Methods: Financial statements from 94 psychiatric hospitals for fiscal year 2023 were examined using multiple regression and Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition. Profitability was assessed according to operating margin, net profit margin, and return on assets (ROA). Key explanatory variables included current ratio, leverage, and financial asset ratio, with hospital size, ownership, and region as controls. Results: A higher current ratio improved operating margin (β=0.5%, p=0.049). Leverage reduced net profit margin (β=-3.7%, p=0.017) and ROA (β=-17.6%, p<0.001). Financial asset ratio also lowered ROA (β=-101.6%, p<0.001), particularly under high leverage. Decomposition indicated that financial variables explained 0.7% of ROA differences, while structural and operational factors accounted for 16.8%. Conclusions: To strengthen profitability, psychiatric hospitals should pursue balanced financial management, focusing on liquidity optimization, prudent leverage, and judicious allocation of financial assets.

Objectives: This examine the effect of shift work type on sleep disturbance and the mediating role of subjective well-being. Methods: Using secondary data from the 7th Korean Working Conditions Survey, 2,756 wage workers aged 20 or older were analyzed with descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, multiple regression, and PROCESS Macro (Model 4). Results: Sleep disturbance varied by shift type; split and permanent shifts exhibited the highest and lowest levels, respectively. Older age, marital status, and having children were associated with sleep disturbance. Subjective well-being was negatively related to sleep disturbance but did not mediate the association between shift type and sleep disturbance. Conclusions: Irregular shifts, particularly split shifts, increase sleep disturbance. Furthermore, subjective well-being reduces sleep disturbance but does not buffer the effect of shift type. Accordingly, sleep health interventions should address both scheduling and emotional well-being.

Objectives: To identify key factors influencing turnover intention among shift-working nurses, such as general characteristics, person–environment fit, career commitment, and organizational silence. Methods: A survey was conducted among 144 shift nurses working at a general hospital in South Korea in August 2024. Data were analyzed using t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression with SPSS 25.0 to identify the predictors of turnover intention. Results: Turnover intention was significantly influenced by age, clinical/department experience, salary, and job satisfaction. The final regression model was significant (F=3.73, p<.001), with person–organization fit, person–job fit, career commitment, and prosocial silence emerging as key predictors of turnover intention. The model explained 28.6% of the variance in turnover intention (Adj.R²=.286). Conclusions: To reduce nurse turnover, hospitals should improve person-organization and person-job fit, enhance career commitment, and foster an open culture to mitigate organizational silence.

Objectives: To examine the impact of demographic changes on specialty-specific healthcare utilization at the county (si/gun/gu) level. Methods: A fixed-effects panel model was used to analyze a 2017-2023 panel dataset with demographic indicators and utilization by specialty (visits and patients). Regions were grouped by aging, fertility, and migration changes to compare utilization patterns. Results: Panel analysis revealed that demographic changes significantly influenced medical service use in key specialties. Obstetrics and pediatrics displayed clear differences in utilization between top and bottom demographic change groups, while psychiatry exhibited consistently high growth across all groups. Conclusions: Demographic shifts affect healthcare utilization differently across specialties, which underscores the need for region-specific health policies and resource allocation. This study provides evidence to inform strategies for reducing healthcare utilization disparities.

Objectives: This study investigated the influence of the school environment and parenting attitudes on adolescents’ life satisfaction, with particular attention to the mediating roles of depression and self-esteem. Methods: Data were obtained from the 6th Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey(KCYPS 2018) and analyzed using SPSS) and Analysis of Moment Structures(AMOS). Results: Eight structural paths were found to be statistically significant. The school environment, parenting attitudes, and self-esteem showed direct effects on adolescents’ life satisfaction. Furthermore, the school environment and parenting attitudes indirectly affected life satisfaction through depression and self-esteem. Depression also indirectly influenced life satisfaction via self-esteem. These findings highlight the importance of both individual and contextual factors in shaping adolescents’ life satisfaction. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of both individual and contextual factors in shaping adolescents’ life satisfaction. Specifically, interventions that enhance supportive school environments, foster positive parenting attitudes, improve self-esteem, and reduce depression may effectively promote adolescents’ life satisfaction. These results can also provide empirical evidence to inform the development of targeted intervention programs.

Objectives: To determine the influence of the general characteristics and health behaviors of adolescents on tooth-brushing frequency. Methods: The SPSS program(ver.21.0:IBM Corp.) was used to analyze the frequency of general characteristics, subjective health perception, and oral health behaviors, as well as to investigate the effects of subjective health perception, stress, and GAD-7 on tooth-brushing frequency, using a multiple regression analysis. Results: Of the respondents, 81.3% brushed their teeth more than twice the previous day. Significant differences in toothbrushing frequency were observed among those with better subjective health, thinner body types, lower stress levels, and lower GAD-7 scores. Conclusions: Subjective health awareness and behavior, including mental health, affect an individual's oral health behavior, such as tooth-brushing frequency. Therefore, strategies that consider physical, mental, and psychological factors should be developed to promote oral health.

Objectives: This study was intended to examine changes in self-reported oral symptoms among Korean adolescents across three phases of the COVID-19 pandemic: pre-COVID, during COVID, and the transition phase following the peak of the pandemic. Methods: Data from 329,357 students who participated in the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey were analyzed. Four symptoms were examined: broken or fractured teeth, pain from hot/cold foods, throbbing or aching pain, and gum pain or bleeding. Complex sample logistic regression was used, adjusting for sex, school type, region, economic status, academic achievement, and living arrangement. Results: Trauma- and stimulus-related symptoms decreased significantly during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. Gum pain or bleeding increased slightly during the transition phase (OR=1.031, p=0.020), but trends varied by symptom type. Conclusions: COVID-19 had heterogeneous effects on oral symptoms among adolescents. These findings highlight the importance of symptom-specific strategies and continuous preventive oral health services during public health crises.

Objectives: This study examined the effect of PM2.5, and the mediating effect of physical activity on adult obesity in Korea. Methods: Data of 27,155 adults participated in the 2016 to 2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included in the National Air Pollution Database. The effect of annual average PM2.5 on obesity was analyzed using logistic regression and generalized additive models, and the mediating effect of physical activity was tested using the bootstrap method. Results: When the annual average PM2.5 concentration exceeded the Korean air quality standard, the risk of obesity was significantly higher (OR=1.098, p<0.01), and the body mass index also significantly increased. Mediation analysis further indicated that physical activity partially mediated the association between annual average PM2.5 concentration and obesity. Conclusions: These findings suggest that exposure to PM2.5 may contribute to an increased obesity risk by reducing physical activity. The results provide evidence to support stricter particulate matter control and the promotion of physical activity in public health policies.

Objectives: This study examined diffusion and de-adoption of cardiovascular devices in Korea. Methods: Nationwide claims data (2010–2024) from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service were analyzed for drug-eluting stents (DES), bare metal stents (BMS), percutaneuous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) ballon, and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) ballon. Annual trends were estimated using linear regression, and segmented regression was use to test changes before and after the 2014 policy change which removed stent limits. Results: Use of DES, PTA ballons and PTCA balloons increased steadily, with PTA balloons showing the fastest growth (CAGR 12%). BMS declined sharply (–26% CAGR), nearly disappearing after 2020. Segmented regression showed no significant policy effect on DES, while BMS decline slowed and remained downward after 2014. Regional use was concentrated in Seoul and Gyeonggi, and clinics rapidly adopted PTA balloons from 2018. Conclusions: Healthcare institutions showed rapid diffusion of new medical devices and selective de-adoption of older varieties. The 2014 policy reinforced existing patterns rather than creating new shifts. These results highlight the need for reimbursement and technology assessment policies that reflect regional and institutional heterogeneity.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the association between income change after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and job types, considering both the job collar and status of workers. Methods: This study used data from the 2021 Community Health Survey conducted by Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. A total of 97,680 participants were included. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to clarify the association between job types and income change after COVID-19. Results: Considering both the job collar and status of worker, pink-collar employers and self-employed people were the most vulnerable population among all job types. Those who were females, middle-aged, married, lived in multi-person households, and lived in rural areas were more likely to experience income change after COVID-19. Conclusions: This study suggests that appropriate long-term supporting policies for those experiencing economic difficulties due to COVID-19 should be established considering job types.