Acceptability of Service Targets for ICT-Based Healthcare / 대한의료정보학회지

OBJECTIVES: In order to adopt and activate telemedicine it is necessary to survey how medical staff, who are providers of medical service, and consumers, who are the service targets, perceive information and communication technology (ICT)-based healthcare service. METHODS: This study surveyed the awareness and acceptability of ICT-based healthcare by involving service targets, specifically workers and students living in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions who are consumers of healthcare service. To determine the correlation among awareness of ICT-based healthcare, the need for self-management, and acceptability, this study conducted a correlation analysis and a simple regression analysis. RESULTS: According to the responses to the questions on the need for ICT-based healthcare service by item, blood pressure (n = 279, 94.3%) and glucose (n = 277, 93.6%) were revealed to be the physiological signal monitoring area. Among the six measurement factors affecting ICT-based healthcare service acceptability, age, health concerns, and effect expectation had the most significant effects. As effect expectation increased, acceptability became 4.38 times higher (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified a positive awareness of service targets on ICT-based healthcare service. The fact that acceptability is higher among people who have family disease history or greater health concerns may lead to service targets’ more active participation. This study also confirmed that a policy to motivate active participation of those in their 40s (who had high prevalence rates) was needed.

Effects of Awareness and Knowledge of Energy Drinks on Consumption Patterns among College Students

BACKGROUND: We examined the consumption patterns and the knowledge and awareness of energy drinks to draw up a guideline for energy drink consumption and to give accurate information to college student. METHODS: Data from 324 subjects (186 males and 138 females) were collected using self-administered questionnaires. The study participants were recruited from the Gyeonggi-do, Seongnam area between March and June 2013. RESULTS: The results showed that there was a significant gender-based difference in awareness of energy drinks- 56.5% (78/139) of the males and 78.9% (71/90) of the females had negative awareness (P<.001). As for recognizability of taurine by awareness of energy drinks, there were intergroup differences: the mean was 3.89 for the group with positive awareness and 3.31 for the negative awareness group (P=.001). The odds ratio for awareness of energy drinks was 2.75 (95% CI:1.05-7.18) and those with positive awareness consumed more than those with negative awareness (P=.039). CONCLUSIONS: This investigation on the factors that affect energy drinks consumption behaviors is of significance in that it helps make known the high caffeine content of energy drinks, and accurate knowledge of the side effects and appropriate consumption.