Organisation For Economic Co-operation And Development Average Research Articles

A cross-national performance comparison universal healthcare systems of Chile, Costa Rica, Italy, and Spain using OECD data

Abstract Objectives To analyze Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) indicators for the Health Systems of Costa Rica, Spain, and Italy, focusing on year-to-year changes. Study design and methods Examining each country’s healthcare systems utilizes a value-for-money approach, aiming to outline their healthcare expenditures relative to the OECD average, while also assessing the value obtained from these investments. This involves contrasting reported indicator values for each country and the OECD average during a year close to the last decade’s outset (year 1) with data around 2020 (year 2). Results Results obtained are based on different indicators and the countries being examined. Costa Rica stood out with lowest healthcare investment, while Chile had the less population coverage for a set core of services. Italy and Spain achieved 100% healthcare coverage. All four regions reported decreased tobacco consumption in terms of non-medical determinants of health. Costa Rica showcased the highest vaccination coverage and experienced the most significant increase in this aspect within healthcare utilization. In the context of resource accessibility, waiting times from specialist assessment to treatment increased the most for hip replacement procedures in Chile, Costa Rica, Italy, and Spain. The Pharmaceutical Consumption analysis highlighted agents acting on the Renin-Angiotensin system as the most widely consumed category. Conclusion This analysis helps reveal the workings of diverse health systems, allowing us to pinpoint areas for potential improvement within each region. By examining the achievements and obstacles faced by other nations, policymakers and healthcare stakeholders acquire a valuable foundation on which to enact reforms.

Evaluating the Results of PISA Assessment: Are There Gaps Between the Teaching of Mathematical Literacy at Schools and in PISA Assessment?

<p style="text-align:justify">The problems in education in the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) vary from country to country. The differences between "upper class" and "lower class" countries in PISA assessment results have led to a research gap. The purpose of this study was to (a) test students' mathematical literacy skills on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test and compare the results using the sum of means across OECD countries; (b) examine the relationship between students' mathematical competence, precision, and self-perception of mathematical literacy skills in the PISA test; and (c) analyze the gaps that exist between the implementation of mathematics instruction in school and the mathematical literacy as measured on the PISA test. This study was designed as a mixed method with an explanatory sequential design. The data collection methods included test procedures, questionnaires, and interviews. The result of this study showed that the overall mean score obtained was below the OECD average. In general, the respondents achieved only level 2 mathematics proficiency. A significant relationship was found between mathematical competence, precision, and self-perception in mathematical skills. On the other hand, there was a gap, namely the difference at the implementation level, where mathematical literacy measured by PISA differed from the measurement of mathematical learning achievement by teachers in school. The results showed that teaching that emphasizes only problem-solving procedures affects low mathematical competence and is not useful enough for students to deal with the PISA mathematics test.</p>

Comparative Study between the Best-Performing Education Systems of the Five Continents and That of Morocco

This study aims to investigate the most successful educational systems worldwide and the Moroccan educational system to determine the causes constraining the socio-educational development in Morocco. This comparative study relies on a qualitative methodology based on an inductive approach called the empirical-inductive approach, which starts from facts and real and observable data. This scientific method allowed us to identify our subject in terms of the best-performing educational system. The sample includes one or two educational systems from five continents: Africa (Morocco), America (Canada and the United States), Asia (Japan), Europe (France and Finland), and Oceania (Australia) through the comparison of the most common criteria between each country mentioned: the school system (cycles), teacher training, the number of hours a teacher works, teacher salaries and the number of students per class. This study provides a clear picture of the most successful education system that has been able to manage the masses and reveals the secret of its successful educational management policies. It is the Canadian education system that is a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) according to the Program for International Student Assessment with an OECD average of 520 (score above the OECD average of 487), and Morocco is in 75th place about four steps from the last with an OECD average of 359 (score well below the OECD average 487). The above is more than a reason to be inspired by the education system of this leading country in the field, which would lead to better results in terms of structural transformation, inclusive development, and efficient management of Moroccan education networks in the coming days.

The trend in density of skilled health personnel in BRICS countries: Implication for China and India.

The similarities and differences in workforce trends in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) may offer reciprocal lessons for emerging economies. We used the Global Health Observatory data to assess the secular trends between 2001 and 2017 in the number of skilled health personnel (SHP: doctors, nurses/midwives) in BRICS compared to the average of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Substantial efforts havebeen made in BRICS to increase SHP availability, as demonstrated by an average exponential growth rate (AEGR)>0.03 in Brazil, China, and India compared to 0.01 in OECD. With an AEGR as high as 0.07 after 2008, China reached the level of SHP availability commensurate with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in 2017. Other than China, BRICS countries had a mean number of nurses and midwives per doctor between 2001 and 2017 higher than or comparable to the OECD average (2.78). The corresponding number in China was 1.04 in 2017, lower than 2.21 in India in 2001. With China as the exception, BRICS countries maintained a sustainable skills mix of SHPs. China reached the level of SHP availability commensurate with the SDGs, but SHP's skill mix was imbalanced.

Disease burden and epidemiologic characteristics of injury in Korea

Background: Injury is a major public health concern because it is a major cause of death and may cause lifelong disabilities. New environmental risk factors, such as extreme climates, are now emerging, and the vulnerable elderly population is rapidly growing. Therefore, understanding the epidemiological characteristics and trends of injury is necessary to establish preventive policies and actions.Current Concepts: Injury accounts for 13.3% of the disease burden in Korea, which is higher than the global proportion (9.8%). In addition, in 2019, the life years lost due to injury in Korea was 973,030, which is also higher than in the other 37 countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Mortality due to injury has shown a downward trend, while mortality due to falls has shown an upward trend since 2010. Mortality due to injury in Korea is higher than the OECD average, and mortality due to intentional self-harm was the highest. Intentional self-harm accounts for 50.8% of deaths due to injury. In hospitalization due to injury, falls account for the largest proportion (38.5%) and frequently occur in older adults.Discussion and Conclusion: Although the mortality rate of injury is decreasing, the magnitude of injury in Korea is still higher than the OECD average. We hope these findings are used as basic data to find a targeted approach for injury prevention.

Finances of the Nation: Is There Tax Convergence Among OECD Countries?

In this article, Luc Godbout and Michaël Robert-Angers assess whether the burden of taxation and the tax structures used to collect tax revenues are converging among member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). After defining the concept of convergence and presenting a methodology for measuring the degree of similarity among tax systems, the authors apply that methodology to OECD data for the period 1981-2018 to examine convergence among 24 member countries and individually for each country relative to the OECD average. While the data indicate convergence for the majority of the 24 countries in terms of the burden of taxation and the way in which tax revenue is collected, Canada is not part of this trend.

First results on financial literacy in Oman

PurposeThis study aims to examine the financial literacy level among the Omani adults and investigate the determinants of financial literacy and its impact on savings and investment behavior.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected using a survey instrument adopted from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) survey for financial literacy and composed of 310 individuals' responses. The authors used a multiple regression analysis to determine the impact of the socio-demographics variables on the financial literacy level.FindingsThe findings are three-fold: first, financial literacy score of Omanis is 10.5 out of 21, which is lower than OECD average. Interestingly, the attitude and behavior scores are in line with the OECD average. However, the knowledge score is drastically lower. Second, financial literacy level is found to be affected by age, gender and the monthly income. Third, individuals with a higher level of financial knowledge are more likely to have monthly savings and investment in stock and bond.Research limitations/implicationsThe Gulf countries have started to modernize their economies. Governments that want to design effective economic reforms need to understand the financial skills of their citizens. The study may have implications for policymakers and financial educators in enhancing the financial knowledge programs for individuals.Originality/valueThe analysis reported in this study is unique because it provides the first systematic research on financial literacy in Oman. This paper contributes to the study of financial literacy from the perspective of emerging markets.

Annual prevalence of unmet healthcare need in Thailand: evidence from national household surveys between 2011 and 2019

BackgroundExtending Universal Health Coverage (UHC) requires identifying and addressing unmet healthcare need and its causes to improve access to essential health services. Unmet need is a useful monitoring indicator to verify if low incidence of catastrophic health spending is not a result of foregone services due to unmet needs. This study assesses the trend, between 2011 and 2019, of prevalence and reasons of unmet healthcare need and identifies population groups who had unmet needs.MethodThe unmet healthcare need module in the Health and Welfare Survey (HWS) 2011–2019 was used for analysis. HWS is a nationally representative household survey conducted by the National Statistical Office biennially. There are more than 60,000 respondents in each round of survey. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) standard questions on unmet need and reasons behind were applied for outpatient (OP), inpatient (IP) and dental services in the past 12 months. Data from samples were weighted to represent the Thai population. Univariate analysis was applied to assess unmet need across socioeconomic profiles.ResultsThe annual prevalence of unmet need between 2011 and 2019 was lower than 3%. The prevalence was 1.3–1.6% for outpatient services, 0.9% - 1.1% for dental services, and lower than 0.2% for inpatient care. A small increasing trend was observed on dental service unmet need, from 0.9% in 2011 to 1.1% in 2019. The poor, the elderly and people living in urban areas had higher unmet needs than their counterparts. Long waiting times was the main reason for unmet need, while cost of treatment was not an issue.ConclusionThe low level of unmet need at less than 3% was lower than OECD average (28%), and was the result of UHC since 2002. Regular monitoring using the national representative household survey to estimate annual prevalence and reasons for unmet need can guide policy to sustain and improve access by certain population groups.

An Examination of Greenhouse Gas Convergence in OECD Countries

Global warming has become one of the most critical factors affecting the world, especially in the last decade. Therefore, it is of great importance to analyze the impact of global warming and take measures. The main factor leading to global warming is considered to be people’s consumption and production behaviors. The primary indicator of this is greenhouse gases. Relevant policy changes need to be made to control greenhouse gases. In this context, it is necessary to determine the differences in greenhouse gas emissions at the national level. To identify these differences, this study applies the convergence hypothesis, which has been the subject of numerous researchers since the 1980s. In this study, we analyzed the greenhouse gas intensity convergence for countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) using linear and nonlinear panel unit root tests. The results of this study show that the greenhouse gas emissions in the OECD countries do not converge to the OECD average.

Determination of the relationship between patient satisfaction and some global economic indicators using multidimensional scaling.

The importance of labor that contributes to the economy and economic power of the country is increasing recently. There is a strong link between health and economy. People are happier, more productive, and provide more contribution to the economy in communities of healthy individuals. In countries with strong economy, serious economic investments are made in the field of health to grow healthy individuals. The purpose of this study is to determine whether patient satisfaction in primary healthcare services is related to economic strength of countries. The data of European Patients Evaluate General/Family Practice (EUROPEP) scale from 2011 at 17 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries are used. The data were compiled from OECD reports and Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health Refik Saydam Hygiene Center Presidency School of Public Health patient satisfaction with primary healthcare services reports. 17 OECD member countries in 2011 health expenditure data, some health indicators, and patient satisfaction are determined to show how grouping in two-dimensional space with the multidimensional scaling. It was observed to vary by countries and groupings that they located in terms of all three criteria. In some countries' economic and health indicators, although quite high compared to the OECD average, citizen satisfaction of healthcare services was low. In some countries, although health expenditure and health indicators are far below the OECD average, citizens' satisfaction with health services has proved to be very high. Multidimensional scaling analysis findings reveal that countries have different positions and groups in terms of each three indicators. According to these results, it cannot be said that high expenditures in the field of health will affect patients satisfaction. Having a strong economy or spending too much money on health does not increase human satisfaction in health care. Effective expenditures on the field of health will increase healthcare service satisfaction. Policy-makers should consider international criteria and take the right steps according to citizens' expectation and satisfaction of healthcare service to implement effective spending.

An evaluation of PISA 2015 achievements of OECD countries within income distribution and education expenditures

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between student achievements, income distribution and expenditure on educational institutions in the member countries of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In the study, the level of student achievements of the member countries was expressed by Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 scores for providing updated data. In the study, income inequality was determined to be one of the variables having impact on the PISA achievements of the students. However, it was considered that some countries, the income inequalities of which were under OECD average, were also successful in PISA 2015. In this regard, it was also searched for an answer to how OECD member countries distribute educational resources, how their public and private expenditure ratios on education were, how their annual expenditure for per student was, and how efficient they use these expenditures on education. It was concluded in the study that the student achievements of OECD member countries were much more associated with fair and efficient use of educational resources, rather than the amount of these resources

Developing a framework for the assessment of the Australian research system

The aim of this research was to develop a framework for the holistic assessment of the Australian research system. Through the identification of indicators and the presentation of data from metrics that encompassed these indicators, this research presented an accurate portrayal of the performance of the Australian research system. This research was developed in response to the Boosting the Commercial Returns from Research report that was presented by the Australian Government in 2014. The current assessment tools are fragmented and do not provide a holistic approach to the evaluation of the Australian research system. Indicators are used to provide a quantifiable analysis of the research system. The indicators used in this research project were resourcing, quality, engagement, return on investment and responsiveness. These indicators had been identified by the Department of Education and other government research. Research was conducted through data mining available databases and through data requested from organisations. These data were presented against the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average in order to determine how Australia was progressing internationally. The quality of Australian research is stronger than the OECD average, with Australian research receiving more citations per publication and more publications per researcher. However, Australia should improve on resourcing its research system through an increase in investment in research to remain competitive, as well as providing incentives for industry collaboration and research commercialisation. This article makes several key recommendations for improving research evaluation frameworks and data collection. The collection of sufficiently robust data will ensure that future frameworks are able to accurately assess the Australian research system.

National Pharmacare in Canada: 2019 or Bust?

It is the Canadian public policy issue that rears its head with regularity, never achieving much more than discussion, and yet never going away entirely. The issue is pharmacare, and once again it is back for discussion among academics and policy-makers, and once again it looks like the discussions will not go anywhere anytime soon. The proposal for a publicly funded pharmaceuticalcoverage plan is frequently on the table in Canada, but it still is not in the cards. Canada is the only member country of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with a public health-care system that does not include coverage for pharmaceuticals. As a result, Canada spends markedly less public money than the OECD average on pharmaceuticals (42 per cent ofdrug payments are public funds, versus the average 70 per cent), although it also spends more than the OECD average on hospitals and doctor visits. Advocates for an expansion of the publicly funded medicare system to include prescription medication note that it has become common for some lower-income Canadians who lack private drug insurance to leave prescriptions unfilled due to the cost, or will miss doses. This affordability problem for lower-income Canadians appears to be getting more serious. However, while Canadians seem to express support for the idea of pharmacare when asked about it in surveys, it remains well behind a list of other improvements to the health-care system that they consider to be of higher priority. They are more interested in improving access and wait times, and they are more concerned about the sustainability of the current system given the increased demands of the aging population. Both employers and workers, meanwhile, also support the existing model of employer-provided drug plans. Perhaps the biggest obstacle for champions of pharmacare, however, is that the term can mean so many different things to different people. There is virtually no consensus on what would even be the appropriate Canadian system, particularly in light of how significant a factor private coverage already is in Canada. A pharmacare plan might include anything from the drastic step of eliminating all private coverage and subsidizing all prescription medicine for all patients regardless of income, to a much narrower program that covers some portion of the cost of only some drugs, for some income levels. There are also countless different possible models between those two. The matter of how much each level of government, provincial/territorial or federal, would be responsible for funding drugs is a whole other, rather thorny matter. The timing of this latest discussion about pharmacare — stimulated mainly by recent proposals and fuelled by the success of the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance in negotiating better bulk drug prices — is also particularly unfavourable. There has been a sudden shift in the dynamic between the federal government and the provinces, where before premiers stood together and collectively bargained with the federal government for health-care funding, but recently splintered and are now making individual deals (while Quebec continues to insist that it must have complete freedom from Ottawa to design its own health system). The difficult fiscal situation across Canada, with so many governments running up debts, would also seem to make it highly unlikely that there will be much enthusiasm for embarking on a new and sizeable social program costing billions of dollars a year. Lacking enough leaders to passionately champion it, and with a public generally uninterested and very unclear on what a national pharmacare program would even entail, it seems that the current discussion about implementing a pharmacare system may come to a stall, like so many discussions before it.

E. Switzerland

In contrast to all of its neighbours, the Swiss Confederation (Switzerland) is not a member of the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA). The country is, however, connected with the EU by a densely knit network of bilateral treaties. As to Switzerland’s state of the environment, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published its Environmental Performance Review on Switzerland on 27 November 2017 (OECD Publishing 2017 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264279674-en>). The OECD, of which Switzerland is a founding member, conducted similar assessments in 1998 and 2007. In its Review of 2017, said international organization pointed out that Switzerland ranks amongst the least carbon-intensive countries within the OECD, emitting 88 kilograms of carbon dioxide in order to generate US $1,000 of gross domestic product (GDP) (the average of all OECD-countries being 256 kilograms of carbon dioxide per US $1,000 of GDP generated). This conforms to roughly 6.4 tonnes per capita emitted in Switzerland per year. It is an economy dominated by not only services but also high shares of renewables and nuclear energy contributes, according to the Review, to this performance. Fossil fuels, accordingly, account for only approximately one-half of the total primary energy supply, considerably below the OECD average of 84 percent. Coal provides for as little as 1 percent of Switzerland’s primary energy supply, the lowest level amongst the OECD’s thirty-five member countries, as the Review notes. The Review furthermore approvingly acknowledges a modal shift of freight from road to rail enhanced by a ‘performance-based charge on heavy goods vehicles’ introduced in 2001, reducing the number of trucks crossing the Swiss Alps by 30 percent between 2000 and 2014. The opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel—at fifty-seven kilometres, the longest railway tunnel worldwide—in December 2016 is projected to accelerate this shift. In regard to heavy traffic, the OECD further highlighted that Switzerland is one of the few countries taxing diesel fuel at a higher rate than petrol on the grounds of higher carbon and air pollutant emissions per unit, while taking note of Switzerland’s comparatively low and decreasing environmental tax rate currently accounting for less than 2 percent of GDP (or a mere €77 per tonne of carbon dioxide, while allowing for a wide range of exemptions).

Understanding the contribution of suicide to life expectancy in South Korea

(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)1.IntroductionSuicide - intentional death resulting from a victim's own action - is the product of a complex interplay between individuals and society (Durkheim 1952). Since the mid1990s, South Korea (hereafter Korea) has experienced an unprecedented increase in suicide, and currently has the third highest suicide rate in the world, after Guyana (44.2 per 100,000) and North Korea (38.5 per 100,000) (World Health Organization 2014). In 2010, Korea had both the highest suicide rate and the highest rate of increase in suicide among the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries (Figure 1). At 33.5 per 100,000, Korea's suicide rate was nearly 2.5 times higher than the average rate for OECD countries (13.3 per 100,000) (World Health Organization Statistical Information System 2014). For Korea, this rate translates into about 40 suicides every day, or about one suicide every 37 minutes. Indeed, the suicide epidemic has become one of the most important and urgent public health concerns in Korea (Kim and Yoon 2013).The alarming rise in Korea's suicide rate has occurred alongside a rapid increase in life expectancy. In 1960, life expectancy in Korea was only 53.0 years, which was well below the OECD average; by 2012 it had risen to 81.4 years, surpassing the OECD average (World Bank Group 2013; Yang et al. 2010) (see Figure 2). This equates to an increase of nearly 28.4 years over the last five decades, or more than one-half year each year, a remarkable gain. With the rapid rise in the suicide rate that began in the mid-1990s, understanding the contribution of suicide to life expectancy has become more critical because it is important for designing effective public policies to promote better population health.The effect of suicide on life expectancy depends on two factors, the proportion of people who commit suicide (that is, the lifetime risk of dying from suicide), and the average age of suicide victims. Hence the effect of change in suicide on change in life expectancy is a function of change in the proportion of people who commit suicide (the suicide rate) and change in the average age of suicide victims compared to their life expectancy. We subsequently describe a method for estimating the separate contributions of change in the suicide rate (the 'incidence component') from change in the average age of suicide victims (the 'age component'). The important point to note here is that change in the suicide rate is not the entire story. Because suicide victims tend to be disproportionately young or middle-aged, the effect of rising suicide rates on life expectancy can be substantially diminished if the age of the suicide victims also rises. Likewise, the effect of falling suicide rates can be diminished if the age of suicide victims declines.To understand the contributions of suicide to life expectancy in Korea, this study examines how much the rise in suicide rate has reduced life expectancy in Korea and why, using the age-incidence decomposition method to separate the age component from the incidence component (Firebaugh et al. 2014). Specifically, this study addresses the following questions. Has the reduction been a) entirely a function of the change in suicide rate (i.e., no age component), or b) a function of change in suicide rates and an age component? If the reduction has been a function of change in suicide rates and an age component, is the age component positive (indicating that the adverse effect of the rising suicide rate has been attenuated), or negative (indicating that the adverse effect of the rising suicide rate has been amplified)?2.Suicide in the Korean contextGiven the unprecedented increase in suicide rates in Korea in the past two decades, its contribution to total mortality is worthy of study. The importance of considering the role of suicide in life expectancy is apparent: Suicide is the leading cause of death for all individuals in their teens, twenties, and thirties. …

1970-2014년 경상의료비 및 국민보건계정: SHA2011의 적용

A new manual of System of Health Accounts (SHA) 2011, was published jointly by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Eurostat, and World Health Organization in 2011. This offers more complete coverage than the previous version, SHA 1.0, within the functional classification in areas such as prevention and a precise approach for tracking financing in the health care sector using the new classification of financing schemes. This paper aims to demonstrate current health expenditure (CHE) and National Health Accounts of the years 1970-2014 constructed according to the SHA2011. Data sources for public financing include budget and settlement documents of the government, various statistics from the National Health Insurance, and others. In the case of private financing, an estimation of total revenue by provider groups is made from the Economic Census data and the household income and expenditure survey, Korean healthcare panel study, etc. are used to allocate those totals into functional classifications. CHE was 105 trillion won in 2014, which accounts for 7.1% of Korea's gross domestic product. It was a big increase of 7.7 trillion won, 7.9%, from the previous year. Public share (government and compulsory schemes) accounting for 56.5% of the CHE in 2014 was still much lower than the OECD average of about 73%. With these estimates, it is possible to compare health expenditures of Korea and other countries better. Awareness and appreciation of the need and gains from applying SHA2011 for the health expenditure classification are expected to increase as OECD health expenditure figures get more frequently quoted among health policy makers.

Can well-being between Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries converge?

This study investigates the convergence of well-being between Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries during the period 1980–2014. The gap in living standard was examined from a steady state represented by the average income of OECD countries. Applying the unit root estimation technique to test for convergence with and without structural breaks, the result shows that; among a total of 43 countries studied, about 14 % are converging towards the average of OECD average. When the shock caused by the economic crisis of 2008 was factored into the analysis, the gains of about five countries out of the six converging disappeared. These results are disturbing owing to the fact that countries in the Asian region that started almost at the same level with SSA have converged to form a convergence club. Therefore, a lot more effort is needed from the government and stake holders in most countries in SSA to improve on the determinants of growth like good health care, quality institutions, better education and commitments to pursue developmental programmes which will boost the income of an average African to acquire better life.

Obesity Alters the Microbial Community Profile in Korean Adolescents.

Obesity is an increasing public health concern worldwide. According to the latest Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report (2014), the incidence of child obesity in Korea has exceeded the OECD average. To better understand and control this condition, the present study examined the composition of the gut microbial community in normal and obese adolescents. Fecal samples were collected from 67 obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30 kg/m2, or ≥ 99th BMI percentile) and 67 normal (BMI < 25 kg/m2 or < 85th BMI percentile) Korean adolescents aged 13–16 years and subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Analysis of bacterial composition according to taxonomic rank (genus, family, and phylum) revealed marked differences in the Bacteroides and Prevotella populations in normal and obese samples (p < 0.005) at the genus and family levels; however, there was no difference in the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio between normal and obese adolescents samples at the phylum level (F/B normal = 0.50 ± 0.53; F/B obese = 0.56 ± 0.86; p = 0.384). Statistical analysis revealed a significant association between the compositions of several bacterial taxa and child obesity. Among these, Bacteroides and Prevotella showed the most significant association with BMI (p < 0.0001 and 0.0001, respectively). We also found that the composition of Bacteroides was negatively associated with triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol, and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-crp) (p = 0.0049, 0.0023, and 0.0038, respectively) levels, whereas that of Prevotella was positively associated with TG and hs-crp levels (p = 0.0394 and 0.0150, respectively). We then applied the association rule mining algorithm to generate “rules” to identify the association between the populations of multiple bacterial taxa and obesity; these rules were able to discriminate obese from normal states. Therefore, the present study describes a systemic approach to identify the association between bacterial populations in the gut and childhood obesity.

Evidence from the national health account: the case of Dubai.

IntroductionNational health accounts (NHAs) provide useful information to aid in understanding the health care financing system. This article aims to present a profile of health system financing in Dubai using data from the NHA. We also aim to compare the provider structure of financing schemes in Dubai with those of the State of Qatar and selected Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.MethodsThe author analyzed secondary data published in NHAs for Dubai and Qatar, and data collected by the OECD countries and publicly available from the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), for 25 OECD countries for comparative analysis. All health financing measures used are as defined in the international System of Health Accounts (SHA).ResultsIn Dubai, only 33% of current health expenditure (CHE) is funded by the government. However, the public sector is the main source of health funding in Qatar and most OECD countries, with an average of 79% and 72%, respectively. Households in Dubai spent about 22% of CHE, equivalent to an average US$187 per capita, ranking the highest among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and compared with 20% of CHE across OECD countries. Hospitals in Dubai accounted for 48% of CHE, which is much higher than Qatar (40%) and the OECD average (36%).ConclusionThe Dubai health care financing system differs substantially from that in OECD countries, as it is more private oriented. The findings point to several potential opportunities for growth and improvement. Policy areas that may be addressed using the information presented in this article are broad and include the following: shift from hospital care to ambulatory and day care, sustainability of health finance, shift the cost of health care to the private sector, introduce cost-containment measures, revise payment systems for health providers, and produce subnational accounts for non-communicable diseases. More investment in the translation of national health account data into policy is suggested for future researchers.

Attitudes toward suicide among college students in South Korea and the United States.

BackgroundSouth Korea (hereafter, Korea) has witnessed a rapid increase in its suicide rate over the past few decades and currently reports the highest rate among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Conversely, the United States has maintained its suicide rate near the OECD average. The present study examines and compares attitudes toward suicide among college students in either country to explain the higher prevalence of suicide in Korea.FindingsNon-Korean students in the United States, Korean students in the United States, and Korean students in Korea completed a web-based questionnaire on Attitudes Toward Suicide (ATTS). A series of two-way 3 × 2 between subjects Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) tests of the participants’ group and gender, as well as post-hoc comparisons, were conducted to examine differences across various attitude domains. As expected, the results revealed group differences in the majority of attitude areas. Most notably, students in Korea reported more permissive attitudes toward suicide and were less likely to believe in the right to prevent others’ suicide. Gender did not have an effect on any attitudes except on the right to prevent suicide and there were no interactions between group and gender.ConclusionsThe results suggest the importance of addressing public attitudes toward suicide in future suicide prevention efforts in Korea.