• Title/Summary/Keyword: COVID-19 pandemic severity

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A Study on the Need for Dietary Management due to Weight Changes Among Middle-aged Women in Gwangju during the COVID-19 Pandemic (COVID 19 팬데믹 기간 중 체중변화에 따른 식생활 관리 필요성에 대한 연구: 광주광역시 중년여성을 대상으로)

  • MoonSoon Kim;BokMi Jung;LanHee Jung;EunRaye Jeon
    • Human Ecology Research
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    • v.62 no.1
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    • pp.33-45
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    • 2024
  • This study aimed to identify the need for dietary management due to weight changes among middle-aged women in the Gwangju area during the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this, a survey was conducted of their eating habits, dietary and lifestyle habits, alterations in food intake, and changes in menopausal symptoms. Overall, significant differences were found between dietary and lifestyle habits (p<.01) depending on the frequency of eating out. Specifically, those who eating out two to three times a week exhibited a significant increase in negative habits such as ordering delivery food and consuming instant meals. In terms of food consumption changes, those who eating out two or three times a week displayed a relatively higher increase in the consumption of non-recommended food than those who eating out once a week. Regarding changes in menopausal symptoms, individuals who eating out two to three times a week experienced a greater increase in the severity of menopausal symptoms than those who eating out once a week. In terms of dietary and lifestyle habit changes, it was found that the more frequent the exercise, the greater the overall improvement in dietary and lifestyle habits (p<.001). Moreover, women who did not experience weight gain exhibited positive changes in their dietary and lifestyle habits compared with women who experienced weight gain. The results for food consumption changes revealed that the consumption of non-recommended foods was higher in middle-aged women who experienced weight gain, particularly the consumption of meat (p<.001) and noodles (p<.05).

The Impact of National Stereotypes towards Country-of-Origin Images on Purchase Intention: Empirical Evidence from Countries of the Belt and Road Initiative

  • WANG, Li;SHEN, Xiangdong;YAN, Lei
    • The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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    • v.9 no.1
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    • pp.409-422
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    • 2022
  • The purpose of this paper is to explore how the country-of-origin image mediates the effect of national stereotypes along two dimensions of perceived competence and warmth, on consumers' consumption behaviors, especially in today's environment, the capricious COVID-19 and the deepening and expanding "The Belt and Road" initiative. Research design, data, and methodology: After collecting 1500 primary data from twelve countries along the 21st - Century Maritime Silk Road, this paper conducts ANOVA and SEM in SPSS25.0 and AMOS 24.0 separately to analyze measurements, structural models, and hypotheses via using 1277 final samples. The mediation results illustrate the asymmetric dominance of the two dimensions of national stereotypes, indicating that the country-of-origin image shows the complementary mediation in the effect of perceived competence on purchase intention; whereas, the country-of-origin image holds the indirect-only mediation in the impact of perceived warmth on purchase intention. The results of the moderation show that the effect of country-of-origin image on purchase intention is more significant for consumers who perceive COVID-19 in China to be of lesser severity than those who believe it to be of higher severity. Based on the paper's results, some implications for practice and theory are highlighted.

Managing Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Recommendations from the Korean Medicine Mental Health Center

  • Hyo-Weon Suh;Sunggyu Hong;Hyun Woo Lee;Seok-In Yoon;Misun Lee;Sun-Yong Chung;Jong Woo Kim
    • The Journal of Korean Medicine
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    • v.43 no.4
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    • pp.102-130
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    • 2022
  • Objectives: The persistence and unpredictability of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and new measures to prevent direct medical intervention (e.g., social distancing and quarantine) have induced various psychological symptoms and disorders that require self-treatment approaches and integrative treatment interventions. To address these issues, the Korean Medicine Mental Health (KMMH) center developed a field manual by reviewing previous literature and preexisting manuals. Methods: The working group of the KMMH center conducted a keyword search in PubMed in June 2021 using "COVID-19" and "SARS-CoV-2". Review articles were examined using the following filters: "review," "systematic review," and "meta-analysis." We conducted a narrative review of the retrieved articles and extracted content relevant to previous manuals. We then created a treatment algorithm and recommendations by referring to the results of the review. Results: During the initial assessment, subjective symptom severity was measured using a numerical rating scale, and patients were classified as low- or moderate-high risk. Moderate-high-risk patients should be classified as having either a psychiatric emergency or significant psychiatric condition. The developed manual presents appropriate psychological support for each group based on the following dominant symptoms: tension, anxiety-dominant, anger-dominant, depression-dominant, and somatization. Conclusions: We identified the characteristics of mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic and developed a clinical mental health support manual in the field of Korean medicine. When symptoms meet the diagnostic criteria for a mental disorder, doctors of Korean medicine can treat the patients according to the manual for the corresponding disorder.

COVID-19 Therapeutics: An Update on Effective Treatments Against Infection With SARS-CoV-2 Variants

  • Bill Thaddeus Padasas;Erica Espano;Sang-Hyun Kim;Youngcheon Song;Chong-Kil Lee;Jeong-Ki Kim
    • IMMUNE NETWORK
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    • v.23 no.2
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    • pp.13.1-13.24
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    • 2023
  • The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is one of the most consequential global health crises in over a century. Since its discovery in 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to mutate into different variants and sublineages, rendering previously potent treatments and vaccines ineffective. With significant strides in clinical and pharmaceutical research, different therapeutic strategies continue to be developed. The currently available treatments can be broadly classified based on their potential targets and molecular mechanisms. Antiviral agents function by disrupting different stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection, while immune-based treatments mainly act on the human inflammatory response responsible for disease severity. In this review, we discuss some of the current treatments for COVID-19, their mode of actions, and their efficacy against variants of concern. This review highlights the need to constantly evaluate COVID-19 treatment strategies to protect high risk populations and fill in the gaps left by vaccination.

SARS-CoV-2-Specific T Cell Responses in Patients with COVID-19 and Unexposed Individuals

  • Min-Seok Rha;A Reum Kim;Eui-Cheol Shin
    • IMMUNE NETWORK
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    • v.21 no.1
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    • pp.2.1-2.11
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    • 2021
  • Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an ongoing pandemic disease. In the current review, we describe SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses in acute and convalescent COVID-19 patients. We also discuss the relationships between COVID-19 severity and SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses and summarize recent reports regarding SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells in SARS-CoV-2-unexposed individuals. These T cells may be cross-reactive cells primed by previous infection with human common-cold coronaviruses. Finally, we outline SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses in the context of vaccination. A better understanding of SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses is needed to develop effective vaccines and therapeutics.

A Study on Changes in Consumption Behavior due to the Risk of the COVID-19 Pandemic (COVID-19 팬데믹 위험으로 인한 소비행동의 변화 연구)

  • Oh, Jong-chul;Lee, Yu-sun;Kim, Jae-hong
    • Journal of Venture Innovation
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    • v.5 no.2
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    • pp.49-66
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    • 2022
  • This study intends to examine how the perception of covid-19 risk affects consumers' consumption behavior based on previous studies in a situation where the spread of covid-19 is prolonged. This study demonstrates how consumers' perception of covid-19 risk affects online and offline consumption behavior through the perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, coping effectiveness, and self-efficacy of the revised protective motivation theory (Rogers, 1983). We want to test it through analysis. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, consumers living in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province who have purchased within the past 3 months were selected as a sample. In addition, variable data such as risk perception of covid-19, perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, coping effectiveness, self-efficacy, online purchase attitude and purchase intention, offline purchase attitude and purchase intention were collected through the questionnaire.A total of 363 copies of valid responses were tested to test the hypothesis of the relationship between variables through the covariance structure model. The analysis results of this study were first, that covid-19 risk perception had a significant positive (+) effect on perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, and coping effectiveness. Second, perceived severity and perceived vulnerability were found to have a significant positive (+) effect on offline purchasing attitude. Third, perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, coping plan effectiveness, and self-efficacy were all found to have significant positive (+) effects on online purchase attitude. Finally, it was found that offline purchase attitude and online purchase attitude had a significant positive (+) effect on offline purchase intention and online purchase intention, respectively. Also, it was found that online purchase attitude had a negative (-) effect on offline purchase intention. The results of this analysis will provide meaningful implications for the establishment of strategies for distribution channels according to the social risk of infectious diseases.

Increase in blood glucose level and incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk area during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic: a retrospective cross-sectional study

  • Lee, Mi Seon;Lee, Rosie;Ko, Cheol Woo;Moon, Jung Eun
    • Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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    • v.39 no.1
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    • pp.46-52
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    • 2022
  • Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk area in 2020 has caused difficulties in the daily life and hospital care of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). We detected an increase in blood sugar levels in these children and the number of patients hospitalized with more severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) compared to those before COVID-19. Methods: This single-center study was conducted at Kyungpook National University Children's Hospital. The following patient groups were included; 45 returning patients diagnosed with T1DM and undergoing insulin treatment for more than 2 years and 20 patients newly diagnosed with T1DM before and after COVID-19 were selected by age matching. Returning patients before and after the outbreak were selected, and changes in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels were retrospectively reviewed. The HbA1c levels and severity of symptoms in newly diagnosed patients during hospitalization were examined. Results: HbA1c levels in returning patients with T1DM were significantly increased after COVID-19 (before, 7.70%±1.38% vs. after, 8.30%±2.05%; p=0.012). There were 10 and 10 newly diagnosed patients before and after COVID-19, respectively. The proportion of patients with drowsiness and dyspnea at the time of admission was higher after COVID-19 than before (before, 2 of 10 vs. after, 4 of 10). The HbA1c levels were higher in newly diagnosed patients hospitalized after COVID-19 than before (before, 11.15% vs. after, 13.60%; p=0.036). Conclusion: Due to COVID-19 in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk area, there was an increase in blood glucose levels in children with T1DM and in the incidence of severe DKA in newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus patients.

An Analysis of COVID-19 Prevention Behaviors between Firefighters and Maritime Police Officers

  • Song, Hyo-Suk;Bang, Sung-Hwan;Shim, Gyu-Sik;Kim, Eun-Mee
    • Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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    • v.26 no.12
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    • pp.213-220
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    • 2021
  • As the coronavirus disease(COVID-19) pandemic is declared and the number of confirmed cases and deaths increases in countries around the world, the world is gripped with fear. Therefore, in this study, psychological factors of infection prevention behaviors of firefighters and maritime police officers were analyzed based on the Health Belief Model. Although there was no significant difference in the COVID-19 prevention behaviors between the two groups, there was a significant positive correlation between the perceived disease infection possibility, perceived severity, and perceived benefits in the general characteristics and the COVID-19 prevention behaviors. There was no significant difference with perceived obstacles. This study is of great significance in that it is the first analysis of firefighters and maritime police officers as a health belief model, and can be used as basic data for the implementation of new infectious disease prevention actions.

Guidelines for dental clinic infection prevention during COVID-19 pandemic (코로나 바이러스 대유행에 따른 치과 의료 관리 가이드라인)

  • Kim, Jin
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Dental Administration
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    • v.8 no.1
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    • pp.1-7
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    • 2020
  • Dental settings have unique characteristics that warrant specific infection control considerations, including (1) prioritizing the most critical dental services and provide care in a way that minimizes harm to patients due to delayed care, or harm to personnel from potential exposure to persons infected with the COVID-19 disease, and (2) proactively communicate to both personnel and patients the need for them to stay at home if sick. For health care, an interim infection prevention and control recommendation (COVID-19) is recommended for patients suspected of having coronavirus or those whose status has been confirmed. SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, is thought to be spread primarily between people who are in close contact with one another (within 6 feet) through respiratory droplets that are produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. Airborne transmission from person-to-person over long distances is unlikely. However, COVID-19 is a new disease, and there remain uncertainties about its mode of spreads and the severity of illness it causes. The virus has been shown to persist in aerosols for several hours, and on some surfaces for days under laboratory conditions. COVID-19 may also be spread by people who are asymptomatic. The practice of dentistry involves the use of rotary dental and surgical instruments, such as handpieces or ultrasonic scalers, and air-water syringes. These instruments create a visible spray that can contain particle droplets of water, saliva, blood, microorganisms, and other debris. While KF 94 masks protect the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose from droplet spatter, they do not provide complete protection against the inhalation of airborne infectious agents. If the patient is afebrile (temperature <100.4°F)* and otherwise without symptoms consistent with COVID-19, then dental care may be provided using appropriate engineering and administrative controls, work practices, and infection control considerations. It is necessary to provide supplies for respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, including alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) with 60%~95% alcohol, tissues, and no-touch receptacles for disposal, at healthcare facility entrances, waiting rooms, and patient check-ins. There is also the need to install physical barriers (e.g., glass or plastic windows) in reception areas to limit close contact between triage personnel and potentially infectious patients. Ideally, dental treatment should be provided in individual rooms whenever possible, with a spacing of at least 6 feet between the patient chairs. Further, the use of easy-to-clean floor-to-ceiling barriers will enhance the effectiveness of portable HEPA air filtration systems. Before and after all patient contact, contact with potentially infectious material, and before putting on and after removing personal protective equipment, including gloves, hand hygiene after removal is particularly important to remove any pathogens that may have been transferred to the bare hands during the removal process. ABHR with 60~95% alcohol is to be used, or hands should be washed with soap and water for at least 20 s.

Exploring Predictors of Preventive Behavior against COVID-19:Centered on Korean Collegians' Social Distancing (코로나19 예방행동 영향요인의 탐색: 우리나라 대학생의 사회적 거리두기를 중심으로)

  • Joo, Jihyuk
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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    • v.22 no.10
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    • pp.488-496
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    • 2022
  • For over two years, after COVID-19 was first reported in the last quarter of 2019, the world has suffered from the pandemic. The Korean government has taken an initiative and has implemented a variety of policies to protect people from COVID-19. These policies have resulted in some suffering and inconvenience for people. In this context, we aim to find out what factors influence Korean college students' intention to social distance. We surveyed with Google's online survey tool(Google Form) for 116 Korean college students using a convenient sampling from December 30, 2020, to January 8, 2021. We put perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived health status, level of involvement, and trust in the policy as independent variables into a multiple regression equation using the stepwise method. We found that intention to social distance was predicted by perceived susceptibility, level of involvement, and trust in the policy in the final model. The findings mean that the more people perceive themselves susceptible to COVID-19, and the more they get involved with COVID-19, and the more they trust their governmental policies on COVID-19, the more they agree on social distancing.