• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.509-520
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated whether a mobile health (mHealth) application can instigate healthy behavioral changes and improvements in metabolic disorders in individuals with metabolic abnormalities. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Participants were divided into an mHealth intervention group (IG), which used a mobile app for 24 weeks, and a conventional IG. All mobile apps featured activity monitors, with blood pressure and glucose monitors, and body-composition measuring devices. The two groups were compared after 24 weeks in terms of health-behavior practice rate and changes in the proportion of people with health risks, and health behaviors performed by the IG that contributed to reductions in more than one health risk factor were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Preference for low-sodium diet, reading nutritional facts, having breakfast, and performing moderate physical activity significantly increased in the mHealth IG. Furthermore, the mHealth IG showed a significant increase of eight items in the mini-dietary assessment; particularly, the items "I eat at least two types of vegetables of various colors at every meal" and "I consume dairies, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, every day." The proportion of people with health risks, with the exception of fasting glucose, significantly decreased in the mHealth IG, while only the proportion of people with at-risk triglycerides and waist circumference of females significantly decreased in the control group. Finally, compared to those who did not show improvements of health risks, those who showed improvements of health risks in the mHealth IG had an odds ratio of 1.61 for moderate to vigorous physical activity, 1.65 for "I do not add more salt or soy sauce in my food," and 1.77 for "I remove fat in my meat before eating." CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the additional use of a community-based mHealth service through a mobile application is effective for improving health behaviors and lowering metabolic risks in Koreans.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence, subtypes and risk factors of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) among male adolescents. Methods: The survey was conducted on male adolescents (n=441) attending a high school. Rome IV criteria was used to diagnose IBS. Data on health promoting behaviors, psychological distress, sleep hygiene practices were collected using self-administered structured questionnaires. Results: The prevalence of IBS was 11.1% and the subtypes were mixed (77.5%), unclassified (10.2%), diarrhea-predominant (8.2%), and constipation-predominant (4.1%). Risk factors influencing IBS were sleeping time (Odds Ratio [OR]=1.00, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.99~1.00), anxiety, a subfactor under psychological distress (OR=1.12, 95% CI: 1.02~1.22), and arousal-related behaviors, a subfactor under sleep hygiene practices (OR=1.10, 95% CI: 1.03~1.17). Conclusion: Our findings indicated that IBS is a common problem in male adolescents. It is necessary to develop school-based intervention strategies addressing sleeping time, anxiety and arousal-related behaviors in order to prevent and improve IBS in male adolescents.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.45-70
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• 2009

Outbreaks of health risks such as the Influenza A virus (H1N1) are continuing, which highlights the immediacy of risk control strategies to reduce public's fear and protect the safety of the society. Evidence suggests that success for risk management is basically dependent on the public's willingness to adopt health behaviors recommended by experts, and the behavioral intention relies on their risk perception. Understanding of how individuals think of and feel about health risks is thereby important. This article aims to provide insights for future study on health-risk perception. The main streams and recent developments of theorizing and research on health risk perception are reviewed. The issues, such as (1) health risk perception is an important component for shaping relevant health policies as it reflects public trust of the institutions managing health risks, (2) despite this significance, however, few attempts have been made to address the meaning of 'perceiving health risks' in health services research, are shed light on. On the basis on the critical discussion of the contributions and the limitations of the literature, this article finishes with a few of research agendas by three levels of analysis in risk perception research.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.4 no.6
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• pp.528-534
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• 2010

This study explores the influence of health behaviors and individual attributes on adolescent overweight and obesity using data from Wave II (Add Health). Structural equation model/ path analysis using maximum likelihood estimation was utilized to analyze the relationships of health behaviors and attributes with obesity. Results of the model reveal that the causal paths (adolescents' attributes and health behaviors) for overweight and obesity were different for African American and Caucasian adolescents. Generally, African Americans were more susceptible to overweight and obesity than Caucasians. Although increasing levels of vigorous physical activities lowers the risk for obesity among African American and Caucasian adolescents alike, low family SES and being sedentary were associated with overweight and obesity among Caucasians. No significant associations were found among African Americans. Increased hours of sleep at night relate positively with obesity among African Americans. These findings suggest important elements in the consideration of race in developing effective intervention and prevention approaches for curbing the obesity epidemic among U.S. adolescents.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.629-638
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• 2003

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of knowledge and health belief on osteoporosis preventive health behaviors. Methods: The subjects of this study were 266 middle-aged women. Data were collected using a self-reporting questionnaire with 101 questions. The period of data collection was from the 3rd of January to the 28th of February 2003. Data were analyzed using SPSS 10.0 PC+ program. Results: The results were summarized as follows: 1. The average score of knowledge about osteoporosis was 16.93 out of 27. Particularly, middle-aged women had knowledge more about osteoporosis prevention measures than about risk factors. 2. Knowledge, self efficacy and barriers were significantly correlated with osteoporosis preventive health behaviors. 3. As for the relationship between subjects' general characteristics and their health preventive behaviors, the size of living district, economic status, BMI. family history of osteoporosis and perception of health status were found to have significant effects on health preventive behaviors. Conclusions: According to the results presented above, preventive health behaviors may be promoted by increasing knowledge and perceived self-efficacy as well as decreasing individuals' perceived barriers through health education.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.10
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• pp.1042-1049
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• 2006

Purpose : This study was conducted to survey the preliminary data on risk behaviors and to identify the factors that prevent risk-behaviors in late adolescence. Methods : Freshmen(n=1,297) beginning the first semester in Korea University, Seoul, Korea completed self-administered risk behavior questionnaires, comprising 5 domains : demographics, smoking, drinking, drug abuse and sexual behavior. Results : The rate of smoking experience was higher in people having friends who smoke and the predictors of transition to current smoking were male gender, urban residence, friends' smoking, and nicotine dependence. The rate of high risk drinking was higher among students who are male and who had experience of heavy episodic drinking. The study group showed a low prevalence of narcotic users, but two-thirds of students could get medicine easily without prescriptions. The prevalence of sexual experience was 6.5 percent, and the sexual education was not a predictor of contraceptive behavior. The prevalence of homosexuality was 1.6 percent, and the rate of mostly heterosexuality was higher in female students. Conclusion : The main targets of youth health education should be campaigns aimed at atcessation of reinforcing risk behaviors and the development of a surveillance system for the prevention of chronic disease. These results can be used to find risk factors of health-risk behaviors among late adolescents.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.111-125
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• 2006

This quantitative study was conducted to examine the relationship between weight control behaviors and disordered eating patterns in some university students. This study used a cross-sectional study design. A total of 347 students from three universities participated in this study (88 male and 259 female) Eating disorders were assessed using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26); a score of =20 identifies individuals who likely have an eating disorder, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. A score for healthy dietary behaviors was obtained by self-assessment on a healthy diet scale (20-item questionnaire), and the severity of any state-trait anxiety was calculated by the state-trait anxiety inventory (40-item questionnaire). In the analyzed results, the percentage of participants with experience of weight control was 58% in male and 73% in female. The subjects with a high risk of an eating disorder (score of =20 of EAT-26) were 44.3% ($mean{\pm}S.D;\;18.9{\pm}13.4$) of the males, and 57.9% ($mean{\pm}S.D;\;23.2{\pm}11.6$) of the females. Higher Body Mass Index (BMI) was significantly related with an increased risk for an eating disorder in females, but not in males. In the group who had attempted weight control of all types, there was a severe risk of an eating disorder. Increased eating disorder risk was significantly related with weight control behaviors such as a higher number of attempts at weight control, having used medication, having experienced side effects, and having experienced disease for both sexes. Therefore, the results of this paper showed that detrimental behaviors of weight control are connected to an increased risk of eating disorders. Consequently, education regarding the correct, behaviors of weight control is necessary to prevent eating disorders in adolescents.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2023

Purpose: This study is to compare adolescents' health behaviors by city size and to propose regionally tailored health promotion. Methods: We analyzed the data from the 17th Youth Health Risk Behavior Online Survey, national widly performed in 2021. Multi-sample descriptive and linear regression analysis was performed by city size. Results: The frequency of fruit consumption in the last week was 2.88 in the rural area, which is lower than 2.98 and 3.05 in other cities (F=10.98, p<.001). The number of high-intensity physical activity days in the last week (7 days) was 2.90 days in the rural area, higher than 2.74 and 2.73 days in other cities (F=3.36, p=.038). The number of days smoking cigarettes in the last 30 days was 3.23 days in the rural area, higher than 3.08 and 3.02 days in other cities (F=3.41, p=.035). BMI was 22.01 in the rural area, which was higher than 21.57 and 21.61 in other cities (F=4.19, p=.015). Conclusion: School health offices in the rural area districts need to operate to manage lack of fruit intake, smoking, and weight management programs in association with local healthcare institutions.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.236-245
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• 2003

Purpose: This study was to develop a screening model for identifying a high risk group of dementia and to develop and evaluate the web-based prevention program. Method: It was conducted in 5 phases. 1) Data were collected from dementia patients and non-dementia patients in a community. 2) A screening model of the high risk population was constructed. 3) The validity test was performed and the model was confirmed. 4) Four weeks-prevention program was developed. 5) The program was administered, and evaluated the effects. Result: The model consisted of age, illiteracy, history of stroke and hypercholesterolemia. The program was designed with 12 sessions, group health education using web-based individual instruction program, and 12 sessions of low-intensity physical exercise program. After the completion, their self-efficacy, and health behaviors in experimental group were significantly improved over those in the control group. The perceived barrier in the treatment group is significantly decreased. Conclusion: The screening model developed is very simple and can be utilized in diverse community settings. And the web based prevention program will encourage individual learning and timely feedback, therefore it can facilitate their active participation and promote health management behaviors at home.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.107-114
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• 2001

Recently the number of elderly have been increasing at a rapid pace in Korea. Accompanying this aged society are numerous health problems. Whit this in mind health-promotion behaviors such as physical activity. good nutrition and stress management are vitally important to the elderly in reducing the risk of Health problems, maintaining health and improving the overall quality of life. Health promotion programs for the elderly must be developed. The purpose of th is study was to determine influential cognitive factors on health-promotion behaviors and the effects of previously implemented Health promotion programs. For this, previous studies were reviewed and analyzed. The results were as follows. 1. Cognitive factors on health-promotion behaviors were internal locus of control, perceived health status, self-efficacy, concerns about health, social support, attending social activities. 2. Components of health promotion programs were exercise and health education. Exercise was performed in most programs. The effects of exercise programs were improved flexibility, muscle strength. balance, cardiopulmonary function and elevated ability of daily living, perceived health status, quality of lift and a decrease depression. The results strongly suggest that complex health promotion programs should be developed. Health promotion programs need to include exercise, health education, health counseling and social activities. We have to consider cognitive factors on health-promotion behaviors.