• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.7
• /
• pp.2731-2737
• /
• 2015

Background: The majority of deaths from cancer occur in low and middle income countries, partly due to poor public awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer. Materials and Methods: A community based survey using the Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) questionnaire was conducted in three different communities in Oman. Omani adults aged 18 years and above were invited to participate in the study. Results: A total of 345 responded from 450 invited participants (response rate=76.7%). The majority of respondents were unable to identify the common signs and symptoms of cancer identified in the CAM (average awareness was 40.6%). The most emotional barrier to seeking help was worry about what the doctor might find (223, 64.6%); a practical barrier was too busy to make an appointment (259, 75.1%) and a service barrier was difficulty talking to the doctor (159, 46.1%). The majority of respondents (more than 60% for seven out of ten symptoms) would seek medical help in two weeks for most signs or symptoms of cancer. Females were significantly more likely than males to be embarrassed (p<0.001), scared (p=0.001), and lack confidence talking about their symptoms (p=0.022). Conclusions: Urgent strategies are needed to improve public awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer in Oman. This might leads to earlier diagnosis, improved prognosis and reduced mortality from cancer.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.177-188
• /
• 2013

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feeling of distance of social work practitioners for people living with HIV/AIDS(PLWHA) and to identify related factors. Methods: A total of 409 data were collected as convenience sampling from social welfare service providers. Independent variables were socio-demographic data, AIDS related knowledge, authoritarian personality, prejudice for minority(handicapped, women, foreigner, old aged), cultural competency. Data were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, multiple regression analysis were conducted. Results: Multiple regression model was developed by integrating the significant variables from univariate analysis. Significant factors of physical distance were social prejudice against handicapped, knowledge about AIDS and critical awareness/knowledge about other culture. And significant factors of social distance were social prejudice against handicapped, knowledge about AIDS, authoritarian personality, critical awareness/knowledge about other culture. At last, we found that social prejudice against handicapped was the biggest factor for physical distance and authoritarian personality was the biggest factor for social distance of social work practitioners. Conclusions: The area of social services for PLWHA have to be expanded. Physical and social distance of professionals to provide services to PLWHA and factors affecting it is necessary to continue research. In addition, on the basis of these findings, specific training programs is need to be developed.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.47-57
• /
• 2020

The purpose of this study was to understand experiences of successful aging of community-dwelling elderly living in the Korean community using mixed methods. This study is a mixed methods research using convergent parallel design. 483 elderly people living in the 2 cities were selected as subjects to collect quantitative data. For qualitative data collection, 6 elderly people participated. The level of successful aging for elderly people living at home scored an average of 4.30 ± .59 out of 5 points (4.46 ± .64 for self-efficacy, 4.31 ± .65 for good self-control, 4.29 ± .70 for satisfaction with children's success, and 4.26 ± .61 for partnership with spouses). The main themes of successful aging derived by interview were as follows: 1) fulfill responsibilities of raising children as parents, 2) establish a stable life to overcome difficulties, 3) accept the body being different from the past, and 4) live in harmony with people around them. Based on these results, it is necessary to provide useful health care services that can be used in the local community and to provide service utilization information through various routes in order to achieve a successful aging.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.19.1-19.12
• /
• 2023

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic success of the Hall technique (HT) and atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) restorations using high-viscosity glass-ionomer cement for the management of occlusal carious lesions in primary molars. Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical study observed 40 children (aged 5-6 years). For each child, one tooth was treated with HT and one with ART. The primary outcome measures for HT restorations were successful, minor, and major failure rates. Clinical evaluations of ART restorations were performed according to the modified United States Public Health Service criteria during 18-month follow-up. McNemar test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Thirty of 40 (75%) participants returned for 18 months of follow-up. In the clinical evaluations of teeth that were treated with HT, the patients did not have complaints of pain or other symptoms, all crowns remained in the oral cavity, the gums were healthy, and the teeth were functional in all evaluations. At the end of the 18-month follow-up, the surface texture and marginal integrity criteria of ART restorations were recorded as 26.7% and 33.3%, respectively. In the radiographic evaluation of 30 patients treated with ART and HT, all restorations were considered successful. Conclusions: The 18-month clinical and radiographic results after treatments applied to single-surface cavities in anxious children showed that both treatment methods were successful.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.71-84
• /
• 2009

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to analyze the proportion of admission via the emergency room(the rest is ER) in an emergency medical center and to examine the factors related to admission. Methods : This study used 2005 National Health Insurance claims data for admitted patients of 112 hospitals having emergency medical centers in Korea. The study sample had 2,335,610 patients. The data was classified into emergency admission and non-emergency admission. To investigate the factors affecting the type of admission, the following were included as independent variables: type of health assurance_(national health insurance beneficiaries or medical aid beneficiaries), demographic characteristics_ (sex, age), cause of admission_ (disease or injury), whether an operation was performed or not, DRG severity level, the number of beds, and the location of the hospital. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test for the differences in emergency admission rates for each variables, and multiple logistic regression analysis was used for identifying the factors affecting admission type. Results : The proportion of admission via the ER accounted for 40.6% of the total admission among hospitals having emergency medical centers. The risk of admission via ER was relatively high for patients who were male, the aged, the injured, the surgical patients, the patients having more severe symptoms, and the patients admitted the hospitals located in metropolitan areas, and the patients admitted the hospitals having 300-699 beds. Medical aid patients were more likely admitted through the emergency room than health insurance patients after other variables ware adjusted. Conclusions and Discussion : We analyzed the proportion of admission via the ER for the total admission rate of hospitals having an emergency medical center in Korea. And we explored the factors related to admission via the ER. This proportion may be used as an indicator of the adequacy of medical utilization or low accessibility to hospitals of patients with low socioeconomic status.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.98-105
• /
• 2016

China has already entered the aging society and is predicted to become a super-aged society in 2020. The recent studies identified that the elderly has more interest in 'Aging-in-Place' which emphasizes deinstitutionalization since welfare facilities such as care homes and silver towns have separated the elderly from their local communities where they used to live in. The aim of this research is to propose a promising way for smart housing services who support the elderly's living in their homes, China. This research is to investigate the elderly's life and to identify their demands on housings for implementing such smart services. The elderly's living in apartments in Luoyang city, China, were investigated through interviews using a questionnaire survey. The results show that smart housing services should be provided to support the elderly's health, safety, leisure activities, comfortable living, and social relationships sustainably. In addition, such smart housing services should be intuitive since the elderly need to use easily smart services for their autonomous life in their homes. The smart housing services should be developed in the direction of enhancing the elderly's healthy and desirable life, and lessening their discomforts due to aging.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.195-199
• /
• 2012

The records of 255 cyanide poisoning deaths obtained from National Forensic Service (NFS) headquarters, located in Seoul of Korea, from 2005 to 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age was $41.88{\pm}13.09$ and range was 6~80 years (unknown in seven cases). The number of deaths of males and females were 200 and 53, respectively (unknown in two cases). The largest number of cases occurred in people aged 40-49 years (81 cases, 31.8%), followed by the age groups 30~39 years (51 cases, 20%), 50~59 years (44 cases, 17.2%) and 20~29 years (43 cases, 16.9%). The total number of deaths among other age groups (below 10, 10~19, 60~69, 70~79, over 80 years and unknown) were 36, representing only 14.1%. Of all cyanide poisoning deaths, 97.3% were due to suicide, and 14.5% of the total number who died received medical treatment. The most frequent site for ingestion was the person's own residence (120 cases, 47.1%) and the route of administration was mainly oral (252, 98.8%). From the total of 255 cyanide poisoning cases, white powders were submitted for analysis in 92 cases. Potassium cyanide and sodium cyanide occupied 51 and 41 cases, respectively. This study showed that poisoning deaths due to cyanide are one of the continuously reported public health problems in Korea. Enforcement of regulations and safety education to prevent cyanide poisoning should be carried out by the government.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.56 no.2
• /
• pp.195-213
• /
• 2004

The purpose of this study is to explore and understand the meaning of 'Good Death' that the Korean aged people are generally thinking based on their values and the sentiments. For this purpose, we carried out individual and in-depth interviews with 40 aged persons living in Seoul taking their genders and social-economic status into consideration from March to May 2003. We applied qualitative research method to this study. Eight graduate students were responsible for the interviews. They majored in gerontology or had experiences of field work with old persons. It took an average of one and a half hour and maximum of two hours for each of the interviews. All of the processes of each interview were tape-recorded under the agreement with each interviewee. The main and sub themes from the data can be classified to seven categories according to the Phenomenological Approach designed by Colaizzi(1978). The main theme of good death that most of the interviewees considered was 'Blessed Death', very similar to 'Death Fortune' in the five good fortunes found in Korean tradition and the Confucianism. Also, the main concept is classified to seven sub-themes: (1) Not seeing their children's death; (2) Dying in front of their children; (3) Not to be a burden of their children during their lives; (4) Dying after doing all of their duties as parents; (5) Dying with no pain; (6) Completing the natural span of their lives; and (7) Prepared death. Thus, 'Blessed Death' that Korean aged people consider seems to be very closely related with the lives, health, happiness and success of their children. Based on the findings, we concluded that both social policy makers and social service providers are required to keep in mind the meanings of 'Good death' that most of the Korean aged people consider in order to help them enjoy successful aging during their remaining lives.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.216-227
• /
• 2015

Purpose: This study aimed at understanding terminal care provided in nursing homes. Method: An interview survey with staff in charge of terminal care was conducted in 97 nursing homes using questionnaires. The questionnaire was reviewed by 3 experts and pretested at 5 facilities. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test. Result: Dyspnea was the most prevalent symptom predicting death. The most prevalent services were vital sign check for physical care, providing services by talking despite an unconscious state for psychosocial care, and respecting the faith of the elder for spiritual care. Employment of a registered nurse showed a significant difference in tube feeding (p=.035), analgesic administration (p=.022), informing the elder of end-of-life state (p=.020), helping an elderly person say good-byes through a visit with friends and acquaintances (p=.023), and helping express feelings related to death (p=.002). Lack of service was noticed for elderly resident, family, and staff after death of an elder. Problems related to terminal care were indifference of family members, difficulty in obtaining medical prescription, difficulty in predicting death, and so forth. Conclusion: Terminal care must be improved by making specific guidelines and it must become a part of nursing home evaluation.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.55 no.5
• /
• pp.475-484
• /
• 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Korean women with obesity. Methods: Cancer-free women (n=6 142 486) aged 40-79 years, who underwent National Health Insurance Service health examinations in 2009 and 2010 were included. The incidence of CRC was followed until 2018. The hazard ratio (HR) of MetS for the incidence of colon and rectal cancer was analyzed according to body mass index (BMI) categories, adjusting for confounders such as women's reproductive factors. In addition, the heterogeneity of associations across BMI categories was assessed. Results: Women with MetS were at increased risk of colon and rectal cancer compared to women without MetS (HR, 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16 to 1.23 and HR,1.15; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.20), respectively. The HR of MetS for colon cancer across BMI categories was 1.12 (95% CI, 1.06 to 1.19), 1.14 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.20), and 1.16 (95% CI, 1.12 to 1.21) in women with BMIs <23.0 kg/m², 23.0-24.9 kg/m², and ≥25.0 kg/m², respectively. The HR of MetS for rectal cancer across corresponding BMI categories was 1.16 (95% CI, 1.06 to 1.26), 1.14 (95% CI, 1.05 to 1.23), and 1.13 (95% CI, 1.06 to 1.20). The heterogeneity of associations across BMI categories was not significant in either colon or rectal cancer (p=0.587 for colon cancer and p=0.927 for rectal cancer). Conclusions: Women with MetS were at increased risk of colon and rectal cancer. Clinical and public health strategies should be considered for primary CRC prevention with an emphasis on improving women's metabolic health across all BMI groups.