• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.473-493
• /
• 2012

Malaria infection is sensitively influenced by regional meteorological conditions along with global climate change. Remote sensing techniques have become an important tool for extraction of climatic and environmental factors, including rainfall, temperature, surface water, soil moisture, and land use, which are directly linked to the habitat qualities of malaria mosquitoes. Improvement of sensor fidelity with higher spatial and spectral resolution, new multinational sensor development, and decreased data cost have nurtured diverse remote sensing applications in malaria research. In 1984, eradication of endemic malaria was declared in Korea, but reemergence of malaria was reported in mid-1990s. Considering constant changes in malaria cases since 2000, the epidemiological management of the disease needs careful monitoring. Geographically, northmost counties neighboring North Korea have been ranked high in the number of malaria cases. High infection rates in these areas drew special attention and led to a hypothesis that malaria dispersion in these border counties might be caused by north-origin, malaria-bearing adult mosquitoes. Habitat conditions of malaria mosquitoes are important parameters for prediction of the vector abundance. However, it should be realized that malaria infection and transmission is a complex mechanism, where non-environmental factors, including human behavior, demographic structure, landscape structure, and spatial relationships between human residence and the vector habitats, are also significant considerations in the framework of medical geography.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.318-327
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of small-scale chemistry(SSC) laboratory activities implemented in high school chemistry II classes on the students' inquiry process skills and science-related attitudes. For this study, 112 students in the 12th grade were chosen and divided into an experimental and a control group. Seven SSC lab programs that can replace the traditional experiments in chemistry II textbooks were selected and administered to the experimental group while the traditional textbook experiments were administered to the control group. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the enhancement of inquiry process skills between the two groups while no significant difference was found in science-related attitudes. Further analysis showed that the difference in the inquiry process skills came from the basic inquiry process skills. The experimental group students thought that the SSC experiments have many advantages compared to the traditional experiments, e.g., individual work, learning lab and theory in parallel, short experiment time, safety, environmental aspects, etc. These results suggest that the SSC lab programs are valuable in high school chemistry classes and developing and distributing various SSC lab programs is needed to replace the traditional experiments in the current textbooks.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.295-303
• /
• 2021

Objective: Paint manufacturing industry workers are exposed to various lung cancer carcinogenic substances including hexavalent chromium and crystalline silica. Studies have been conducted on lung cancer in Paint manufacturing industry workers and the concentration of hexavalent chromium in paint industry; however, the concentration of crystalline silica and hexavalent chromium and cases of lung cancer in a single Paint factory has never been reported in Korea. Methods: To determine whether the cancer was related to his work environment, we assessed the level of exposure to carcinogens during pouring and mixing talc and pigment. In addition, a mask fit test was performed for the worker. Results: Analysis of talc and silica bulk powder materials showed that crystalline silica (quartz) was 5% in talc and 100% in silica. The green and yellow pigments contained 87% and 92% of lead chromate, respectively. Our quantitative analysis of pigment powder samples showed that the hexavalent chromium contents quantified in the green and yellow pigment samples were 87% and 92%, respectively. In order to estimate his exposure level of hexavalent chromium, we measured a personal exposure level of hexavalent chromium for a worker in accordance with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health #7605 method. The results showed that the worker was exposed to the high level of hexavalent chromium (0.033 mg m-3). In addition, the talc powder also contained 5% quartz, and the worker's exposure level to respirable quartz exceeded OEL. As a result of the respiratory protection fit test for workers, the overall Fit Factor was '15' when wearing a second-grade mask and '25' when wearing a first-grade mask, significantly lower than the US Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) pass value of "100". Conclusion: Workers who pouring and mixing powder materials such as talc or colored pigments in paint manufacturing company may be exposed to high concentrations of carcinogenic substances. These findings indicate that it is necessary to local ventilation system inspection, safety and health education for employers and workers, and periodically monitoring and manage the working environment.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Dental Administration
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.36-42
• /
• 2018

This study aimed to assess dental hygiene students' and other medical personnel's knowledge of dental hygienists' legal responsibilities. A self-reported questionnaire was conducted for 2 weeks from March 25 to April 9, 2017. One of the main questions focused on the legal scope of practice for dental hygienists according to current medical technicians. A total of 298 subjects' responses were analyzed. We found that 62.1% of the respondents were aware of dental hygienists' legal responsibilities. Of the dental hygiene students surveyed, 93.6% replied that they were aware of other medical personnel's expectations. Responses to 12 legal questions were shown to have different distributions depending upon the level of dental hygienist education. Overall, knowledge of dental hygienist legal responsibilities was more comprehensive for senior students in each legal topic. However, few students (1.7%) answered all 12 legal questions correctly. In conclusion, dental hygiene students' awareness of their profession's legal scope should be improved. In addition, the Korean Dental Hygienists Association needs to more actively promote understanding of the profession's legal scope as well as of medical personnel's expectations of dental hygienists' legal roles.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.335-343
• /
• 2015

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the food behavior and nutritional status of elementary school students in the Jeju area using Nutrition Quotient (NQ). Methods: The subjects were 440 students (235 boys and 205 girls) in the fifth and sixth grade at four elementary schools located in Jeju. Demographic, lifestyle, and environmental information was collected using a self-reported questionnaire. The food behavior checklist for children's Nutrition Quotient (NQ), consisting of 19 items, and nutrition education related information were also obtained. Results: The mean score of the children's NQ was poor, reaching 60.3 points. The percentage distribution of NQ grade was 19.8% (lowest), 18.6% (low), 45.0% (medium), 10.7% (high), and 5.9% (highest) and the factor scores for balance, diversity, abstinence, regularity, and practice were 56.6, 68.4, 71.3, 57.4, and 54.8 points, respectively. Compared with the NQ cut-off points for defining malnutrition (balance; 57, diversity; 87, abstinence; 66, regularity; 69, and practice; 67 point), average score of abstinence factor was only above the cut-off point and scores of the other factors were below the cut-off point. Subjects with higher NQ scores tended to have higher levels of exercise activity (p < 0.001), frequency of family meals (p < 0.01), and father's educational levels (p < 0.01) compared to those with lower NQ score. NQ score showed positive association with nutrition education experience and practice (p < 0.001). Conclusion: NQ score of elementary school students residing in Jeju was lower than the national average. More opportunities should be provided for participation in nutrition education, which incorporates a range of program strategies, as well as communication and education activities.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.162-168
• /
• 2012

Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for metabolic syndromes. We examined whether vitamin D deficiency altered the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in older Koreans. Cross-sectional analysis of data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV 2008-2009 was used to examine the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and the prevalence of CVD in a representative population-based sample of 5,559 men and women aged ${\geq}50$ years. CVD was defined as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, or stroke. The prevalence of CVD (7.0%) in the older Korean population was lower than that in the older US population, although average serum 25(OH)D levels were much lower in the Korean population. Additionally, serum 25(OH)D levels did not differ significantly between the CVD and non-CVD groups. However, subjects in the lowest category (< 25 nmol/l) of serum 25(OH)D level had the greatest prevalence of CVD, about two-fold higher than subjects in the highest category (> 75 nmol/l), after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, education level, residence location, and region. The prevalence of other risk factors for CVD, including higher waist circumference, fasting glucose, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride levels and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, was also higher among subjects in the lowest category than among those in the highest category. In conclusion, low serum 25(OH)D may be an independent risk factor for CVD in older Koreans.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.628-642
• /
• 2016

In small countries such as Korea, rapid expansion of cities has been pointed out as the main cause of urban and environmental issues. In order to understand the urban problems caused by urban sprawl and prepare countermeasures for it, urban sprawl must be accurately measured first of all. The purpose of this study is to analyze the spatio-temporal changes of urban sprawl process in Seoul Metropolitan Area using landscape indices which measure the degree of urban sprawl in terms of urban structure such as area, distribution, and shape of urbanized area. FRAGSTATS, which is a tool for landscape analysis, is utilized to calculate landscape indices. Major findings are as follows. First, the urban sprawl in Seoul Metropolitan Area has been continually intensified since the late 1980s and this tendency was more clearer in the 1990s than the 2000s. While leapfrog development is relatively prominent in the 1990s, infilling development is remarkable in the 2000s. Second, the progress and development types of sprawl progress were different according to the zones which are defined based on Seoul Metropolitan Area Readjustment Planning Act. Congestion Restrain Zone shows the highest level of urban sprawl in terms of the evaluated landscape indices, but infilling development was predominant. In Growth Management Zone1, leapfrog development was dominant in the 1990s and infilling development in the 2000s. In Growth Management Zone1, leapfrog development has been continually remarkable since the late 1980s. Nature Conservation Zone shows the lowest level of sprawl, but its sprawl tendency is gradually being intensified. Third, the sprawl tendency in Seoul Metropolitan Area was different according to the distance and direction from Seoul. Urban sprawl was remarkable at Si-Guns close to Seoul in the late 1980s, Si-Guns close to Seoul and the southern part of Seoul in the late 1990s, and the southern and northern parts of Seoul in the late 2000s.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.59-75
• /
• 2012

This study investigated the self-perception of body image and awareness of diet of high school students in Zibo city, China. The data were collected from 260 high school students through the self-administered questionnaires. Frequency analysis, t tests, one-way ANOVA, Duncan's multiple range tests, factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha test were conducted by SPSS Windows V.19.0. The results were as follows. In the self-perception of body image, two fifths of the respondents thought of themselves as standard body image. More female respondents thought of themselves as fat persons compared with male respondents. The level of concern about diet was generally low and the mean for pursuit of skinny figure was highest in the awareness of diet. The percentage of correct answers of knowledge about diet was not that high, and one fifths of respondents had experience of diet. The respondents practiced fasting therapy, exercise therapy, food therapy, sweat therapy, drug/appliance therapy, and therapy using professional organization in order for diet.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.62-72
• /
• 2023

Based on the basic ideology of health care, this study realized the seriousness of annual unmet medical need and conducted a study to confirm the relationship between the subjective perception of regional healthcare environment and unmet medical needs. The independent variable was classified into attitude 'satisfaction' and 'unsatisfaction' toward regional healthcare, and the dependent variable was classified as whether unmet medical needs occurred annually. Based on previous studies, the control variables were selected as demographic and socioeconomic characteristics that can affect the occurrence of unmet medical care annually and characteristics related to health behavior. Descriptive statistics were conducted for each variable on the extracted sample, and multivariate survey logistic regression analysis was conducted to confirm the association between variables. As a result, more unmet medical needs occurred annually than those who were satisfied with the medical services in the area where they lived. In addition, more unmet medical need occurred annually in "unsatisfied" households compared to households "satisfied" with local medical services. In residential areas, women live in "metropolis" and "rural areas" compared to "urban," women live in men, lower education levels, and poor subjective health levels, and less satisfied with local medical services. As such, the impact of environmental factors in the community on the use of health and medical services is one of the major areas of interest in the field of health science, such as health policy and social dynamics. Therefore, hospitals in each region need to make efforts in terms of hospital management to increase the overall satisfaction of medical services in the region by continuously monitoring the attitude of residents to achieve universal health security, and policymakers should also be interested and propose new policies.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.404-410
• /
• 2016

Objectives: This study aimed to examine and analyze the material safety data sheet(MSDS) information for photoresist chemicals used in certain processes in semiconductor plants. Methods: After collecting MSDS for 178 chemical products currently used in certain processes in semiconductor plants, we analyzed Sections 2, 3, 11, and 15 of each MSDS with reference to the guidelines for evaluating the reliability of MSDS provided by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. In addition, we reviewed the recorded uses and the ratios of trade secrets. Results and Conclusions: We studied a total of 178 chemical products. An MSDS was available for 176(98.9%) of them and all adhered to the Globally Harmonized System(GHS) regulations. There were 37 cases of errors in Hazard Identification, pertaining to 20.8% of all products surveyed. There were 64 cases of errors in the current legal circumstances, pertaining to 36.0% of all products. There were a total of 407 trade secrets across 52.2% of products. We believe that a government-led education and certification system needs to be introduced to improve the transfer of MSDS information. The government, chemical manufacturers and suppliers all need to make an effort to produce reliable MSDS.