• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.28 no.1 s.49
• /
• pp.73-84
• /
• 1995

This study was conducted to measure the lead level in the blood, scalp hair and toenail of the elementary schoolchildren and assess the relationship among those samples. Lead concentration of the blood, scalp hair and toenail was measured for 100(male 50, female 50) fourth grade elementary schoolchildren in Taegu city. The mean lead level in the blood, scalp hair and toenail was $6.00{\pm}2.44{\mu}g/dl,\;6.68{\pm}3.54{\mu}g/g,\;and\;7.33{\pm}3.18{\mu}g/g. The mean lead level in the blood of schoolboys was $6.43{\pm}2.77{\mu}g/dl$, and that of schoolgirls was $5.59{\pm}2.01{\mu}g/dl$. The mean lead level in the scalp hair of schoolboys was $7.66{\pm}2.97{\mu}g/g$ and that of schoolgirls was $6.88{\pm}3.54{\mu}g/g$. The mean lead level in the toenail of schoolboys was $8.19{\pm}3.5{\mu}g/g$ and that of schoolgirls was $6.47{\pm}2.52{\mu}g/g$ and their difference was statistically significant. In schoolboys, the correlation coefficient between the lead level in the blood and scalp hair was 0.4909, and the data were fitted best by the regression equation Y = 0.5255X+4. 2810, where Y and X are scalp hair and blood concentration. In schoolgirls the correlation coefficient between the lead level in the blood and scalp hair was 0.3778, and the data were fitted best by the regression equation Y = 0.6655X+2.9632, where Y and X are scalp hair and blood concentration. In schoolboys, the correlation coefficient between the lead level in the blood and in the toenail was 0.5533, and the data were fitted best by the regression equation Y = 0.7076X+3. 6472, where Y and X are toenail and blood concentration. In schoolgirls the correlation coefficient between the lead level in the blood and in the toenail was 0.2738, and the data were fitted best by the regression equation Y = 0.3431X+4.5570, where Y and X are toenail and blood concentration In schoolboys, the correlation coefficient between the lead level in the scalp hair and in the toenail, in the schoolboys was 0.4148, and the data were fitted best by the regression equation Y = 0.4956X+4.3986, where Y and X are toenail and scalp hair concentration. In schoolgirls, the correlation coefficient between the lead level in the scalp hair and in the toenail was 0.1159, and the data were fitted best by the regression equation Y = 0.0825X+5. 9214, where Y and X are toenail and scalp hair concentration. Correlation among lead concentration in the blood, scalp hair and toenail of schoolchildren were statistically significant except between scalp hair and toenail in schoolgirls. These finding suggest that blood, scalp hair and toenail can be used as substitutive samples between each others.

• The Korean Journal of Elementary Counseling
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.227-248
• /
• 2008

This study aims to examine the effects of art therapy on challenging behavior of schoolchildren. For this purpose, I selected one class of 4th year student of S primary school, located at Jeongeup city, Jeonlabukdo, and selected 4 study subjects through examination of K-CBCL children. juvenile behavior evaluation scale, characters, school life and K - HTP test. With regard to procedure of this study, I carried out art therapy program at the art class for 60 minutes one time a week for 4 months, a total of 17 sessions from Apr. 3, 2007 to July 24, 2007. I made this program with some modification in reference to Arts Therapy Technique (Counpia Remote Training Center, 2005), Group Art Therapy (Choi Seon Nam. Kim Gap Sook. Jeon Jong Kuk, 2007) and the Effects of Peer Group Art Activity on Sociality Skill of Offensive Children (Park Ju Yeon. Lee Byeon In, 2005). For each child, I compared and analyzed the changes in score of K-CBCL children. juvenile behavior evaluation scale, behavior by K-HTP (dynamic house-wood-human figure test) analysis and by school life(KSD) image analysis before and after treatment. I also carried out qualitative analysis on behavioral feature of each child for each session. This study obtained the following conclusions. First, child A showed positive change in comparison before and after art treatment program of score K-CBCL children. juvenile behavior evaluation, K-HTP image test and school life. Since he was so active and wanted to obtain good evaluation from anyone that he frequently had quarrel with friends, spoke against others well and beaten others much but was changed and did not speak against others or beat. Second, child B showed clear difference in comparison before and after art treatment program of score K-CBCL children. juvenile behavior evaluation, but no significant difference in K-HTP image test and school life. However, I observed substantial changes. While he could not speak frankly to others, felt empty in mind and was offensive in personal relations, he was changed, did not have quarrel with others or speak against others that much and improved his relationship with friends or teachers. Third, child C showed positive change in score of K-CBCL children juvenile behavior evaluation after art therapy program. In comparison of K-HTP image test and school life treatment before and after treatment, he still longed for mothers in mind but found rather stable after treatment. Fourth, child D showed positive chance in score of K-CBCL children. juvenile behavior evaluation scale after art therapy program, but almost no changes in K-HTP image test. But he depicted good relationship and socializing with other friends in school life. While he could not carry his point due to social immaturity and felt depressed, he got more confident. This result of study showed that art therapy had positive effects on correction of schoolchildren.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.131-143
• /
• 2005

This study is performed to examine the meal management attitudes of housewives who had elementary schoolchildren in the remote rural areas(RA: n = 318, $37.2{\pm}0.3$ years of age) in comparison to those in their vicinity urban area(UA: n = 349, $36.9{\pm}0.2$ years of age) in the Chungnam province in Korea. The subjects were asked to fill out the questionnaire on their attitudes of meal management for their families. The results obtained in this study were as followings: (1) Most husbands of the subjects had a farming job in the RA while they had salaried workers in the UA(p<0.001). Education levels of both subjects and their husbands were lower in the RA than in the UA. Nuclear families were dominated by both groups, however single parent-family and step parent-family were more prevalent in the RA than in the UA. (2) in terms of ways of getting foods such as grains, meats, eggs, vegetables and fruits, the RA housewives relied more often on self-production than did the UA housewives(p<0.001). (3) The frequency of purchasing unprocessed foods was lower in the RA than in the UA(p<0.001). The RA housewives purchased the convenient foods such as instant noodles(p<0.05), ready to eatsoups(p<0.001), retort pouch foods(p<0.05) and instant teas(p<0.05) more frequently than did the UA housewives, while tuna, canned in oil(p<0.01), milk and their products(p<0.001), soybean products(p<0.001) and snacks(p<0.01) were purchased less often by the RA housewives. (4) Family members except housewives engaged more often in meal preparation in the RA than did those in the UA(p<0.001), which was more strongly observed for dinner. The time spent in preparing the dinner was shorter in the RA than in the UA(p<0.001). (5) The degrees of endeavor to provide the subjects' offspring with balanced meal(p<0.001) and nutrition education(p<0.01) were lower in the RA than in the UA. The RA housewives had more difficulty for performing meal management because of 'over work-related fatigue', 'insufficient money to purchase foods' and 'far distance from grocery' than the UA housewives(p<0.001). The RA housewives had lower score on nutritional knowledge(p<0.001) and wanted more strongly nutritional knowledge to improve the quality of family's meal than did the UA housewives(p<0.01). Therefore, the RA housewives had various problems regarding meal management such as 'over work related to fatigue', 'food-purchasing inconvenience', 'low economic status of family' and 'lack of nutritional knowledge'. As a consequence the RA housewives relied on cheap convenient foods more often in order to prepare the meal easily than did the UA housewives. These findings emphasize the need in the RA for nutrition education for housewives and a range of nutrition policies that focus upon the social and economic determinants of food choice within families to improve the nutritional status of the RA residents.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.79-85
• /
• 2000

This study was investigated the refractive state and the analysis of ametropic frequency among schoolchildren who were the three grade in W elementary school in Suwon. Total 488eye (244 persons) were examined by the trial-lens set and the questionary. Through Trial-Lens set verification, several factors related to ametropic frequency were obtained as the following. Among the 244 persons, the students who wear spectacles or need to wear spectacles were 27.3%, among the 27.3% students, the students who have low visual acuity below 0.3 were 6.3%. The ametropia eyes among the total eyes were 27.3%. Among ametropic eyes, myopia and hyperopia were 25.4% and 1.9%. Among the total ametropic errors were low refractive error were 71.4%, and middle refractive error were 28.6%. In ratio myopic frequency, it was statistically related to the refractive errors with the environments factors such as reading distance & habits, T.V watching distance. Among the students belonged to below 0.7 visual acuity, the wear spectacles students were 63.3%. The ratio of anisometropia was 3.4%.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.341-352
• /
• 2005

This study was based on the information provided by 1,180 elementary school children (630 boys and 550 girls) of 5th or 6th grade in Changwon and Gimhae of Gyeongnam province. They were asked about perception and preference for rice foods by questionnaires. The purpose of this survey was to find the way of encouraging rice intake and preference which is currently getting lower because of increasing simple westernized eating habits, and to provide basic information needed for inheriting and improving our traditional rice-based dietary culture. The results are summarized as follows. Most of subjects (91.2%) thought that steamed rice is better than bread for own health. The reason why they chose to eat steamed rice was 'because it is good for health' (61.2%), and 'because it is staple food item that we eat everyday' (26.4%). Seventy one percent of girls and 52.7% of boys gave the answer 'because it is good for health' as the reason for eating steamed rice. The reasons for the importance of the rice-based dietary culture were 'because of its superior nutritional value' (40.8%), and 'because it is our traditional eating culture' (28.6%). While significantly more girls (42.9%) answered as 'because of its superior nutritional value', more boys (39.0%) answered as 'because it is our traditional dietary culture'. More boys (59.0%) preferred noodles than girls' (54.7%), and fruits were preferred more by girls than boys as substitution foods for steamed rice showing significant difference (p<0.01). They wanted rice product developed in the forms such as Ssalamyun (29.8%), Ssalmandoo (24.1%), rice noodles (20.6%), and rice bread (15.6%). The preference score on rice products of subjects was one dish meals (4.27) and drinks (4.26), snacks (3.72), convenience foods (3.61), and steamed rice (3.44) in order. Preferred food showing points over 4 were Ssalbap (plain steamed rice) (4.29) in steamed rice type food, Kimchi bokeumbap (4.56), Bokeumbap (4.55), Bibimbop (4.45), Omelet rice (4.44), Kimbap (4.42), Ddukkuk (4.33), Curried rice (4.33), Jajangbap (4.28), and Ddukmandookuk (4.24) in one dish meal type food, Samgak Kimbap (4.26) in convenience type food, Songpyun (4.48), Injulmi (4.18), Teokbokki (4.71), Ddukkochiguyi (4.46), and rice cookies (4.24) in snack type food, and Shikhye (4.61) and Misugaru (4.28) in drink type food. Based on these results, it may be said that elementary school children think the rice-based diet is good for health and this dietary culture should be inherited and developed not only in a traditional aspect but also in a nutritional aspect. Therefore, more studies are needed to develop various forms of rice food products and cooking recipes.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.207-214
• /
• 1993

This study was conducted to evaluate the current endemicity and the transition mode of the Clonorchis infection in Sanchong-gun Kyongsangnam-do. The areas of investigation, villages and schools surveyed, method and techniques used in this study were the same as in 1984. The egg positive rate of clonorchiasis in the general population of Sanchong-gun was 37.6% out of 837 exanuned persons. In the schoolchildren. the rate was 9.7% out of 145 persons examined. In the Intensity of the infEction among the cases. the mean EPG (Egg Per gram of feces) in the inhabitants and schoolchildren were 3, 310 (male 4, 221, female 1, 978) and 711 tamale 620. female 8331, respectively. Of the inhabitants with clonorchiasis, the cases of light infection (EPG < 1, 000) and moderate infection (1.000 < EPG < 10, 000) were 93.9%. The proportion with experience of eating raw freshwater-fish was 90.5% among the infecters. Out of 138 Inhabitants examined in both 1984 and 1992, the number of the positives by both examinations was 31 (22.5%), positive to negative conversion was 35 (25.4%), negative to positive conversion was 22(15.9%). The present results reveal that there are no chanties of the e99 Positive rate of clonorchiasis among inhabitants in Sanchong and the eating habit of raw freshwater-fish persists there. In this community, the eating habit Is the most important problem to be solved for control of this endemic diease.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.117-126
• /
• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D and zinc are recognized for their roles in immune-modulation, and their deficiencies are suggested to be important risk factors for childhood infections. This study, therefore, undertook to assess the occurrence of infections in rural Indian schoolchildren, subsequent to daily supplementation with vitamin D-calcium or zinc for 6 months. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in apparently healthy 6-12 year-old rural Indian children, recruited to 3 study arms: vitamin D arm (1,000 IU D3 - 500 mg calcium, n = 135), zinc arm (10 mg, n = 150) and placebo arm (n = 150). The infection status was assessed using a validated questionnaire, and the biochemical parameters of serum 25(OH)D and serum zinc were measured by ELISA and colorimetry, respectively. The primary outcome variable was occurrence of infections (upper respiratory and total infections). RESULTS: Serum 25(OH)D concentration in the vitamin D arm improved significantly by 34%, from 59.7 ± 10.9 nmol/L to 80 ± 23.3 nmol/L (P < 0.0001), but no improvement was observed for serum zinc concentration. While there was significant increase in the percentage of children reporting no or mild upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) and total infections (TI) in all three groups, improvements in the supplemented groups were similar to the placebo group. However, the vitamin D arm reported lower URTI and TI status in the vitamin D sufficient versus insufficient children. Also, URTI and TI status were found to be significantly (P < 0.0001) lower in children with improved 25(OH)D versus unchanged 25(OH)D. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D-calcium supplementation helped to improve the vitamin D status but exerts no effect on the occurrence of infections when compared to the placebo group. Improvement in the serum 25(OH)D concentrations and attainment of vitamin D sufficiency may exert a beneficial effect on the infection status and needs to be investigated further. To evaluate the efficacy of zinc supplementation, higher dosages need to be administered in future studies.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.140-148
• /
• 2004

To evaluate the acute effects of fine particles on pulmonary function, a longitudinal study was conducted. This study was carried out for the schoolchildren (3rd and 6th grades) living in Beijing, China. Each child was provided with a mini-Wright peak flow meter and a preformatted health symptom diary for 40 days, and was trained on their proper use. Participants were instructed to perform the peak flow test three times in standing position, three times a day (9 am, 12 pm, and 8 pm), and to record all the readings along with the symptoms (cold, cough, and asthmatic symptoms) experienced on that day. Daily measurement of fine particles (PM$_{10}$ and PM$_{2.5}$) was obtained in the comer of the playground of the participating elementary school for the same period of this longitudinal study. The relationship between daily peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and fine particle levels was analyzed using a mixed linear regression models including gender, height, the presence of respiratory symptoms, and daily average temperature and relative humidity as extraneous variables. The total number of students participating in this longitudinal study was 87. The range of daily measured PEFR was 253-501$\ell$/min. In general, the PEFR measured in the morning was lower than the PEFR measured in the evening (or afternoon) on the same day. The daily mean concentrations of PM$_{10}$ and PM$_{2.5}$ over the study period were 180.2$\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ and 103.2$\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥, respectively. The IQR (inter-quartile range) of PM$_{10}$ and PM$_{2.5}$ were 91.8$\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ and 58.0$\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥. During the study period, the national ambient air quality standard of 150$\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ (for PM$_{10}$) was exceeded in 23 days (57.5%). The analysis showed that an increase of 1$\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ of PM$_{10}$ corresponded to 0.59$\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥ increment of PM$_{2.5}$. Daily mean PEFR was regressed with the 24-hour average PM$_{10}$ (or PM$_{2.5}$) levels, weather information such as air temperature and relative humidity, and individual characteristics including gender, height, and respiratory symptoms. The analysis showed that the increase of fine particle concentrations was negatively associated with the variability in PEFR. The IQR increments of PM$_{10}$ or PM$_{2.5}$ (at 1-day time lag) were also shown to be related with 1.54 $\ell$/min (95% Confidence intervals: 0.94-2.14) and 1.56$\ell$/min (95% CI: 0.95-2.16) decline in PEFR.R.ine in PEFR.ine in PEFR.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.53 no.5
• /
• pp.535-543
• /
• 2015

Integrated control strategies are important for sustainable control of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis, despite their challenges for their effective implementation. With the support of Good Neighbors International in collaboration with National Institute of Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania, integrated control applying mass drug administration (MDA), health education using PHAST, and improved safe water supply has been implemented on Kome Island over 5 years for controlling schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). Baseline surveys for schistosomiasis and STHs was conducted before implementation of any integrated control strategies, followed by 4 cross-sectional follow-up surveys on randomly selected samples of schoolchildren and adults in 10 primary schools and 8 villages, respectively, on Kome islands. Those follow-up surveys were conducted for impact evaluation after introduction of control strategies interventions in the study area. Five rounds of MDA have been implemented from 2009 along with PHAST and improved water supply with pumped wells as other control strategies for complementing MDA. A remarkable steady decline of schistosomiasis and STHs was observed from 2009 to 2012 with significant trends in their prevalence decline, and thereafter infection rate has remained at a low sustainable control. By the third follow-up survey in 2012, Schistosoma mansoni infection prevalence was reduced by 90.5% and hookworm by 93.3% among schoolchildren while in adults the corresponding reduction was 83.2% and 56.9%, respectively. Integrated control strategies have successfully reduced S. mansoni and STH infection status to a lower level. This study further suggests that monitoring and evaluation is a crucial component of any large-scale STH and schistosomiasis intervention.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.58 no.2
• /
• pp.109-119
• /
• 2020

Soil-transmitted helminths and Schistosoma haematobium affect more than 3 billion people globally and mainly occur in sub-Saharan Africa. The present study assessed the overall infection status of a 1716-student cohort of schoolchildren in Zanzibar and applied mass drug administration (MDA) to the cohort from 2007 to 2009. Schools in Pemba, Zanzibar, had a much higher prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections than those in Unguja, and the Chaani, Ghana, and Machui schools of Unguja exhibited high S. haematobium infection rates. The MDA program only partially controlled parasite infections, owing to high rates of re-infection. The infection rate of S. haematobium across all 10 schools, for example, was only reduced by 1.8%, and even this change not significant, even though the S. haematobium infection rates of the Chaani and Mzambarauni schools were significantly reduced from 64.4 and 23.4%, respectively, at the first screening, to 7.3 and 2.3% at the last screening. The overall infection rate of Ascaris lumbricoides was reduced from 36.0% at the first screening to 22.6% at the last screening. However, the infection rates for both Trichuris trichiura and hookworm were generally unaffected by MDA. In the future, parasite control programs should involve strategically designed MDA schedules and holistic intervention (e.g., sanitation improvement, hygiene behavior changes, and control of intermediated hosts).