• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.372-381
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• 2014

Purpose: This study investigated the prevalence of hypertension, explored sleep duration, and examined the related factors to hypertension in Korean middle-aged adults. Methods: Using raw data from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (KNHANES) conducted from 2008 to 2010, a secondary analysis was performed with data from 13,230 adults aged 30~64 years. ${\chi}^2$-test and multiple logistic regressions was used for the data analysis. Results: The prevalence of hypertension among Korean middle-aged adults was 21.8% and 40.3% among participants reported that their average sleep duration was below six hours a night. Risk factors for hypertension include: female (the odds ratio (OR) 1.66 for male), 50~64 years age group (OR 3.66 for 30~49 years age group), education level of elementary school (OR 1.84 for university level), low household income (OR 1.27 for upper), obesity (OR 2.41), high risk drinking (OR 1.64), and sleep duration${\leq}6$ hrs (OR 1.16 for 8 hrs of sleep). Conclusion: High risk population of hypertension could be male, aged, low education, and low income. Obesity, high risk drinking, and short sleep duration should be considered as risk factors for hypertension. Interventions for obesity management, adequate alcohol drinking and sleep duration could be considered for preventing hypertension.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.364-370
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate nutritional status in middle-class adults compared with low income or high income adults according to gender difference. Methods: Data from the 2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used. A total of 7,082 adults aged from 30 to 64 were included and classified according to household income level into three groups. Dietary data was collected using 24-hr recall methods. Results: Most nutrients including energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals such as iron and calcium differed according to income levels. Iron intake of middle-class men was higher than that of the lowest income group, whereas that of middle-class women was similar to that of the lowest income group. In addition, no significant difference in carbohydrate, protein, fat, thiamin, and niacin intakes per 1,000 kcal and iron intake was found between the middle and high income group only in male subjects. In summary, our results showed that the relationship between nutritional status and income level as a socioeconomic parameter could vary according to gender difference. Conclusion: According to our results, it could be suggested that not only the lowest income people but also middle class women should be concerned in development of nutritional policies. Gender difference should be considered. It is a very meaningful implication for application to policy for obesity prevention or intervention.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.1336-1354
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• 1999

Researchers have rarely explored menopausal experience in the context of the totality of women's lives, subsequently making the picture of menopause incomplete, discrete and fragmented. Respecting the totality of women's lives, this study addressed how a vulnerable group of women-low income Korean immigrant women-experience menopause within a context of multiple transitions. This is a cross-sectional study using methodological triangulation. A sample of 119 first-generation Korean immigrant women aged 40 to 60 years, who were in low-income jobs, was recruited using convenience sampling methods. From the total sample, 21 peri-or post-menopausal women were recruited for in-depth interviews following the collection of the survey data. Questionnaires, short interviews, and in- depth interviews were used to collect data. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Thematic analysis was used to interpret interview data. The findings indicate that menopause was given the lowest priority amidst women's multiple and demanding roles within a gendered multiple transitional (immigration, work and menopause) context. The lack of language clarity to describe women's experience, cultural background, inadequate knowledge, and lack of social supports made menopause hidden, invisible, and inaudible. Conclusions and implications for nursing practice are guided by the goal of understanding women's experiences and meanings of menopause and supporting women through reflecting these experiences into their health care.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.147-159
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• 2020

Objectives: This study is the human factors and disease factors of the copayment system for the elderly (>65 years old) and to identify does the current status and characteristics of the applied elderly and conducted to provide basic data. Methods: Sample cohort data from the National Health Insurance Corporation database, from the years 2012-2015, were analyzed of 21,772 elderly people over the copayment ceiling. Results: The ratio of those who exceeded the copayment ceiling system rose sharply from progressive rates of 3.39% in 2012, 3.69% in 2013 and 5.03% in 2014, to rates of 37.13% from 2013. Factors identified that affect the instances of being over the copayment ceiling were: age, income group, region, severity, disability, sickness distribution, inpatient days, and outpatient days. Conclusions: The reorganization of the copayment ceiling system in 2014 favored low-income families of the elderly, but in 2015, the proportion of elderly was low (only 5.78%). The government's policies needs to change to allow for the amount of the deductible upper limit for low- and middle- income groups to be further subdivided in order for the elderly to receive more deductibles.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.589-598
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that increase of the risk for falls in low-income elders in urban areas. Methods: The participants were elderly people registered in one of public health centers in one city. Data were collected by interviewing the elders, assessing their environmental risk factors, and surveying relevant secondary data from the public health center records. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression were performed using SPSS version 14. Results: Stroke, diabetes, visual deficits, frequency of dizziness, use of assistive devices and moderate depression were statistically significant risk factors. The comorbidity of chronic diseases with other factors including depression, visual deficit, dizziness, and use of assistive devices significantly increased the risk of falls. From multiple logistic regression analysis, statistically significant predictors of falls were found to be stroke, total environmental risk scores, comorbiditiy of diabetes with visual deficits, and with depression. Conclusion: Fall prevention interventions should be multifactorial, especially for the elders with stroke or diabetes, who were identified in this study as the high risk group for falls. A fall risk assessment tool for low-income elders should include both the intrinsic factors like depression, dizziness, and use of assistive devices, and the extrinsic factors.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.46 no.10
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• pp.97-106
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• 2008

We examined the effects of family and home literacy environments on the vocabulary and reading abilities of 3 to 5-year-olds. In particular, SES was considered against home literacy environment. The sample consisted of 366 Korean children and their mothers. We found that the level of mother's education was related to the child's vocabulary test score. After controlling for family factors, home literacy environment score positively predicted children's performance both in vocabulary and reading tests. Magnitudes of differences between the two literacy groups (high and low home literacy environment) became larger in the children from relative lower income families. Magnitudes of differences for vocabulary and reading tests was strikingly large in the low-income group both in vocabulary and reading tests. These findings shed lights on the importance of parent education and family services for low-income families with preschool children.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.18-29
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• 2014

Purpose: This study sought to ascertain and describe u-Health nurses (ubiquitous healthcare nurse, tele-nurse)' experiences working with low-income elders in Korea. Methods: Data were collected through semi-structured interview, focus group interviews of 6 nurses and participant observations in community places in public rental housing in the city of Seoul. The ethnographical analysis method, proposed by Spradley, was used to analyze interview data. Results: We identified two major clusters of themes on common issues and concerns experienced by nurses: "work environment" and "daily work life." In addition, ten themes and fourteen sub-themes were extracted from the field work data. Conclusion: The study provided a deeper understanding of the experiences and services of u-Health nurses in Korea, of which much remains to be understood, as the healthcare services they currently provide are limited. Moreover, its findings could empower novice nurses and expand nurse's professional knowledge and competence.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.34
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• pp.24.1-24.13
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• 2022

Background: In modern society, depression is serious issue that causes socioeconomic and family burden. To decrease the incidence of depression, risk factors should be identified and managed. Among many risk factors for depression, this study examined socioeconomic risk factors for depression. Methods: We utilized first (2006), second (2008), and third (2010)-wave data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). Depressive symptom was measured with the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Short Form (CES-D-10) in the survey in 2008 and 2010. Three risk factors including job security, employment type and monthly income were measured in the survey in 2006. The association between risk factors and depressive symptom was analyzed by Cox proportional-hazard model. Results: We analyzed data from 1,105 workers and hazard ratios (HRs) for 3 risk factors were significant entirely. In addition, regular worker with high income group is the most vulnerable group of poor job insecurity on depression among male workers (HR: 1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-2.81). Finally, HRs for 7 groups who had at least 1 risk factor had higher HRs compared to groups who had no risk factors after stratifying 3 risk factors. In the analysis, significantly vulnerable groups were total 5 groups and the group who had highest HR was temporary/daily workers with poor job security (HR: 2.51; 95% CI: 1.36-4.64). The results concerning women, regardless of job type, were non-significant. Conclusions: This study presented one or more risk factors among poor job security, low income, temporary/daily employment type increase hazard for depressive symptom in 2 or 4 years after the exposure. These results inform policy to screen for and protect against the risk of depression in vulnerable groups.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.954-965
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• 2019

This study was a quasi-experimental study of a non-equivalence comparison group to investigate an effect of adaptation of group counseling program based on MMTIC (Murphy-Meisgeier Type Indicator for Children) on improvement of psychological well-being, self-esteem and depression for elementary school students from low income families. Data were collected from August 3 to August 31, 2016. The group counseling program based on MMTIC was applied to the experimental group 10 sessions (twice a week, 60minutes), participants were 56 elementary school students from low income families (experimental group = 28, control group = 28) live in J city. The effects of this study were evaluated with the scales for psychological well-being, self-esteem and depression. As a result, it was found that well-being and self-esteem had significantly improved, depression had noticeably decreased with the program. Therefore, It is should that the group counseling program based on MMTIC will be used for effective psychiatric nursing intervention.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.41-48
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• 1978

To examine the result of the government Medical Aid Program which began in January, 1977 as a part of social security policy implementation, all the medical records of the clients and official statistics in the year were analysed. The specific objectives this study pursues include the magnitudes and patterns of morbidity and utilization, and the characteristics of clients. One Korean rural area, Koje county was selected as the study area and subsequently all the clinics and hospitals assigned to work out the Aid Program are the subjects for the survey. A brief summary of the sutdy results as follows: a. The clients of Koje county are 6.4% of the total population in the area, more than the average percentage of the clients in Korea. It reflects on low level of economic status of the residents of the area. b. The population structure of the clients indicates that the large proportions of young and old age group are overwhelming, while the middle age group share very small portions. c. The utilization rates for primary care are 2.0 persons, 11.6 visits and 22.6 treatment days per 100 persons per months. Annual hospitalization is rated as 13.7 cases and 164 days per 1,000 persons, The utilization rates are slightly lower than those expected rates during planning period but eventually become higher than those of general population in rural Korea. d. The factors which influence the utilization rates are identified with client group (low income vs indigent), age and sex. e. The utilization pattern for primary care demonstrates seasonal variation similar to the pattern of general rural population in the low income group, but none in the indigent group. f. The most common diseases revealed at the primary care clinics are the acute respiratory infection (26.9%), acute gastritis (10.8%), skin and subcutaneous infection (6.8%). The cases of acute conditions are outnumbered than the cases of chronic condition. 8. The clinics, hospitals and other related health institutions are well cooperated in dealing health care services in their own capacities. Considering the above results Medical Aid Program generated satisfactory results at least in the utilization aspect.