• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.135-148
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to recognize correlation between stress and menstrual pattern among low-income women. Methods: From 5th October to 24th October 2009 we researched 14 low-income mothers by questionnaires to investigate their stress and menstrual patterns. Results: The mean level of their stress was $6.71{\pm}2.92$. The less the income was, the higher the stress was. Among the women, the stress of those who do not had husbands was also high. Most of the women's menarche came late and their menstrual cycle was long. The menstrual color was a little dark and they had blood clots and pain during menstruation. Their mental states also often changed over the period and they had pattern of blood stasis. The study observed that the higher the stress was, the worse the menstrual pain was. Conclusion: Low-income women are under stress by their socioeconomic status and their menstrual patterns often change. Stress has correlation with menstruation.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2023

Objectives: Previous studies have reported that people with disabilities are more likely to be impoverished and affected by excessive medical costs than people without disabilities. Public transfer income (PTI) reduces financial strain in low-income households. This study examined the impact of PTI on catastrophic health expenditures (CHE), focusing on low-income households and households with Medical Aid beneficiaries that contained people with disabilities. Methods: We constructed a panel dataset by extracting data on registered households with disabilities from the Korea Welfare Panel Study 2012-2019. We then used a generalized estimating equation model to estimate the impacts of PTI on CHE. A subgroup analysis was carried out to assess the moderating effects of family income levels and health insurance types. Results: As PTI increased, the odds ratio (OR) of CHE in households that contained people with disabilities decreased significantly (OR, 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.89 to 0.94; p<0.001). In particular, PTI effectively reduced the likelihood of CHE for low-income households (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.89; p<0.001) and those who received medical benefits (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.68 to 0.89; p<0.001). Conclusions: This study highlights the positive effect of PTI on decreasing CHE. Household income and the health insurance type were significant effect modifiers, but economic barriers seemed to persist among low-income households with non-Medical Aid beneficiaries. Federal policies or programs should consider increasing the total amount of PTI targeting low-income households with disabilities that are not covered by the Medical Aid program.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.373-383
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• 2013

Purpose: In this study, we analyzed refractive power of school children in low income family. Methods: We have done a comparative analysis with 112 subjects of low-income of 17 elementary schools in the Yeongcheon area and low-income children less than -6 D of refractive errors from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Report 2010. Results: Spherical equivalent (SE) with low-income group of nation was -1.99 D for right eye and -1.81 D for left eye, while high income group of nation showed -1.26 D and -1.21 D for right eye and left eye respectively. The SE with low income group in Yeongcheon area was -1.85 D for right eye and -1.81 D for left eye. The SE with orphan was -2.75 D and -2.42 D. Single parent family was -2.10 D and -1.96 D, and two parent family was -1.75 D and -1.73. Conclusions: The lack of attention to children eye care may be one of cause for myopia, so the role of the parents and teacher is very important. However, limited role of parents to children due to low income, it is necessary to provide an institutional strategy and social interest to prevent children vision' in low income family.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.552-565
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• 2016

This study aimed to examine the association between material hardship and alcohol use among low-income households in Korea, with particular attention to whether the association was mediated by family conflict and self-esteem. Using a nationally representative sample of 960 low-income households, this study conducted a path analysis to test a structural model liking material hardship to alcohol use through family conflict and self-esteem. The significance of indirect paths was tested by a Sobel test. This study found that experiencing material hardship was directly associated with low levels of coping skills for family conflict and low levels of self-esteem, but not with alcohol use. However, material hardship was indirectly associated with alcohol use through low levels of coping skills for family conflict as well as low levels of self-esteem. The findings of this study suggest that experiencing material hardship among low-income households would be a socio-structural stressor for alcohol use, particularly in that it increases secondary role and intra-psychic strains. Implications to address material hardship and alcohol use among low-income households were discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.8957-8965
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• 2015

The degree of difficulty in low-income elderly people who living alone' life satisfaction is increased. The aim of this study is to find factors affecting the low-income elderly people who living alone' life satisfaction by examining the comparative influence of loneliness, family support, social support. For achieving this purpose, this study analyzed data of 300 low-income elderly people who living alone in Gyeonggi province. Findings of the study identified that the factors affecting the life satisfaction were health status, loneliness, family support, social support. Further, family support and social support had a significant influence on the low-income elderly people who living alone' life satisfaction even after controlling the influences of other factors. On the basis of the results, practical suggestions to increase the life satisfaction of low-income elderly people who living alone were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.85-103
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• 1989

The purpose of this study is to figure out the urban low-income consumers' present possesion condition of electric appliances, the way of purchasing, shopping scope of groceries and electric appliances, and the shopping scope and information seeking behavior of groceries and electric appliances according to the socioeconomic variables, and the shopping scope of electric appliances according to the way of paying price. For this purpose 129 low-income consumers living in Inchon were interviewed through questionnares. Finally 100 questionnares were analyzed. The first major of this study is that the possesion rates of color television set and refrigerator are comparativelyl high, while those of washing machine, record player and camera are low. In case of electric appliances, consumers usually purchase things on credit and as a shopping place, they usually go to a commercial agent. In case of groceries, they usually buy things for cash, and in case of one price labeled groceries they usually buy things at a supermarket. Second, according to the way of paying price, the shopping scope of some electric appliances is broader in case of purchase for cach than in case of purchase on credit. Third, the shopping scope and information seeking behavior classified by the socioeconomic variables according to the income, age and education. That is as the income and education become higher and the age becomes lower, the shopping scope becomes broader, mass media information source is much more uaed and the frequency of seeking becomes higher. Through this study, I would like to suggest the followings. (1) The problem of low-income consumers is closely connected with the low education level, so it can be solved a bit through consumer education. (2) Especially the consumers' problem is more serious in case of those who are aged and get very low income and education. Therefore special attention is needed to those consumers.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.149-169
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to examine the environmental characteristics of adolescents in low-income families, identify the high-risk & protective factors among environmental contexts surrounding adolescents, and investigate the relative importance of high-risk & protective factors to adolescents'psychological and behavioral adjustment separately. The present study was the primary research of developing prevention program for adolescents'deviant behaviors in low-income families. Subjects of this study consisted of 176 adolescents drawn from 8 social-welfare institutions in Chungbuk province. The pilot study was done to examine the applicability of survey instrument. Data were analyzed by the frequency, percentage, Pearson correlation, stepwise regression using SPSS/WIN program. The results were as followings: 1. There was statistically correlated with each other in environmental high-risk and protective factors except an housing environment. The results implies that environmental contexts itself surrounding adolescents in low-income families can be either high-risk factors or protective factors. 2. The adolescents in low-income families perceived that stresses from consumer and school environments were high-risk factors among other environmental contexts. 3. The adolescents in low-income families perceived that resources from friend and school were protective factors among other environmental contexts. 4. The stresses from friend and eating behaviors were significant factors predicting adolescents'relative psychological adjustment. However, the behavioral adjustment was not predicted by environmental contexts. 5. The resources from school, consumer, and eating behaviors were significant factors predicting adolescents'relative psychological adjustment. Also, the resources from school, eating behavior, and family were predictors of behavioral adjustment. This research implies that the findings can be based on the development of prevention program for adolescents deviant behaviors in low-income families.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.39-45
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the energy saving and cost benefit analysis of the Low-income Energy Efficiency Treatment Program supported by KOREF(Korea Energy Foundation). This program was launched in 2007 and performs building energy retrofit for the low-income and energy poverty houses. Method: Energy simulation and cost benefit analysis were accomplished for the low-income detached houses. The structure of detached house was a lot og block structure, wood frame (single glass) and concrete roof. Baseline model of the low-income detached houses was proposed. Result: Annual heating energy consumptions were decreased by about 3.2% with the window system replacement(Case 1), 9.3% with reinforcement of insulation(Case2), and 12.5% with both(Case 3) compared to those of baseline model. The construction cost will be recouped within 5 years for the Case 1, 3 years for the Case 2, and 3 years for the Case 3. Case 3 was the most cost beneficient construction method in the analyzed cases in this study.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.441-451
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• 2004

This study categorized the households into four by the comparison of wives' and husbands' earned income, such as one with higher wives' income than husbands' in dual-earner households, with higher wives' income than husbands' in household with unemployed husbands, with lower wives' income than husbands' in dual-earner households, and with lower wives' income than husbands' in household with unemployed wives. This study compared and analyzed the objective and subjective economic well-being, and overall satisfaction of life in those households. Major results are below. First, the amount of expenditures, saving, debt were low in one-earner household with employed husbands, but average propensity to expenditure was high in those households. The amount of saving was low in one-earner households with unemployed husbands, but the average propensity to expenditure and debt were high, resulting in the low status of economic well-being. The amount of saving and monetary assets were high, but average propensity to expenditure and debt were low in households in which wives had higher income than husbands, resulting in the high status of economic well-being. Second, husbands' satisfaction for the level of family income was not different among four groups of households. Wives's satisfaction for those was the lowest when wives' income was higher than husbands', but the highest in households with unemployed wives. Wives' and husbands' expectations for the future economic well-being of the households were negative in households with unemployed husbands. On the other hand, the level of satisfaction of wives and husbands for their life was not different among four groups of households. Finally, four groups of households were discriminated by age of husbands, number of children, debt, and wives' expectation for the future economic well-being.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.29-62
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• 2021

The current research develops and tests the theory that beliefs in economic mobility are affected by social capital at the community level, especially for low-income individuals. Integrating concepts from social capital and perceived economic mobility (PEM), this research hypothesizes that members of disadvantaged groups (vs. members of advantaged groups) are more likely to adjust their PEM depending on the social capital at the community level. Using archival data, multilevel analysis is employed to examine whether individual- or community-level social capital increases PEM and the extent to which income moderates this relationship. Consistent with our hypotheses, social capital at the community level is significantly associated with PEM and this relationship is stronger for low-income (vs. high-income) earners. Study 1 shows that individuals in communities with high levels of social relations and participation are more likely to have higher PEM than those in communities with lower levels. Study 2 replicates this finding with a similar dependent variable: negative prospects. Further, the PEM-enhancing and negative prospects-decreasing effects of community-level social capital are consistently stronger for low-income (vs. high-income) earners. This study extends the investigation of PEM and social capital by suggesting social capital as a possible antecedent of PEM.