• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2006

Objectives: Bio-equivalence(BE) test is important not only to ensure the quality of generic drugs, but also to promote drug substitution under the separation of prescribing and dispensing practice(SPD). This study was intended to investigate the perception of consumers, doctors, and pharmacists on the confidence of bio-equivalence(BE) assured drugs. Methods: Nation-wide telephone interview survey was conducted for 1,018 consumers, 800 doctors, and 806 pharmacists from September to October in 2003. Descriptive analysis and ${\chi}^2$ analysis were conducted. Results: Even though people showed higher confidence level for the Bioequivalent drugs compared with Bio-inequivalent drugs, the confidence was generally low. Among those asked about the therapeutic substitutability of original drugs by BE versions, 95.78% of pharmacists responded "positive", while only 39.33% of consumers and 31.13% of doctors said so. The elderly, the less educated, who takes chronic disease medicine, pays high cost of prescription drugs, and are in the low income responded less aware of that. Also most consumers got information such as effect of drugs from either media or doctors. Conclusions: In order for people to believe that BE drugs and original drugs are equivalent, we need to strengthen health education, and to clarify any misunderstanding. It is also necessary for the national policy to provide accurate information about drugs to the public.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.173-180
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• 2008

Purpose: This study was to explore the perception about menstruation and discomforts of using disposable menstrual pads in menstruating women. Method: A survey was conducted of 132 menstrual women recruited by convenience sampling. Data were collected by a face-to-face interview and a study questionnaire, and analyzed by frequency and $X^2$-test. Result: More than half of the subjects expressed a negative perception about menstruation, while 25% expressed a mixed perception and 24.2% expressed a positive perception. Women who perceived their menstruation negatively had more menstrual pain than the others (p<.001). The most frequently experienced discomforts of using disposable pads were an unpleasant smell (18.9%), leakage (18.9%), and discomfort (16.6%). Adverse effects of using disposable pads were reported as an itching sense (23.1%). skin rash (20.2%), and skin irritation (10.6%). Alternate materials were reported with tampons, alternate washable pads, and maternity pads. Conclusion: The results indicate that disposable menstrual pads cause several discomforts and common adverse effects such as skin problems. To decrease these discomforts and relieve adverse effects, planned nursing education including women's personal hygiene methods and information about an alternate pad may be helpful.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.705-715
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• 2014

Metabolic syndrome is a major factor for cardiovascular disease that can develop into a variety of complications such as stroke disease. This study utilizes a Bayesian network to model metabolic syndrome. In addition, we tried to find the best risk combinations to diagnose metabolic syndrome. We confirmed that the combinations are difference according to individual characteristics. The paper used data from 4,489 adults who responded to all health interview questions from the the $5^{th}$ Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2010.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.33-37
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• 2013

A forklift truck, commonly used for transporting heavy materials in manufacturing industries, etc., is a useful machine. However accidents occur frequently during the operation of the machine. In order to prevent accidents it is necessary to examine the current safety regulations on a forklift truck. Because the regulations have not revised for a long time, they do not reflect the rapidly changing environment of industries. Proposed revision of standard on articles for forklift trucks was presented after analysing the causes of occurred injuries, comparing domestic standards with international standards and examining the survey results. We analyzed the safety regulation articles and the injuries according to the type of work conducted with forklift. The major differences in safety regulations between Korea and the major foreign countries were investigated. The opinions of field workers on the safety regulations were surveyed using e-mail or interview. As a result, it was found that preventing workers from contacting with the forklift is very important. To prevent accident due to movement of a stopped forklift, actions are necessary to prevent slip of a forklift. Also supervision is required to make workers fasten safety belt and to prohibit workers from using a forklift for undesignated purpose.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.240-246
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• 2017

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Folic acid supplementation before pregnancy is known to significantly reduce the risk of having a baby with neural tube defects (NTDs). Therefore, it is important for women to be aware of the effects of folic acid supplementation before pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness and preconceptional use of folic acid and to assess the current knowledge about folic acid among low-income pregnant women in Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2012. Five hundred pregnant women were selected from the waiting list for the Nutriplus program implemented in public health centers using a multistage clustered probability sampling design. Data from 439 women were analyzed after excluding ones with incomplete answers. RESULTS: Among women who responded to the questionnaire, 65.6% had heard of folic acid before pregnancy, and 26.4% reported on the preconceptional use of folic acid. Women with a university degree or higher education were more likely to be aware of folic acid and to take folic acid in the preconception period. In a multivariate logistic regression, when age, education level, household income, employment status, gravidity, parity, and folic acid awareness were included in the model, folic acid awareness was a strong predictor of preconceptional folic acid use. As of interview, 85.4% and 77.7% of women were aware of the NTD-preventive role of folic acid and the appropriate time to take folic acid, respectively. The main sources of information on folic acid were healthcare professionals (41.2%), friends and family members (31.2%), and the media (26.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that public health strategies are needed to increase the preconceptional use of folic acid among Korean women.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.164-172
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• 2016

Objectives: This study attempted to evaluate the usefulness and direction of development of post-traumatic assessment and interventions based on the opinions of psychiatrics and disaster and trauma-related experts using the Delphi survey technique. Methods: In-depth individual interviews served as the pre-survey and were followed by Delphi primary and secondary surveys. Specialists in child and adolescent mental health, psychological support professionals specialized in disasters and related practitioners with experience of disasters in Korea completed a set of questionnaires and participated in focus group interviews and in-depth individual interviews on post-traumatic assessment and intervention. Results: We found that the following issues have a significant impact on the interventions after disasters: the proper time of the initial interview in the event of a disaster, assessment notices, aged assessment services, mandatory enforcement measures, scale screening and treatment intervention elements, symptoms degree classification, intervention standardization, the use of a levelled program, care unit environment, and operation plan. Conclusion: This study proposed effective mental health intervention measures and has implications for the development of evaluation treatment protocols after disasters.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.74-80
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• 2014

Objectives More than half of the elders suffer from chronic sleep disturbances. Moreover, sleep disturbances are more prevalent in patients with depressive disorder than in community dwelling elderly. In this study, we aim to estimate the risk factors of poor sleep quality and its effect on quality of life in patients with late life depression. Methods This study included 159 depressive patients aged 65 years or older who completed Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A global PSQI score of 5 or greater indicates a poor sleeper. Structural diagnostic interviews were performed using the Korean version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Depression was evaluated by the Korean form of Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS). Global cognition was assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination in the Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease assessment packet. Quality of life was evaluated by the Korean version of Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36). Results The frequencies of poor sleepers were 90.5% in major depressive disorder, 71.8% in minor depressive disorder, 47.1% in subsyndromal depressive disorder, and 73.0% in all types of depressive disorders. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that female [odds ratio (OR) = 2.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.20-6.67] and higher KGDS score (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.05-1.21) were risk factors of poor sleep quality in patients with late life depression. In the analysis of ANCOVA adjusted for age, gender, education and KGDS score, the mean scores of vitality mental health and mental component summary of SF-36 were lower in poor sleepers than in good sleepers. Conclusions Poor sleepers among patients with late life depression are very common and are associated with female and higher KGDS scores. Poor sleep quality causes a significant negative effect on mental health quality. So researchers and clinicians should be more vigilant in the evaluation and treatment of sleep disturbances in patients with late life depression.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.7547-7554
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• 2015

Background: The use of smokeless tobacco (SLT) among women is increasing in India, especially among those with limited education and resources. Preventing the initiation of SLT among women is critical since it has known negative consequences for oral and reproductive health. Most research on tobacco initiation in India focuses on adolescents. This paper addresses the unrecognized issues of post marital initiation among women of reproductive age, highlighting the importance of reproductive stages in women's tobacco initiation. The objective is to examine the correlates of SLT initiation among low income women in Mumbai from pre-marriage through early marriage, first pregnancy and beyond, using case examples to illustrate initiation during each of these stages. Materials and Methods: In 2011-2012, cross-sectional community level survey data were collected from a representative sample of 409 daily SLT-using married women aged 18-40 years in a low income community in Mumbai. Information on socio-demographics, initiation by reproductive stage, types of tobacco use, childhood exposure to tobacco, learning to use, and initiation influences and reasons were collected through a researcher-administered survey. Univariate and bivariate analysis assessed factors influencing initiation of SLT use by reproductive stage. In addition 42 narratives of tobacco use were collected from a purposive sample of pregnant and non-pregnant married women addressing the same questions in detail. Narratives were transcribed, translated, and coded for key concepts including initiation of tobacco use. Results: Thirty-two percent of women initiated SLT use before marriage, 44% initiated after marriage but before pregnancy, 18.1% initiated during their first pregnancy and the remainder started after their first pregnancy. Mean age of marriage among women in this study was 16 years. Younger women (i.e. age at time of the interview of less than 30 years) were 0.47 [95% CI (0.32, 0.87)] percent less likely to initiate after marriage than women aged more than 30 years. Women who got married before 18 years of age were 2.34 [95% CI (1.40, 3.93)] times more likely to initiate after marriage than their counterparts. Childhood exposure was a predictor for initiating SLT use prior to marriage but not after. Women reporting tooth and gum pain were 1.85 times more likely to initiate after marriage than their counterparts. Husband and neighbours were the most significant influences on post-marital initiation. Narratives highlighted differences in processes of initiation pre and post marriage and during pregnancy. Conclusions: Most tobacco prevention interventions are directed to adolescents in school. This study suggests that especially for low literate or illiterate women, school based interventions are ineffective. To be effective strategies to prevent SLT initiation must reach women in urban areas at or immediately after marriage and during their first pregnancy. Messages must negate culturally rooted beliefs about the health benefits of SLT in order to prevent initiation and onset of daily use.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.58-73
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• 2010

Background : Cancer is a disease that not only places a significant burden on patients clinically but also requires significant expense for diagnosis and treatment. Although the cancer coverage of health insurance has recently been expended, the need for financial assistance among cancer patients and their families is still expected to be significant. In this study, cancer patients' need for financial assistance in Korea was examined and its influence factors were analyzed. Methods : Target study subjects were those who are over 18 years of age and were diagnosed with cancer more than four months prior at the National Cancer Center and 9 Regional Cancer Centers in Korea during the period from July to August of 2008. Quarter sampling was conducted according to the ratio of the type of each cancer. A face to face interview survey was conducted. A total of 2,661 cancer patients finished the survey. Medical charts were reviewed in order to obtain the cancer type and SEER stage of cancer patients. An ordered logistic regression model was used to examine the level of need for financial assistance according to the demographical, clinical, and socio-economic variables of cancer patients. Result : The percentage of cancer patients who needed financial assistance was 69.0%, and 36.9% needed significant financial assistance. The need for financial assistance was perceived to be greater in males, younger age group, low income group, low education group, medical aid recipients, those who were diagnosed recently, those with a low level of quality of life measured through EQ5D, and those with decreased income after cancer diagnosis. Conclusion : In spite of the current policy to increase health insurance coverage, the majority of cancer patients and their families in Korea still need financial assistance due to cancer. In particular, there were more vulnerable groups, such as the low income, or low education group. In the future, policies that focus on the disadvantaged, which strengthen social security, should be considered for achievement of a substantially better quality of life for cancer patients and their families.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.167-178
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• 2007

Purpose : The necessity of professional non-MD genetic counselor has been recently emphasized in a medical field. By conducting a national survey on the demands for generic counseling and professional non-MD generic counselor, we can make a long-term master plan to execute the educational program for professional genetic counselors and indeed promote genetic counseling in Korean health care service in a systemic manner. Methods : The survey has been conducted from September 3rd to October 4th of 2007 in a way of e-mail, telephone interview, fax, and direct contacts. It's targets were senior researchers and professors in medical and non-medical institutions, policy makers, research institutions or foundations. The survey questions consist of 16 questionnaires. Results : As a result of survey, 102 of 650 people responded. 80% of respondents indicated that genetic counseling is needed as a health care service and 34% among them considered it as "the most needed". In addition, 77% of the respondents showed that, it is necessary to have a professional non-MD genetic counselor with a master degree or higher in the field of medical genetics and among them 29% thought it as "the most necessary". A 77% of respondents considered that the cost of genetic counseling should be covered by health insurance and among them, 29% answered "strongly agreed". A 56% of respondents chose the answer of "They have a plan to hire the professional non-MD genetic counselor" in their institution, and among them 71% selected "within 5 years" in terms of when to hire. Also, they tend to expect the role of the professional non-MD genetic counselor to be not only "genetic counselor" (60%), but also "researcher" (42%), "educator" (18%) and "clinical laboratory coordinator" (19%). Conclusion : The 102 of 650 people responded to the survey. Based upon the nationwide survey over the needs on genetic counseling in health care service and demands on the professional non-MD genetic counselor, systematic educational program for the genetic counseling, with reimbursement coverage for counseling service by health insurance should be emphasized in development of a master plan.