• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.312-322
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• 2019

Background: Since 2003, Korea has consistently shown the highest suicide rate among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, and suicide remains the major cause of death. In particular, men are 2-3 times more likely to commit suicide than women, which called the 'gender paradox of suicide.' The areas with frequent suicide have spatially clustered patterns because suicide with a social contagion spreads around the neighborhood. The purpose of this study was twofold. The first was to estimate the hotspot areas of age-standardized male suicide mortality from 2008 to 2015. The second was to analyze the relationship between the hotspot areas and the regional characteristics for study years. Methods: The data was collected through the Korean Statistical Information Service. The study areas were 227 si gun gu administrative districts in Korea. The hotspot area was used as a dependent variable. Socio-demographic variables (number of marriages per 1,000 population, number of divorces per 1,000 population, and urbanization rate), financial variables (financial independence and social security budget), and health behaviors (EuroQol-5 dimension [EQ-5D], and depression experience rate) were used as independents variables. Results: The hotspot areas were commonly located in Gangwon-do, Chungcheongnam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Chungceongbuk-do. According to the results of panel logit regression, the number of divorces per 1,000 population, social security budget, and EQ-5D were statistically significant variables. Conclusion: The results of hotspot analysis showed the need for establishing a prevention zone of suicide using hotspot areas. Also, medical resources could be considered to be preferentially placed in the prevention zone of suicide. This study could be used as basic data for health policymakers to establish a suicide-related policy.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.257-264
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• 2019

The purpose of this study are the following two: first, to identify success level of elderly's Aging by their household types and second, to analyze the factors affecting successful aging. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for policy and program development for the successful life of the elderly. For this purpose, 699 single household, 1,412 couple household and 238 couple/child household data in personal survey and supplementary survey of the 4th Korean Retirement and Income Study. According to the analysis, the level of successful later life of single household is lower than that of couple or couple/children household. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors affecting successful aging in single household. The results showed that economic activity, economic independence, housework, neighborhood affairs, family relations, and parent-child relationship were statistically significant. Economic independence, physical health, friendship, and parent-child relationship were found to affect in couple household. Physical health and friendship were found to be significant factors for successful aging in couple/child household.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.806-816
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• 2017

This study aims to offer effective policies for managing local temperatures and reducing the heat island effect by identifying elements that affect local temperatures. The three elements of natural environment, land use, and land coverage were first selected, and then control factors were applied, including season, weather, and measurement units for wind speed. In order to analyze these factors' relations to summer temperatures, an integrated model was developed, and an analysis was conducted of the urban heat island reduction effect of elements impacting local temperatures. The analysis used nationwide weather system (AWS) data from July and August 2007 and 2011-2016, land coverage data provided by the Ministry of Environment, and land use area data from local governments after rearranging them based upon their falling within a 500-meter radius ($0.79km^2$) of AWS measuring points. The study results show that the natural environment, land use, and land coverage all have a relation to changes in local temperatures. Natural elements have the greatest impact, and land use has the lowest. The results could provide basic data for establishing more effective policies to mitigate the heat island effect and strategies for enhancing the sustainability of cities.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.137-147
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to analyze the perception factors of a pedestrian environment that affect pedestrian environment satisfaction(PES) and determine the relationship between PES and the expected effects of health promotion. The targeted areas of study are neighborhood parks in Suseong-gu, Daegu city. First, regarding the results for the evaluation of pedestrian environment perception, 'Gentle slope' was rated the highest, while factors regarding pedestrian safety such as 'Lots of unpleasant elements', 'Risk from biking and motorcycling' and 'Many obstacles on sidewalks' were rated low. A stepwise regression analysis showed that factors such as 'Fresh air', 'Beautiful scenery', 'Continuity of the sidewalks', 'Various attractions', 'The shade of trees' and 'Lots of unpleasant elements' influenced the PES. Therefore, creating fresh air and shade trees by planting trees and removing unpleasant elements from pedestrian areas are important. Also, it is necessary to cultivate beautiful scenery and attractions through street improvement and improve the continuity of the sidewalks. Finally, in terms of path analysis, PES influenced the frequency of park use, the expected effects of physical and mental health promotion both directly and indirectly.

• Journal of the Korean Regional Science Association
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.3-23
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• 2020

This study aims to conceptualize the settlement inclusivity for overcoming social exclusion and the decline in quality of life of older people and to examine its effects on their mental health. The concept of the settlement inclusivity for older people focuses on the immediate environment around the place where they live. We proposed two domains for the conceptual framework; social domain that provides opportunities for community cohesion; spatial domain that provides security of residential area and access to basic services within walking distance. The social domain was represented by participation and interdependence, while the spatial domain by security and accessibility in the settlement inclusivity. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression model was constructed with 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans data to analyze the factors influencing depressive symptoms of older adults. The empirical results demonstrate that increased level of neighborhood network and social participation is associated with a decrease in the number of depressive symptoms. In addition, higher satisfaction in neighborhood environment and good accessibility to public transport/stores are associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Finally, housing condition and home ownership have a moderating effect on the relationship between social network/participation and depressive symptoms level, whereas they have no direct effects on depressive symptoms. This study demonstrates multi-dimensionally and mutually significant associations between settlement inclusivity and depressive symptoms for older people providing implications for urban planning and policies to improve mental well-being of older population.

• Journal of Cadastre & Land InformatiX
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.237-254
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• 2020

Housing vacancies have become a major issue in urban areas, there have been many efforts to address this issue at the national and local levels. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors contributing to housing vacancies in old town Incheon in South Korea. In particular, the research focuses on examining the effects of multiple levels of factors on housing vacancies in a comprehensive way; the three levels of factors were identified with a literature review including housing (Level 1), Neighborhood (Level 2), and Region (Level 3). A multi-level logistic regression model was used to examine the relationship between 13 factors in three spatial levels and housing vacancies. As a result, the factors in all three levels were able to explain housing vacancies including site area and shape, proximity to major roads (Level 1), ratio of houses in designated urban renewal area and slope (Level 2), and ratio of the elderly living alone, land price, changes in land price and ratio of new houses (Level 3). These results show that the combination of the physical inferiority of the housing site and the neighborhood environment and the economic and social vulnerability of the region is likely to increases the number of vacant houses. This study also suggested that a multi-dimensional policy strategy is needed to solve the problem of housing vacancies, and urban policies, such as supplying new housing or urban renewal area designation, should be carefully implemented in a way not to create housing vacancies.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.68 no.1
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• pp.225-248
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• 2016

This study explores the effects on development of poor children by community-based orchestra educational activities and the orchestra educational activities factors for promoting the effects using longitudinal data are those collected for "The Evaluation of the Impact of Our Neighborhood Orchestra on Children's Learning" made by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. For these purposes, this study employed a latent growth model analysis of the factors such as depression, aggressive behavior, communality and interpersonal relationship of development of poor children and evaluation, satisfaction, outsiders'attention and participation of facilitative factors. The result shows that they displayed significantly positive development in depression, aggressive behavior, and interpersonal relationship. It appears that the evaluation on music achievement had a positive impact on the rate of change in communality, while the evaluation on attitude had an impact in the initial value of depression, aggressive behavior, and communality, also the sense of satisfaction had a positive impact on the initial value of communality and interpersonal relationship in conditional models. And parents' attention and participation had a negative impact on the initial value of aggressive behavior, while the attention and participation of the community showed a positive impact on the initial value of depression and aggressive behavior. Based on these results, this study attempted to broaden the understanding of the development of poor children taking part in orchestra-based educational activities and provide a practical basis for social workers' direct invention, and look for new ways by shedding light on the merits of the cultural/art education of poor children that engage in the community-based orchestra educational activities.

• Journal of Popular Narrative
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.279-302
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• 2019

This paper introduces Youngju Ryu's Writers of the Winter Republic: Literature and Resistance in Park Chung Hee's Korea, and examines its significance and limitations. The book examines the relationship between literature and politics during the Park Chung-hee Yushin era, focusing on Yang Sŏng-u, Kim Chi-ha, Yi Mun-gu, Cho Se-hŭi, and Hwang Sok-yong. The books starts by describing the relationship between the U.S. hegemony and the Park Chung-hee regime during the Cold War. The book shows how poets like Yang and Kim fought against the Park Chung-hee regime based on poems, trial records and memoirs, while it describes novelists such as Yi's resistance by how novels envisioned a community against the Park administration based on the keyword "neighborhood." This is significant in that it describes how literature from the Park Chung-hee era was able to stand on the front lines against the regime. However, it is regrettable that because the book adopts a heroic tale to describe their lives and literature, these are illuminated in a somewhat flat way. Also it is noteworthy that the lives and works of novelists after the 2000s were illuminated, but Yang and Kim's life and literature were not described. Furthermore, it is regrettable that women writers were not mentioned and its concept of "politics" is rather shallow. Overall, this book is very significant in that it introduces the relationship between Korean literature and politics in the Korea of the 1970s with rich data and a beautiful style, as well as allowing Korean studies researchers to reflect on the future of Korean studies.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.1-12
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• 2014

Urban Green space takes charge of the important role for the physical activity and promotion of health to the residents. Therefore, this study is trying to examine the relationship between the various characteristics of green space and green space usage for physical activity and health promotion. A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain the information about patterns of green space usage and perceived neighborhood environments for the residents living in Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do(n=541). Geographic Information System(GIS) was used to construct spatial data about green space accessibility and physical neighborhood environments. A Multiple Linear Regression model was used to examine the association between the characteristics of green space and physical activity, perceived health status and BMI(Body Mass Index). The study results revealed that the residents' physical activities are positively and directly influenced by the number of available public parks and green spaces in the vicinity(${\leq}200m$). The frequency at which residents witness others exercising nearby or the perceived abundance of low-cost gym facilities also factor as positive influences. The closer to the park, the higher the number of parks and area of green spaces, the more comfortable the walk thereto and the denser the neighboring residential area distribution, the perceived health level was found to be the more positively influenced. Further, it was verified that BMI is correlated with the number of public parks and green spaces within 400 m of the resident's home as well as the safety of walkways, the density of neighboring residential areas, the ratio of road, and the density of crosswalk. The significant multiple regression models between the characteristics of green spaces and physical activities and perceived health level were extracted within the significance level of 10%. This study will contribute to provide better understanding the ways in which green space and neighborhood characteristics are associated with physical activity and health. The result of this research will be available in the landscape architecture plan aimed at improving the use of green space for physical activity and reducing obesity.

• Spatial Information Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.1-16
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• 2012

There is no doubt that the urban heat island (UHI) is a mounting problem in built-up environments, due to energy retention by the surface materials of dense buildings, leading to increased temperatures, air pollution, and energy consumption. To investigate the UHI, three-dimensional (3-D) information is necessary to analyze complex sites, including dense building clusters. In this research, 3-D building geometry information is combined with two-dimensional (2-D) urban surface information to examine the relationship between urban characteristics and temperature. In addition, this research introduces spatial regression models to account for the spatial spillover effects of urban temperatures, and includes the following steps: (a) estimating urban temperatures, (b) developing a 3-D city model, (c) generating urban parameters, and (d) conducting statistical analyses using both Ordinary Least-Squares (OLS) and Spatial Regression Models. The results demonstrate that 3-D urban characteristics greatly affect temperatures and that neighborhood effects are critical in explaining temperature variations. Finally, the implications of the results are discussed, providing guidelines for policies to reduce the UHI.