• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.21-29
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• 2014

In terms of quality of life, leisure and health have become important issues with increasing incomes and decreasing working hours in Korea. This study empirically investigates the effects of urban open space on outdoor leisure activities, emphasizing that parks, river banks, and physical activity sites can provide opportunities such as walking, jogging, stretching, and cycling, free of charge to all residents. Based on 2010 sample survey data on leisure activities, multiple regression model as well as hierarchical linear model are estimated, taking account of both individual characteristics on demand and environmental/areal factors on supply side, including open space. Major findings include: first, urban open space significantly increases residents' outdoor leisure activities, second, the effect is more significant for the elderly and third, the effect is more valid for those with relatively low incomes and less education. These results imply that urban open space could be available as a local public good to cope with population aging and to realize health city and social welfare, since this space is not only a leisure place but also public health and welfare facilities.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.55-65
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• 2015

Purpose: Korea is increasing in the demand for medical services due to rapid economic growth and population aging in modern society. Thus, the importance has been emphasized for the health promotion in the community and the publicity and substantiality of public health centers. However, the environment is insufficient, compared to required functions and developed services as a urban public health center. The purpose of this study is to analysis the plane type and area composition of public health centers in Busan and to identify the property of their spatial configuration Methods: Eight public health centers in Busan, were classified, which had been selected as a medical tourism city. Subsequently, space requirements were analyzed, facilities were typed, vertical, horizontal spaces were reviewed, and area ratios by business function were calculated. Results: A review of the property of spatial configuration and an analysis of the area ratio revealed the three findings. 1)The horizontal analysis found various types: a single type, a multi-type, a radial type, and a circular type, 2)The vertical analysis showed that since a care function (general practice), and a task function (maternal and child health) were concentrated in lower level spaces, the lobby and core were closed located for providing quick medical services. 3)The analysis of the area ratio in public health centers in terms of their function indicated that each public health center' programs had the greatest influence on the area. Implications: This study attempted to present spatial structural problems and improvements for city public health center by identifying their state and classify their functions and types and by calculating the ratio of their area configuration according to the spatial composition. It was thus aimed to presenting implications in establish public functions and roles by activating business through in connection with the number of municipalities in many ways, such as regional health. medical welfare, etc. to improve the health of local residents, and by providing differentiated programs in accordance with local characteristics.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.553-565
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• 2016

Population aging has been an increasing social issue and the elderly health has become one of the most urgent public attentions in Korea. The aims of this paper are to compare the subjective health status according to the personal characteristics, social networks, and daily leisure activities of the urban-rural elderly, and to analyze the influencing factors of their subjective health status. Using 2011 elderly survey data, ordered logit Model was established to extract influencing factors of the elderly health status. The results show that socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of individual as well as frequent social contacts and daily activities within neighborhood environments influence the level of health status of the elderly. The most significant factors affecting the elderly health are personal economic conditions such as the education achievement level and household income. The elderly who visit an elderly welfare center in Seoul has almost 1.82 times higher odds of increasing health status level than not to visit an elderly welfare center. This study may give some important policy implications of the elderly health promotion strategy in urban-rural communities.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.259-266
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• 2015

Observed trends in climate change, globalization and an aging population have an effect on public health conditions in Korea, prompting a reevaluation of current environmental regulations. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the total coliform (TC) standard, which is the only microbiological standard in the current regulation regime for hot spring water, by estimating correlation with the presence/absence of Legionella, a non-fecal opportunistic pathogen with heat-tolerance. Microbiological data in 7 studies that surveyed Legionella in hot spring waters were subjected to meta-analyses with the odds ratio (OR) as the effect size. The presence/absence of Legionella was significantly correlated to TC levels [OR = 3.1(1.5–6.4, 95% CI), p = 0.002]. Due to there being no direct explanation as to the reason for the occurrence of TC, mesophilic fecal bacteria, being coupled with Legionella presence, the mechanism of the correlation between the two kinds of bacteria was further investigated. Legionella presence was more prevalent with a high heterotrophic plate count [HPC; 4.0(2.2–7.2); p < 0.001] and water temperature [4.3(1.4–13.6), p = 0.011] when the temperature range was <40℃. However, it was reverse-correlated with water temperature when the temperature was >50℃ [0.2(0.1–0.4), p < 0.001]. Therefore, bacterial standing crops in hot spring waters appear to be determined by water temperature in general, and this forces TC and Legionella levels be correlated. In accordance with this relationship, HPC rather than TC reflect the levels of non-fecal contamination better. Therefore, employing HPC as the sole microbiological standard, or adding HPC into the current standard of hot spring water assessment, is suggested as a proactive measure to prevent health issues arising from contamination.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.685-701
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• 2015

The low fertility rate and the unprecedented rapid pace of population aging is a significant factor degrading the national competitiveness and the social security system of Korea. The government has implemented various maternity incentives to alleviate the low birth problem; however, the policy seems in effective to solve the problem of low fertility. This study proposes a conditional birth-order specific fertility rate and investigates the policy effects of fertility transition in Korea to provide a basis for more effective policy development. The use of a conditional birth-order specific fertility rate allows for an effective calculation of the change and the effect in total fertility rate than a birth-order specific fertility rate. We compare the effects of the total fertility rate according to various scenarios that enables us to calculate how the total fertility rate can achieve the current multi-child childbirth support policy of the government and estimate how the total fertility rate can be achieved when focusing on the first or second childbirth support policy. We also summarize the research results on policy development for a practical increase in the childbirth that considers the rapid decrease in women of childbearing age (15-49 years) due to continued low fertility and present the number of childbirths in accordance with the total fertility rate.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.39-51
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• 2016

In accordance to rapid aging of population, the accidents of elderly pedestrian and pedestrian safety are becoming very important issues. In terms of smartphone technologies, older people are increasingly looking for useful and friendly ICT services that which can add a value on their silver life. This paper introduced a new IT-based service for elderly walking assist using a smart-phone accompanied by a wearable watch. We describe the functional requirements and a systems architecture model with an interface between a smart-phone and wearable watch. Moreover, this study attempted to verify what services are needed and to estimate elderly pedestrians' WTP (willingness to pay) for IT-based walking assistance device. A total of 189 elderly pedestrians were randomly surveyed through face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire consisted of 3 categories: (1) questions pertaining to socio-economic status, (2) 12 questions regarding walking attitudes, and (3) a question to measure WTP. With this gathered data, factor analysis and path model estimating were conducted. The results identified the elderly user requirements and the use-value of new innovative products for IT-based walking assistance services by two groups(latent elderly and elderly). The modeling result shows that elderly's service preference would increase the possibilities for the commercialization of IT-based walking device with improving their walking safety.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.30-40
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• 2012

In Korea, elderly population aged 65 and older are about 5.0% and 10.7% in 1990 and 2009, respectively. Since elderly people may experience physiologic changes with aging and their pharmacodynamic and pharmcokinetic parameters also have been undergone changes, several adverse drug reactions can occur more frequently than young people. Especially, neuropsychiatric adverse drug reactions such as delirium and drowsiness endanger elderly patients more. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outpatient prescriptions using drug causing delirium and drowsiness in elderly patients aged 65 and older. We retrospectively reviewed prescriptions for elderly patients collected from four community pharmacies from January 2nd to February 1st, 2010. One pharmacy was located closed to a general hospital, and others were located closed to a internal medicine or an ENT clinic. The each number of the collected prescriptions was followings; Group A (n=496) from internal medicine department of a general hospital; Group B (n=44) from ENT department of general hospital; Group C (n=144) from internal medicine clinic; Group D (n=110) from ENT clinic. In result, in Group A, the average number of prescribed drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx was 2.38 In Group B, the average number of prescribed drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx was 2.09 In Group C, the average number of prescribed drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx was 2.51. In Group D, the average number of prescribed drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx was 2.72. Especially, in Group D, the percentage of prescription that drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx prescribed more than 3 is 52.73% In all the 4 groups, over the 60% of drugs causing delirium and/or drowsiness per prescription of elderly patients were prescribed. It means elderly patients take 2 drugs causing delirium and/or drowsiness among 3 drugs, which is very serious. Frequently prescribed drugs causing delirium and/or drowsiness were followings; GI agents, antitussives & expectorants, histamine H1 antagonist, analgesics, antibiotics. Among these drugs, GI agents was high raking in all the 4 groups, and pharmacists should caution elderly patients when counseling. In the internal medicine groups (Group A,C), drugs concerning chronic diseases were prescribed frequently. In conclusion, pharmacist's role is important. Pharmacists are well informed of the drugs causing delirium or drowsiness and it is important to explain about ADRs slowly and easily to the elderly patients that receive drugs causing delirium or drowsiness. And institutional device is needed. For example, when doctors prescribe drugs for the elderly patients, message is needed that supply some informations about drugs causing delirium or drowsiness.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.121-135
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• 2009

The pattern of liquor consumers started to change as the well-being trend and great interest in health have risen for the last few years. In particular, consumption of wine is gradually increasing with the findings revealing that drinking proper amount of wine is good for preventing various adult diseases such as sclerosis of the arteries, heart disease and aging. Accordingly, this study aims at understanding the importance of wine buyers' choice attributes when buying and drinking wine in order to contribute to satisfying customers, popularizing wine and expanding its base. From December 1 to 31 in 2008, it made a survey on natives and weekly settled population living in Seoul area who had bought wine at a wine retail shop with literature and positive researches. It made an application of SPSS 12.0 to analyze the importance of wine buyers' choice attribution based on the demographical characteristics and use behavior with such analysis methods as the frequency analysis, the factor analysis, the reliability test, ANOVA and multiple regression. The results are summarized as follows. First, it showed that there are significant differences between buying and drinking wine by producing countries, buying places, prices, companions except for the number of drinking times, drinking places, and information sources. Second, it showed that wine buyers' choice attributes such as brand characteristics and effects on health have a positive effect on customer satisfaction.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.459-483
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• 2010

This study aims to develop materials related to math education for the aged and to identify the effects of application as part of active measures to the aging society with its growing elderly population which is one of the greatest changes in our society. In this purpose, the necessity and objectives for development of materials of 'Silver Math' as education for the aged are explained. Developing and disseminating materials with a role as a program for intelligent needs and physical and spiritual health of the aged presents standards for development of more systemic and meaningful educational materials at this point of time when the importance of education of the aged increases to help the old enjoy qualitatively successful lives in later years in the perspective of lifelong education. Also it aims to present standards of contents and requirements in learning that are adequate and meaningful to old learners at the actual learning sites where education takes place only in terms of making good use of spare time while at the same time suggesting plans of teaching and learning as well as conditions for learning environment. Next, the effectiveness of 'Silver Math' are explored by applying developed materials to the aged. materials of 'Silver Math' for the aged with contents that are appropriate to the definitive and cognitive level of the aged are presented. The developed materials for mathematical activities are divided into 'computation of basic numbers' for those wishing to learn calculation and concepts of numbers, 'active math' that corresponds to definitive factors of old learners, facilitates leisure time through mathematical activities, and Improves communication abilities through cooperative learning among learners, and 'math with thinking power' to solve simple calculation problems by applying to various actual situations.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.185-192
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• 2013

BACKGROUND: As a result of rural exodus, aging of rural population, development of high-yield rice varieties and so on, abandoned paddy fields of South Korea have generally increased. The phytosociological studies are needed to recommend the effective vegetation management methods of abandoned paddy fields. The current study performed an analysis of vegetation characteristics by classifying plant communities for abandoned paddy fields in South Korea. METHODS AND RESULTS: A comparative analysis of syntaxonomy, synecology, and syndynamics was performed by using the Z.-M. method of phytosociology and vegetation survey which was obtained from an enumeration district of total 203 phytosociological releves of 5 regions in Gangwon-do, 5 regions in Gyeonggi-do, 2 regions in Chungcheong-do, 18 regions in Gyeongsang-do, and 10 regions in Jeolla-do. Alopecurus aequalis community, Juncus effusus var. decipiens community and Salix koreensis community were, respectively, identified as successional plant communities of the early stage, the middle stage, and the late stage in the vegetation of abandoned paddy field. Sere of abandoned paddy field can be classified, developmentally, into annual plant stage, perennial plant stage, shrub plant stage, and forest tree stage. Several kinds of dominant species rather than a distinct species were found in the middle stage of abandoned paddy field. CONCLUSION(S): In this study, changing pattern in vegetational communities of abandoned paddy field were understood. These results will provide important information for restoring and conserving the ecology of fallow ground.