• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10683-10690
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• 2015

The big gap between efficacy of population level prevention and expectations due to heterogeneity and complexity of cancer etiologic factors calls for selective yet personalized interventions based on effective risk assessment. This paper documents our research protocol aimed at refining and validating a two-stage and web-based cancer risk assessment tool, from a tentative one in use by an ongoing project, capable of identifying individuals at elevated risk for one or more types of the 80% leading cancers in rural China with adequate sensitivity and specificity and featuring low cost, easy application and cultural and technical sensitivity for farmers and village doctors. The protocol adopted a modified population-based case control design using 72, 000 non-patients as controls, 2, 200 cancer patients as cases, and another 600 patients as cases for external validation. Factors taken into account comprised 8 domains including diet and nutrition, risk behaviors, family history, precancerous diseases, related medical procedures, exposure to environment hazards, mood and feelings, physical activities and anthropologic and biologic factors. Modeling stresses explored various methodologies like empirical analysis, logistic regression, neuro-network analysis, decision theory and both internal and external validation using concordance statistics, predictive values, etc..

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.3-9
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• 1991

In order to find out status of health care for community residents with special reference to organization and man power in a rural health subcenter, a study was carried out, through analyzing the data, operated by health subcenter during 1973~1990 in a rural area, Su Dong-Myun, Nam Yang Ju-Gun, Kyung Gi-Do, Korea. The following results were obtained : l) The Number of Population in Su Dong-Myun is decreasing and household is increasing chronologically. 2) In 1989, the characteristics of population composition rate in Su Dong-Myun were shown : the groups of Age, 65 and over was high rate(9.8%) and 0~4 was low rate(5.3%) decreasing chronologically. 3) Since 1972, services of Su Dong-Myun health subcenter have been carried in the 3 functions(medical treatment, health care management and clerical work) with supports of Ewha Woman's University through the participation of community residents organization. 4) The Number of Su Dong-Myun health subcenter personnel in 1990 was 5 persons(public health doctor l, public health dentist l, health worker l, dental technician l and assistant nurse l) and of these, health worker who must have the huge charge of health care management, has been worked at Myun-office as a public official, in condition, decreased from 3 in 1980 to 2 in 1981 and from 2 to 1 in 1985. 5) Health service Activities of Su Dong Myun health subcenter obtained good results in it's achievement during 1975-1985, but since 1986, it has been in condition of lower stepping. 6) Since 1977, annual medical utilization rate showed decreasing tendency such as 900 per l,000 population in 1977, 846 in 1979, 723 in 1981, 343 in 1973 and 34l in 1987. 7) A proposal : (l) Organization of health subcenter must be unified and systematized by government, so that health subcenter can carry out primary health care for community residents through responsibilities and authorities. (2) Teaching programs in educational process must be reorganized, according to periodical request. considering relative importance to primary health care in health care needs of community residents.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.359-366
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• 2003

Objectives : This study was conducted to review the diffusion process and factors affecting the adoption of the Health Center Information System (HIS). Methods : Data were collected from POSDATA (private company), MOHW, other Ministries and local governments. To specify the date of adoption, supplementary information was collected from 40 health centers. The following three kinds of factors were analyzed. Internal factors included type, size, and innovativeness of health centers. Community factors were composed of population sire, economic status, and level of education. Organizational environmental factors consisted of information score of the municipalities, financial support of the from central government, and the neighborhoodness of innovator health centers. Results : All health centers in the metropolitan cities of Seoul, Gwangju and Jeju adopted the HIS. The laggards were those in the metropolitan cities of Busan (18.8%), Incheon (20.0%) and Daejun (20.0%), and cities with population more than 300,000 (54.8%) and counties with health center hospitals (47.1%). Financially supported rural health centers adopted the HIS more rapidly than those not supported. The factors identified as being statistically significant (p<0.05), from a univariate analysis by Kaplan-Meier method, were: (1) internal factors of the type, size and innovativeness of health centers; (2) community factors of population size and economic status; (3) organizational environmental factors of the central government financial support and the neighborhoodness of innovator health centers. A multivariate analysis, using a Cox proportional hazard method, proved the innovativeness of health centers, central government financial support and the neighborhoodness of innovator health centers, were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions : The innovativeness of health centers, financial support from central government and the neighborhoodness of innovator health centers, rather than community factors related to regional socioeconomic status, affected ffe adoption of the HIS in health centers. Further in-depth studies, modifying the MOHW's strategy to propagate the HIS to the laggard health confers, are recommended.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.131-137
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• 2022

Public interest has been increasing the focus on the management of exposure to pollutants and the related health effects. This study reviewed exposure assessment methodologies and addressed future directions. Exposure can be assessed by direct (exposure monitoring) or indirect approaches (exposure modelling). Exposure modelling is a cost-effective tool to assess exposure among individuals, but direct personal monitoring provides more accurate exposure data. There are several population exposure models: stochastic human exposure and dose simulation (SHEDS), air pollutants exposure (APEX), and air pollution exposure distributions within adult urban population in Europe (EXPOLIS). A South Korean population exposure model is needed since the resolution of ambient concentrations and time-activity patterns are country specific. Population exposure models could be useful to find the association between exposure to pollutants and adverse health effects in epidemiologic studies. With the advancement of sensor technology and the internet of things (IoT), exposure assessment could be applied in a real-time surveillance system. In the future, environmental health services will be useful to protect and promote human health from exposure to pollutants.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.172-179
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• 2018

Background: Insufficient training in infection control and occupational health among healthcare workers (HCWs) in countries with high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) burdens requires attention. We examined the effectiveness of a 1-year Certificate Program in Occupational Health and Infection Control conducted in Free State Province, South Africa in an international partnership to empower HCWs to become change agents to promote workplace-based HIV and TB prevention. Methods: Questionnaires assessing reactions to the program and Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills, and Practices were collected pre-, mid-, and postprogram. Individual interviews, group project evaluations, and participant observation were also conducted. Quantitative data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Qualitative data were thematically coded and analyzed using the Kirkpatrick framework. Results: Participants recruited (n = 32) were mostly female (81%) and nurses (56%). Pre-to-post-program mean scores improved in knowledge (+12%, p = 0.002) and skills/practices (+14%, p = 0.002). Preprogram attitude scores were high but did not change. Participants felt empowered and demonstrated attitudinal improvements regarding HIV, TB, infection control, and occupational health. Successful projects were indeed implemented. However, participants encountered considerable difficulties in trying to sustain improvement, due largely to lack of pre-existing knowledge and experience, combined with inadequate staffing and insufficient management support. Conclusion: Training is essential to strengthen HCWs' occupational health and infection control knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices, and workplace-based training programs such as this can yield impressive results. However, the considerable mentorship resources required for such programs and the substantial infrastructural supports needed for implementation and sustainability of improvements in settings without pre-existing experience in such endeavors should not be underestimated.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.83-97
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• 2016

Objectives : This study analyzed the factors that determine the use and type of medical examination services (MES) to develop a model explaining the use behavior of MES which could consequently contribute to policy implications for medical examinations. Methods : Based on Anderson's healthcare utilization model, the MES utilization model was developed by including the perceived needs for MES. The data were collected from an online survey of a population aged 20-39 years and from a telephone survey of a population aged 40 years or older, respectively. Chi-Square tests and hierarchical logistic regression analyses were done with SAS version 9.3. Results : Generally, as health status became lower, the use of MES increased. However, patients with two or more chronic diseases were less likely to use private MES compared to patients with one chronic disease. The perceived needs for MES were only related to the use of service and not to the choice of the MES type. Conclusions : There were different results for the significant determinants between the use of the MES and the choice of the MES type. The healthcare industry needs to aware of consumer needs to provide MES based on empirical findings.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1-16
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• 2004

The study purpose was to find which factors affect selection of hospital network types. This study used the 1998 American Hospital Association Annual Survey Database from Health Forum. Among these U.S. hospitals, the researcher selected hospitals located in Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Therefore the final observation cases for analysis are 1,971 Metropolitan Statistical Area hospitals in the United States. To identify significant variables influencing hospital network types, the study used proportional odds logistics regression model on population size, Health Maintenance Organization penetration rate, and market competition rate of area including a hospital, types of hospital ownership, hospital bed size, proportion of Medicare patients and Medicaid patients in total hospital patients, and occupancy rate. Contrary to conventional wisdom, selection of hospital network types was influenced by population size of area which a hospital located, types of ownership, hospital bed size, and proportion of medicare patients rather than Health Maintenance Organization penetration. Population size 1,000,000-2,499,999 had the highest probability of selecting type IV (clinical-vertical integration) from an independent hospital, and a religious group owned hospitals and for-profit owned hospitals had the highest probability of selecting Type IV (clinical-vertical integration) from an independent hospital. A bed size had positive relation on selecting Type IV (clinical-vertical integration) from an independent hospital. Unlikely general belief that the selecting types of hospital network was determined by the change of health insurance policy such as Health Maintenance Organizations and Preferred Provider Organizations, the types of hospital network were influenced by community characteristics such as population size, and hospital characteristics.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.99-114
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• 2003

This study was performed to determine the effect of social class distribution as measured by lower social class rate on all cause and cause specific mortality in Korea. I obtained data on social class, fiscal autonomy of municipalities, number of medical doctors, region(Si/Gun) from 1955 Korea Census Data and Regional Statistics Data. And all of the data on mortality adjusted for age for 1995 for each district from the National Statistics Office. Lower social class rate ranged from 18.9％ for Kangnam gu to 85.7％ for Imsil gun and age standardized mortality ranged from 385/100,000 population for Kangnam go to 803/100,000 population for Sinan gun. Lower social class showed had a significant correlation with total mortality adjusted for age(r=0.81, p<0.0001). The association of the rate to total mortality remained highly significant after adjusted for number of medical doctors per 1,000 population, fiscal autonomy of municipalities and region(p<0.0001). Effects of the lower social class were also found for neoplasm (p=0.0008)； cardiovascular disease (p<0.0001)； infectious disease(p=0.0115)； respiratory disease(p=0.0085)； gastrointestinal disease(p<0.0001)； accident ＆ poisoning (p<0.0001). The findings suggest that policies that deal with the inequality in social class may have an important impact on the health of the population.

• Journal of Menopausal Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.150-154
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• 2018

As disasters have been increasing in recent years, disaster health literacy is gaining more important for a population such as middle-age women. This is because they face developmental crises (menopause) and situational crisis (disaster). Due to the growing elderly population, it is imperative to seriously consider the issue of aging women's healthcare, and their educational needs relative to emergencies and disasters. The purpose of study was to clarify the importance of disaster health literacy for middle-age women. This study is a review of the literature using PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Google Scholar, SCOPUS, OVID, ProQuest, Springer, and Wiley. Data was collected with keywords related to the research topic ("Women's health" OR "Geriatric health") AND ("Health literacy" OR "Disaster health literacy" OR "Disaster prevention literacy" OR "Risk knowledge" OR "Knowledge management") AND ("Disasters" OR "Risk" OR "Crises") in combination with the Boolean-operators OR and AND. We reviewed full text English-language articles published November 2011 November 2017. Additional references were identified from reference lists in targeted publications, review articles and books. This review demonstrated that disaster health literacy is critical for elderly women, because they may suffer from physical and psychological problems triggered by developmental crises such as menopause and situational crises such as disasters. Disaster literacy could enable them to improve resiliency and reduce disaster risk. Education has vital role in health promotion of middle-age women. Policymakers and health managers should be aware of the challenges of elderly women as a vulnerable group in disasters and develop plans to incorporate disaster health literacy for preparedness and prevention in educating this group.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.158-172
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• 2021

Background: Metabolic syndrome has been known as a risk of cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is used as a predictor of cardiovascular disease. In this paper, we aimed to investigate the association between hs-CRP and metabolic syndrome. Method: A total of 7,633 were chosen as the study population from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dataset (2016-2017). Our dependent variable was whether an individual had metabolic syndrome or not, and the independent variable of interest was hs-CRP which was categorized into three groups. The chi-square tests and hierarchical logistic regression analyses reflecting survey characteristics were conducted. All analyses were stratified by gender. Results: According to the adjusted model with all covariates, compared to individuals having the low risk of hs-CRP, those having its average risk were more likely to have metabolic syndrome in men (odds ratio [OR], 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-1.76) and women (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.33-2.16). Individuals having the high risk was not significantly different in men; however, they were more likely to have metabolic syndrome in women (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.28-3.23). Conclusion: In an upcoming aging society, it is important to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome to improve population health. This study suggests that hs-CRP may be used as a marker of the risk of metabolic syndrome in a gender-specific way, thereby contributing to enhancing awareness of the risk of metabolic syndrome among the general public.