• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.125-130
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• 2014

Background: Construction industry is among the most hazardous industries, and needs a comprehensive and simple-to-administer tool to continuously assess and promote its health and safety performance. Methods: Through the study of various standard systems (mainly Health, Safety, and Environment Management System; Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 180001; and British Standard, occupational health and safety management systems-Guide 8800), seven main elements were determined for the desired framework, and then, by reviewing literature, factors affecting these main elements were determined. The relative importance of each element and its related factors was calculated at organizational and project levels. The provided framework was then implemented in three construction companies, and results were compared together. Results: The results of the study show that the relative importance of the main elements and their related factors differ between organizational and project levels: leadership and commitment are the most important elements at the organization level, whereas risk assessment and management are most important at the project level. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the framework is easy to administer, and by interpreting the results, the main factors leading to the present condition of companies can be determined.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.353-359
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of $7-MEGA^{TM}$ 500 on the improvement of skin aging in an UVB-induced photo-aging model of hairless mice. The dorsal skin of hairless mice was exposed to UVB three times a week for 12 weeks to induce skin wrinkle. After inducing the wrinkle, $7-MEGA^{TM}$ 500 was orally administered once a day for 4 weeks. Skin thickness, skin barrier function, and wrinkle indicators were improved by treatment with $7-MEGA^{TM}$ 500. Both gene and protein expression levels of MMP-3 and c-Jun in skin were significantly decreased by $7-MEGA^{TM}$ 500. Therefore, the intake of $7-MEGA^{TM}$ 500 is thought to have a positive effect on the improvement of skin aging, although further studies are needed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.265-270
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• 2015

The recent Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak has originated from a failure in the national quarantine system in the Republic of Korea as most basic role of protecting the safety and lives of its citizens. Furthermore, a number of the Korean healthcare system's weaknesses seem to have been completely exposed. The MERS-CoV outbreak can be considered a typical public health crisis in that the public was not only greatly terrorized by the actual fear of the disease, but also experienced a great impact to their daily lives, all in a short period of time. Preparedness for and an appropriate response to a public health crisis require comprehensive systematic public healthcare measures to address risks comprehensively with an all-hazards approach. Consequently, discussion regarding establishment of post-MERS-CoV improvement measures must focus on the total reform of the national quarantine system and strengthening of the public health infrastructure. In addition, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must implement specific strategies of action including taking on the role of "control tower" in a public health emergency, training of Field Epidemic Intelligence Service officers, establishment of collaborative governance between central and local governments for infection prevention and control, strengthening the roles and capabilities of community-based public hospitals, and development of nationwide crisis communication methods.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.11-18
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• 2017

Objectives : In an effort to suggest a developmental plan of Traditional Korean Medicine health promotion project(TKM-HPP), this study was conducted to identify the problems experienced by public health Traditional Korean Medicine(PH-TKM) doctors in duty and to analyze successful cases of the health promotion project. Methods : Two PH-TKM doctors in duty at the Public Health Centre branch and Public Health Centre respectively, and one TKM doctor in charge of Public Health Centre participated in the in-depth interview. The research procedure was as follows; 1) inform study objectives and interview questions to participants, 2) in-depth interview with semi-structured questions, and 3) post-confirmation and verification. The interview was recorded and transcripted. In-depth interview was composed of 6 subsections: 1) Introducing participants and share purpose of interview, 2) Confirmation of the job status and difficulty of public health centre, 3) Reflecting and sharing experiences of public health clinic job performance cases, 4) Current status and improvement needs of TKM-HPP, 5) Discussions on improvement of TKM-HPP in public health center, 6) Sharing and reconfirmation of interview results. Thematic analysis was conducted from the narratives. Results : The study showed that; 1) the support from the local government was critical for the successful TKM-HPP and participation of the PH-TKMs; 2) the major problems experienced by PH-TKMs were lack of training for TKM-HPP in the field and lack of knowledge at local government level; 3) the suggestions to provide PH-TKMs with manual to educate residents effectively and redefine roles of PH-TKMs in the project. It also suggests that TKM-HPP model should be developed by the district in a way of reflecting regional characteristics. Conclusions : Firstly, more efforts should be made on the projects rather than medical treatment in public health centers, except for areas where medical institutions are scarce. Secondly, in order to facilitate participation of PH-TKM doctors, each local office should reduce medical care and increase efforts related with projects. Thirdly, the institution has to develop feasible TKM-HPP plans that can be carried out by PH-TKMs by the manual. Lastly, pre-training should be provided to PH-TKMs to understand contents of TKM-HPP related to public health centre work before the placement.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.475-476
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• 2002

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2012

Objectives: The nurse visiting health service named Customized Visiting Health Care Program(CVHCP) requires the service innovations incorporating community support into a local service network. The purpose of this study was to assess the community network in CVHCP and inform improvement in this network. Methods: We used Social Network Analysis(SNA) in one CVHCP at H city. Network links were generated by self-administered questionnaires by the 14 community resource centers who quantified their links to all other 25 agents on the list. Links were analyzed by a dichotomous scale for any experience of collaboration and a scored scale of 0 to 3 for level of collaboration using UCINET v6. Results: A list of 14 agents was generated, and local network was dominated by the Public Health Center and a local welfare center named Unlimited Care Center(UCC). According to centrality score, UCC was the most prominent agent, and Public Health Center was the most influential agent, being a link in the pathway flow between other agents for 9.5% of contribution. CVHCP scored lower rank of prominent with 30.8% of other agents reported referring to it. Conclusions: Social network analysis provides a useful network description for informing and evaluation service network improvement in maximizing its service for the CVHCP.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.193-205
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was conducted to find the relationship between oral health conditions of elderly people and closures of public dental health clinics in rural areas. Methods: Oral examinations and surveys were conducted in 2011 from May 11 through November 4 on 383 seniors over 65-years and under 74 years old. Results: The results of this study were as follows: 1. The results of comparative analysis of the usage behaviors of health clinics of subjects in relation to the closures of public dental clinics within the area showed that the usage level and frequency of public health agencies in areas with public dental clinics were high, and that the trend of influence on personal oral health conditions and improvement in prevention was high. When compared to 3 years ago, there was an 11.6 percentage point reduction in areas without public dental clinics (24.4%) compared to areas with public dental clinics (12.8%). 2. The results of comparative analysis of the oral health conditions and behaviors of subjects in relation to the closures of public dental clinics showed that the level of dental caries was high in areas with no public dental clinics, and the number of toothbrush usage and oral health supplemental product usage were shown to be high in areas with public dental clinics. Conclusion: The closures of public dental clinics were found to affect oral health behavior and conditions of elderly people in rural areas.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2020

Background: The elevated risk of occupational infection such as tuberculosis among health workers in many countries raises the question of whether the quality of occupational health and safety (OHS) and infection prevention and control (IPC) can be improved by auditing. The objectives of this study were to measure (1) audited compliance of primary health-care facilities in South Africa with national standards for OHS and IPC, (2) change in compliance at reaudit three years after baseline, and (3) the inter-rater reliability of the audit. Methods: The study analyzed audits of 60 primary health-care facilities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Baseline external audits in the time period 2011-2012 were compared with follow-up internal audits in 2014-2015. Audits at 25 facilities that had both internal and external audits conducted in 2014/2015 were used to measure reliability. Results: At baseline, 25% of 60 facilities were "noncompliant" (audit score<50%), 48% "conditionally compliant" (score >50 < 80%), and only 27% "compliant" (score >80%). Overall, there was no significant improvement in compliance three years after baseline. Percentage agreement on specific items between internal and external audits ranged from 28% to 92% and kappa from -0.8 to 0.41 (poor to moderate). Conclusion: Low baseline compliance with OHS-IPC measures and lack of improvement over three years reflect the difficulties of quality improvement in these domains. Low inter-rater reliability of the audit instrument undermines the audit process. Evidence-based investment of effort is required if repeat auditing is to contribute to occupational risk reduction for health workers.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2018

Purpose: This study examined the effects of a shoulder-strengthening exercise on muscle strength of shoulder flexors and extensors of caregivers. Methods: The study consisted of 19 caregivers (2 males and 17 females) employed by Medical Center B. All the participants took part in an 8-week shoulder muscle strengthening exercise, based on previous studies. In the first week, the subjects took part in a stretching exercise enhance the range of motion. In the second week, they participated in an exercise aimed at improving shoulder blade stability. From the third to seventh weeks, a resistance exercise of different intensities was applied in a phased manner. Finally, in the eight week, the subjects took part in plyometric exercise. Peak torque, average power, and total work of shoulder flexors and extensors in both sides were measured before and after the exercise at an angular speed of 120deg/sec using an isokinetic device. Wilcoxon's singed-ranks test was conducted to analyze differences in muscle strength before and after the intervention. Results: After the exercise, there was a significant improvement in peak torque and average power of flexors of the right arm. After the exercise, peak torque, total work, and average power showed a significant improvement in the flexors of the left arm (p<0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference in extensor muscle strength in either arm after the exercise. Conclusion: Shoulder flexors of caregivers are utilized frequently in the workplace. Implementation of extensor-strengthening exercises, in addition to flexor-strengthening exercises, can contribute to reducing the incidence rate of shoulder injuries among caregivers.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.533-545
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• 2003

Purpose: This study investigated the situation of public health official training and suggested a scheme for improving central and local official training institutes, in order to improve the quality and quantity of training programs for central and local public health officials. Methods: This study examined training resources, design processes, content and methods of training programs of the Department of Health and Welfare Training in NIH and the fifteen city and provincial officials training institutes in 2002. Results: The central and the local officials training institutes didn't exchange information on public health training. NIH supplied various specialized training programs for senior and junior officials. However, city and provincial official training institutes supplied a few training programs for local public health officials. Conclusion: A mutually cooperative relationship is needed between central and local official training institutes to exchange information on public health official training. The Department of Health and Welfare Training in NIH as a central training institute has to develop training programs related to new public health policies, supply training programs for senior officials, and support local official training institutes. To satisfy the training demands of public health officials, the city and provincial official training institutes should increase the number of training programs for junior officials.