• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.181-189
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• 2019

Background: Edentulism is associated with socioeconomic status, rural residence, and chronic disease, but no studies have investigated edentulism and residence factors together. All information that drives a better understanding of the factors related to edentulism plays an important role in the planning and delivery of appropriate dental services for the elderly by national and oral health professionals. This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of edentulism in adults aged over 60 years in Korea and to examine whether there are differences in dentate status between people living in urban and rural areas after controlling for sociodemographic and other related factors. Methods: The data for this study were collected from 2013 to 2015 as part of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey VI, those individuals aged over 60 years and who had complete datasets were included (5,071). The number of teeth and residence status were categorized into two groups: edentate and dentate (1 or more); urban and rural. Multiple multivariate logistic regression analyses were sequentially applied to assess the association between dentate status and residence status after adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Rural areas, lower household income, and lower education levels were associated with a higher edentate rate. The number of teeth was lower in rural areas than in urban areas. After adjusting for various factors, statistically significant associations were present for women, low household income, low education level, poor perceived health status, and alcohol consumption in participants. Conclusion: Elders living in rural areas had poorer oral health than elders living in urban areas. The government will need to provide effective systems for promoting oral health for elders living in rural areas.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.269-278
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• 2022

Purpose: This study analyzed the retention factors of Korean community health practitioners who sustained over 20 years based on a multi-dimensional framework. This study suggests global implications for nurses working in rural or remote areas, even during a worldwide pandemic. Methods: The participants were 16 Korean community health practitioners who worked in rural or remote locations for over 20 years. This study identified nurses' key retention factors contributing to long service in rural and remote areas. This is a qualitative study based on the narrative method and analysis was conducted using grounded theory. A semi-structured questionnaire was conducted based on the following: the life flow of the participants' first experience, episodes during the work experience, and reflections on the past 20 years. Results: First, personal 'financial needs' and 'callings' were motivation-related causal conditions. The adaptation of environment-work-community was the contextual condition leading to intervening conditions, building coping strategies by encountering a lifetime crisis. The consequences of 'transition' and 'maturation' naturally occurred with chronological changes. The unique factors were related to the 'external changes' in the Korean primary health system, which improved the participants' social status and welfare. Conclusion: Considering multi-dimensional retention factors was critical, including chronological (i.e., historical changes) and external factors (i.e., healthcare systems), to be supportive synchronously for rural nurses. Without this, the individuals working in the rural areas could be victimized by insecurity and self-commitment. Furthermore, considering the global pandemic, the retention of nurses is crucial to prevent the severity of isolation in rural and remote areas.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.277-284
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• 2022

Salmonella is a pathogenic bacterium that has long been important industrially because it has a wide host range and can be transmitted to humans through direct contact as well as indirect contact such as food contaminated with animal waste. Understanding how to reduce Salmonella contamination in pig farms is important for public health and the livestock industry from an economic perspective. In the swine industry, high concentrations of disinfectants have been applied because it is difficult to effectively control Salmonella in environments contaminated with organic substances. In order to evaluate the synergetic effect of disinfectants, the efficacy of two commercial disinfectants diluted in hard water and microbubble water (MBW) were compared under the laboratory condition. Different concentrations of both disinfectants combined with 1% detergent diluted in the two diluents were evaluated for their antibacterial effect. In the case of monopersulfate-based disinfectant groups, the growth of Salmonella was not observed at 1:200 dilution with both the hard water and MBW combined with 1% detergent. In the case of citric acid-based disinfectant, the bacterial growth was not observed at 1:800 dilution with MBW combined with 1% detergent. Our results show that the use of MBW as a diluent might improve the biological activities of acid-based disinfectant.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.5-15
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• 1989

To compare the health status of rural and urban aged persons(over 65 years old) by an abnormality of a hematologic and some biochemical values as well as urinalysis and chest X-ray, following examinations were done on 8,756(male : 4,339: female 4,417) by hemoglobin, total cholesteol, GOT, and glucose, on 9,207(male: 4,467; female : 4.740) by urinalysis and on 9,148(male : 4,426: female : 4,722) by chest X-ray. The results are as follows: 1) The proportion of outlier of normal range of the GOT(over 40 unit) showed higher in rural aged persons(5.3%) than in urban aged(2.8%). There was no significant difference in both of urban and rual female, but the rural male(7.4 showed significantly higher than the urban male(3.9% ). 2) The proportion of abnormality of the total cholesterol value(over 260 mg/dl) was 7,0% in urban and 1.7% in rural aged persons. In the male, there was no significant difference in both urban(2.2%) and rural(1.4%), however the urban female(10.5%) showed significantly higher than the rural female(2.2%). 3) In the blood glucose level, the proportion of abnormality(over 120 mg/dl) showed 17.1% in urban and 19.3% in rural aged persons. The rural aged persons in both sexes(male : 18.1% : female : 20.7%) were relatively higher abnormality rates than those of the urban aged(male : 15. 3%: female : 18.4% ) respectively. 4) The proportion of abnormality of hemoglobin level(less than 12.0 g/dl in male: less than 11.0 g/dl in female) showed 7.1% in urban and 2.6%J in rural aged persons. The urban aged persons in both sexes(male : 8.3%: female 6.3%) were relatively higher abnormality rates than those of the rural aged(male : 3.0%: female : 2.2%) 5) In the urinalysis by urine stix(Korea Green Cross Co.), the positive rates of urine protein were 1.0% in urban and 0.5% in rural aged per-sons, and there was no any significant differences in both areas by sex. 6) The positive rates of urine glucose in urban aged persons(5.8'% : male : 7.3% : female : 4.7%). showed relatively higher than those of rural aged (3.4% : male : 3.9%: female : 2.8%). 7) The positive findings of pulmonary tuberculosis by indirect X-ray examination were observed in 7.7% of aged persons in both rural and urban areas respectively. However, the positive rates of male in both areas(urban : 12.8% ; rural : 10.0%) showed higher than those of female (urban 4.2% ; rural 5.0%).

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.49-63
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• 1999

The objective of the study was to examine and compare health behavior between rural area and urban area in Soonchun city. Data were collected through personal interviews from 25, April to 30, May in 1998. Questions were asked to the rural area residents(n=399) and urban area residents(n=149) about their health behaviors, including such as self-recognition of health status, health related behaviors(smoking, drinking, eating habit, and exercising), status of disease and prevention, and utilization of hospital. As we examine the demographic characteristics, rural area residents were more aged(p<0.001) than urban area residents. And the urban residents had higher education(p<0.01), higher income(p<0.01) and higher health care cost(p<0.01) than rural residents. There were difference in health status existed between rural and urban residents. Rural residents had poorer health status(p<0.01) than urban residents, and however urban residents had more anxiety about their health(p<0.01) than rural residents. Comparison of the health related behavior between rural and urban area residents, rural residents were more likely to smoke(p<0.05), less intake of milk(p<0.01), do not exercise(p<0.01), and less try to lose their weight(p<0.01) than urban residents. Rural resident used to suffer from chronic diseases than urban residents(p<0.01). Consideration of health care need for rural residents are required due to the results shown as above. Therefore, the health care center, where most of the rural residents depend on for their treatment and prevention of disease, should make inquiries about resident's health care need and evaluate the important information sources for construction of a health care information system.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.87-99
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between self-rated health and Activity of Daily Living (ADL) and self-care behavior of rural elderly in Korea, focused on the difference among three distinctive living arrangements; living alone, living only with his/her spouse, and living with their married children. For this purpose, data were gathered from a nationwide survey, a total of 586 elderly aged 65 or older and living in rural area, using the structured questionnaire. Also, self-care behavior were categorized into 4 groups; life-style practice, medical self-care, adaption to functional limitation, and emotional management. The major findings are as follows; 1) Rural elderly perceived their health little and more 'bad' but their ADL capacity were 'not difficult', especially among elderly living with spouse. 2) The level of 20 items in self-care behavior ($1{\sim}5$score) was ranged from 2.51 to 3.81 score. The behavior level of regular exercise, setting up additional phone, taking a nutrient, and testing BP or pulse regularly were low but that of taking a medicine according to prescription, close contact with other people, and regular eating were proportionally high. 3) The majority of self-care behavior were correlated with subjective health positively but medical self-care behavior were correlated with subjective health or ADL negatively. Based on these results, policy implications are discussed.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.183-202
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• 1998

This study is to investigate patient's choice of health care and the demand for Korean traditional medicine care in rural areas in 1995. It tried to evaluate the effect of out-of-pocket expenditure, travel time, and waiting time on improving care-seeking and substituting clinical medicine for pharmacy care and Korean traditional medicine care in rural areas. The statistical model of this study is conditional logit to estimate effects of choice-specific and individual-specific characteristics on the choice of type of services. This study used, as explanatory variables, average out-of-pocket payment, travel time, and waiting time of services required to use the services. The model was empirically tested using data from 1995 Korean National Health Survery. The results showed that rural Koreans responded to out-of pocket payment and travel time. Increases of out-of-pocket payment and travel time decreased the probability to choose care in rural Korea. Rural Koreans were more likely to seek care than others with low out-of-pocket payment and travel time. The probability of choosing Korean traditional medicine were higher among the members of the households with higher education level and older persons, while they were lower in the households with large family than others compared with the probabilities of choosing public health facilities. The result of this study implies that policy on use of health care in rural Korea can be focused in managing travel time and out-of-pocket payment.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.9-16
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• 2017

There are an increasing number of healthcare facilaties, especially branch offices, in rural areas to serve the aging population living there. However, there has been a gradual decline in the ratios of recognition, satisfaction and utilization by people who live in the regions. A significant reason of declining the ratios should be the population decline, but the most of population hierarchy shows the groups of elderly people over 60. This result appears to be limited to visit the public health centers. According to the result of population hierarchy, a branch office of public health center has been re-established as a complex welfare facility which can be fulfilled in the functions of basic medical supports and cultural supports. This research is focused on collecting the meaningful information of the status of physical facilities and utilization with 15branch offices of public health care centers in the rural regions near the city of Ik-San city. In addition, this research has a purpose of getting fundamental data for future architectural plans of the branch offices in rural regions with the results about the status of facility operation systems and users' needs.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.73-79
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• 2023

Purpose: This study describes how public health officials running clinic-centered around "Our Village's Pretty Dementia Shelter" improved their ability to cope with dementia and health by implementing early dementia screening and cognitive intervention programs. Methods: This study targeted 11 hopeful seniors from 6 villages, who were residents of the area under the jurisdiction of Health Clinic B located in County A, were over 65 years of age, and had not experienced Our Village's Pretty dementia shelters. Results: The results of the Cognitive Screening Test (CIST) showed that scores improved on all evaluation items and depression decreased. Through the dementia prevention program, health improved, vitality increased through leisure activities and cultural experiences in daily life, and the quality of life improved. Aadditionally, participating with close neighbors has become an activity that can make dementia prevention activities a habit and widespread practice. Conclusion: This case demonstrate the need for continued implementation of dementia prevention and health promotion programs for rural residents. Accordingly, it is necessary to continuously operate dementia prevention programs by diversifying them and securing expertise from rural nurses.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 1989

In order to desirable attitudes of health subcenter personnel, affecting to utilization of a rural health subcenter for primary health care, a study carried out, through analyzing the specific survey datas of 228 out of 1151 total house-holders in a rural community, Su-Dong Myun, Yam-yang-ju kun, Kyung-Gi Do in Korea, and the medical re-cords of total out-patients of health subcenter in this district during 1981-1988. The following results were obtained: 1) The annual utilization rate showed decreasing tedency such as 723 per 1,000 inhabitants in 1981, 652 in 1982, 618 in 1985, 54H in 1984 and 341 in 1987, since 1981. 2) The utilization Rate in 1987 was unusually the lowest with 341 per 1,000 inhabitants in decreasing tendency, steadily. 3) In advatage on utilization of health subcenter for primary health care in a rural area, 68.8% of the respondents answered that it was in comprehensive health care with the highest rate and next order in near distance from living place with 16.7% in easy and simple process to utilize with 9.2% and in lower medical cost with 5.3%. 4) The order of desirable image of rural health subcenter personnel for primary health care was of good attitude(57.0%), of good skill(29.0 %) and of wide knowledge(14.0%), 5) The order of desirable image of doctor for primary health care in rural health subcenter was of good skill(.44.3%), of good attitude(36.8%) and of wide knowledge(18.9%), and nurse was of good attitude(76.8%), of good skill(14.0 %) and of wide knowledge(9.2%). 6) The percentage order by good attitudes of rural health subcenter personnel was the highest in responsibility(38.2%), kindness(26.3% ), proprieties(14.9%), sincerity(12.7%) and notion of duty hours(6.6%). 7) The statistical datas in health subcenter was written and kept, without distinction of definition of new and old patients, by month and for suitable method of medical expenses of medical insurance and medicaid by clerical convenience. 8) In future, the organization of health subcenter must be unified, systematized and rationlized for primary health care. Health subcenter must be organized by 3 parts of function(medical care, health service and clerical affair) and then function of health subcenter will be more activated by clerical activities.