• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the nutritional status and dietary behavior of adolescents from North Korean refugee (NKR) families residing in South Korea (SK), who are known to be at a higher risk of malnutrition due to their lower socioeconomic status and facing other psychological challenges. Methods: A total of 178 adolescents (91 males and 87 females) from NKR families were included in the analysis, and their demographic details such as age, birthplace, parental nationality, and duration of their settlement in SK were collected through questionnaires. Anthropometric measurements were also taken to determine their growth and nutritional status according to the 2017 Korean National Growth Charts for children and adolescents. The study used the Nutrition Quotient for Korean Adolescents (NQ-A) questionnaire to assess the dietary behavior of the participants. Results: Approximately 11.8% and 10.1% of participants were identified with malnutrition and obesity, respectively. The total mean score for the NQ-A was 50.1. The mean scores for the individual factors of balance, diversity, moderation, environment, and practice were 49.2, 44.7, 43.8, 51.2, and 61.5, respectively. Approximately 47.2% of participants had a low NQ-A grade. However, there was no significant difference in the NQ-A scores according to their nutritional status or duration of time in SK. Conclusions: Adolescents from NKR families exhibited both malnutrition and obesity. However, their dietary behavior, as assessed using the NQ-A, did not vary with their nutritional status. The unique challenges and related dietary behavior of North Korean adolescent refugees should be taken into consideration, when developing targeted strategies for nutritional education and health management programs.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.53-67
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• 2023

In this study, the problem of the idleness of public buildings in rural areas is seriously emerging, but there are no clear standards for assessing the utilization of these buildings. Therefore, this study endeavors to investigate the actual state of idleness of buildings created by rural area development projects based on the criteria for each type. As part of this study, rural facilities were selected in two locations in Sangju City and Miryang City among the target areas of the Rural Agreement. Utilization evaluation criteria were developed to identify the conditions of underutilization. In order to determine the utilization pattern for each facility type, an in-depth interview with the operator and an inspection of the facility were conducted. Based on the analysis, the degree of utilization (e.g., low use, non-use, etc.) was different for each facility type, and among the four facility types (rural tourism, culture and welfare, exercise and recreation, income-based), rural tourism was rated as the least efficient. It has been found that the operating entity's capacity has a significant influence on the utilization of facilities. Socioeconomic factors, such as a decrease in utilization rates, are greatly influenced by the operating entity's capacity. Therefore, support from local governments as well as the national level is required to recycle idle facilities. Lastly, this study suggests the need for different standards for utilization, depending on the type of facility. This moves beyond checking the degree of idleness by the same standard that was previously implemented.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.619-644
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to estimate the economic benefit of improving ground water quality in Jeju Island, where groundwater pollution has recently become a social issue and various water quality improvement projects are being promoted. By applying the contingent valuation method, an online survey was conducted on Jeju Island residents to analyze the response data of 542 respondents and estimate the mean willingness to pay using 16 models. The estimation of the double-bounded dichotomous choice model confirmed that each household was willing to pay 28,008 won per year, with the willingness to pay estimated at a minimum of 17,762 won and a maximum of 37,416 won based on different models. The total annual benefit for Jeju Island's ground water quality improvement was estimated to be about 8.66 billion won , and socioeconomic factors influencing willingness-to-pay were investigated. This study is expected to serve as a foundation for the development of environmental improvement policies by assisting in the understanding of Jeju Island's unique water resource environment.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.85-106
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• 2023

Background: The Korean government has established Health Plan and reinforced tobacco control policies step by step according to Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). This study aims to investigate yearly smoking and secondhand smoking (SHS) exposure rates adjusted by demographic and socioeconomic factors. Methods: Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted about the smoking experience, current smoking, and exposure to SHS at home, at work, and in public places using data from the 6th to 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2015-2020). Results: Comparing 2015 with other years, smoking experience rates significantly decreased from 2015 to 2018 in men and significantly increased from 2018 to 2020 in women. Compared to 2015, current smoking rates significantly decreased only in 2020 for men and significantly increased in 2018 and 2019 for women. The rate of exposure to SHS at home significantly decreased until 2018. Rates of exposure to SHS in the workplace and public places were significant all year. Conclusion: There were a slowly decreasing trend in men and an increasing trend in women at current smoking rates. It was found that there were significant decreasing trends at exposure to SHS. There is a need to set policies that reduce current smoking rates and especially to set a customized program to lower women's smoking rates.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2022.05a
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• pp.211-211
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• 2022

The marketization reform from the open-door policy in 1978 was not only booming export-oriented industries with foreign investment but also expanding the role of private actors in the Chinese water sector. Private Sector Participation (PSP) has become an important element in developing urban infrastructure by providing better services with advanced facilities. The rapid development of PSP-driven urban water infrastructure in China has a positive impacted on Chinese economic development, particularly in coastal areas. PPPs in some coastal areas have successfully spread out over China since China applied the first Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) mode in the water sector in the early 1990s. The market-oriented water and wastewater, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mechanism in the initial period of China has been transformed into a state-dominated PPP mechanism. The development pattern of the water and wastewater PPPs in China has been divided in four stages: the first period from 1984 to 2002, the second period from 2003 to 2008, the third period from 2009 to 2014, and the last period after 2015. The study aims to investigate the successful process of water and wastewater PPPs in local areas through five socioeconomic elements: export-oriented economic strategy, urbanization, cheap land policy, infrastructure investment, and water issues and climate change. In addition, the study focuses on analyzing the extent to which the Chinese government re-asserted its control over the PPP mechanism by classifying five elements in three different development Phases from early 2000 to 2020. The Jiangsu Province in the estern coastal area has actively invited PPP projects in the water and wastewater sectors. The successful introduction and rapid growth of PPPs in the urban water infrastructure has made the province an attractive area for a foreign investor.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.91-122
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• 2017

Before the start of the North Borneo Company administration in North Borneo (now Sabah, Malaysia) in 1882, the Timugon Murut of today's interior Tenom District lived in longhouses, and practiced head-hunting during wars with other Murutic ethnic groups. Their economy revolved around swidden agriculture of hill rice, sago, and cassava. Wet rice cultivation and water buffaloes were introduced just before 1885. Wet rice was planted on the alluvial plains around the Pegalan and Padas Rivers, while dry rice was planted on hillside swiddens that had been cleared by slash-and-burn methods. Today, wet rice cultivation and cash-cropping on the plains are the main Timugon socioeconomic activities, while some families also plant dry rice on the hills as a back-up. The Timugon believe that the physical world is surrounded by the spiritual world, and everything was made by the creator Aki Kapuuno'. The focus of this field research paper is on the beliefs and ritual practices of the Timugon connected to their traditional rice agriculture. This study found that for generations, the Timugon believed that since animals were created by Aki Kapuuno' for the wellbeing of humans, various types of animals and birds convey omens to guide people. Thus, the older Timugon rice cultivation is strongly influenced by good and bad omens and taboos, and also involves symbolic practices and ritual offerings to guardian spirits of the rice. After the 1930s and especially since the 1960s, most Timugon became Roman Catholic Christians. Hence, this paper also examines changes in the traditional Timugon rice cultivation related beliefs and practices due to religious conversion and other factors.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.65 no.5
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• pp.25-35
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• 2023

The estuary reservoir is a major source of agricultural water in Korea; for effective and sustainable water resource management of the estuary reservoir, it is crucial to comprehensively consider various water resource factors, including water supply, flood, and pollutant management, and analyze future runoff changes in consideration of environmental changes such as climate change. The objective of this study is to estimate the impact of future climate change on the runoff characteristics of an estuary reservoir watershed. Climate data on future Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios were derived from two Global Climate Models (GCMs) of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6). The Hydrological Simulation Program-Fortran (HSPF) was used to simulate past and future long-term runoff of the Ganwol estuary reservoir watershed. The findings showed that as the impact of climate change intensified, the average annual runoff in the future period was higher in the order of SSP5, SSP3, SSP1, and SSP2, and the ratio of runoff in July decreased while the ratio of runoff in October increased. Moreover, in terms of river flow regime, the SSP2 scenario was found to be the most advantageous and the SSP3 scenario was the most disadvantageous. The findings of this study can be used as basic data for developing sustainable water resource management plans and can be applied to estuary reservoir models to predict future environmental changes in estuary reservoirs.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2024

Objectives: The demand for dental care is expected to increase as the population ages. This study aimed to predict the utilization of dental implant care following the expansion of national health insurance benefits for dental implants. Methods: Multiple linear regression analysis was performed on HIRA big data open portal data and DNN-based artificial intelligence models to forecast the utilization of dental care in relation to the national health insurance coverage for dental implants. Results: National health insurance coverage of dental implants was found to be associated with the number of patients using dental implant services and demonstrated a statistical significance. The dental implant services utilization increased with the increased dental implant health insurance benefits for the elderly population, increased mean by region, increased number of dental institutions by region, and increased health insurance coverage rate for dental implants. However, the dental implant services utilization decreased with the increased number of older people living alone and increased size of dental institutions. Conclusions: With the expansion of the national health insurance coverage for dental implants, it is predicted that the utilization of dental implant medical services will increase in the future.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.1-15
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• 2024

In recent years, climate change has been responsible for unusual weather patterns on a global scale. Droughts, natural disasters triggered by insufficient rainfall, can inflict significant social and economic consequences on the entire agricultural sector due to their widespread occurrence and the challenge in accurately predicting their onset. The frequency of drought occurrences in South Korea has been rapidly increasing since 2000, with notably severe droughts hitting regions such as Incheon, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungbuk, and Gyeongbuk in 2015, resulting in significant agricultural and social damage. To prepare for future drought occurrences resulting from climate change, it is essential to develop long-term drought predictions and implement corresponding measures for areas prone to drought. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report outlines a climate change scenario under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), which integrates projected future socio-economic changes and climate change mitigation efforts derived from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 (CMIP6). SSPs encompass a range of factors including demographics, economic development, ecosystems, institutions, technological advancements, and policy frameworks. In this study, various drought indices were calculated using SSP scenarios derived from 18 CMIP6 global climate models. The SSP5-8.5 scenario was employed as the climate change scenario, and meteorological drought indices such as the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Self-Calibrating Effective Drought Index (scEDI), and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) were utilized to analyze the prediction and variability of future drought occurrences in South Korea.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.62-72
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• 2023

Based on the basic ideology of health care, this study realized the seriousness of annual unmet medical need and conducted a study to confirm the relationship between the subjective perception of regional healthcare environment and unmet medical needs. The independent variable was classified into attitude 'satisfaction' and 'unsatisfaction' toward regional healthcare, and the dependent variable was classified as whether unmet medical needs occurred annually. Based on previous studies, the control variables were selected as demographic and socioeconomic characteristics that can affect the occurrence of unmet medical care annually and characteristics related to health behavior. Descriptive statistics were conducted for each variable on the extracted sample, and multivariate survey logistic regression analysis was conducted to confirm the association between variables. As a result, more unmet medical needs occurred annually than those who were satisfied with the medical services in the area where they lived. In addition, more unmet medical need occurred annually in "unsatisfied" households compared to households "satisfied" with local medical services. In residential areas, women live in "metropolis" and "rural areas" compared to "urban," women live in men, lower education levels, and poor subjective health levels, and less satisfied with local medical services. As such, the impact of environmental factors in the community on the use of health and medical services is one of the major areas of interest in the field of health science, such as health policy and social dynamics. Therefore, hospitals in each region need to make efforts in terms of hospital management to increase the overall satisfaction of medical services in the region by continuously monitoring the attitude of residents to achieve universal health security, and policymakers should also be interested and propose new policies.