• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.831-850
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• 2016

The ratio of suicide among the elderly in Korea has nearly tripled within the last 20 years. With this in mind, this study examined the effects of social exclusion on depression and suicidal ideation among the elderly living in elderly-only households with a focus on gender differences. Social exclusion is composed of economic, health, housing, education, social participation, and relational aspects. For this study, data were gathered from 527 participants aged 65 years and over. The statistical methods used for data analysis were descriptive statistics, chi-square test, t-test, and hierarchical regression analysis with the SPSS Win 20.0 program. The results of this study are summarized as follows: First, more than 80% of the elderly experienced social exclusion. Women were shown to be more vulnerable than men in terms of housing exclusion, educational exclusion, health exclusion, and multiple exclusion, whereas men were more vulnerable than women in terms of social participation exclusion. Second, social exclusion had significant effects on suicidal ideation among the Korean elderly. We also observed gender differences in the results. Regression analysis of suicidal ideation showed that relational exclusion had a significant effect on suicidal ideation in men, whereas health exclusion had a significant effect on suicidal ideation in women. Results of the study show that stronger social support networks and policies focusing on the elderly are needed in order to reduce elderly suicide in Korea.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.23-33
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• 2015

This study was conducted to provide the preliminary data on preparation for policy decisions regarding the groundwater supply scheme for N. Korea vulnerable to drought. Agricultural activities oriented to upland field due to the mountainous terrain more than 79% as well as the diversity of rainfall distribution over the country make more vulnerable to structural problems in the drought in N. Korea. Therefore, in anticipation of the expansion of exchange policies in agricultural sector, the available amount of groundwater needed for sustainable water resources supply was estimated for each administrative district after analyzing alluvium and hydrogeology distribution in N. Korea. Overall, the available amount of groundwater was estimated to 22.3 billion m³ (0.18 million m³/km²). The available amount of groundwater per unit area in Ryanggangdo and Gaesungsi was appeared very high in each of 0.56 and 0.39 million m³/km², respectively, and it would be interpreted that two districts have relatively wide area of volcanic rocks and alluvium with highly permeable characteristics, respectively. Finally, to maximize the utilization of this study result, the available amount of groundwater distribution map was developed on the basis of the 1 × 1 km grid network over the entire N. Korea.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.516-526
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• 2001

Working towards the compression of morbidity, we attempted to find the way to contribute to desirable aging and/or healthy old age. By looking into the factors affecting nutrient intake in middle-aged adults, we sought to find ways to improve their health status, Two hundred and fifty middle-aged adults from 40 to 60 years of age residing in Seoul and its vicinity were recruited for the survey. Subjects were interviewed for general characteristics, dietary habits lifestyle, status and food intake by a trained interviewer. Two -day food record was included in addition to the 1 -day 24 hr recall. Date were analyzed for the relationship among nutrient intake, health status, socio-economic status dietary habits and lifestyle using a statistical program (SAS) Although the mean energy intake of the subjects did not reach the recommenced dietary allowances(RDA), mean protein intake was well above the RAD for both sex groups(111.2% and 129.1% for men and women, respectively) The caloric contribution of fat was 15 to 20 % of total energy intake among different groups. Riboflavin was the most deficient nutrient and its mean intake reached only 71.0% of RDA for mean This seemed to be due to the lower intake of milk and dairy products among middle-aged Koreans who are more accustomed to traditional meals. Income and exercise habit were the most important factors influencing the nutrient intake of middle-age adults. Also, BMI, smoking habit, level of education regularity of meal, and hours of sleeping influenced the nutrient intake, In conclusion, middle-age adults appeared to have similar problems with the elderly in terms of nutrient intake and this age group should to included when considering nutritionally vulnerable groups in addition to the elderly and young children. The improvement in the nutrition status of middle-age adults is even more important because that could lead into the better health the elderly.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.147-160
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• 2007

This research challenges the general notion of one-person households of the elderly during widowhood as impoverished, isolated, and vulnerable. Recognizing a high potential vulnerability, however, this research attempts to describe the diverse composition of one-person households of the elderly. For this purpose, relying on 2% sample data from the 2000 census, it examines regional distribution, socio-economic characteristics, and determinants of one-person households of the elderly during widowhood. Socio-economic characteristics of one-person households of the elderly differ by region. Jeju island is distinct in terms of sex and age distribution, and residence area of children. In general, rates of economic activity and self-subsistence are higher in provinces than in cities. Compared to the elderly living with family, the elderly living alone show high rates of economic activity, self-subsistence, and capability of physical activity. Results of logistic regression analysis of determinants of living arrangement are consistent with those of descriptive statistics. Those who are economically active and able to move around without assistance tend to live alone after the death of a spouse. Number of sons and living in an urban area are negatively associated with living alone, whereas females are more likely than males to live alone. According to the separate analysis by age, the positive effect of economic activity is greater in the oldest of the old than in other age groups. Those who possess high educational attainment tend to live alone when they are 80 and older, unlike other age groups. Based on these findings, this paper finds that one-person households of the elderly nay not always be the most vulnerable group, and are diverse in terms of socioeconomic characteristics.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2001

With a continuous and steep increase in life expectancies, Korean society is expected to enter the aged society by year 2020. And as the number of elderly increases, the burden of medical and health care expenses for them becomes greater in every developed society. Hence, the preventive approach for chronic degenerative diseases remains to be the best solution for the above-mentioned problem and warranting optimal nutrition would be one of the most important approaches. We performed a nutrition survey on 585 older adults of 50 years of age and older, residing in 3 metropolitan areas including Daejun, Daeku and Kwangju. Anthropometry, including body composition analysis based on the bioelectrical impedance analysis using InBody 3.0 and dietary intake survey by semi-quantitative flood frequency questionnaires, were used in collecting data. As one of the most important factors affecting the health and nutritional status of the elderly, we focused on living arrangements. Analyses were performed on the data from 550 subjects only, after excluding statistical outliers. Three hundred and sixty-eight of them(66.9%) were female and the number of elderly(65 years of age and older) was 485. According to the statistical analyses, the female elderly were more vulnerable to malnutrition than the male elderly. And the older they befame, the less adequate they were in nutrient intake. In addition to this, the elderly living alone showed the poorest patterns of nutrient intake and anthropometry. Although the exact effect of living alone could differ among different sex-age groups, the fact that the elderly living alone is vulnerable to malnutrition would remain concrete. This raises the utmost necessity of nutrition intervention to be devised and directed to the targeted population, namely the living-alone elderly from the government level. The intervention may include nutrition education, nutrition counseling and support In forms of meal service by networking the efforts of central as well as local governments to ensure the good health of the Korean elderly.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.31-43
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to understand the social welfare approach and to suggest implications for the establishment and expansion of social welfare techniques in recent urban regeneration to overcome the limitation of physical approach to urban regeneration. We used the method of the content analysis to extract social welfare programs in project plans of urban regeneration regions and vulnerable residence regions and then let them be categorized according to characteristic and form of their programs. As a result of the analysis, there are 4 welfare programs in urban regeneration regions; setting the economic fundament, improving the residential environment focusing on welfare, pursuing community integration and social service providing. And each type was classified into 12 subtypes. Based on the result of this study, some implications are suggested to operate social welfare techniques in a stable manner in urban regeneration projects; link of the suitable jobs for regional characteristics, the participation of local residents in the project process, empowerment for community integration and expanded provision of social services.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.362-373
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the costs and benefits of individual home visiting health care using secondary data and literature review. Methods: The total number of subjects was 1,008,837. A specific program was classified into disease management, care of infant, child and women, or elderly care. The costs and effects of a program were identified from a societal perspective, and the effects were converted into monetary terms or benefits. The total cost was calculated in the way that medical expenses, travel costs and productivity losses were offset by the decrease in benefits and thus only the program budget was included in the total cost. Results: The total program cost was 47.6 billion won per year and the total annual benefit was estimated at 435.6 billion won. The benefits of arthritis management were the biggest among disease management programs. The net benefit was 388.0 billion won per year and the benefit/cost ratio was 9.16. Conclusion: Home visiting health care was validated to be economically effective. It made a positive contribution to improving the health status of vulnerable populations and reducing medical expenses. These results suggest that home visiting care should be extended more broadly to vulnerable populations.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.137-149
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• 2020

Objectives: This study explored the community food environmental factors affecting food purchasing using a qualitative research methodology for the elderly as well as the various food environments under their socioeconomic diversity. Methods: For the qualitative data collection, this study interviewed 20 elderly people aged 65 years or more, who participated in a public health program or lunch services operated by the senior welfare center in Seoul. Five dimensions, such as availability, physical accessibility, affordability, acceptability, and accommodation suggested in previous studies, were used to identify the community food environmental factors. Results: The elderly participants showed overall similarities to the concepts derived from existing studies on the five dimensions of food accessibility environment. In addition, other important food accessibility environmental factors that were not present in previous studies, such as acceptability for a product of domestic origin, delivery service to home, and small-packaged food sales, were derived. On the other hand, the concept of some subjects differed depending on the household income and specifically for the physical accessibility concept. This showed that the close distance factor from a grocery store at home might not apply to older adults in low-income households in Korea. Conclusions: This study found that five dimensions of the food environment suggested by previous studies could also be applied to vulnerable older adults in Korea. On the other hand, the socioeconomic characteristics of individuals and households would affect the perspectives of their local food environments differently. The findings of this study could help in the development of tools for evaluating the community food environment.

• Weed & Turfgrass Science
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.50-55
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• 2014

This study is aimed at classifying the syntaxa of Ceratopteris thalictroides dominant community on the Nakdong River, and to collect basic data for research of habitat. The communities were carried out by using the Z.-M. School's method and numerical classification technique. The result of syntaxa was classified three communities such as Persicaria japonica-Ceratopteris thalictroides community, Lindernia procumbens-Ceratropteris thalictroides community, and Limnophila indica-Ceratopteris thalictroides community. The ordination analysis displayed the vegetation types with respect to complex environmental gradients. After ordination and clustering analysis, the effective humidity, soil stability, trampling effects, anthropogenic effects and flooding frequency were identified as the important factors deciding the vegetation pattern. It was pointed out to establish a long-term ecological site for protecting such vulnerable vegetation against overexploitation and global climate change.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.555-565
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• 2021

Purpose: This study was conducted to develop the contents of disaster nursing education in community health nursing at universities. Methods: To validate contents, the Delphi method was used. We categorized two domains(indirect disaster management and direct disaster management) and developed 48 draft items. This study applied two round surveys and 23 experts participated in this study. The content validity was calculated using content validity ratio and coefficient of variation. Results: Indirect disaster management domain was composed of three categories including 12 items: 1) Understanding of the disaster, 2) disaster management system, and 3) response by disaster stage and recovery. Direct disaster management domain was composed of nine categories including 30 items: 1) Ethical considerations, 2) communication in disasters, 3) nursing activity by disaster stage, 4) emergency nursing in disasters, 5) patient severity classification in disasters, 6) disaster nursing for vulnerable groups, 7) disaster nursing for victims, 8) psychosocial nursing and health in disasters, and 9) cases of disaster nursing in communities. Conclusion: This Delphi study identified the contents of disaster nursing education curriculum, and confirmed the validity for disaster education program in community health nursing. Based on the results, it will be helpful for training the disaster nursing and improving the competency on disaster nursing of the nursing students.