• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.382-392
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to investigate breast-feeding and breast-feeding health behavior among korean first-time mothers and to provide basic data for promoting breast- feeding. Data were collected by interview or self report from 444 first-time mothers who visited health clinic center in the area of metropolitan, medium or small city, countryside. and whose infants were under 12 months old from January 2001 to February 2001. The results show that breast-feeding was 31.5% in a week after childbirth, 25.8% in 4 weeks after childbirth, 22.7% in 2 months, 17.8% in 3 months, 14.3% in 6 months, 2.5% in 12 months after childbirth. Breast-feeding rate was very low in Korea and the duration of breast-feeding was very short. Breast-feeding health behavior did not show significant differences by general characteristics of the subjects except area. The subjects in the health clinic center with MCN project did better breast feeding health behavior than the subject in the health clinic center without MCN project. To raise breast-feeding rate, several strategy could be suggested. Systemic education about importance and advantages of breast-feeding and desirable breast-feeding method should be provided to pregnant women and postpartum women. Childbirth leave in the work should be prolonged, and supportive facility such as nursery room should be installed for working mothers. Hospitals should follow the guideline of 'Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative' which was provided by UNISEF and WHO, including rooming-in after delivery.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.92-99
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• 2014

Background: Korea's primary care clinics are seeking increase in consultation fees by expanding supply within the frame of the health insurance system, but inequality of physician income between regions and individuals is exacerbating. The purpose of this study lies in analyzing the distribution of patients of primary care clinics, their specialized field, and the degree of inequality between medical fee income according to region. Data was acquired from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on charged bills made by clinic-size medical institutions from 2008 to 2011. Methods: By comparing the outpatient number per clinic according to the clinic's specialized field, results showed that ophthalmology, otolaryngology, dermatology, orthopedics, and internal medicine showed high numbers whereas plastic surgery, neuropsychiatry, cardiothoracic surgery had fewer outpatients. The number of outpatients for clinic according to region showed Chuncheonnam-do, Jeju-do, Gangwon-do, Chungcheongbuk-do, Ulsan to have higher numbers of outpatients. For those four years, clinics in the Seoul area had a rather lower number. Results: As a result of comparing the decile hierarchy distribution ratio between specialized fields according to primary care clinics income from National Health Insurance, the inequality degree showed that obstetrics and gynecology and general medicine were each 0.130, 0.280 for the decile distribution ratio, which was the highest degree of inequality within the specialized field. Their Gini coefficient were also relatively high at 0.691, 0.528 respectively. On the other hand, the decile distribution ratio for otolaryngology and orthopedics were 0.510, 0.468, respectively, while their Gini coefficient each at 0.318, 0.314 makes their inequality degree relatively lower than other fields. Conclusion: This study is limited in that the data used was the health insurance charges submitted by clinics, which does not provide total information of the doctors' income. However, because most clinics are largely dependant on their income to come from health insurance reimbursements. Therefore, the results of this study can be used effectively. In the future, research that includes data on non-covered service income should be conducted to closely examine policy plans with a new medical fee policy which can resolve the medical fee income inequality issue between clinics as well as revitalize primary medical care.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.107-114
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to collect basic data for the development of oral health education program of parents and to encourage their actual interest and participation in school oral health program. The authors surveyed parents' awareness and behaviors about the oral health of their children. The subjects in this study were 193 parents of elementary school children in Seoul. The collected data were analyzed, the obtained results were as follows: 1. Thirty-five percent of the parents investigated paid a regular visit to a dental clinic. The most common tooth brushing time among them was after dinner, the second was after breakfast, and this was followed by before bedtime and before breakfast 2. Ninety-four percent of the parents responded that prevention is necessary, 92.2% had a plan to visit a dental clinic to prevent dental caries, and 60.1% experienced receiving pit and fissure sealants. Ninety-seven percent responded that they did check their children's dental caries. 54.9% checked their children's oral status after tooth brushing. The parents who visit a dental clinic on a regular basis were more likely to check their children's teeth after tooth brushing than those who don't(P<0.05). 3. Eighty eight percent of respondents wanted to keep the fluoride mouth rinse program. 4. It is recommended that an oral health education program be developed for parents to visit dental clinics on a regular basis, to educate as to the right tooth brushing time, and to check out their children's oral status after tooth brushing.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2005

In 2001, as a subject of this study, the first grade 165 kids in Yomju elementary school had been guided in pit and fissure sealant, fluoride rinse, group tooth brushing, and Dental health education as a part of oral disease preventive program. From the data, this author has estimated incremental dental health care program in school dental clinic in order to make it more effective and enlarge it. For that purpose, the program has been continued at six month intervals for two years. The retention condition of pit and fissure sealant in first molar and DMF rate had been investigated. The conclusions are as follows: 1. Full and partial retention of pit and fissure sealant was measured as 80.69% in maxillary right first molar, 83.20% in maxillary left first molar, and 86.72% in mandibular right first molar, and 86.28% in mandibular left first molar. 2. Retention of pit and fissure sealant in first molar was measured as 76.55% in maxillary right first molar, 81.03% in maxillary left first molar, 80.65% in mandibular left first molar, and 82.03% in mandibular right first molar. 3. Among Yomju elementary school students, DMF rate was measured as 8.7%, and DMFT index as 1.03. However, in Yangdong elementary school students the former was measured as 13.8% and the latter as 1.76. When the DMF rate difference between Yomju and Yangdong elementary school kids was considered, the oral health condition of the former was much better than that of the latter because the former had received incremental dental health care program for two years and on the other hand, the latter had not. So it is necessary that we should enlarge school dental clinic, improve and keep students' oral health.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.81-88
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• 2009

Purpose: This study examined the health status and physical therapy in elderly women in rural areas to provide basic data on the promotion of health and physical therapy management of elderly women in rural areas. Methods: The subjects were 110 elderly women. The data was collected through individual interviews, and the tool developed for this study was a structured questionnaire based on the literature. The reliability coefficient was 0.57 ~ 0.79(Chronbach' $\alpha$). Results: Village 1 made the most of an oriental medicine clinic and a neighborhood clinic, whereas village 2 mainly used a public health center. Arthritis/ neuralgia and high blood pressure/low blood pressure were the most common complaints in the two villages; a medical institution was used once a month by more than 50% of subjects. Most rural elderly women used physical therapy, and the prevalence of arthritis/neuralgia was high. The most common problem in the two villages was poor health. The improvement in mobility was higher in the more healthy women, who also had less need for treatment at a medical institution. Conclusion: Most rural elderly women were concerned about poor health and used physical therapy. Therefore, rural medical institutions need to pay attention to the medical service and preventive activity to reduce the incidence and severity of neuromuscular syndrome in rural elderly women.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.15-32
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• 2013

Few public health researchers have paid research attention to the location of medical institutions in Korea. Previous studies were published in geography journals, and relied on limited data in terms of geographic regions and the type of medical institutions. This study utilized nationwide data covering 8 types of medical institutions. We obtained data from Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service and National Population and Housing Census. The correlation coefficients of resident, daytime, university-graduate population, and the population of different age groups (fewer than 15, 15~64, 65 or more) were compared to understand their relative association with the location of medical institutions. Medical clinic, dental clinic, oriental medical clinic, and pharmacy, all of which are almost completely operated by private sector, showed strong positive correlation with population. Hospital-level medical institutions, which are operated by both public and private sector, had moderate positive correlation. Daytime population and university-graduate population, rather than resident population, were more correlated with the location of medical clinics. The correlation coefficients of the population of 15~64 age group and the location of medical institutions were greater than that of other age groups. The results showed that daytime and university-graduate population are more important than resident population to explain the location of medicalrelated facilities. The results also suggests that the population of age groups (especially, 15~64) might be one of important influence factors in the location of medical institutions.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.49-61
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• 2009

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to test the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior(TPB) to Korean adult smokers in order to obtain an enhanced understanding of their smoking-cessation intention and to establish strategies for effective smoking-cessation interventions at the community clinic. Methods: The data came from a survey that was conducted on adult male smokers who visited the smoking-cessation clinic at H community clinic in Korea from January to November in 2006 (N=434). Included in the survey were questions asking core variables and salient belief variables dictated by TPB. A structural equation model was established using TPB and data were analyzed to examine the applicability of the theory to the understanding of the structure of variables leading to intention. Results: The analysis of the structural model revealed that the study model was statistically significant(p<.001), suggesting the high validity of TPB in explaining the structure of the data. Among the relationships in the model, negative behavioral beliefs were not significant(p>.05), and negative control beliefs and subjective norm were significant(p<.05) but not as highly as other variables in the model(p<.001). Conclusion: TPB was useful in understanding smoking-cessation intention of smokers who visited community clinic to stop smoking. More specific strategies for counseling and education need to be developed to enhance attitude and perceived behavioral control (self-efficacy) toward smoking-cessation intention, such as emphasizing health benefits of quitting smoking, and eliciting values and life principles that can help increase the intention to stop smoking.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.645-650
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• 2013

Objectives : The aim of this study is to investigate dental clinic fear and anxiety in high school students. Methods : The subjects were 311 high school students aged 19 years. They completed self-reported questionnaire including general characteristics, dental clinic experiences, dentist or dental hygienist confidence, and dental fear. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0. Results : Poor oral health status showed negative attitude towards dental clinic visit. Girl students tended to have more fear than boy students. Muscle tension was the most common experience and was closely related to anesthetic needles and drills. Dental anxiety was caused by lack of confidence to dentists and dental hygienists. Students were more afraid of dentists than dental hygienists. Higher score of dental anxiety seemed to be associated with infrequent visit to dental clinic. Conclusions : Frequent regular dental checkup may reduce dental fear and anxiety. Dental clinic staff should try to minimize dental anxiety in performing treatment.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.100-129
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• 1993

This study is designed to find out some intra-clinic factors affecting the content of practice provided by primary care physicians in Korea, and proposed factors in this study are characteristcs of each private clinc --- physician-related variables(age, sex, specialty), bfed-related variables for inpatient care, laboratory-related variables for precise diagnosis. We have tried to estimate the difference of disease entities cared by each primary care physician according to above factors by analyzin gdisease data claimed during one month(April, 1992) to National Federation of Medical Insurance. The diagnosis codes by ICD-9 in the research disease data were reclassified to 'diagnosis clusters' by virtue of clinical similarities for effective analyses. We have converted frequent-tsing ICD-9 codes to 86 diagnosis clusters, which incorporated 97.4 percents of all ambulatory visits to private clinics. This result means proposed diagnosis-cluster method is effective tool for analysis of the content of ambulatory medical care carried out by primary care physicians. Comparisons and analyses of multiple diagnosis-clusters made on the basis of presented factors were done and the results were as follows; - Major factors affecting the difference between diagnosis-cluster pattern by each variables were phyusician's age, sex, specialty and bed counts of each private clinic for inpatient care and the size of laboratories of each clinic. - Middle aged(30th to 40th) group physicians are providing more comprehensive care than 20th or above 50th aged groups. Male physicians are more adequate for comprehensive care than female physicians, because woman-doctors are providing narrow-spectrum care. The content of practice of obstetricians and gynecologists shows much difference from primary medical practice, and they cannot be included in primary care physician, this study suggested. Pediatricians are also providing short-spectum acre, and nearly all visits to pediatricians were incorporated only 2-3 diagnosis-clusters. General surgeons' practices are very similar to general practioners' or family physicians' practices, the means they are providing primary care rather than special surgical care. And small number of beds(under 5 beds) and only basic(2-3 sorts of)diagnostic apparatuses are sufficient for primary physicians' clinic to carry out primary care. In conclusion, to reinforce primary care department in Korea, there must be support with health policy to expand office-based primary care practice-- with small number of beds for inpatient care and only basic laboratories-- provided by general practitioner of family physician.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.67-78
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• 2020

Objectives: Using data from the 1styear of the 7th National Health and Nutrition Survey, this study administered a questionnaire to patients with oral damage and examined the type of medical care used based on the nature of the injury, further characterized by age group and sex. Methods: Of the 8,150 respondents, this study selected those who participated in the health survey and oral exam survey, excluding surveys with missing values, and set 7,681 people as the research participants. This study used SPSS Windows version 23.0(SPSS Inc. IL, USA) as the statistics program and applied the chi-square test (p) based on a complex sample and logistic regression analysis. Results: In the analysis of the type of tooth damage, there was a significant difference (p<.001) in the number of male patients who were injured due to exercise, violence, and safety accidents compared to females. However, there was no significant difference in their type of medical security and whether or not they visited a dental clinic. The patients with private insurance showed relatively high use for tooth extraction and oral surgery (p<.001). Conclusions: The best way to prevent tooth damage is to prevent the accident. For sports or exercises which may cause tooth damage, protective gear, such as a mouthpiece, should be used to prevent tooth damage.