• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.2 s.89
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• pp.186-191
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• 2006

Metal contamination of medicinal herbs is of growing concern because of their potential adverse health effects. In this study, metal exposures were estimated and their potential health risks were preliminarily evaluated using available data including metal contamination levels and consumption estimates of herbal medicine in Korea. Consumption and contamination data of 34 medicinal herbs abundantly used in Oriental medicine in Korea were used in this study. Lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, and chrome were identified as contaminants of potential health concerns. Even based on a conservative exposure scenario, i.e., consuming 5 times more herbal medicine with 95th percentile contamination levels, health risks associated with herbal medicine consumption were estimated to be minuscule. Herbal consumption was 0.3% of the provisional tolerable daily intake levels recommended by Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of WHO/FAO. However, it should be noted that there are several important assumptions and uncertainties associated with this evaluation: This study was conducted for only 34 types of medicinal herbs of which consumption and metal contamination data were available. In addition, there are no reliable herbal medicine consumption data among Korean population. The pattern and amount of herbal (medicine) consumption in Korea need to be investigated in order to conduct more refined risk assessment associated with metal contamination in medicinal herbs.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.201-208
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• 2021

Background: In the mining industry, various methods of accident analysis have utilized official accident investigations to try and establish broader causation mechanisms. An emerging area of interest is identifying the extent to which cultural influences, such as safety culture, are acting as drivers in the reoccurrence of accidents. Thus, the overall objective of this study was to analyze occupational health and safety (OHS) reports in mining to investigate if/how safety culture has historically been framed in the mining industry, as it relates to accident causation. Methods: Using a computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software, 34 definitions of safety culture were analyzed to highlight key terms. Based on word count and contextual relevance, 26 key terms were captured. Ten OHS reports were then analyzed via an inductive thematic analysis, using the key terms. This analysis provided a concept map representing the 50-year data set and facilitated the use of text framing to highlight safety culture in the selected OHS mining reports. Results: Overall, 954 references and six themes, safety culture, attitude, competence, belief, patterns, and norms, were identified in the data set. Of the 26 key terms originally identified, 24 of them were captured within the text. The results made evident two distinct frames in which to interpret the data: the role of the individual and the role of the organization, in safety culture. Conclusion: Unless efforts are made to understand and alter cultural drivers and share these findings within and across industries, the same accidents are likely to continue to occur.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.4 s.48
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• pp.777-791
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• 1994

For developing the Group Health Care System, health managers' job structure were analysed in the aspects of content, amount, and process. As a trial research, data were collected by a standardized job analysis table to 6 doctors, 40 nurses, and 11 industrial hygienists of Group Health Care System. Health care managers were performing complex and intellectual jobs such as healh education for workers, managing health care, conference as well as more simple jobs like as filling diary. Especially, job was consisted of general job and health care management job in the proportion of 1:2.18. The major general job were data management related with the health statistics, and major health care management jobs were managing health care, health counselling, environmental management of working sites. Each specific jobs were required differentiated intellectual capacity, creativity, autonomy, psychic stress, and physical work; most respondents perceived that health care management jobs should require more inputs than general jobs. Additionally job satisfaction and perceived need on specific Job items were anzlysed. Results of this research, suggested through the field experiences in working sites, should be considered for improving the Group Health Care System.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.536-552
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore how homeless shelter worker and public health nurses perceive health status and health care of homeless shelter residents (HSRs). Methods: Data collected through focus group interviews. In Focus group, in-depth discussions were between 150 to 160 minutes. Data analyzed using Krueger (1998) step analysis. Participants were seven experienced clinical social workers, nurses working homeless shelters, and public health center nurses for dosshouse people. Results: The results were 4 themes and 15 sub-themes: Characteristics of HSRs, perception of health and health problem of HSRs (alcohol related disease, hypertension Diabetics, gastro-intestinal disease, dental disease and infectios disease such as Tuberculosis, musculo-skeletal disease, prostate problem), health care status of HSRs(insufficient health care service, discrimination of medical staff, lack of health care management, low satisfaction community health care services), and the health care proposal of HSRs(nurse in homeless shelter, integrated health care system, understanding of homeless) Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, health care programs focusing on understanding of HSRs and chronic diseases of HSRs increasing steadily although the management system is limited. Therefore, more systemized health care plan and health referral system for homeless people.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.172-180
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• 2010

Purpose: To analyze the current status of health education and problems of elementary, middle, and high schools by national health education guideline. Methods: Study subjects were 991 school health teachers of elementary, middle, and high schools in one province and the data was collected by mail. The data was analyzed by $x^2$-test and Fisher's exact test. Results: The rates of school health education implementation were 99.6% in elementary school, 98.1% in middle school, and 96% in high school. The rates of school health education were reported much higher than former studies. The most barrier in providing school health education was 'health room management during health education'. During health education by school health teachers, the health rooms were managed by other teachers in elementary schools or by locking the health room with announcement memo in middle and high schools. Conclusion: To improve the school health education, higher school health teacher placement and administrative supports for health clinic were recommended.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.335-348
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• 2018

Purpose: This study has been conducted to develop and examine a health promotion empowerment program using a lay health leader for frail elderly. Methods: The research was organized in a nonequivalent control group pre-post test design. Data collection was performed from August 18 to October 8, 2015. The subjects included 76 frail elders aged over 65 registered in home visiting services (Experimental group=39, Control group=37). A health promotion empowerment program using a resident volunteer as a lay health leader was run for 8 weeks. Health factors (health promotion behavior, perceived health status and frailty) and empowerment factors (empowerment, social participation) were assessed. The data were analyzed by using the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. Results: After the program, health promotion behavior, perceived health status and social participation increased in the experimental group more significantly than in the control group, but frailty decreased in the experimental group greater than in the control group. Conclusion: The health promotion empowerment program using a resident volunteer as a lay health leader was effective. Therefore, the health promotion empowerment program needs to be expanded to other frail elders. Also, a health leader should be recommended as a public health resource and systematically managed.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.179-190
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• 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the mediating effects of health promotion behaviors on the correlation between self-perceived health and medical care utilization among older adults. Methods: This study used data from a. Data were analyzed with frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and hierarchical multiple regression. Mediation analysis was performed according to the Sobel test. Results: The self-perceived health and some health promotion behaviors in older adults had a statistically significant effect on medical care utilization. Only the nutritional management of health promotion behaviors had a mediating effect on the relation between the self-perceived health and medical care utilization of older adults. Conclusions: The nutritional management of older adults was confirmed as an important factor to health promotion and prevention. This study was meaningful in that it identified the political directions for establishing health care policy for the older adults.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.147-156
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the health information media use, health interest, and health promoting behaviors of nursing college students, and the influence factors of health promoting behaviors. Methods: Participants were 144 nursing students in D city. Data collection was conducted from August 21st to 30th, 2019. Data were collected with structured questionnaires and analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Results: There were positive correlations between the health information media use and health interest with health promoting behaviors. Factors affecting health promoting behaviors of nursing college students were grade, health information media use, and health interest, which explained 28.2% of the variance. Conclusion: Characteristics of nursing students should be taken into consideration to improve their abilities for screening of health and using correct health information. In addition, health promotion programs should be developed and implemented for increasing nursing students' health interests.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.17-33
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• 2004

The present study attempts to examine the progressivity of health care financial sources based on the income approach, for which it decomposes redistributive effects into vertical, horizontal, and re-ranking components. The study data include Korean Household Expenditure Survey (2000) conducted every 5 year by Korea National Statistical Office. The data were sampled from the national population by the multistage probabilistic sampling method, and amounts to 23,270 households. For the better application of the income approach, the study employs household total expenditure in Korea instead of total income, because the former data source is more reliable and less fluctuated over time. Progressivity of health care financing was measured by Kakwani index. Aronson's decomposition equation was used in case of the analysis where differential treatment of health care expenditure needs to be considered. Despite the progressivity of Korea's governmental contributions, total expenditure of health care showed regressive pattern, which may largely be attributable to the higher regressivity in out-of-pocket money. With the result of negative Kakwani index, differential treatment increased income redistribution biased for better-off. It is worth to note that social insurance displays not only negative Kakwani index, but also horizontal inequality, suggesting that the first step of health care financing reform should be the revision of social insurance premium rates toward effective and equable way.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.275-287
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• 2018

Purpose: This study examined the trends of socio-demographic and health factors affecting the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Korean elderly. Methods: Data were obtained from the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-1, 2007, KNHANES V-1, 2010, KNHANES V-2, 2014). The sample consisted of 3,668 Korean individuals aged 65 years and older. The data were analyzed using a t-test, Chi-square test and multiple linear regression using the SPSS/WIN 20.0 program. Results: The HRQoL is improving consistently and the affecting factors on the HRQoL were the education level, activity limitation, subjective health and walking days per week in the three data of 2007, 2010, and 2014. Conclusion: A health care program focusing on improving activity limitation and physical activity should be considered for the improvement of HRQoL for the elderly in the community.