• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.376-387
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• 1997

The elderly are the most rapidly growing segment of the population in Korea and the largest consumers of expensive medical care. It is reasonable to believe that improving the nutritional status would be beneficial to reducing morbidity and to impro- ving the quality of their lives. This study was conducted to assess the health status and the Nutritional Risk Index of the elderly, and to provide the basic data for the Elderly Nutrition Improvement Program at the Public Health Center. One hundred and forty seven(76 males. 71 females) aged 60 years and over living in Suwon, were assessed with anthropometric measurements, body fat analysis, blood pressure measurements, and a set of questionnaires about health and other related variables. Over half of them had less than a junior middle school education and were considered low income. The percentage of overweight and obese subjects was 33% by the BMI(Body Mass Index), and the prevalence of hypertension was 28$\%$(males) and 31$\%$(females). They had a lot of self-recognized health problems, the male elderly complained about more than the female elderly. In the case of psychological health status, however, the female elderly showed a higher proportions of depression than the male elderly(p$\ll$0.05). In social health status, the elderly had good relationships with friends and collegues, whereas they had poor relationships with their families. They had many nutritional risk factors, and smoking was the most prevalent risk factor for the male elderly and anemia was for the female elderly. The results of this study suggest that Elderly Nutrition Improvement Programs should be planned that can be easily followed. It would be helpful to design a program focusing on individual phychological and social health status, this would increase the efficiency of the program.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.379-386
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to prepare basic data to improve the health-related quality of life of cancer survivors by confirming their oral and mental health statuses and identifying factors affecting their health-related quality of life. Methods: Of all participants in the 8th KNHANES (2019-2020), adults aged 19 years or older who responded 'yes' to the diagnosis of cancer and 404 cancer survivors who responded 'none' to the current cancer prevalence item were selected as the final research participants. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to confirm the effect of cancer survivors' oral and mental health on health-related quality of life. Results: Subjective oral health (p<0.01), chewing problems (p<0.05), subjective health (p<0.001), and depression (p<0.01) had an effect on health-related quality of life from multiple regression analyses. Conclusions: Therefore, oral and mental health promotion may improve health-related quality of life. Thus, it is necessary to recognize the importance of oral and mental health and implement preventive education and programs.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.167-178
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of health-related quality of life among the aged who have been living in one urban community. The number of participants was 167 of people who were 60 and over. health-related quality of life was measured by EQ-5D in Korean Version. The order of frequency of 5 domain in EQ-5D were pain/discomfort, mobility, anxiety/depression, usual activity, self care. 32 of profiles were found from the study participants, and '11111' among them was 28.7%. Mean of EQ-5D index was $0.82{\pm}0.14$. Multiple Regression analysis of health-related quality of life explained 31% of variance of health-related quality of life using EQ-5D. In this analysis, age, regular exercise, spouse were found to be predictors to health-related quality of life measured by EQ-5D. The finding of this study will be the basis of well organized model of health-related quality of life for the aged.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.14-29
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• 2006

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to survey the extent of pain and discomfort in the musculoskeletal system among visiting housekeepers, above all concerning neck, shoulder, back, wrist, knee, and arm pain and to find possible relations between symptoms and various working conditions. Method: A questionnaire was answered by 174 woman visiting housekeepers living in Kyeonggi-do and Seoul from December 1, 2003 to February 30, 2004. The symptoms of musculoskeletal system were coded by the pain index which illustrates the extent of the symptoms, and analyzed in view of NIOSH guideline and Kim, et. al.'s notion. Result: 1. As to the complaint rate of subjective musculoskeletal symptoms by body region, the figure was the highest for shoulder with 78.2%, followed by back with 66.7%, knee 53.6%, neck 56.3%, wrist 40.2%, and arm 29.2%, respectively. The logistic analysis showed shoulder pain and arm pain have no relation with working and health conditions, and back pain was significantly related to current health condition. In same way, knee pain and wrist pain were found to be mainly related to marital status. 2. Following the NIOSH guideline, the positive rate of subjective musculoskeletal symptoms was found out in following order: shoulder 69.5%, back 59.2%, knee 54%, neck 46%, wrist 32.8%, and arm 25.3%. To investigate the main cause of each disease, the symptoms were classified by pain index, where the value of more than 3 comes to the NIOSH case, and analyzed in term of complaint rate using discrete logistical method : shoulder pain was highly related to the housekeeping time after work, back pain was to current health condition and the heavy weight carrying and neck, wrist, arm pain were commonly related to the ordinary health condition. For knee pain, working speed was a main cause. 3. In view of Kim et. al.'s standard, where the pain index is over 7, the positive rate was showed in order slightly different from previous analyses : shoulder 33.3%. knee 29.9%, back 28.2%, neck 17.2%, wrist 17.2%, and 16.7%. From the logistical analysis, insufficient rest was shown as the main cause of shoulder, back, arm and wrist pain. For neck pain, ordinary health condition was mainly related. In case of knee pain, any apparent relation is not found. Conclusion: According to the logistic regression analysis of musculoskeletal system, there was strong suggestion that the less insufficient physical rest, the more significant disorder complaint. This means that the most musculoskeletal symptom among the visiting housekeepers can be prevented and cured by sufficient physical resting.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.205-215
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• 2022

Background: The purpose of this study is to identify the factors infecting the medical care utilization from a new perspective by newly classifying the categories of administrative districts using the urban decline index and medical vulnerability index as indicators. Methods: This study targeted 150,940 people who used medical services using the 2015 cohort database (DB), 2010-2015 urban regeneration analysis index DB, and 2014-2015 public health and medical statistics DB. The decline of the region was classified using the urban decline index typed using k-means clustering and the medical vulnerability index typed using the quantile score calculation. Regression analysis was performed 3 times with medical expenditure, length of stay, and the number of outpatient visits as dependent variables. Results: There were 37 stable region (47.4%), 29 health vulnerable region (37.2%), and 12 decline region (15.4%). The health vulnerable region had lower medical expenditure, fewer outpatient visits, and a higher length of stay than the stable region. The decline region was all higher than the stable region but had no significant effect. Conclusion: The factors that cause the health disparity between regions are not only factors related to individual health behavior but also environmental factors of the local community. Therefore, there is a need for a systematic alternative that properly considers the resources within the community and reflects the characteristics of the population.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.69-76
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• 2023

The purpose of the rules on the Occupational Safety and Health Standards (hereafter safety and health rules) is to regulate the safety and health measures stipulated in the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the specific instructions necessary for their implementation. However, the safety and health rules are extensive and complexly connected, making navigation difficult for users. In order for users to readily access safety and health rules, this study analyzed the frequency, distribution, and significance of terms included in the overall rules. First, the term distribution index was created based on the frequency and distribution of words extracted through text mining. The term distribution index derives from whether a word appears only in a specific chapter or across all rules. This allows users to effectively explore terms to be followed in a specific working environment and terms to be complied with in the overall working environment. Next, the related words of the previously derived terms were visualized through t-SNE and the Word2Vec algorithm. This can help prioritize the things that need to be managed first, focusing on key terms without checking the overall rules. Moreover, this study can help users explore safety and health rules by allowing them to understand the distribution of words and visualize related terms.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.165-172
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• 2008

Objectives : Despite various government initiatives, including the expansion of national health insurance coverage, health inequality has been a key health policy issue in South Korea during the past decade. This study describes and compares the extent of the total health inequality and the income-related health inequality over time among Korean adults. Methods : This study employs the 1998, 2001 and 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANESs). The self-assessed health (SAH) ordinal responses, measured on a five-point scale, resealed to cardinal values to measure the health inequalities with using interval regression. The boundaries of each threshold for the interval regression analysis were obtained from the empirical distribution of the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) valuation weights estimated from the 2005 KNHANES. The final model predicting the individuals' health status included age, gender, educational attainment, occupation, income, and the regional prosperity index. The concentration index was used to measure and analyze the health inequality. Results : The KNHANES data showed an unequal distribution of the total health inequality in favor of the higher income groups, and this is getting worse over time (0.0327 in 1998, 0.0393 in 2001 and 0.0924 in 2005). The income-related health inequality in 2005 was 0.0278, indicating that 30.1% of the total health inequality can be attributed to income. Conclusions : The findings indicate there are health inequalities across the sociodemographic and income groups despite the recent government's efforts. Further research is warranted to investigate what potential policy actions are necessary to decrease the health inequality in Korea.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.1023-1030
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between variables associated with oral health status in psychiatric patients and to provide basic information on oral health education program development for the psychiatric patients. Methods : Subjects were 151 psychiatric patients who filled out the structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed for independent t-test, one-way ANOVA and hierarchical multiple regression by using SPSS Win Program 18.0 version. Results : Higher DMFT index was shown in the older age(p<0.001) and low perceived oral health group(p<0.001). Higher DMFT index included no tooth brushing after breakfast(p=0.045), wrong tooth brushing method(p<0.001). Chewing discomfort(p=0.027) and denture(p=0.027) were closely related to higher DMFT index. Bread(p=0.033) and snack(p<0.001) increased DMFT index. Factors affecting oral health status were age, denture, snack and bread. The explanation power of the final model was 29.4%. Conclusions : Dietary control for the psychiatric patients is very important to prevent dental caries. Tooth brushing and use of oral hygiene devices can improve good oral health care. Furthermore, this result can improve the oral health care for the disabled people.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2009

Objectives: This study was conducted to estimate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using EuroQoL-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) and to identify its related factors among urban-dwelling adults. Methods: The data for this study were obtained from 1,134 subjects aged $20\sim91$, who participated in 'Survey on the health status and demand for health' in two cities of Korea (Dong-gu, Gwangju and Suncheon-si, Jeollanamdo). The HRQOL was measured using the EQ-5D instrument and EQ-5D index scores were calculated by two Korean valuation study model using time trade-off method. Results: The mean EQ-5D index scores for all subjects were $0.865{\pm}0.218$ (model A), and $0.921{\pm}0.170$ (model B). The EQ-5D index score was significantly different according to demographic and socioeconomic characteristics (gender, age, marital status, education, occupation, income, and health security system), self-rated health condition, health-related psychological assessments (enough sleep, fatigue rate, stress rate, and degree of satisfaction on the residence). The results of multiple linear regression showed that age, marital status, income, coverage of medical insurance, self-rated health condition, and fatigue rate were significantly related common statistical factors of HRQOL in two Korean valuation study model. Conclusion: Among the adults residing in urban environment, the HRQOL was significantly lower on the subjects with following conditions: higher age, being alone without a spouse as a result of death, divorce or separation, low income, medical aid program, poor self-rated health condition, and chronic fatigue. In order to improve the urban adults' quality of life, healthcare policy and health promotion program must be developed with considerations to factors related to the HRQOL.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.166-173
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was designed to find differences between physical activity and health-related factors of Korean male adults. Methods: Using the 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES V-1), the data of 1,876 Korean males over 30 years old who completed the Health Interview, Health Behavior Surveys and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) were analyzed. Analysis of differences in physical activity according to socio-demographic factors, physical health-related factors and psychological health-related factors was tested using the F-test and chi-square test with SPSS 12.0. Results: The high physical activity group was merely 2.5% and the moderate group was 51.4%. In each group, the study showed significant differences in age (p=.017), education status (p=.019), and economic status (p=.032) of socio-demographic factors, in body mass index (p=.003), vitamin D (p=.020) and hypertension status (p=.007) of physical health-related factors, and in recognition of stress (p=.027) of psychological health-related factors. Conclusion: These results revealed that physical activity can play an important role in nursing intervention of physical and psychological health-related factors in male adults.