• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제53권5호
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• pp.362-370
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• 2020

Objectives: Despite greater access to training positions and the presence of more women in emergency medicine, it has remained a men-dominated field. This study aims to identify the key issues causing the gender gap in Korea and establish measures to overcome them. Methods: Using the annual statistical reports of the National Emergency Medical Center and data published on the Korean Society of Emergency Medicine website, cases that listed the current status and positions of members in its organization and its committees were analyzed. Secondary analysis was conducted using data from the 2015 Korean Society of Emergency Survey that included physicians' demographics, academic ranking, years of experience, clinical work hours, training and board certification, core faculty status, position, and salaries. Results: As of September 2019, women account for only 12.7% of the total number of emergency physicians (EP) in Korea; of 119 chair/vice-chair academic positions, women represented only 9.2%. Women EP were more often assistant professors and fellowship-trained, with fewer in core faculty. However, they worked the same numbers of clinical hours as their men counterparts. The median annual salary of women EP was less than that of men EP after adjusting for academic hospital rank, clinical hours, and core faculty status. Conclusions: A gender gap still exists among Korean EP, and women earn less than men regardless of their rank, clinical hours, or training. Future studies should evaluate more data and develop system-wide practices to eliminate gender disparities.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.519-531
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Regional disparities in dietary factors might be related to regional disparities in cardiometabolic health. Therefore, this study investigated the associations of cardiometabolic risk factors and dietary factors with regional types in Korean adults. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Based on data from the 2007-2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the study included 39,781 adults aged ≥ 19 years who completed the dietary survey and a health examination. Healthy and unhealthy dietary factors (fat, sodium, fruit, and vegetable intakes) were evaluated using 1-day 24-h dietary recall method, as well as the use of nutrition labels with a questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the participants, 48.7%, 36.0%, and 15.2% lived in metropolitan, urban, and rural areas, respectively. Adults living in urban and rural had higher odds ratios (ORs) for obesity (OR for urban, 1.07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01-1.14; OR for rural, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.05-1.24) than adults living in metropolitan areas; these associations were significantly observed in middle-aged adults. Compared to metropolitan residents, rural residents had lower ORs for hypertension in middle-aged (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.76-0.96) and metabolic syndrome in older adults (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.67-0.91). Regarding urban residents, a lower OR for diabetes in middle-aged adults (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.74-0.97) and a higher OR for hypertension in older adults (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.02-1.39) were observed. Overall rural residents had higher ORs of excessive carbohydrate, low fruit, and high salted-vegetable intakes than metropolitan residents. Low fruit intake was positively associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension, after adjustment for regional type and other confounders in total participants. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that cardiometabolic risk and unhealthy dietary factors differ among regional types and age groups within Korea. Nutritional policy and interventions should consider regional types for prevention and management of cardiometabolic risk factors.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제16권4호
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• pp.489-504
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study examined socio-economic differences in diverse food consumption among children 6-23 months of age in South Asia and Southeast Asian countries. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data from Demographic and Health Surveys in four countries in South Asia (n = 15,749) and four countries in Southeast Asia (n = 10,789) were used. Survey-design adjusted proportions were estimated for the following 10 food items: grains, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables (DGLV), vitamin A-rich fruits, vitamin A-rich vegetables, other fruits and vegetables (OFV), fish, meat, dairy, and eggs. An equity gap was defined as an arithmetic difference in the proportion of each food item consumed in the past 24-hours between the wealthiest and lowest quintiles and between rural and urban areas, denoted by percentage points (pp). RESULTS: The consumption of most of the 10 food items was higher in the wealthiest quintiles and urban areas across eight countries. The size of equity gaps was greater in Southeast Asia than in South Asia, particularly for vitamin A-rich fruits (3.3-30.0 pp vs. 0.3-19.6 pp), vitamin A-rich vegetables (12.1-26.7 pp vs. 2.4-5.9 pp), meat (17.7-33.4 pp vs. 3.4-13.4 pp), and dairy (14.7-32.5 pp vs. 3.3-11.4 pp). However, the size of equity gap in egg consumption was greater in Southeast Asia than South Asia (11.2-19.8 pp vs. 11.0-26.7 pp). Relatively narrower gaps were seen in the consumption of grains (0.3-12.9 pp), DGLV (0.6-12.4 pp), and fish (0.1-16.8 pp) across all countries. CONCLUSIONS: Equity gaps in food consumption differed by socio-economic status and region. Reducing equity gaps in nutrient-rich foods and utilizing regionally available food resources may increase child dietary quality.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• 제12권3호
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• pp.363-382
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• 2023

This study aims to discern the determinants influencing the perception of workability among the elderly population and delineate an appropriate retirement age within the labor market context. Employing binary logistic regression, this research utilizes data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study (2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020) provided by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Welfare. The findings indicate that key factors shaping the elderly's perception of workability encompass familial responsibilities (household and marital status) and their levels of physical and mental well-being. Econometric analysis suggests an anticipated retirement age for the elderly population ranging between 67 and 69 years. In addressing labor market demands and informing policymakers, the study proposes deliberations on extending the retirement age for individuals aged 60 to 65. This range serves as a compromise between the identified retirement age of 67 to 69 and the current average retirement age for elderly labor market participants. Bridging the disparity between the perceived workability age and the prevailing labor market baseline is crucial for achieving social consensus. Therefore, any extension of the retirement age should carefully consider both the demand and supply perspectives within the labor market. The study's contribution lies in two main aspects: firstly, presenting a retirement age framework for the labor market that integrates the workability of the elderly population, and secondly, providing evidence-based research outcomes to guide informed labor policies.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.123-132
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to compare the nutritional status of children aged 5 or under and women aged 20 to 34 years between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (DPRK: North Korea). For the source of nutritional status of North Koreans, the DPRK 2004 Nutrition Assessment-Report of Survey Results was used. As the comparable data of South Koreans, the anthropometric data for children and women were obtained from the reports of the Korean Pediatric Society and the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, respectively. The blood hemoglobin data of South Korean women were obtained from the data file of the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Survey and analyzed. In regard to the North Korea, the Prevalence of underweight (weight for age Z-score < -2.0) in children under 12 months was about $10\sim15%$, and thereafter progressively increased until 30 to 35 months reaching 30%. In South Korea, the prevalence of underweight was less than 3% in most age groups both in boys and girls. In North Korea, the prevalence of stunting (height for age Z-score < -2.0) reached 20% in children under 12 months and increased with age over the level of 50% in children aged 54 to 59 months. In South Korea, the prevalence of stunting was less than 3% in children under 12 months and was less than 10% throughout the age groups. Maternal protein-energy malnutrition and anemia were assessed for the women aged 20 to 34 years using mid-upper arm circumference (< 22.5 cm) and blood hemoglobin level (< 12g/DL), respectively. The prevalence of protein-energy malnutrition was 39.6%, 30.7%, 31.7% in North Korea and 12.5%, 5.0%, 1.5% in South Korea fir the women in $20\sim24,\;25\sim29,\;30\sim34$ years, respectively. The prevalence of anemia in the North Korean women was about $34\sim36%$ while that in the South Korean women was $15\sim18%$. In conclusion, the disparity of nutritional status in early childhood and maternity between South Korea and North Korea is so huge that active and well-planned nutrition support policy and programs for women and children in North Korea is imperative to prepare for the future unified nation.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• 제10권3호
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• pp.541-553
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• 2010

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine the use of dentifrice for children, the state of dentifrice for children on the market and the relationship between the bore of dentifrice and the amount of dentifrice used in an effort to provide parents, main consumers of dentifrice for children, with the right information on dentifrice. Methods : Data on the use of children's dentifrice were gathered by investigating parents in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province in July and August, 2009. The selected parents had children aged one to five in Western age. Results : 1. As to the purchase of dentifrice for children, the largest group (75.9%) were aware of the name of the toothbrush used by their children, and the greatest group (97.3%) bought the toothbrush on behalf of them. Advertising was the most dominant source of information on the choice of dentifrice (51.8%), and non-professionals were the most common providers of information on that (55.9%). 2. The amount of dentifrice used at a time was a mean of $0.467{\pm}0.270g$. There was a wide disparity in that aspect from a low of 0.100 to 1.900g. As to the influence of the size of the bore of dentifrice, the greatest amount of dentifrice was used ($0.670{\pm}0.306g$) when the bore of dentifrice was 9 mm in size, and the bore size 9 mm was significantly different from the size 3 mm and 6 mm in that aspect (p<0.001). 3. There was one kind of imported dentifrice for children on the market. Concerning the fluoride ingredient of dentifrice, the biggest number of dentifrice contained MFP only. As to the size of the bore of dentifrice, there was a difference of 3 to 9 mm. Most of dentifrice for children included the pictures of particular characters. Conclusions : The above-mentioned findings illustrated that there is a serious concern for the intake of fluoride among infants and preschoolers, it's needed to pay careful attention to the use of dentifrice. Dentifrice for children should be manufactured in consideration of the relationship between the size of the bore and the amount of dentifrice used.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.225-231
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between oral health habits and oral diseases in an attempt to raise awareness of the need for prolonged dental checkup projects and lay the foundation for oral health education and sustained oral health care projects. The subjects in this study were 2,643 workers from 76 workplaces in Siwha Industrial Complex in the city of Ansan, Gyeonggi province, who were at the age of 20 and up. The findings of the study were as follows: 1. Concerning the experience of visiting a dental clinic over the past year, 760 male workers (37.4%) and 237 females (38.9%) visited dental clinics in the past year. By age group, those who were in their 50s (54.0%) visited dental clinics the most, and the workers in their 30s (67.9%) paid a visit the least. The gap between the age groups was statistically significant (p < 0.001). 2. In regard to the time for toothbrushing by age group, the workers in their 20s (64.6%) made up the largest group that brushed their teeth before breakfast, and those who were in their 60s and up constituted the greatest group that did toothbrushing after breakfast. The workers in their 20s brushed their teeth the least, as the rates of the workers of this age group who did toothbrushing after breakfast and dinner respectively stood at 64.0 percent and 54.5 percent. The disparities between the age groups were statistically significant (p < 0.001). 3. As for scaling experience for the past year, 302(46.0%) out of the workers who got their teeth scaled in the past year had periodontal diseases, and 1,600(80.6%) out of those who didn't suffered from periodontal diseases. The gap between them was statistically significant (p < 0.001). 4. Regarding the relationship of subjective oral health state to dental caries among the workers without dental caries, the largest group that numbered 327(54.1%) considered themselves to be in good oral health. In the event of the workers with dental caries, the greatest group that numbered 708(75.5%) found themselves to have one or more carious tooth(teeth). The disparity between them was statistically significant (p < 0.001). 5. As for connections between dietary habits and dental caries, those who had dental caries (2.29) showed a greater preference for snack than the others who hadn't (2.21). The preference for snack made a bigger statistically significant difference to dental caries than the other dietary habits (p < 0.05).

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• 제8권4호
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• pp.233-239
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to survey the knowledge and awareness of dental hygienists and dental hygiene students about hepatitis B in an attempt to lay the solid foundation for the prevention of hepatitis B and infection control, as dental hygienists were highly likely to be exposed to HBV during job performance. The findings of the study were as follows: 1. 32.5% of the dental hygienists and 15.6% of the dental hygiene students were aware of their own HBsAg and HBsAb states. The dental hygienists who were cognizant of the states statistically significantly outnumbered the dental hygiene students who were (p=.000). 2. As for vaccination against hepatitis B, 71.8% of the dental hygienists and 47.3 % of the dental hygiene students were inoculated against it. The dental hygienists who were vaccinated against it outnumbered the dental hygiene students who were, and the disparity between the two was statistically significant (p=.000). 3. In the event of those who were vaccinated against hepatitis B, the dental hygienists were better cognizant than the dental hygiene students of the right time for the vaccination, required vaccination frequency (three times) and confirmation of the formation of hepatitis B antibody (p=.000). 4. Regarding awareness of hepatitis B infection route, the dental hygienists knew significantly better than the dental hygiene students that hepatitis B might be infected via blood (p=.030), sexual relations (p=.000), contaminated needle sticks (p=.000), mothers with hepatitis B positive during delivery (p=.000), toothbrushes/razors (p=.000) and exchange of drinking cups (p=.000). 5. As to the relationship between health status and knowledge on hepatitis B infection route, the respondents who were in bad shape had the best knowledge about that, followed by those in an average state of health and healthy respondents. And the dental hygienists had a significantly better knowledge than the dental hygiene students (p=.001). 6. Just a small number of the dental hygienists and students knew about the hepatitis B-related past experiences of their families, and the gap between the two was insignificant.