• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• 제34권
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• pp.18.1-18.12
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• 2022

Background: Little attention has been paid to the relationship between perceived discrimination and self-rated health (SRH) among foreign workers in Korea. Transnational ties with the home country are known to be critical among immigrants, as they allow the maintenance of social networks and support. Nonetheless, as far as we know, no studies have examined the impact of transnational ties on SRH itself and the relationship between perceived discrimination and SRH, which the current study tries to examine. Methods: Logistic regression analyses were conducted using the 2013 Survey on Living Conditions of Foreign Workers in Korea. Adult foreign workers from different Asian countries (n = 1,370) participated in this study. The dependent variable was good SRH and the independent variable was perceived discrimination. Transnational ties with the home country, as a moderating variable, was categorized into broad (i.e., contacting family members in the home country) vs. narrow types (i.e., visiting the home country). Results: Foreign workers who perceived discrimination had a lower rate of good SRH than those who did not perceive discrimination. Broad social transnational ties moderated the relationship between perceived discrimination and SRH; narrow social transnational ties did not. Conclusions: In line with previous studies, an association was found between perceived discrimination and SRH. Broad social transnational ties can be a good source of social support and buffer against the distress of perceived discrimination.

• 대한지역사회영양학회지
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• 제17권5호
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• pp.589-602
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• 2012

The Korean society has gone through a dramatic change in its population, with rapidly increasing number of multicultural families through international marriages since 1990s. This study investigated the differences between multicultural families and Korean families in three areas related to dietary behaviors: diet-related behaviors and perception, and food preferences. A cross-sectional analysis was performed in 500 Koreans from Korean families and 104 couples from the multicultural families with Vietnamese wives. More subjects from multicultural families grew up in the countryside, received less education and also had lower income than the subjects from Korean families. Multicultural families ate traditional Korean meals more often at home and dined out less often than Korean families. The multicultural families focused more attention on nutritional aspects of their diets than Korean families. The Vietnamese wives in multicultural families favored Vietnamese foods but they rarely ate those foods in Korea despite an easy accessibility to Vietnamese ingredients. In conclusion, the multicultural families had more traditional Korean dietary patterns than Korean families, which could have been influenced by their socioeconomic factors. Further research with a quantitative analysis is needed in future studies to understand the effect of dietary patterns on nutritional status and quality of life in multicultural and Korean families.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• 제22권6호
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• pp.85-90
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• 2010

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between social support and quality of life (QOL) in elderly people and to examine potential cross-cultural differences. Methods: The author surveyed 82 elderly people, over the age of 65, residing in a nursing home in a Korean rural area and 73 Korean immigrants living in Houston Texas USA who were also elderly. The degree of social support was measured with 20 questions that were answered using a 5 grade scale. The quality of life was measured in 5 fields (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression, each scored using a 3 grade scale) with EUROQOL EQ-5D. Results: The mean score of social support was 65.43 for domestic Korean elderly people (range: 26 to 98); it was 73.43 for elderly Korean Americans (range: 26 to 100). The score was lower for domestic Koreans despite the traditional environment (p<0.05). Regarding QOL, 61% of domestic Korean elderly people complained of pain/discomfort and 47.5% appeared to have anxiety/depression, 30.5% complained of limitations in mobility, 20.7% reported limitations in usual activities, and 14.6% had limitations in basic self.care activity such as washing or dressing. A similar proportion of Korean American elderly had limitations in usual activities (19.2%) and self care activity (9.5%). But significantly fewer complained of anxiety/depression (16.5%, p<0.01) or pain/discomfort (38.3%, p<0.01). The major differences in psychological domains of QOL may be related to the degree of social support and the difference in the socio.cultural environment. Conclusion: Social support is a major determinant of QOL, especially for psychological domains, and these relationships are under the influence of the socio.cultural environment.

• Annals of Laboratory Medicine
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• 제38권6호
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• pp.599-603
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• 2018

Frequencies of red blood cell (RBC) blood group antigens differ by ethnicity. Since the number of immigrants is increasing in Korea, RBC antigens should be assessed in children/youths with parents of different ethnicities to ensure safe transfusions. We investigated the frequency of RBC antigens, except for ABO and RhD, in 382 children and youths with parents having Korean and non-Korean ethnicities. Subjects were divided into those with ethnically Korean parents (Korean group; N=252) and those with at least one parent of non-Korean ethnicity (non-Korean group; N=130). The 37 RBC antigens were genotyped using the ID CORE XT system (Progenika Biopharma-Grifols, Bizkaia, Spain). The frequencies of the Rh (E, C, e, $hr^S$, and $hr^B$), Duffy ($Fy^a$), MNS ($Mi^a$), and Cartwright ($Yt^b$) antigens differed significantly between the two groups. Eight and 11 subjects in the Korean and non-Korean groups, respectively, exhibited negative expression of high-frequency antigens, whereas 14 subjects in the non-Korean group showed positive expression of low-frequency antigens. The frequency of RBC antigens has altered alongside demographic changes in Korea and might lead to changes in distribution of RBC antibodies that cause acute or delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction.

• 여성건강간호학회지
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.286-296
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• 2021

Purpose: This study compared infant mortality and its associated factors between Korean and immigrant women using vital statistics gathered by Statistics Korea. Methods: Birth and death statistics from the period between 2009 and 2019 were extracted from the census of population dynamics data of the Microdata Integrated Service, Korea. Statistical data were derived from a complete survey and infant mortality was analyzed from mortality statistics data. Descriptive statistics were used for comparison. Results: The average infant mortality rate (IMR) of Korean women was 2.7 in Korea, which did not change significantly between 2009 and 2019; however, the IMR of immigrant women increased significantly in 2018 to 4.2 and subsequently decreased to 2.6 in 2019. Moreover, the age of Korean and immigrant women at the time of infant death gradually increased from 31.1 years and 25.9 years in 2009 to 32.8 years and 30.9 years in 2019, respectively. The gestational age was lower for deceased infants born to immigrant women (mean, 31.04 weeks; standard deviation [SD], 6.42; median, 30.00) compared to infants born to Korean women (mean, 31.71 weeks; SD, 6.48; median, 32.00). Immigrant women (91.7%) received slightly fewer antenatal care visits compared to Korean women (93.1%). Conclusion: It is vital to devise a plan to lower the IMR of immigrant women in Korea. Moreover, it is necessary to explore the factors related to infant mortality among immigrant women within the context of Korean societal situation, culture, and home environment.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.104-110
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to examine dietary frequencies among Korean American adolescents in California, including the correlation of acculturation and parental dietary Consumption. This study was drawn from cross-sectional telephone surveys based on data from a larger study of Korean Americans in California using random sampling of residential phone listings. A total of 494 Korean American adolescents, ages 12 through 17, in California were collected with dietary frequencies and acculturation and one parents' demographic and dietary consumption information. Three-quarters of adolescents were classified as 'more acculturated group' into the U.S. society with a lower preference to Korean foods, frequent snacking, and lower consumptions of rice and kimchi. Other quarter of adolescents was classified as 'less acculturated group'. However, the most frequent food items by both groups were rice and kimchi. Fruit and vegetable consumption was associated between adolescents and parents in both groups, but rice and kimchi were associated only among the more-acculturated group. In conclusion, dietary frequencies of Korean American adolescents were influenced by acculturation and parental dietary consumption. These findings should inform future epidemiological researches as well as efforts to enhance the diet of Koreans and other immigrants.

• 한국한의학연구원논문집
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.51-68
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• 2010

Hanyak, Korean herbal medicine is defined as the herbs understood and explained by traditional Korean medical theories. Considering this definition, there are broad prospective of every species being consilienced and utilized as Korean herbal medicine. Most varied plant species are in tropical regions, and its of these regions posses its own particular traditional medicine. Brazil posses the most varied and abundant plant species and also characteristic traditional medicine, formed by the combination of native indians and immigrants from Africa and Europe. Brazilian traditional medicine are practices by 'garrafeiros', 'raizeiros', or 'curandeiros' and in Caatinga uses herbs in ritual ceremonies. But threatened by modernization, these knowledge may be vanished in a prompt time. Therefore we carried this research in the propose of understanding as well as preserving their traditional medical knowledge. We revised publications about the medical plants and summarized 314 species of 94 families according to repetitive references. The most cited families were COMPOSITAE, LABIATAE, LEGUMINOSAE, RUBIACEAE, SOLANACEAE, UMBELLIFERAE, VERBENACEAE. Also cited major medical efficacies which further medical uses in combinations or modification of current traditional Korean medicine should be studied. This study provides overall prospect of the plants resources of Brazil and their uses. It may serve in the consilience and understanding of varied traditional medicine by traditional Korean Medicine.

• 여성건강간호학회지
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.40-48
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• 2021

Purpose: This study compared maternal age at childbirth, the number of live births, and the weight of live births between Korean women and immigrant women using statistical data from the Republic of Korea for the period of 2008-2018. Methods: The analysis was conducted using data from the Microdata Integrated Service of Statistics Korea (https://mdis.kostat.go.kr/index.do). Results: Korean women and immigrant women showed a higher age at childbirth in 2018 than in 2008. The percentage of newborns of Korean women with a birth weight of less than 2.5 kg increased slightly for 3 consecutive years from 2016 to 2018, whereas for immigrant women, this percentage increased in 2017 compared to 2016 and then decreased again in 2018. Very low birth weight (less than 1.5 kg) became more common among immigrant women from 2016 to 2018. Birth at a gestational age of fewer than 37 weeks increased both among Korean and immigrant women from 2016 to 2018. In both groups, the percentage of women who had their first child within their first 2 years of marriage decreased from 2008 to 2018. Conclusion: Immigrant women had higher birth rates than Korean women, while both groups showed an increasing trend in preterm birth. Greater attention should be paid to the pregnancy and birth needs of immigrant women, and steps are needed to ensure health equity and access in order to prevent preterm births. It is also necessary to identify factors that affect preterm birth and birth of very low birth weight infants among immigrant women in the future.

• 디지털콘텐츠학회 논문지
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.329-338
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• 2017

본 연구는 현재 남한에 입국한 북한이탈주민의 71% 이상을 차지하고 있는 탈북여성의 남한사회 적응과 관련하여 출신성분에 따른 Berry의 문화적응 이론의 재검증을 시도한 연구이다. 이를 위해 북한의 출신성분제도, Berry의 문화적응 이론, 관련 선행 연구들을 검토하였고 IRB심의가 끝난 2014년 12월 15일~2015년 2월 30일까지 FGI 및 설문조사를 통해 탈북여성이 겪는 사회적 정체감과 문화적 유능감을 밝혀보고자 연구를 수행하였다. 연구결과 출신성분에 따른 남 북한정체감(심리적 문화적응 전략), 문화적 유능감, 지각된 동화 압력, 문화이질감의 차이가 없는 것으로 나타났으며 문화적응은 개별적인 사례 특성에 따라 다른 것임을 알 수 있었다. 이러한 연구결과에 기반하여 구체화된 발전과제를 제시하였으며 본 연구의 의의와 함께 후속연구의 과제를 제안하였다.

• 한국비블리아학회지
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.209-228
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• 2017

선행연구들은 어머니들의 적극적인 건강정보 탐색자로서의 역할, 가족들의 건강을 돌보는 매니저로서의 역할에 주목해왔다. 그러나 미국 내에 거주하는 한인 이민자 어머니들의 건강정보 필요성이나 탐색 행동에 관한 연구는 미비하다. 본 연구는 커뮤니티를 기반으로 한 설문 연구로서, 한인 이민자 어머니들의 건강정보 필요성과 탐색에 대한 행동을 알아보고자 하였다. 만0세부터 10세의 한인 어머니들 사이에서 가장 중요하다고 여겨지는 건강 주제들은 예방접종, 치아건강, 육아, 영양/식단, 그리고 운동 등으로 밝혀졌다. 또한 특정 주제들에 한하여 아이들의 성별과 나이에 따라 어머니들의 건강 정보 필요성이 다르다는 것을 알 수 있었다. 마지막으로, 미국뿐만 아니라 한국의 정보 전문가들이 건강 정보 서비스를 개발하는데 있어서 염두에 둬야 할 점들을 제시하고 있다.