• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2022

Background: Healthcare workers' attitudes toward vaccination have been widely described in the literature, but a restricted amount of studies assessed healthcare students' knowledge, attitudes, and opinions on this issue. This study aimed to estimate the influence of a degree course on knowledge and immunization behavior among healthcare students and to compare medical students with students from other health profession degree programs to identify possible differences. Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional study was performed in 2018 in 14 Italian Universities (3,131 students were interviewed). A validated questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, attitudes, and opinions toward vaccinations, with a specific focus on influenza vaccine and attitudes toward mandatory vaccination policies. Statistical software STATA® 14 was used. Results: Significant differences were recorded between medical students and other healthcare students. The intention to get vaccinated against influenza during the next season and having been vaccinated in the previous season was higher in the medical group (p < 0.001). In the group of students of other health professions, we registered a lower probability of identifying themselves as a high-risk group for contracting infectious diseases as a consequence of their profession and health status (aOR 0.49; CI95%: 0.40-0.60) and an increased likelihood of defining their level of knowledge on vaccine-preventable diseases and related vaccinations as "insufficient/sufficient/fair" (aOR 1.31; CI95%: 1.11-1.56). Conclusions: Results show several differences between medical students and students of other health professions when it comes to vaccination knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions, as well as a general low tendency to be vaccinated against influenza.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.27-43
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• 2005

Purpose： The purpose of this study was to estimate obesity rate among mentally disabled children in six public schools in Korea. Furthermore, this study identified several factors that correlated with these children's obesity. The results of this study can help identify mentally disabled children who are at an increased risk for obesity and can be used to promote good health in this population. Methods： 1,102 subjectsfrom six public special schools were classified 4 groups who assessed for BMI for age-gender specific reference chart(1998) based on our previous data. Moreover, 207 parents were surveyed to identify predisposing factors for children's obesity, including characteristics of the children and parents, socioeconomic factors, children's eating habits, and children's exercise habits. Results： The prevalence of obesity among the 1,102 mentally disabled children was 17.3%. There was a statistically significant correlation between obesity and factors, such as age, maternal education, parents' perceptions about their child's obesity, frequency of breakfast, and exercise habits. Each of these factors was determined to have a statistically significant influence on obesity when all other factors were controlled in a multivariate analysis with multiple logistic regression analysis. Conclusions： Parental perceptions had an especially strong impact on the weight of their mentally disabled child. This is presumably due to the great influence that parents have on the lifestyles of their children, including dietary habits and frequency of exercise. Furthermore, the rate of obesity was directly proportional to the age of the child. The results of this study strongly indicate the need for preemptive health education programs that stress weight management for mentally disabled elementary school students.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.43 no.5 s.207
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• pp.131-147
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of foreign-born Korean children's early school adjustment in the U.S. The interaction between the foreign-born Korean children in the U.S. and several of the children's microsystems, including family, school, and peer was assessed to meet this purpose. The study subjects were 43 foreign-bom Korean children who were sampled from Korean Sunday Language schools and who attended local schools in the Boston area, MA, USA. Quantitative analysis was conducted to identify which variables of interest predicted the early adjustment of this group of children. Furthermore, in-depth interviews were conducted with mothers of the children from the top and bottom groups 1) the most successful (in the top quartile) and 2) the least successful adjustment groups (in the bottom quartile) sorted by scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R). The interview results were analyzed to elicit maternal perceptions/beliefs on education, in general, and those of home-school relationships, in specific. Several conclusions can be drawn from both the quantitative and qualitative analyses. The results of multiple regression and path analysis showed that the children's language development predicted their adjustment, but the effects of the other two variables, peer relationships and school experiences, on the adjustment of children, were mediated through the children's language. Moreover, common themes and patterns in the responses to a series of open-ended questions emerged from the interviews with the two groups of mothers. The two mothers of the least successful group were concerned about their children's future and school success, but thev did not show anv responsive attitudes toward achieving this goal. By contrast, the mothers from the most successful group were self-determined with regard to their children's education and had strong beliefs and values on how to raise their children in the new culture. The implications were discussed.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.23-34
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate factors affecting health behaviors in late school-aged children from multicultural families. Methods: This study included 401 children (112 from multicultural families and 289 from non-multicultural backgrounds) in grades 4~6 in 11 elementary schools. Data on health behaviors and related factors (school adjustment, the mother-child relationship, self-efficacy, etc.) were collected from the children using self-reported questionnaires between May and June in 2019. The collected data were analyzed through a univariate analysis and multiple regression analysis. Results: The health behavior score of multicultural children was lower than that of non-multicultural children (t=3.32, p=.001). In multicultural children, school adjustment (β=.55, p<.001), mother-child relationship (β=.25, p=.001), and perceived health status (very healthy=1; β=.19, p=.011) were significant factors affecting their health behavior and explained 47.0% (F=30.93, p<.001) of the variance. Conclusion: Multicultural late school-aged children are at risk to engage in a lower level of health behaviors than their non-multicultural counterparts. More attention should be paid to ways of improving multicultural children's perceptions of their health status, maternal relationships, and school adjustment in order to promote health behaviors.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.61-94
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• 1988

The purpose of this study was to investigate the several types of Korean parent's child rearing attitudes perceived by their children and the related variables. The study included the development of a "Children's Report of Korean Parent's Behavior Inventory"(CKPBI). Subjects were 1722 5th and 6th grade elementary school children from 5 urban cities in Korea. CKPBI and a Home Environment Questionnaire were used to gather data for the study. Stepwise multiple regression analysis, cross-tabulation analysis, Pearson correlation analysis, and factor analysis were conducted for the purpose of the study. A CKPBI which consists of 46 items for father's and 48 items for mother's was found as both a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the child rearing attitudes of Korean parents. A factor analysis resulted in identifying two factors both for mothers and fathers; they were the "Warmth factor" and "Rejection-Authority factor". Eight types of child rearing attitudes were found for Korean parents. The SES of family significantly predicted Korean parent's child rearing attitudes. The SES of the family, and sex of the child determined variations in Korean parents' child rearing attitudes. Maternal religion had a significant correlation with both boys' and girls' perceptions of parental attitudes. The results of this study indicate high inconsistency within each parent and high consistency between both parents.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.45-62
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to examine the ways in international married couples perceive the lives of their spouses as well as their own, and the ways in which they perceive their relationships with their children. In addition, the study attempts to explore the implicit meanings at work in the lives of international married families. The participants in this study were eight international married couples from rural areas and the data were gathered by means of semi-structured interviews. According to the findings, international married couples perceived their relationships with their children in terms of individual-specific maternal roles versus the Korean culturally-specific paternal roles. Secondly, in terms of their spouse' life, husbands relied more on their wives and had high expectations of them. On the other hand, wives had the tendency to pay more attention and place more hope on their children rather than their husbands. Lastly, regarding their own lives, the findings revealed that wives tended to maintain the hope and desire for a better life, whereas the husbands were unable to adapted to their reality and tended to look back on the past. In addition, the limitations of this study and suggestions for future studies were also discussed.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.20-27
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting childhood asthma and atopic dermatitis. Methods: For this study, data for 1,170 children (1-11 years) from the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V-2, 2011) were analyzed. First correlation matrices were computed to test the normality of every data set and then to be in accordance with the real demographic composition, data were added weight before being analyzed. Results: The child with asthma of a three generation family (OR=3.91, 95% CI [1.33, 11.45], p=.013) compared with a two generation family showed higher asthma development, and maternal asthma (OR=9.71, 95% CI [2.66, 35.40], p=.001) showed higher asthma development in child. The only factor affecting atopic dermatitis was parental perceptions of child health: poor (OR=3.40, 95% CI [1.29, 8.98], p=.014). Conclusion: These results suggest that childhood asthma and atopic dermatitis are both affected by parental perceptions of child health. Accordingly, management and support programs for children who have asthma and/or atopic dermatitis and their families should be comprehensive and also give attention to any other health problems because health perception represents quality of life.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.491-506
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• 2013

The allergenic food labeling system for 12 foods has been operated in Korean school food service since 2012. This study was conducted to evaluate the food allergy status of Korean elementary school children's and their parents' perceptions of allergenic food labeling system. The parents of school aged(6-9yr olds) children in Gyeongbuk area were recruited to assist in this survey. Surveys were conducted by 404 parents. The prevalence of food allergy was 18.1%(73 students) and about one-half of the food allergic children had a family history of allergies, in particular, maternal family history. The major symptoms were related to skin and the major allergenic foods were mackerel, eggs, milk, wheat, crab and tomatoes. The parents eliminated the allergenic food from diet of 43.8% of the children with food allergy. Participants had an average knowledge score of 68% correct. The average knowledge score was higher for parents with food allergic children than for parents with intact children(p<.05). Over 61% of the respondents were not satisfied with allergenic food labeling system operated in school food service. The requirements for the allergenic food labeling system were the front-of-package labeling, conspicuous description and insert of warning sign. The parents estimated that the most important effect of the allergenic food labeling system was the improvement of psychological and physical health in children with food allergy. Because the only prevention method for food allergy is the restriction of allergenic food, the institutional device to expand the food labeling to unpackaged food as well as packaged food and to make people trust the food labeling should be prepared.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.478-488
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and examine the effects of a prenatal program on environmental health behavior using cartoon comics among Korean pregnant women. Methods: This study used a non-equivalent control group pre-test/post-test design. The program used cartoon comics to explore environmental health behaviors during pregnancy. The program consisted of the following four components: environmental toxicants during pregnancy, avoiding particulate matter during pregnancy, environmental toxicants during baby care, and making a healthy environment for children. In total, 35 pregnant women participated in the study: 18 in the experimental group and 17 in the control group. Data collection and program adaptation were conducted between November 3, 2020 and January 19, 2021. The effect of the prenatal education program was evaluated by t-test and repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Learning experience (t = - 2.35, p = .025), feasibility (t = - 2.46, p = .019), satisfaction (t = - 2.23, p = .032) were higher in the experimental group than in the control group in the first post-test. Feasibility (t = - 2.40, p = .022) was higher in the experimental group than in the control group in the second post-test. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant interactions between time and group in environmental susceptibility (F = 9.31, p < .001), self-efficacy (F = 3.60, p = .033), and community behavior (F = 5.41, p = .007). Conclusion: This study demonstrates the need for a prenatal education program to promote environmental health perceptions and behavior during pregnancy. We suggest a prenatal class adopting the creative cartoon comics to promote the maternal environmental health behaviors.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.347-365
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• 1995

A survey was conducted to study perception and attitudes of health workers towards health center's activities and organization of health services, from August 15 to September 30, 1994. The study population was 310 health workers engaged in seven urban health centers in Taegu City area. A questionnaire method was used to collect data and response rate was 81.3 percent or 252 respondents. The following are summaries of findings: Profiles of study population: Health workers were predominantly female(62.3%); had college education(60.3%); and held medical and nursing positions(39.6%), technicians(30.6%) and public health/administrative positions(29.8%). Perceptions on health center's resources: Slightly more than a half(51.1%) of respondents expressed that physical facilities of the centers are inadequate; equipments needed are short(39.0%); human resource is inadequate(44.8%); and health budget allocated is insufficient(38.5%) to support the performance of health center's activities. Decentralization and health services: The majority revealed that the decentralization of government system would affect the future activities of health centers(51.9%) which may have to change. However, only one quarter of respondents(25.4%) seemed to view the decentralization positively as they expect that it would help perform health activities more effectively. The majority of the respondents(78.6%) insisted that the function and organization of the urban health centers should be changed. Target workload and job satisfaction: A large proportion (43.3%) of respondents felt that present target setting systems for various health activities are unrealistic in terms of community needs and health center's situation while only 11.1 percent responded it positively; the majority(57.5%) revealed that they need further training in professional fields to perform their job more effectively; more than one third(35.7%) expressed that they enjoy their professional autonomy in their job performance; and a considerable proportion (39.3%) said they are satisfied with their present work. Regarding the personnel management, more worker(47.3%) perceived it negatively than positive(11.5%) as most of workers seemed to think the personnel management practiced at the health centers is not fair or justly done. Health services rendered: Among health services rendered, health workers perceived the following services are most successfully delivered; they are, in order of importance, Tb control, curative services, and maternal and child health care. Such areas as health education, oral health, environmental sanitation, and integrated health services are needed to be strengthening. Regarding the community attitudes towards health workers, 41.3 percent of respondents think they are trusted by the community they serve. New areas of concern identified which must be included in future activities of health centers are, in order of priority, health care of elderly population, home health care, rehabilitation services, and such chronic diseases control programs as diabetes, hypertension, school health and mental health care. In conclusion, the study revealed that health workers seemed to have more negative perceptions and attitudes than positive ones towards organization and management of health services and activities performed by the urban health centers where they are engaged. More specifically, the majority of health workers studied revealed to have the following areas of health center's organization and management inadequate or insufficient to support effective performance of their health activities: Namely, physical facilities and equipments required are inadequate; human and financial resources are insufficient; personnel management is unsatisfactory; setting of service target system is unrealistic in terms of the community needs. However, respondents displayed a number of positive perceptions, particularly to those areas as further training needs and implementation of decentralization of government system which will bring more autonomy of local government as they perceived these change would bring the necessary changes to future activities of the health center. They also displayed positive perceptions in their job autonomy and have job satisfactions.