• 대한지역사회영양학회지
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the nutritional status and dietary behavior of adolescents from North Korean refugee (NKR) families residing in South Korea (SK), who are known to be at a higher risk of malnutrition due to their lower socioeconomic status and facing other psychological challenges. Methods: A total of 178 adolescents (91 males and 87 females) from NKR families were included in the analysis, and their demographic details such as age, birthplace, parental nationality, and duration of their settlement in SK were collected through questionnaires. Anthropometric measurements were also taken to determine their growth and nutritional status according to the 2017 Korean National Growth Charts for children and adolescents. The study used the Nutrition Quotient for Korean Adolescents (NQ-A) questionnaire to assess the dietary behavior of the participants. Results: Approximately 11.8% and 10.1% of participants were identified with malnutrition and obesity, respectively. The total mean score for the NQ-A was 50.1. The mean scores for the individual factors of balance, diversity, moderation, environment, and practice were 49.2, 44.7, 43.8, 51.2, and 61.5, respectively. Approximately 47.2% of participants had a low NQ-A grade. However, there was no significant difference in the NQ-A scores according to their nutritional status or duration of time in SK. Conclusions: Adolescents from NKR families exhibited both malnutrition and obesity. However, their dietary behavior, as assessed using the NQ-A, did not vary with their nutritional status. The unique challenges and related dietary behavior of North Korean adolescent refugees should be taken into consideration, when developing targeted strategies for nutritional education and health management programs.

• 지역사회간호학회지
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.144-155
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aims to identify the general characteristics, subjects, and methods of research on the health of North Korean refugees through a systematic literature review. Methods: A total of 140 studies on health were reviewed using the analytical framework developed by the researchers. Results: The quantitative research comprised 90.7% of the studies, whereas the qualitative research were 7.9% of them. Approximately 81.4% of those reviewed have publication dates spanning 2006 to 2015. Only 13.6% of the studies were conducted with the approval of an institutional review board. The subjects of studies were psycho-social health (151.8%), behavioral health (28.5%), cognitive health (15.0%), physical health (12.2%), integrated health (7.8%), and spiritual health (2.8%). Within the quantitative studies reviewed, the most commonly used study design was survey research (86.0%). The two sampling methods used most often were convenience sampling (53.5%) and snowball sampling (19.4%), and the most commonly used data-collection method were questionnaires (94.6%). As for the qualitative studies, the most commonly used study design was phenomenology. Conclusion: The results suggested that the reviewed studies focused on physical health more than psycho-social health, and physiological measurement more than questionnaires. Ethical considerations need to be expanded.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.134-142
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• 2020

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: North Korean refugees (NKRs) in South Korea are a unique population as they must adapt in a new country with similar cultural traits but different social, political, and economic systems, but little research has been conducted on diet and nutrition in this population. This study examined food security, dietary behaviors, and nutrient intakes among adult NKRs living in South Korea and compared them to those of South Koreans. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The subjects were 139 adult NKRs (25 men, 114 women) living in the Seoul metropolitan area, and 417 age- and sex- matched South Korean controls (SKCs; 75 men, 342 women) selected from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Food security and dietary behaviors (meal skipping, eating-out, meals with family, nutrition education and counseling, and nutrition label knowledge and utilization) were obtained using self-administered questionnaires. Nutrient intakes were assessed by 24-hr recall. The statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS ver. 23.0. RESULTS: In South Korea, food security had improved over the previous 12 months, but remained significantly poorer for NKR women than SKC women. Meal skipping was three times more frequent than for SKCs and eating-out was rare. Average energy intake was 1,509 kcal for NKR men and 1,344 kcal for NKR women, which was lower than those of SKCs (2,412 kcal and 1,789 kcal, respectively). Significantly more NKRs (men 24.0%, women 21.9%) showed simultaneously deficient intake in energy, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and riboflavin than SKCs (men 2.7% (P = 0.003), women 7.0% (P < 0.001)). NKR women had a significantly higher index of nutrient quality (INQ) for some nutrients than SK women. CONCLUSIONS: This study reports significant differences in food security, dietary behaviors, and nutrient intakes between NKRs and SKCs. Generally, NKRs reported lower intakes despite improved food security, but relatively good INQs across nutrients. Further research is needed to understand processes of food choice and consumption among NKRs to provide appropriate support aimed at improving diets.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.129-141
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• 2024

Purpose: The study investigated the relationships between key variables, including the level of parenting knowledge, acculturative stress, depression, and the strengths and difficulties associated with their children's emotions and behavior, among North Korean refugee mothers who faced the challenging task of adapting to Korean society while raising their children. Methods: A descriptive study design was used. Data were collected from 130 North Korean refugee mothers between September and November 2023. Results: The participants had very limited parenting knowledge, and 82.3% of them scored 21 or higher on the depression scale used in community epidemiological studies. Higher levels of parenting knowledge and lower levels of depression were associated with lower levels of acculturative stress. Moreover, higher levels of depression were associated with more emotional and behavioral difficulties in children. Maternal depression, age, and employment status were identified as factors that influenced emotional and behavioral problems in preschool-aged children. Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of providing parent education and mental health support programs for North Korean refugee families in order to improve parents' parenting skills and emotional well-being.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.182-189
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify effects of parenting stress in North Korean refugee fathers on their parenting behavior. Methods: A descriptive study design was used. Data were collected during 2014 and 2015 in a settlement support center for North Korean refugees and 99 North Korean refugee fathers participated. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0. Results: Warmth encouragement parenting behavior received the highest score. The score for parenting stress was 81.98 out of 180, and 32.3% of participants were found to need professional help (${\geq}PSI\;90$). There were significant negative correlations between warmth encouragement parenting behavior and parenting stress. There were also significant positive correlations between rejection neglect parenting behavior and parenting stress. Predictors of warmth encouragement behavior were parent-child dysfunctional interaction which explained 10.1% of the variance. Predictors of rejection neglect behavior were parent-child dysfunctional interaction, number of children and wife's education level which explained 33.4% of the variance. Conclusion: Findings show that North Korean refugee fathers' parenting stress significantly influenced warmth encouragement and rejection neglect parenting behavior indicating a need to identify ways to decrease parenting stress. Parenting education can guide North Korean refugee fathers to strengthen parent-child positive interactions and therefore promote their children's growth and development.

• 벤처창업연구
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• 제16권6호
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• pp.107-117
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• 2021

본 연구는 북한이탈주민의 경제적 자립과 안정적인 정착을 지원하는 하나의 방안인 창업을 촉진하기 위해서 이에 관련된 변인들의 인과관계를 살펴보는데 목적이 있으며, 구체적으로 첫째, 외향성, 자아성취욕구, 사회적 가치체계인 개인주의와 집단주의가 창업의도에 미치는 영향력을 살펴 보고자 하며, 둘쨰, 사회가치체계와 창업의도 간의 관계에서 사회적응성의 매개효과를 검증하고자 한다. 이를 위해 북한이탈주민을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하였으며, 실증분석 대상은 북한이탈주민 223명 이었으며, 개인성향과 창업의도 간의 인과관계, 가치체계와 창업의도 간의 인과관계에 대한 검증을 위해 PLS 구조방정식을 사용하였으며, 가치체계와 창업의도 간의 관계에서 사회적응성의 매개 효과 검증을 PROCESS for SPSS Macro를 사용하였다. 실증분석결과를 살펴보면, 외향성이 북한이탈주민의 창업의도 수준에 정(+)의 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 분석되었으며, 자아성취욕구 요인은 창업의도에 정(+)의 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으며, 개인주의적 가치를 중시하는 비사회주의적 가치관이 북한이탈주민의 창업의도에 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으며, 집단주의 가치는 창업의도에 유의한 영향을 미치지 않는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구에서 개인주의와 집단주의와 창업의도간의 사회적응성의 매개효과를 검증한 결과 개인주의는 사회적응성을 거쳐 창업의도에 미치는 간접효과는 부(-)의 유의한 영향력을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 결과를 바탕으로 시시점을 언급하였다.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제45권2호
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• pp.139-144
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• 2007

We investigated a small-scale serological survey to screen tissue-parasitic helminthiases of North Koreans as one of research programs for re-unification of Korea. Soil-transmitted helminthiases were found highly prevalent among North Korean residents at the border with China. ELISA using 4 tissue-parasitic helminth antigens was applied to 137 residents living in Cheongjin-shi, Hamgyeongbuk-do, North Korea and 133 female refugees in South Korea in 2004-2005. Among a total of 270 samples, 31 (11.5%), 25 (9.3%), and 11 (4.1%) were positive for specific IgG antibodies to antigens of Clonorchis sinensis, Taenia solium metacestode, and sparganum, respectively. The overall positive rate was 21.5%; 38.2% in males and 15.8% in females. The present finding suggests that tissue parasites, such as C. sinensis, T. solium metacestode and sparganum are highly prevalent in some limited areas of North Korea. These foodborne tissue-parasitic helminthiases should be considered for future control measures of parasitic diseases in North Korea.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.159-169
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze research trends and find whether Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) of refugees could affect structural or functional changes of brains of those under MRI, focusing on volumes, functional connectivities, and metabolites. Methods: A literature search was done using PubMed, Embase, RISS, and KMBase to identify studies that matched our research purpose. A total of eight studies were identified using Prisma flow diagram by two reviewers independently. Results: Eight studies were identified. Three studies were on North Korean defectors as subjects. The number of studies that observed structural changes, functional changes, and metabolite changes in brains was 2, 5, and 2, respectively. Although each study observed various parts of the brain, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was observed commonly in three studies. The PTSD group showed reduction of ACC volume and N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) metabolite in ACC compared to the non- PTSD group. When exposed to negative stimuli, the PTSD group showed higher neural activity than the non-PTSD group, but not vice versa. Conclusion: ACC showed significant difference in volume, neural activity, and NAA metabolite between the PTSD and the non-PTSD group, resulting in significant differences in structural changes, functional changes, metabolite changes, respectively. This study showed the need for conducting more research using various biomarkers to clarify the relationship between PTSD of refugees and their brain changes.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.216-226
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge and attitude on tuberculosis by parents of North Korean refugees' children. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted. Data were collected from July to November, 2014 in Hanawon and 74 North Korean refugee parents participated in the study. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 21.0. Results: The score for knowledge was 17.72 out of 30 points, for awareness in attitude, 49.34 out of 60 points and for prevention behavior in attitude, 48.39 out of 60 points. There were positive significant correlations among knowledge, attitude and health interest. There was also a significant positive correlation between awareness and prevention behavior in attitude, and between prevention behavior and health interest. Conclusion: North Korean refugee parents showed a low level of knowledge and a negative attitude. The implication of these results is an awareness of the need for education on the causes, transmission and importance of treatment for tuberculosis. This kind of education can guide North Korean refugee parents to obtain correct information and positive attitudes and therefore, be able to effectively practice appropriate health behaviors in tuberculosis management for their children.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.269-279
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• 2022

Purpose: This study investigated the factors that influence parenting stress, including hardiness, parent-child interactions, and social support, to provide basic data for developing a program to reduce parenting stress in North Korean refugee mothers. Methods: A descriptive study design was used. Data were collected between September and December 2021, and 123 North Korean refugee mothers participated. Results: The mean scores were 69.42 out of 135 for hardiness, 48.45 out of 144 for interactions, 47.32 out of 90 for social support, and 51.84 out of 90 for parenting stress. The parental distress score was higher than that of child-related stress. Hardiness was significantly related to North Korean refugee mothers' parenting stress. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the explanatory power for hardiness and the number of supporters was approximately 19% for parenting stress (F=6.84, p<.001). As such, the factors with a relatively strong influence on parenting stress were hardiness (β=-.40, p<.001) and having four or more supporters (β=-.27, p=.027). Conclusion: This study's findings suggest the need to identify ways to increase North Korean refugee mothers' psychological hardiness and encourage them to extend their sources of social support and enhance their style of parenting.