• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.175-177
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• 2020

Public health doctors of Korea contributed significantly to massive coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing. They were immediately dispatched to epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic, and have run tests at screening centers, airport quarantines and hospitals. However, their expertise from in-field experience has been often neglected. It is time to reorganize public health doctor system to better prepare for future epidemics. Transforming and strengthening their roles as public health experts through systematic training is crucial.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.256-264
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• 2016

Equity-focused public health policy has solid theoretical and practical basis, in addition to ethical one. In the Republic of Korea (hereafter Korea), however, equity in health has not had a high priority in policy goals, regardless of policy areas and particular actors or approaches. Equitable health has been only a minor concern in most public health issues and their decision-making. Generic public health policies are needed to reduce inequity in health, but the importance of a firm basis for sound policy-making cannot be overemphasized. Health equity should be 'mainstreamed' in all public health policies. Potential approaches include intersectoral collaboration, health impact assessment, and 'Health in All Policies.' Public policy agendas for equitable health cannot be formulated without measurement and recognition of the problem. Korea is still suffering from the lack of reliable information on the current status of health inequity, resulting in a relatively weak awareness of the problem among both the general public and policy-makers. More information is needed to increase recognition and awareness that will increase intervention and actions. The absence of decision-making and actions should not be justified even by the lack of information on determinants and pathways of health inequities. Generic plausible solutions can often work in the real world according to political and social commitment. I have discussed several aspects of public health policy from the perspective of health equity, focusing on current status and plausible explanation. Policy process, agenda setting in particular, is highlighted and theories and concepts are presented along with analysis and description of current situation.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.475-476
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• 2002

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.171-180
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• 2019

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to understand the experiences of nursing students in clinical practice at a public health center through their self- reflections. Subjects : The 110 students in the 3rd year, practice at two public health centers in city P and city K. From the110, 53 male and female university students who practice in city K were selected to participate : 11males (20.8 %) and 42 females (79.2 %). Methods : The data analyzed were the self-reflections regarding the clinical practice. Results : These data indicate that : most of the participants now believe that public health centers provide many more services to the community than they previously knew about. They rate the public health center's programs highly, and want to be community health nurses. For the first time, they realize that the work of public health nurses is very important. In particular they note that their emotions while at the public health center differ significantly from when they work at the other. The environment in the public health center makes them feel more comfortable and less stressed. Generally, they are satisfied with their practice at the public health center. Conclusion : On the basis of these findings, the following recommendations can be made. Experience at public health centers is an important part of nursing students' education. I suggest that research on nursing students' experiences while practicing at the public health center should expand to include research methods other than the analysis of their reflection journals, In addition a follow-up study of experiences while practicing at the public health center should be attempted of self-reflections.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.84-95
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to extend the knowledge about the textbook, Public Health Nursing Textbook (in Korean, Gongjungwisaeng Kanhohak) which is published in 1933 by the Nurses' Association of Korea. Methods: Public Health Nursing Textbook was investigated from the cover page to the last page and compared with two original books and other nursing books published in modern Korea. Results: Public Health Nursing Textbook was the forth published Korean nursing textbook and the first published Korean public health nursing textbook. Rosenberger, a missionary nurse from USA, Lee Keumjeon, Korean public health nurse who studied in Canada, and other Koreans were in charge of translation, etc. It is a user - friendly book written mainly in Korean (Hangul) with Chinese characters and included the English table of contents, preface and back cover. Most of its contents were extracted and translated from two original books, one is Public Health Nursing by Mary Gardner and the other is Personal Hygiene Applied by Jesse Williams. It is worth noting that the book not only introduced the public health nurses's activities across the country, but also focused on the information necessary for common health problems at that time. Conclusion: From the Public Hygiene and Nursing, it can be seen that public health nurses had been independently educated since Imperial Japan's colonial period, and public health nursing was growing as a independent field in Korea.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.242-243
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• 1999

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.108-109
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• 2000

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.193-205
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was conducted to find the relationship between oral health conditions of elderly people and closures of public dental health clinics in rural areas. Methods: Oral examinations and surveys were conducted in 2011 from May 11 through November 4 on 383 seniors over 65-years and under 74 years old. Results: The results of this study were as follows: 1. The results of comparative analysis of the usage behaviors of health clinics of subjects in relation to the closures of public dental clinics within the area showed that the usage level and frequency of public health agencies in areas with public dental clinics were high, and that the trend of influence on personal oral health conditions and improvement in prevention was high. When compared to 3 years ago, there was an 11.6 percentage point reduction in areas without public dental clinics (24.4%) compared to areas with public dental clinics (12.8%). 2. The results of comparative analysis of the oral health conditions and behaviors of subjects in relation to the closures of public dental clinics showed that the level of dental caries was high in areas with no public dental clinics, and the number of toothbrush usage and oral health supplemental product usage were shown to be high in areas with public dental clinics. Conclusion: The closures of public dental clinics were found to affect oral health behavior and conditions of elderly people in rural areas.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.443-453
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• 2010

We examined progress in oral health of Korean 5 year olds children and dental public health infrastructure since the National Health Promotion Plan 2010 Oral Health Objectives were issued. We summarize trends in the prevalence of dental caries and trends in national public oral health program activities and budget. The Oral Health Objectives were achieved in 2006. Oral health in Korean preschool children improved considerably by improving of lifestyle and consumption of fluoride containing toothpaste. Although the number of public oral health center and the budget of oral health education were increased, the impact of public oral health program for preschool children was not influential. New oral health program for infants such as fluoride varnish application and strengthening of existing public oral health program should be performed for continuing improvement of oral health in Korea.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2022

Background: Education on environmental health in Korea was begun with establishment of the Graduate School of Public Health at Seoul National University 1959. The sanitary movement started in Europe and the Americas in the 19th century and was introduced to Korea in the 1960s under the name of sanitary engineering. The field enlarged along with title changes. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the previous and present status of the environmental and public health fields in Korea. Methods: This study utilized documents published by the South Korean Ministry of Education and Korean Education Development Institute (KEDI) from 2015 to 2020, the homepages of universities with their history and regulations, and other related published documents. Results: Public health was fundamentally enlarged as an expert field in Korea with the establishment of the Graduate School of Public Health at Seoul National University in 1959. There are 102 departments relevant to the environmental field at two-year colleges, 220 at universities, and 175 at graduate schools. There are 89 departments relevant to the public health field at colleges, 96 at universities, and 160 at graduate schools as of 2020. The term "environment" in the title of a department is used as much as 80~93.1%, but "public health" in titles is used in 47.7~61.5%. Fifty percent of graduate schools of public health award specialty degrees other than master of public health. Conclusions: Although environment and public health fields have been expanded in universities in Korea, various specialty fields were included in university and graduate school. It is important to consider the coping plan with the trend.