• Journal of Wellbeing Management and Applied Psychology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2024

Purpose: This study examines the persistent occurrence of railway accidents despite numerous safety devices, highlighting the multifaceted nature of these incidents. Research design, data and methodology: Utilizing the 4M analysis method, the research investigates a decade's worth of accident reported from the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board to identify risk factors and suggest mitigation measures. Results: The analysis reveals that 57% of railway accidents are attributed to human factors, followed by mechanical (28%), environmental (7%), and management (8%) factors. Conclusions: The study underscores the necessity of prioritizing safety and establishing a unified organizational approach to prevent human error accidents. It calls for an alignment of risk perception between headquarters and field operations, advocating for educational and perceptual changes, as well as systematic improvements to achieve safety goals.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.293-300
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• 2021

The study aims to examine the current status and differences in the burden of disease in Korea during 2008-2018. We calculated the burden of disease for Koreans from 2008 to 2018 using an incidence-based approach. Disability adjusted life years (DALYs) were expressed in units per 100 000 population by adding years of life lost (YLLs) and years lived with disability (YLDs). DALY calculation results were presented by gender, age group, disease, region, and income level. To explore differences in DALYs by region and income level, we used administrative district and insurance premium information from the National Health Insurance Service claims data. The burden of disease among Koreans showed an increasing trend from 2008 to 2018. By 2017, the burden of disease among men was higher than that among women. Diabetes mellitus, low back pain, and chronic lower respiratory disease were ranked high in the burden of disease; the sum of DALY rates for these diseases accounted for 18.4% of the total burden of disease among Koreans in 2018. The top leading causes associated with a high burden of disease differed slightly according to gender, age group, and income level. In this study, we measured the health status of Koreans and differences in the population health level according to gender, age group, region, and income level. This data can be used as an indicator of health equity, and the results derived from this study can be used to guide community-centered (or customized) health promotion policies and projects, and for setting national health policy goals.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.499-504
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• 2006

Objectives : The aim of the study was to estimate the annual socioeconomic cost of diseases in Korea. Methods : We estimate both the direct and indirect costs of diseases in Korea during 2003 using a prevalence-based approach. The direct cost estimates included medical expenditures, traffic costs and caregiver's cost, and the indirect costs, representing the loss of production, included lost workdays due to illness and lost earnings due to premature death, which were estimated based on the human capital theory. The cost estimates were reported at three different discount rates (0, 3 and 5%). Results : The cost of diseases in Korea during 2003 was 38.4 trillion won based on 0% discount rate. This estimate represents approximately 5.3% of GDP The direct and indirect costs were estimated to be 22.5 trillion (58.5% of total cost) and 15.9 trillion won (41.5%), respectively. It was also found that the cost for those aged $40\sim49$ accounted for the largest proportion (21.7%) in relation to age groups. The cost of diseases for males was 23.5% higher than that for females. For major diseases, the total socioeconomic costs were 16.0, 13.4, 11.3 and 11.19% for neoplasms, and diseases of the digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems, respectively. Conclusions : This study can be expected to provide valuable information for determining intervention and funding priorities, and for planning health policies.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.38-56
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• 1997

A great deal of attention has been paid to the quality of life in citizens due to the increased number of long term life expectancy. reported as effective in the health promotion of the senior citizens. In this study, the principal investigator developed an exercise program for the senior citizens, which could be educated and managed by nursing staff. This kind approach may support the need of exercise program on regular base via the social organization, which may mean the intentional change of life style. The exercise program consisted of exercise, health education, and a direct the population of the senior A regularexercise has been nursing care. A quasi -experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of excercise program on health of the elderly in senior citizen's center. Independent variable was a 9 weeks exercise program. Dependent variables were: 1) physical health [e.g. physical fitness(cardiopulmonary endurance, back muscle strength, grip strength, muscular tolerance, flexibility and body fat proportion), physiologic parameters(blood pressure, pulse, respiration. and blood glucose), and perceived physical health status; 2) mental health measured by depression score; and 3) cognitive perception of exercise measured by usefulness and self-efficacy. A total of 37 subjects was randomly assigned into either the control group (without the exercise program: n=18) or the intervention group(with the exercise program: n=19). The results of the study analyzed using a SAS, were as follows: 1) In physical fitness of physical health, there was a significant improvement in cardiopulmonary tolerance. back muscle strength. muscular tolerance and flexibility in the intervention group, compared to the control group, while no difference in grip strength and body fat proportion. The exercise program resulted in decreases in blood pressure, pulse, respiration and blood glucose within normal range and improvement of perceived physical health status in the intervention group. 2) There was a slight increase of mental health(depression score) in the intervention group compared to the control group. but without statistical significance. 3) There was a significant improvement in cognitive perception of exercise(e.g. usefulness and self -efficacy) in the intervention group, compared to the control group. It was concluded that the exercise program employed in this study was appropriate for women senior citizens and had a positive effect on health in general.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.155-168
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• 2023

Health geography has gained importance due to healthy smart cities, regions, and the integration of geo-internet and blockchain technologies. This study explores the intersection of geography and health, focusing on specific health challenges faced by individuals and groups. Using observational and descriptive methods, the study takes a regional approach to illuminate the socio-economic factors that are critical to addressing global health challenges. Drawing on academic literature and practical research, a concise case study of health challenges in Uzbekistan is presented, offering valuable insights. The analysis of data from informative articles and UN publications highlights the interdisciplinary nature of health geography and its practical applicability for researchers and policymakers. The findings underscore the important role of geography and health sciences in addressing region-specific diseases while highlighting the importance of spatial analysis in understanding environmental hazards and health impacts, including disease outbreaks.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.462-470
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• 2021

Background: Fatigue is pervasive, under-reported, and potentially deadly where flight operations are concerned. The aviation industry appears to lack a standardized, practical, and easily replicable protocol for fatigue risk assessment which can be consistently applied across operators. Aim: Our paper sought to present a framework, supported by real-world data with subjective and objective parameters, to monitor aircrew fatigue and performance, and to determine the safe crew configuration for commercial airline operations. Methods: Our protocol identified risk factors for fatigue-induced performance degradation as triggers for fatigue risk and performance assessment. Using both subjective and objective measurements of sleep, fatigue, and performance in the form of instruments such as the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, Samn-Perelli Crew Status Check, Psychomotor Vigilance Task, sleep logs, and a wearable actigraph for sleep log correlation and sleep duration and quality charting, a workflow flagging fatigue-prone flight operations for risk mitigation was developed and trialed. Results: In an operational study aimed at occupational assessment of fatigue and performance in airline pilots on a three-men crew versus a four-men crew for a long-haul flight, we affirmed the technical feasibility of our proposed framework and approach, the validity of the battery of assessment instruments, and the meaningful interpretation of fatigue and work performance indicators to enable the formulation of safe work recommendations. Conclusion: A standardized occupational assessment protocol like ours is useful to achieve consistency and objectivity in the occupational assessment of fatigue and work performance.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.381-389
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• 2009

Confined spaces are inherently dangerous workplace and many fatal and nonfatal accidents have been reported. Even though these accidents occur in various kinds of confined spaces, there has rarely been reported on the health hazard agent, i.e., the types of gases and their concentration ranges. Therefore in this study, we evaluated several toxic and asphyxiating gas concentrations in various confined spaces. We surveyed 57 manholes, 3 sewage treatment plants, 2 yellow radish manufacturing companies and 7 barges to measure the concentrations of oxygen($O_2$), hydrogen sulfide($H_2S$), carbon monoxide(CO), ammonia($NH_3$). Lower Explosion Limits(LEL) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Those four types of confined spaces occupies 56% of accidents during last 9 years in Korea. In 57 manholes, the concentration varied according to the types of manholes; rainfall and sewage, and by location; residential and industrial areas. Sewage manhole in industrial area was evaluated as the most hazardous than other types of manhole like rainfall manholes, residential sewage manholes. The highest $H_2S$ concentration and the lowest $O_2$ concentration at sewage manhole in industrial area were 300 ppm, 8.7% respectively. In 3 sewage treatment plants, $H_2S$ and $NH_3$ concentrations were reached up to the 500 ppm and 200 ppm respectively. Two yellow radish manufacturing companies showed the concentrations of 316 ppm, 505.2 ppm, 90 ppm and 15.7% for $H_2S$, CO, VOCs and $O_2$, respectively. Seven barges showed 15.9%~20.9% oxygen concentration. Gas species and concentration ranges varied by the types and location of confined spaces; CO, $H_2S$, $O_2$ could be hazardous in manhole, especially manhole connected to sewage plants. CO, $H_2S$, LEL, $O_2$, $NH_3$ should be controlled in sludge silo and sluge pumping confined spaces in sewage treatment plant. The activity of lifting out radish from the storage tank was evaluated more hazardous rather than the other activities in yellow radish manufacturing industry. The employers must conduct the survey to identify all possible confined spaces in their local workplace prior to performing the tasks. At the national level to reduce the accidents in the confined spaces, we suggest that systemic approach and active education program including possible hazards, standard operation procedures, ventilation plan, and personal protective equipment in confined spaces should be implemented.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.151-161
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• 1974

Home visiting as a Public Health Horsing function is believed to be of therapeutic value to, the patient. However, home visiting is time consuming and expensive. Is the gain in knowledge and treatment for patients with Tuberculosis in Korea enough to make the necessary outlay in finances and personnel worthwhile\ulcorner While this study does not attempt to completely answer this question it does, under the following objectives, attempt to answer part of the question. The objectives of the study were to l) ascertain if there is a difference between patients, who receive home visits from the public Health Nurse and those who do not, in the following areas: a) their compliance with medical regimen, b) their ability to answer general questions about Tuberculosis, and c) their compliance with medical advice concerning prevention (B.C.G. immunization) and early diagnosis (contact X-rays), and 2) to determine if there is any correlation between the patient's answers to questions about Tuberculosis and his action both in the areas of treatment and prevention. The patients participating in the study were all newly diagnosed patients at Kwangju Christian Hospital. A control group and an experimental group were selected. The patients in the control group were seen according to the regular schedule at the Kwangju Christian Hospital except that they received no home visits from the Public Health Nurses. The patients in the experimental group were visited on an average of three times during the first two months of their treatment by the investigator, a Public Health Nurse. At the end of two months the patients in the two groups were compared as to compliance both in the treatment and preventive areas. They were also compared according to their answers to a questionnaire regarding both the prevention and treatment of Tuberculosis. The following results were obtained : 1. Patients in the experimental group (68.2%) showed a significantly higher compliance rate for medical treatment than patients in the control group (43.2%). 2. Patients in the experimental group (87.5%) showed a higher compliance rate for B.C.G. immunization than those in the control group (40%). 3. Women patients in the experimental group showed a higher mean score (7.2$\pm$2.6) on the questionnaire than did women in the control group (6.2$\pm$3.4). The results of this study seem to indicate that while home visiting is beneficial to the patient with Tuberculosis as far as treatment is concerned, something more concrete needs to be done if home visiting is to help the patient learn more about Tuberculosis and its prevention. Further study is indicated in the following areas: 1) A similar type of study over a longer period of time involving more subjects and using Korean Public Health Nurses to make the home visits. 2) Study to develop an adequate approach to education considering the problems unique to patients with Tuberculosis living in Korea.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.134-141
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• 2021

In this study, the fatty acid (FA) composition of commercial sesame oils (n = 62) was investigated using gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Multivariate statistical techniques, including principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), were applied to the chromatographic data of the FAs to discriminate the geographical origin of sesame oils. A statistically significant difference was observed in the content of C16:0, C18:0, C18:1, and C18:2 between domestic and imported sesame oils. A satisfactory recovery rate of 82.8-100.2 % was achieved for C16:0, C18:0, C18:1, C18:2, and C18:3. The correlation of C16:0, C18:1, and C18:2 in domestic sesame oils showed opposite trends compared to imported oils. The PCA plot demonstrated that sesame oils were clustered in distinct groups according to their origin. LDA was used to predict sesame oil samples in one of the two groups. C16:0 (Wilks λ = 0.361) and C18:1 (Wilks λ = 0.637) demonstrated the highest discriminant power for classifying the origin of the samples. The correct prediction rates were 88.9 % and 100 % for the domestic and imported samples, respectively. Further, 60 of the 62 sesame oil samples (96.8 %) were correctly classified, indicating that this approach can be used as a valuable tool to predict and classify the geographical origin of sesame oils.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2017

Purpose : Many studies showed that having a usual source of care improved the efficient access of healthcare service. However in Korea there have been few studies on the usual source of care. So this study aims to find whether having a usual source of care affect the medical utilization and expense. Methodology/Approach : We used the Korean Health Panel data in 2012, 2013 to examine the change of utilization and expenses in ambulatory care affected by having a usual source of care. We selected 1,215 hypertension patients without usual source of care in 2012 and performed linear regression analysis to identify the difference between treatment group(with usual source of care in 2013) and control group(without usual source of care in 2013). Then we performed analysis again separated by the age group. Findings : Among study population, 711(58.5%) reported that they have a usual source of care in 2013. Treatment group reported 1.85 less increase in outpatient visits and 69,234 won less increase in expense than control group with weak significance(visit ${\beta}$ -1.85 p-value 0.0807, expense ${\beta}$ -69,234 p-value 0.0541). People under the age of 65 showed significant change in outpatient visits for tertiary hospital (visit ${\beta}$ -0.78 p-value 0.0154, expense ${\beta}$ -91,462 p-value 0.0168). The analysis which focused outpatient for mild disease showed similar trend. Practical Implications : This study supports the positive effect of having usual source of care which decrease inefficient outpatient utilization. Promoting physician-patient relationships is important for efficiency of healthcare service.