• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.481-492
• /
• 2019

The Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has held "Travel Week" since 2014 to encourage the people to take a vacation and disperse the seasonal tourism demand that is concentrated in summer in Korea. As part of the program, the Korea National Park Service has also operated the participatory lowland exploration program that offers nature-themed attractions and enjoyment in national parks across the country during the "Travel Week" since 2018. The purpose of this study was to investigate the satisfaction with the program and intention to participate again of participants in the "National Park Spring Week Program" which is held in national parks during the "Travel Week." We conducted a self-report survey of 1,281 participants in the "2019 National Park Spring Week Program" held in 18 national parks across the country. The analysis of responses on the difference in the participants' satisfaction and intention to participate again according to the awareness in advance of the "2019 National Park Spring Week Program" showed that the average satisfaction and intentional to participate again of those who were aware of the program before visiting national parks were statistically significantly higher than those who were not. As for the type of national parks, those who participated in "maritime and coastal national parks" and "historical national parks" showed the statistically significantly higher satisfaction and intention to participate again than those who participated in "urban national parks." As for the type of the programs, those who participated in "cultural performance" and "exploration experience" showed the statistically significantly higher satisfaction than those who participated in "exhibition," "PR booth," and "campaign." Those who participated in "cultural performance" and "exploration experience" showed the statistically significantly higher intention to participate again than those who participated in "exhibition" and "PR booth." This study is expected to provide basic data for establishing a policy to improve exploration services in response to the increasing number of visitors to national parks in spring and fall as well as the peak season of summer.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.184-189
• /
• 2020

Lyme disease is a common vector-borne disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Erythema migrans represents the most common manifestation during the early phase of this disease; however, systemic manifestations involving the nervous system, joints, or heart are known to occur. We report a case of Lyme disease accompanied by cardiac complications in a 13-year-old Korean male adolescent. The patient developed annular erythematous lesions on his lower extremities after a field trip during his visit to Connecticut, USA, for a boarding school camp, and his skin lesions were consistent with erythema migrans. Indirect immunofluorescence assay and Western blot analysis for Lyme immunoglobulin M showed positive results. Electrocardiography revealed a first-degree atrioventricular block, and he was diagnosed with Lyme carditis and received a 4-week course of oral doxycycline. Follow-up electrocardiography performed a week later revealed normal findings, and the patient showed an uneventful recovery. Lyme carditis often presents as an asymptomatic heart block that can progress to an advanced heart block; however, this condition is reversible with appropriate antibiotic treatment.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.93-99
• /
• 2003

Objectives：Sleep loss and excessive daytime sleepiness may have serious consequences, including traffic and industrial accidents, decreased productivity, learning disabilities and interpersonal problems. Yet despite these adverse effects, there are few epidemiological studies on sleep loss and daytime sleepiness in the general population of Korea. This study investigates the number of people who suffer from sleep insufficiency, how much recovery sleep occurs on weekends, and the relationship between the amount of recovery sleep and daytime sleepiness. Methods：A total 164 volunteers, aged 20 and over, were recruited by advertisement. The subjects were workers and college students living in Seoul, Korea. Subjects were excluded if they were aged over 60；if they had medical, neurological, psychiatric or sleep disorders that could cause insomnia or daytime sleepiness；if they were not following a regular sleep schedule；if they traveled abroad during the study；or if they did not leave home to work or were shift workers. They were interviewed and given a sleep log to complete on each of 14 consecutive mornings. They also completed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) at noontime on the last day of the second week. All statistical data were analyzed by t-test, $X^2$-test or ANOVA, using SPSS/PC+. Results：The results showed that the subjects woke up at 6：50 (${\pm}1$：16) on weekdays, 7：09 (${\pm}1$：29) on Saturdays, and 8：12 (${\pm}1$：39) on Sundays and holidays. They took more frequent and longer naps on Sundays than on weekdays and Saturdays. The mean sleep duration was 6h 35 min. on week nights, with a mean increase of about 1h on weekends. Only 9.1% of the subjects spent more than 8h in bed on week nights, with 67% spending less than 7h, and 49.4% reported recovery sleep of more than 1h on Sundays. The subjects who reported recovery sleep of more than 2h on Sundays, showed significantly more excessive daytime sleepiness than those who reported less than 30 min (F=2.62, p<.05). Conclusions：These findings suggest that sleep insufficiency and excessive daytime sleepiness are relatively common in Korea, and that the people who get insufficient sleep on weekdays try to compensate for sleep loss with oversleeping and daytime napping on Sundays and holidays. It appeared that daily sleep insufficiency had a cumulative effect and increased daytime sleepiness.