• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.335-352
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• 2024

Purpose - Low fertility rate is a serious problem, and this study analyzes factors affecting total fertility rate using panel data from 16 metropolitan cities and provinces in Korea from 2000 to 2022. Design/methodology/approach - Estimating the SAR model considering the weak cross-sectional dependence that exists in variables related to the regional total fertility rate, and using the DKSE estimation method considering the strong cross-sectional dependence. Findings - Estimation results considering weak and strong cross-sectional dependence were similar, confirming the robustness of the results. Female labor force participation rate has a positive effect on total fertility rate, and employment rate has no effect. However, the interaction term is a negative (-) sign. Crude marriage rate has a positive effect on total fertility rate, and apartment price has a slightly positive effect. Environmental factor has no effect, and policy factor has a negative effect. Research implications or Originality - In order for an increase in the female labor force participation rate to lead to an increase in the total fertility rate, qualitative improvements in female employment must be made. Financial investment policies for childbirth must increase their effectiveness. The problem of low fertility rate requires not only population policy but also social, economic, cultural, environmental, and policy conditions to be considered.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.396-407
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• 2023

Background: This study investigated the awareness and utilization of maternity protection and work-family balance support policies among dental hygienists in dental hospitals and clinics. Methods: We surveyed 200 dental hygienists. Twenty-two who did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded, leaving 178 participants for analysis. The self-administered 48-item questionnaire gathered information on demographics, workplace details, policy awareness, government knowledge, and suggestions for improvement. Results: Awareness of maternity and family support programs significantly differed with age, marital status, number of children, and clinical experience. Dental hygienists in general hospitals and university hospitals reported greater ease of utilizing these policies compared to those in dental clinics. Among the participants, 27.7% took pre- and post-maternity leave, 26.6% took parental leave, 16.9% had reduced working hours during pregnancy, 15.8% had reduced working hours during childhood,and 8.5% during family leave. To promote program uptake, participants suggested mandatory implementation across workplaces (68.4%), expanded support for substitute workers (48.6%), and increased education and promotion of government support (42.4%). Conclusion: While most dental hygienists were aware of the Maternity Protection and Work-Family Balance Assistance Policy, utilizing it proved challenging due to several factors. Organizational policies or practices may not fully implement this policy, while workplace culture could discourage its use. Unfair treatment and the lack of available substitutes further hindered access. To prevent career interruptions for dental hygienists due to pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and family care, and to maintain career continuity, the dental community and government should establish a multifaceted social support system. This system should prioritize several key areas: strengthening policy promotion, fostering a family-friendly atmosphere, improving management and supervision of policy implementation and developing a robust support system for substitute personnel.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.198-204
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Food shortage situation in North Korea has gained much interest, however food insecurity caused by the food shortage in North Korean households has not been much investigated. This study examined food security experiences and food consumption pattern of displaced North Korean households currently living in South Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Food security experience among 51 North Korean households living in South Korea was examined using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) in three time points: immediately before childbirth, immediately before leaving North Korea, and immediately before entering South Korea. Meal/snack consumption frequencies and food diversity were also examined. RESULTS: Food security situation was the worst at the time of immediately before leaving North Korea with the average HFIAS score of 10.05. The households that were food insecure, they tended to be "severely" insecure. Although majority of the subjects reported having three or more meals a day, food diversity in their diet was very low with the average food diversity score of 2.17 immediately before childbirth and 1.74 immediately before leaving North Korea. Their diet appeared to heavily rely on grain and vegetable. CONCLUSIONS: This study is one of few that specifically examined food security of North Korean households with a pre-developed scale, and that demonstrated food security situation at different time points in quantified terms. Replicating this study with different groups of North Korean households for different time points would allow more complete understanding of impacts of food shortage. Food diversity score could provide a good way to examine changes of food consumption occurring to North Koreans in the process of adaptation. More attention to the changes occurring during adaption to South Korea should be given to understand the process and impact and to prepare public nutrition policy for the re-unified Korea.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.10 no.11
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• pp.477-484
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• 2012

In order to clearly define and understand an essential meaning on a growing number of immigrant women with an experience of being in pregnancy and childbirth, who married to men living in rural community in Korea, our study has been carried out with a phenomenological research method. Basic information collection was implemented by doing multiple in-depth interviews in being recorded with nine immigrant women married to the men, and also analyzed by the phenomenological method of Colaizzi. As the result of the study, the switchover in their life on the course to adaptation or transition to Korean life with experience of being pregnant and delivery generally classified into up to four categories and nine subjects. The four categories come out with "expectation of unknown world/country", "being experienced of new challenge", "feeling happiness going through anguish of hear" and "expectation/hope with her giving birth to a baby-transition in her life". Thus, the result of this study is intended to understand their difficulties likely caused or felt in adaptation to Korea life and culture, and to provide solutions or information of a program for their being actively adapted that may help get them easily assimilated into Korean life and culture.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.207-215
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• 2020

This purpose of this study was to investigate sense of self-control, depression and factors influencing on state-anxiety in pregnant women and to identify factors influencing state-anxiety. Data were collected 160 pregnant women. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, t-test, Scheffe's test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, Stepwise Regression Analysis. There was statistically significant difference in sense of self-control on variable such as income. There were statistically significant difference in depression on variables such as occupation, living together with family-in-laws, planned pregnancy. There were statistically significant difference in state-anxiety on variables such as age, history of childbirth. State-anxiety was positively correlated with depression. State-anxiety was negatively correlated with sense of self-control. Depression was negatively correlated with sense of self-control. Factor influencing State-anxiety were sense of self-control, depression and history of childbirth, which explained 51.4%. Therefore, prenatal management programs need to be developed giving consideration to the emotional change in order to promote psychological stability in the pregnant women.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.29-37
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• 2020

Purposes: This study purposed to identify influence of postpartum care services on health-related quality of life in women after birth. Methodology: Korea Health Panel Survey 2009-2015 provided by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and National Health Insurance Service was used for the analysis. The health-related quality of life evaluate as a EuroQoL-5D(EQ-5D-3L, used the weight of the CDC) was used as dependent variables. Postpartum care services was used as independent variable. Demographic factors(education, economic activity, region, house income), health related variable(presence of chronic disease, self-rated health), birth related variable(birth-related problem, childbirth, pregnancy of advanced maternal age) used as covariates. Regression analysis was used. Findings: The rate of use of postpartum care services is increasing year by year. Postpartum care services and self-rated health positively influence on the health-related quality of life in women after birth and chronic disease and birth-related problem negatively influence on. Practical Implications: Therefore, it is necessary that the government's policy of the postpartum care service be expanded and systematized to increase accessibility on. There are rare studies on the health-related quality of life of women after childbirth, adjusted for birth-related variables. So this study has significance.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.29-41
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• 2009

In the last thirty years, societal changes have affected Korean families at a fast pace. Some of these changes include the fall of childbirth rate, expansion of women in the workforce, delay of first marriages, and rise of divorces, remarriages, and international marriages. These new trends have created and diversified new contexts for family structures and parent-child relationships. Both parents and children are now confronted with a myriad of new challenges and in need of understanding the newly transformed-family environments in respond to new ecological pressures. Contemporary issues concerning parent-child relationships are discussed by analyzing the new trends and research issues on particular social issues and pressures. Future policy issues are discussed based on these analyses combined with the critical impact of the parent-child relationships on child development.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.555-568
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• 2004

The current national pension system tends to be sexually discriminatory in that it excludes elderly women. It is because the system is based on family incomes usually earned by men. Considering structural changes in a family - for example, a growing divorce rate, an increasing number of unmarried couples living together, and broken families - and socio-economic changes - such as an improved level of women's education and more female participation in economic activities, this paper will make some suggestions as follows: 1) to introduce basic pension system which guarantees incomes for the elderly with "one pension per person" policy; 2) to enlarge voluntary enrollment; 3) to implement pension credit system which pays women allowances for childbirth and upbringing; 4) to improve ways of allotting retirement pension of a husband; also to provide for an elderly woman both divided pension that derives from her husband's pension and an old-age pension of her own.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.245-254
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• 2015

This research aims to look into correlation between Korea's childbirth promotion policy caused from women's maternity leave and economic activity. For the purpose, 300 surveys were distributed to mothers using postnatal care centers located in Seoul. Listed postnatal care centers such as Babe Glory, Shinsegae, Happy, Miznomall and out of 260, 222 surveys were selected for the research. Several advanced studies regarding child birth promotion policy backed up by current government and related domestic and overseas documents were used as reference. Decisive factors including social insurance, tax, cost for child birth and rearing service, social culture were derived as trait elements for child birth promotion. Mentioned factors along with economic activity by childbearing women were used when setting up the research model and hypothesis. Relation with material leave was employed as parameter for this study of which purpose lies in empirical analysis and investigation.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.14-28
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was to identify relationships of maternal psychosocial factors including mother's mood state, childcare stress, social support and sleep satisfaction with breastfeeding adaptation and immune substances in breast milk, especially secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and transforming growth factor-beta 2 (TGF-${\beta}2$). Methods: Data were collected from 84 mothers who delivered full-term infants by natural childbirth. Structured questionnaires and breast milk were collected at 2~4 days and 6 weeks postpartum. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, multiple linear regression, and generalized estimating equation (GEE). Results: Scores for the breastfeeding adaptation scale were significantly related with child care stress, mood state and social support. Mother's anger was positively correlated with the level of sIgA in colostrum (p<.01). Immune substances of breastmilk was significantly influenced by time for milk collection (p<.001) and the type of breastfeeding (sIgA, p<.001, TGF-${\beta}2$, p=.003). Regression analysis showed that breastfeeding adaptation could be explained 59.1% by the type of breastfeeding, childcare stress, the Profile of Mood States, emotional support and sleep quality (F=16.67, p<.001). Conclusion: The findings from this study provide important concepts of breastfeeding adaptation program and explanation of psychosocial factors by immune substances in breast milk. Future research, specially, bio-maker research on breast milk should focus on the ways to improve breastfeeding adaptation.