• Title/Summary/Keyword: Community health workers

Search Result 454, Processing Time 0.031 seconds

Problems in the field of maternal and child health care and its improvement in rural Korea (우리나라 농촌(農村)의 모자보건(母子保健)의 문제점(問題點)과 개선방안(改善方案))

  • Lee, Sung-Kwan
    • Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
    • /
    • v.1 no.1
    • /
    • pp.29-36
    • /
    • 1976
  • Introduction Recently, changes in the patterns and concepts of maternity care, in both developing and developed countries have been accelerating. An outstanding development in this field is the number of deliveries taking place in hospitals or maternity centers. In Korea, however, more than 90% of deliveries are carried out at home with the help of untrained relatives or even without helpers. It is estimated that less than 10% of deliveries are assisted by professional persons such as a physician or a midwife. Taking into account the shortage of professional person i11 rural Korea, it is difficult to expect widespread prenatal, postnatal, and delivery care by professional persons in the near future, It is unrealistic, therefore, to expect rapid development of MCH care by professional persons in rural Korea due to economic and sociological reasons. Given these conditions. it is reasonable that an educated village women could used as a "maternity aid", serving simple and technically easy roles in the MCH field, if we could give such a women incentive to do so. The midwife and physician are assigned difficult problems in the MCH field which could not be solved by the village worker. However, with the application of the village worker system, we could expect to improve maternal and child hoalth through the replacement of untrained relatives as birth attendants with educated and trained maternity aides. We hope that this system will be a way of improving MCH care, which is only one part of the general health services offered at the local health centre level. Problems of MCH in rural Korea The field of MCH is not only the weakest point in the medical field in our country hut it has also dropped behind other developing countries. Regarding the knowledge about pregnancy and delivery, a large proportion of our respondents reported having only a little knowledge, while 29% reported that they had "sufficient" knowledge. The average number of pregnancies among women residing in rural areas was 4.3 while the rate of women with 5 or more pregnancies among general women and women who terminated childbearing were 43 and 80% respectively. The rate of unwanted pregnancy among general women was 19.7%. The total rate for complications during pregnancy was 15.4%, toxemia being the major complication. The rate of pregnant women with chronic disease was 7%. Regarding the interval of pregnancy, the rates of pregnancy within 12 months and within 36 months after last delivery were 9 and 49% respectively. Induced abortion has been increasing in rural areas, being as high as 30-50% in some locations. The maternal death rate was shown 10 times higher than in developed countries (35/10,000 live births). Prenatal care Most women had no consultation with a physician during the prenatal period. Of those women who did have prenatal care, the majority (63%) received such care only 1 or 2 times throughout the entire period of pregnancy. Also, in 80% of these women the first visit Game after 4 months of gestation. Delivery conditions This field is lagging behind other public health problems in our country. Namely, more than 95% of the women deliveried their baby at home, and delivery attendance by a professional person occurred only 11% of the time. Attendance rate by laymen was 78% while those receiving no care at all was 16%. For instruments used to cut the umbilical corn, sterilized scissors were used by 19%, non-sterilized scissors by 63% and 16% used sickles. Regarding delivery sheets, the rate of use of clean sheets was only 10%, unclean sheets, vinyl and papers 72%, and without sheets, 18%. The main reason for not using a hospital as a place of delivery was that the women felt they did not need it as they had previously experience easy deliveries outside hospitals. Difficult delivery composed about 5% of the total. Child health The main food for infants (95%) was breast milk. Regarding weaning time, the rates within one year, up to one and half, two, three and more than three years were 28,43,60,81 and 91% respectively, and even after the next pregnancy still continued lactation. The vaccination of children is the only service for child health in rural Korea. As shown in the Table, the rates of all kinds of vaccination were very low and insufficient. Infant death rate was 42 per 1,000 live births. Most of the deaths were caused by preventable diseases. Death of infants within the neonatal period was 83% meaning that deaths from communicable diseases decreased remarkably after that time. Infant deaths which occurred without medical care was 52%. Methods of improvement in the MCH field 1. Through the activities of village health workers (VHW) to detect pregnant women by home visiting and. after registration. visiting once a month to observe any abnormalities in pregnant women. If they find warning signs of abnormalities. they refer them to the public health nurse or midwife. Sterilized delivery kits were distributed to the expected mother 2 weeks prior to expected date of delivery by the VHW. If a delivery was expected to be difficult, then the VHW took the mother to a physician or call a physician to help after birth, the VHW visits the mother and baby to confirm health and to recommend the baby be given proper vaccination. 2. Through the midwife or public health nurse (aid nurse) Examination of pregnant women who are referred by the VHW to confirm abnormalities and to treat them. If the midwife or aid nurse could not solve the problems, they refer the pregnant women to the OB-GY specialist. The midwife and PHN will attend in the cases of normal deliveries and they help in the birth. The PHN will conduct vaccination for all infants and children under 5, years old. 3. The Physician will help only in those cases referred to him by the PHN or VHW. However, the physician should examine all pregnant women at least three times during their pregnancy. First, the physician will identify the pregnancy and conduct general physical examination to confirm any chronic disease that might disturb the continuity of the pregnancy. Second, if the pregnant woman shows any abnormalities the physician must examine and treat. Third, at 9 or 10 months of gestation (after sitting of the baby) the physician should examine the position of the fetus and measure the pelvis to recommend institutional delivery of those who are expected to have a difficult delivery. And of course. the medical care of both the mother and the infants are responsible of the physician. Overall, large areas of the field of MCH would be served by the VHW, PHN, or midwife so the physician is needed only as a parttime worker.

  • PDF

Knowledge and Pattern of Dental Health Care of the Community People (일부지역주민의 구강보건인식도 및 치과의료 이용양상)

  • 김일준;남철현
    • Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
    • /
    • v.10 no.1
    • /
    • pp.34-60
    • /
    • 1993
  • This study was done for the improvement of dental health of rural villagers and the dental health education, through finding of the types of brushing teeth and dental treatment of 812 people in Sunsan, Kyungpook province for 35days from March 27 to April 30 in 1992. Summaries are as follows ; 1. 58.5 percent of respondents were women, 56.3 percent were 40′s, 28.0 percent were 30′s, 12.3 percent were 50′s, and the over 60′s were 3.4 percent Elementary school graduates were 36.1 percent and most of them were middle school graduates, 33.5 percent. In view of the occupation, farmers were 56.5 percent, factory workers were 17.9 percent, the middle class (monthly pay amounting to 500,000∼990,000 won) were 49 percent and the lower class(less than 500,000 won) were 30.9 percent. In the standpoint of religion, Buddhists were 42.5 percent. 2. In the number and times of respondents brushing, 35.5 percent is "after dinner", 25.6 percent is "Before going to bed", 15.8 percent is "After breakfast", 13.3 percent is "After every meal", 5.2 percent is "Before breakfast" and 4.7 percent is "The sometimes it occurs to them". 3. The acquirement process of knowledge on the dental health were clinics or health center dentists (27.6%), TV(24.5%), magazine(9.2%), school(7.8%), relatives(5.3%). and 25.6 percent has never acquired. 28.3 percent of the farmers learned something by clinics and 28.1 percent of them haven′t heard about dental health. 4. The rate of persons who experienced oral diseases during 1 year period was 76.1 percent, and that of the educated was 19.9 percent and that of the uneducated 80.1 percent. The authorities concerned with treatment were dentist′s(41.6%), health center(30.3%), and the unlicensed person(2.9%). The rate of negligence was 6.3 percent, farmers experienced oral disease was 75.2 percent and they utilized the health center most often(36.2%). 5. The rate of person who had experienced dental prosthesis during ten year period was 71.9 percent, and the final place or man for dental prosthesis was dental clinic(59.4%), the unlicensed person(27.1%), and health center(13.5%). The rate of farmers experienced dental prosthesis was 70.4 percent. They utilized the dental clinic, the unlicensed person and the health center with the rates of 51.5 percent, 32.2 percent, and 16.7 percent respectively. 6. As to the results of dental prosthesis using the dental clinic, "being satisfied now" was 72.4 percent, "being dissatisfied" 14.4 percent, "being unable to use it" 3.1 percent, "its being somewhat usable" 10.1 percent, "having some problem" 38.7 percent, and "there being no problems" 61.3 percent. About utilizing the unlicensed person, "being satisfied now" was 65.8 percent, "being dissatisfied" was 10.7 percent, "being unable to use it" 5.1 percent and "its being some what usable" was 18.4 percent. 7. The rate of missing teeth holders amounted to 89.8 percent, the rate of the educated to the uneducated was 19.2 percent to 80.8 percent The reasons of neglecting that illness were due to "Endurable"(28.3%), and "No money" (24.3%). In the case of farmers 89.1 percent of them were the missing-teeth holders, the "Endurable" were 29.8 7. percent, and "No money" lay in 27.4 percent. 8. Their hopeful centers for dental prosthesis were the dental clinics(76.6%), and the health center(16.9%).

  • PDF

A Study on the Food Security for Low-income Older Adults: A Case Study on Meals on Wheels Project in Seoul (저소득 재가노인의 식생활 보장에 관한 연구: 서울시 저소득 어르신 식사배달사업을 중심으로)

  • Kim, Junghyun;Chon, Yongho;Chang, Hyeja
    • 한국노년학
    • /
    • v.40 no.4
    • /
    • pp.617-638
    • /
    • 2020
  • It is important to maintain a healthy dietary habit to enjoy better health and quality of life in later life. However, taking care of one's dietary lifestyle at an older age may be a challenge. Especially, community dwelling low-income older adults are one of the most vulnerable population in regards to holding a well balanced healthy diet. The purpose of this research is to identify the current status of food delivery services for low-income older adults and explore related issues. In order to achieve the aim, this study conduced two sets of focus group interviews with 8 nutritionists and 7 social workers in Seoul. According to the research results, there are issues related to meals on wheels such as vague eligibility, poor operation conditions, work overload, and difficulty in realizing customized meal delivery. Food security for low-income older adults is a prerequisite for aging in place. It is necessary to discuss the ways to create favorable operating conditions to deliver customized meals and manage nutrition and hygiene from the perspective of social work.

Oral Health Status of Some Patients with Chronic Mental Illness in Korea (일부 만성 정신질환자의 구강건강 상태)

  • Seo, Hye-Yeon;Jeon, Hyun-Sun;Park, Su-Kyung;Park, Ki-Chang;Chung, Won-Gyun;Mun, So-Jung
    • Journal of dental hygiene science
    • /
    • v.13 no.4
    • /
    • pp.493-500
    • /
    • 2013
  • The study aims to determine the status of oral health of mental illness patients and establish the preliminary data. The examinations and questionnaire survey were done 92 psychiatric patients to measure sociodemographic characteristics, decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index, patient hygiene performance (PHP) index, community periodontal index of treatment need (CPITN). Result of the missing teeth index in the state of oral health was higher in the hospital group (6.42) while the filled teeth index was higher in the center group (4.78). In the DMFT index, mental illness patients were higher than the national sample. The oral health status of medical aid recipients was poorer as the subjects were older and less educated (p<0.05). The PHP index was 3.41, close to the bad oral hygiene state. The hospital group (81.7%) required higher need for periodontal treatment. The periodontal health state was much poorer especially when the subject was in the age of 40's and 60's, received less education, and had no family (p<0.05). $CPITN_3$ was higher in the hospital group (13.3%) than the national sample (5.7%). The mental illness patients were socially vulnerable, therefore oral health care program should be needed and age, education level, health insurance type, presence of family and other factors needs to be considered in this approach.

Knowledge and Attitude on the Restaurant-Related Sanitation of New Restaurateurs (신규 일반음식점 영업자의 위생관리 지식 및 태도)

  • Park, Ki-Hong;Sohn, Seok-Joon
    • Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
    • /
    • v.31 no.1
    • /
    • pp.21-34
    • /
    • 2006
  • Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice toward sanitary administration of the new restaurateurs, to carry out the sanitary management of business for improvement of sanitary level, and to provide basic data which were necessary for sanitary education of the restaurateurs. Methods: The self-recording survey on the attitude and the knowledge toward the sanitation, the sanitary administration, and its education was conducted against new 393 restaurateurs by the administrative division of Gwangju city in charge of the food industry which put in the regular sanitary education annually for the new restaurateurs. Results: In regard to food sanitation, some 87.9% to 94.4% got the right knowledge about the reason and precaution of food poisoning, storage methods of frozen or cold food, and the disposal of product after expiration of validity term. But it was about 56.0% to 63.0% who knew right about the cause and the major precaution of food poisoning, storage temperature in the refrigerator. 30.6% of the subject placed an emphasis on personal sanitation of the workers as the most important thing in the sanitary management. 83.6% replied that it was necessary to improve the sanitary level. Concerning the health examination, 78.3% replied it was needed. 76.4% pointed the need for education, but respondents with higher educational level less emphasized its needs. It was most frequently pointed out by 71.6% restaurateur's poor awareness about it. 36.7% indicated the environmental sanitation like facilities in the restaurants as the first thing to be improved. The rate of personal sanitation was 43.7%. Conclusions: To improve the poor sanitary conditions of the food service business, it was recommended to offer institutional backing and financial aid from administrative office, to encourage restaurateurs to take pride in their job, and to conduct the sanitary education effectively by the technical education institution.

  • PDF

An Exercise Rehabilitation Field Revitalization Plan for Promoting Elderly Sport for All (노인생활체육 진흥을 위한 운동재활분야 활성화 방안)

  • Cho, Kyoung-Hwan
    • Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
    • /
    • v.14 no.4
    • /
    • pp.305-319
    • /
    • 2020
  • A The purpose of this study was to determine the present state of the exercise rehabilitation field, promote elderly sport for all, and present a revitalization program for higher quality of life for the elderly in the coming era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and aged society. Literature review was performed to analyze the actual conditions of the activities for elderly sport for all and the relevant field of exercise rehabilitation, analyze the elderly health and welfare and elderly sport for all programs, and present a plan for revitalizing the field of exercise rehabilitation to promote elderly sport for all. First, it is necessary to reinforce the awareness and promotion of the need and importance of exercise rehabilitation in inducing seniors to participate in sport for all. Second, it is necessary to make it compulsory to place sport leaders for seniors at such places as elderly leisure and welfare centers and promote expertise in managing elderly health guidance efficiently through cooperation with welfare workers. Third, it is necessary to make it compulsory to take exercise rehabilitation and similar subjects in the curriculums of sport for all, elderly sport welfare, and silver welfare sport as well as the subject of volunteering activities at such places as elderly leisure and welfare centers with the aim of giving opportunities for career choice. Fourth, it is necessary to develop characterized exercise rehabilitation programs at senior welfare centers, community centers for the elderly, and elderly classes and employ experts equipped with exercise event and exercise rehabilitation capabilities as itinerant lecturers to contribute to the government's job creation policies through cooperation between the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MOCST) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW). Fifth, it is necessary to make a greater investment in research and development required for elderly sport for all. Sixth, it is necessary to develop and distribute various exercise rehabilitation treatment videos and guidelines that seniors can use for themselves. This is associated with the fifth one; in particular, it is urgent to devise measures against Coronavirus 19. Seventh, it is necessary to reduce inefficiency and budget waste caused by overlapped tasks by establishing a new elderly sports promotion organization through adjustment by MOCST and MOHW; it is also necessary to increase the functions of organization establishment with the aim of reinforcing the education area, which involves post-retirement health care, exercise rehabilitation, safety accident prevention, and virus.

Awareness of Major Zoonoses among Dairy Farmers in Gyeonggi Province (경기도 낙농업자의 주요 인수공통감염증 인지도)

  • Choi, Kum-Bal;Lim, Hyun-Sul;Lee, Kwan;Min, Young-Sun
    • Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
    • /
    • v.35 no.4
    • /
    • pp.339-349
    • /
    • 2010
  • Objective: We surveyed awareness levels of brucellosis, Q fever and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) among dairy farmers in Gyeonggi Province to suggest directions for public education and public relations. Methods: We designed questionnaires to evaluate awareness of 3 major zooneses. We conducted a questionnaire survey to assess knowledge of the general characteristics of them, information sources for the awareness of zooneses, and the mode of transmission. Subjects were 716 workers from 482 dairy farms in Gyeonggi province. Results: The awareness levels for brucellosis, Q fever, and EHEC were 90.2%, 2.5% and 56.6%, respectively. Awareness of brucellosis and EHEC were tended to increase with higher number of school years. Television was the most common route of information for these zoonoses. Most common responses for questions concerning the method of transmission for each zoonoses, 'Contact with parturient fluid or placenta of animal' was 63.2% for brucellosis, 'Ingestion of raw meat or residual product' was 66.7% and 64.2% for Q fever and EHEC, respectively. The most common reason why dairy farmers think that it is difficult to prevent zoonoses was the inconvenience of wearing protection. Conclusions: Education programs for zoonoses, especially Q fever, are needed for dairy farmers. In addition, publicity information activities about prevention of zoonoses are needed for high risk groups, such as the dairy farmers surveyed.

A Study on the Image of Dental Hygienists in Dental Patients and Caregivers (치과환자 및 보호자가 인지한 치과위생사 이미지)

  • Kang, Boo-Wol
    • Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
    • /
    • v.7 no.2
    • /
    • pp.197-211
    • /
    • 2007
  • The purpose of this study was to examine the image of dental hygienists. The subjects in the study were 396 patients and their caregivers who visited 14 dental hospitals and dentists' offices in and around Seoul. After a survey was conducted, the following findings were given: 1. The people investigated gave a mean of 4.0 to the image of dental hygienists. Dental hygienists rated highest in terms of looking neat and tidy(4.33), and were given the lowest marks in arbitrary job performance(3.46). 2. There appeared four different types of dental hygienist images, which made a 59.824 prediction of the image of dental hygienists in general. A typical image(4.11) was most dominant, followed by professional one(4.07), personal one(4.01) and social one(3.73). 3. The relations between the general characteristics of the respondents and their image of dental hygienists could be described as below: 1) By age, those who were in their 60s(4.12) had the best image of dental hygienists, and the teenagers(3.90) had the worst image of them. 2) By gender, the men(4.05) looked at dental hygienists more positively than the women(3.96). They had a significantly different opinion on the social image of dental hygienists according to gender(pE0.05). 3) By marital status, the married people(4.00) had a better image of dental hygienists than the unmarried ones(3.95). 4) As for the influence of the type of dental institutions, they had a more favorable image of dental hygienists in dentists' offices(4.13) than in dental hospitals(3.88). There was a broad significant difference in the way they looked at the professional and personal images of dental hygienists according to the type of dental institutions(pE0.001). 5) As to the impact of educational level, those who received community-college or higher education(4.01) had the best image of dental hygienists, and those who received middle-school or lower education(3.91) had the worst image of them. 6) By occupation, the government workers and students(4.07) had the best image of dental hygienists, and the company employees(3.90) had the worst image of them. They took a significantly different view of the social image of dental hygienists according to occupation(pE0.05). 7) Concerning the impact of the frequency of receiving dental treatment, the respondents who had received it seven times or more(4.16) had the best image of dental hygienists, and those who hadn't(3.79) the worst image of them. There was a wide significant gap according to that frequency. The way they looked at the typical, social and professional images of dental hygienists was quite different significantly according to that frequency as well(pE0.001). 8) As for the influence of whether they were accompanied by caregivers or not, the people who weren't accompanied by caregivers(3.99) had a better image of dental hygienists than those who were(3.97).

  • PDF

Utilization of Medical Assistance Patients in Nursing Hospital (의료급여환자의 요양병원 이용에 관한 연구)

  • Lee, Yong-Jae
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
    • /
    • v.17 no.5
    • /
    • pp.366-375
    • /
    • 2017
  • The purpose of this study is to analyze the use of hospital, hospitalization, medical service, discharge and power of medical care patients who are concerned about moral hazard. We conducted focus group interview with 3 medical care patients and their families and 5 workers who had worked for more than 4 years in a nursing hospital. The main results and implications are as follows. First, admission to nursing hospitals was mostly based on the linkage between the medical institutions and the competition to attract the patients rather than the choice of the patients. Second, the main cause of the long-term hospitalization of medical assistance patients was the lack of social protection measures such as absences of residence and care giver, although there are factors that cause moral hazard such as low self-pay. Third, most of the patients were in need of treatment, but they were admitted to the hospital even though their needs were not higher than those of the health insurance patients. Fourth, the rehabilitation service is the mainstay of the medical service of the nursing hospital, and the roles of nursing staff and care givers are important. Fifth, medical care patients are paying medical expenses for nursing hospitals due to cost of living and family support, but they are exempted from the hospital expenses or the burden of their own expenses in the hospital. Sixth, public institutions and social welfare institutions have not managed continuously since commissioning patients to nursing hospitals and have neglected the connection with community services after discharge.

Estimation of Employment Creation Center considering Spatial Autocorrelation: A Case of Changwon City (공간자기상관을 고려한 고용창출중심지 추정: 창원시 사례를 중심으로)

  • JEONG, Ha-Yeong;LEE, Tai-Hun;HWANG, In-Sik
    • Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
    • /
    • v.25 no.1
    • /
    • pp.77-100
    • /
    • 2022
  • In the era of low growth, many provincial cities are experiencing population decline and aging. Population decline phenomena such as reduction of productive manpower, reduction of finances, deterioration of quality of life, and collapse of the community base are occurring in a chain and are being pushed to the brink of extinction of the cities. This study aims to propose a methodology to objectively estimate the employment creation centers and setting the basic unit of industrial-centered zoning by applying spatial statistical techniques and GIS for the application of the compact city plan as an efficient spatial management policy in a city with a declining population. In details, based on reviewing previous studies on compact city, 'employment complex index(ECI)' were defined considering the number of workers, the number of settlers, and the area of development land, the employment creation center was estimated by applying the 'Local Moran's I' and 'Getis-Ord's Hot-Spot Analysis'. As a case study, changes in the four years of 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019 were compared and analyzed for Changwon City. As a result, it was confirmed that the employment creation center is becoming compacted and polycentric, which is a significant result that reflects the actual situation well. This results provide the basic data for functional and institutional territorial governance for the regional revitalization platform, and provide meaningful information necessary for spatial policy decision-making, such as population reduction, regional gross domestic product, and public facility arrangement that can respond to energy savings, transportation plans, and medical and health plans.