• Title/Summary/Keyword: Consumer Health

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An Analysis of the Status of Local Currency (Daedeok e-Loom) for the Vitality of Local Commercial Areas and an Empirical Study on the Direction of Development

  • Tae-Chang RYU
    • Journal of Distribution Science
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    • v.21 no.12
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    • pp.127-140
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    • 2023
  • Purpose: In a situation where the local economy and alley economy are stagnant, efforts to revitalize the role of small business owners need a virtuous cycle system through consumers' consumption power, not just cash support. Research design, data, and methodology: The study site focuses on Daedeok-gu, the first to introduce local currency as a policy. In the case of the store survey, 254 stores out of 300 stores registered with local currency were analyzed, and the consumer survey was conducted on 1,394 out of 1,500 local people using local currency. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS. Result: As a result of time-series checking whether local economic activities are carried out smoothly due to the nature of the local currency, the average daily sales of Daedeok-gu increased by 388,980won compared to 2019. This proved through empirical research in the region that local currency played a priming role in bringing opportunities and rehabilitation to the local commercial districts and small business owners. Conclusions: In the monetary function of simply buying and selling value through payment, points supported as incentives can be used as local currency while inducing direct participation in solving social problems, and the concurrent effect of causing problem-solving and regional economic vitality began to sprout.

Microbiological Evaluation of Commercial Eorigul-jeot, Salt-fermented Oyster Crassostrea gigas with Seasoning, Produced in Korea (국내산 시판 어리굴(Crassostrea gigas)젓의 미생물학적 평가)

  • Jae-Won So;Shin-Hye Lee;Kwon-Sam Park
    • Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.57 no.2
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    • pp.122-128
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    • 2024
  • We investigated the quality of 10 commercial eorigul-jeot, salt-fermented oysters with seasoning, by measuring their chemical composition and bacterial concentrations. The Eorigul-jeot had 5.07-6.06 pH (mean, 5.63), of 1.92-4.74% salinity (mean, 3.36%), 7.01-14.70 mg/100 g volatile basic nitrogen (mean, 11.91 mg/100 g), 139.22-267.11 mg/100 g amino acid nitrogen (mean, 212.69 mg/100 g), and 1.02-1.65 g/100 g total acidity (mean, 1.24 g/100 g). The total viable and lactic acid bacterial counts were 5.7×104-8.7×105 and 2.7×103-2.0×105 CFU/g, respectively, and fecal coliform was detected in only one Eorigul-jeot sample. Bacillus cereus and Clostridium perfringens were detected in two samples, and all Eorigul-jeot samples were negative for Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. These results strongly suggest the need to monitor food-poisoning bacteria in commercial Eorigul-jeot to ensure consumer health.

Application of bio-preservation to enhance food safety: A review

  • Nethma Samadhi Ranathunga;Kaushalya Nadeeshani Wijayasekara;Edirisinghe Dewage Nalaka Sandun Abeyrathne
    • Food Science and Preservation
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.179-189
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    • 2023
  • Consumers and industry experts frequently have negative perceptions of most chemical preservatives. Although most people concede that they cannot resolve global food waste issues without preservatives, they prefer products without chemical preservatives. Numerous emerging technologies is now surpassing conventional methods for mitigating microbial food deterioration in response to consumer demand and fundamental health and safety considerations, including biological antimicrobial systems such as using food-grade microorganisms and their metabolites primarily originating from microorganisms, plants, and animals. Microbial compounds, including bacteriocins, bacteriophages, and anti-fungal agents, plant extracts such as flavonoids and essential oils; and animal-originated compounds, such as lysozyme, chitosan, and lactoferrin, are considered some of the major bio-preservatives. These natural compounds can be used alone or with other preservatives to improve food safety. Hence, the use of microbes or their metabolic byproducts to extend the shelf life of foods while maintaining safety standards is known as bio-preservation. To manufacture and consume foods in a safe condition, this review primarily aims to broaden knowledge amongst industry professionals and consumers regarding bio-preservation techniques, bio-preservatives, their classifications, and distinctive mechanisms to enhance food safety.

The Effect of Stress Among Middle School Students and the Effect of Motive on Their Addiction to the Internet (중학생의 스트레스와 인터넷 이용동기가 인터넷 중독에 미치는 영향)

  • Park, Hea-Young;Lee, Eun-Hee;Park, Sang-Mi
    • Journal of Families and Better Life
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    • v.27 no.6
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    • pp.65-82
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    • 2009
  • The following research aimed to determine the effect of stress among middle school students on their addiction to the Internet. This research's target was a group of male students who had a high probability of getting addicted to the Internet while playing c/t games. The study distributed 357 questionnaires and used 340 copies, which meant discarding 17 copies that were considered inadequate. The research results are as follows: First, there appeared subordinate factors in the stress suffered by the students. These included stress from their families, from conflicts with their teachers, from the living environment, current schoolwork and future course in college, insecurity over their physical appearance, bullying from other students, and relationships with friends. Among these factors, stress caused by conflicts with teachers and family was the most frequently cited, while stress from their friends was the least cited. The motive in using the Internet was found to be bound with several factors. These include: a form of diversion, a way to communicate with others, a means in coping with loneliness, a source of news and information, a form of passing away time, a kind of habit, and others. Among these motives, passing away time and indulging a habit were cited the most, followed by news and information search, and a form of diversion. Second, as a subordinate factor in Internet addiction, the following were cited: formation of tolerance, health issues, occurrence of problems related to daily life, satisfaction or a pleasant sensation, withdrawal, cover-up on the use of the Internet, and formation of virtual interpersonal relationships, and others. Among these, the formation of tolerance came out the highest, followed by health issues, daily life, and problems related to daily life. Third, in terms of the effects of stress on the motive in using the Internet, the research found that the more the students felt stressed out by conflicts with their teachers and family, the more they tended to use the Internet to communicate with others, to cope with loneliness, to obtain newsI and information, to passawaytime, and to indulge a habit Also, the more they felt stressed out by the living environment, the more they tended to use the Internet to communicate with others, to cope with loneliness, and use news and information. The more they felt stressed out by their schoolwork and future course in college, they tended to use the Internet as a form of diversion and to secure news and information. The more they felt stressed out by their insecurity over their physical appearance and being victimized by bullies, the more they tended to use the Internet to cope with loneliness. Fourth, as for the effect of several variables on student addiction to the Internet, the study found that the more students felt stressed out by their living environment, by schoolwork and future course in college, by their physical appearance, and bullying from other students, the more they used the Internet as a form of diversion, a communication tool, and as a means of passing away time or indulging a habit. The study came up with the finding that the more the students used the computer and the Internet, the probability of their getting addicted to the Internet got higher.

A Direction of the Monitoring of Household Chemical Products in Aquatic Environments: The Necessities for a Trophic Magnification Factor (TMF) Research on Fish (다양한 수생태계에 적용 가능한 유해물질의 영양확대계수 (trophic magnification factor, TMF) 연구 - 생활화학제품에서 기인한 성분과 어류조사를 중심으로)

  • Eun-Ji Won;Ha-Eun Cho;Dokyun Kim;Seongjin Hong;Kyung-Hoon Shin
    • Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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    • v.55 no.3
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    • pp.185-200
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    • 2022
  • The risk of various hazardous substances in aquatic environment comprises not only the concentration of substances in the environmental medium but also their accumulation in fish through complex food web and the health risks to humans through the fish. In Korea, the monitoring of residual toxicant in aquatic ecosystems began in 2016 following the enforcement of the Acts on registration and evaluation for the management of chemicals used in daily life (consumer chemical products), and attention has been paid to potentially hazardous substances attributed to them. Recently, studies have been carried out to investigate the distribution of these hazardous substances in the ecosystem and calculate their emission factors. These include the accumulation and transport of substances, such as detergents, dyes, fragrances, cosmetics, and disinfectants, within trophic levels. This study summarizes the results of recently published research on the inflow and distribution of hazardous substances from consumer chemical products to the aquatic environment and presents the scientific implication. Based on studies on aquatic environment monitoring techniques, this study suggests research directions for monitoring the residual concentration and distribution of harmful chemical substances in aquatic ecosystems. In particular, this study introduces the directions for research on trophic position analysis using compound specific isotope analysis and trophic magnification factors, which are needed to fulfill the contemporary requirements of selecting target fish based on the survey of major fish that inhabit domestic waters and assessment of associated health risk. In addition, this study provides suggestions for future biota monitoring and chemical research in Korea.

A Preliminary Study for Expending of Hospital-Based Horne Health Care Coverage - Focused on Accident Inpatients Who has the Workers Compensation Insurance - (병원중심 가정간호사업 관리대상범위 확대를 위한 기초연구)

  • Lee, Sook-Ja;Lee, Jin-Kyung;Ryu, Ho-Sihn
    • Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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    • v.6
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    • pp.5-18
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    • 1999
  • This study was attempt to encourage for developing on rehabilitation delivery system and programs as a substitute service instead of hospitalization for accident patients at work, such as hospital based home health care nursing service. It needs vary substitutes service of hospitalization to curtail the length of stay for inpatients who were hospitalized with workers compensation insurance. It focused on developing an estimation of early discharge day of accident inpatients based on a detail statement of treatment for 115 inpatients who were hospitalized at General Hospital in 1997. This study has four specific purpose as follows. First, to find out the status of health service utilization. Second, to estimate the early discharge days and income increasing effect based on the early discharge for those patients. Third, to identify the factors to affect total medical expenditure and the length of stay for those inpatients. Forth, to figure out the need of utilizing home health care nursing service for accident patients. In order to analyze of the length of stay and medical expenditure for inpatients who were hospitalized due to the accident, the authors conducted with micro-analysis and macroanalysis from medical records and medical expenditure records. Micro-analysis was done by nominal group discussion of 4 expertise with the critical criteria. such as a decrease in the amount of treatment after surgery, treatments, tests, drugs and changes in the tests consistency, drug methods, vital signs, start of ROM exercise, doctor's order, patient's outside visiting ability, stable conditions. In addition to identify affected variables for medical expenditure. the length of stay and income effect due to early discharge day, the data was analyzed with multiple regression analysis and linear regression analysis model by SPSS-PC for windows and Excell program. Results of this study as follows. First, the mean length of stay was 37.1 days, whereas the mean length of stay due to early discharge was 28.2 days at the hospital. The estimation of early discharge days were shown that depends on the length of stay. The longer length of stay, the longer length of early discharge days, such as under 7 days length of stay patients was to estimated the mean length of stay was 4.9 days and early discharge days was 4.6. whereas the mean length of stay was 122.6 days and early discharge days was 92.0 respectively. The mean medical expenditure per day were found to be 133.409 Won. whereas the mean medical expenditure per day was shown negative linear trends according to the length of stay at the hospital. The estimation results of the income effect due to 11 early discharge days per bed was around 2,150,000 won. However, it means not the real benefits from early discharge, but the income increasing amount without considering medical prime cost in general hospital. Therefore, it needs further analysis on the cost containments and benefits under the considering as well turn over rates per bed as the medical prime costs. The length of stay was most significant and the sign was positive to the total medical expenditure, as expected. Surgery and patient's residential area also an important variable in explaining medical expenditure. The level of complications was most significant variable in explaining the length of stay. The level of the needs on horne health care nursing service which can be used for early discharge accident patients were shown very high. The needs distribution varied from 65.5% of patients and 88.9% of caregivers, to 96.4% of doctors, and 99.1% of nurses. In addition horne health nurse responded that they can be managed the accident inpatients from early discharge. From these research findings. the following suggestions has been drawn it needs to develop strategies on rehabilitation delivery system in order to focused on consumer's side which is planned for 21 century health policy in Korea. Vary intermediate facilities and horne health care would have been developed in the community based for comprehensive rehabilitation services as a substitutes of hospitalization for shortening the length of stay of hospitalizations. In hospital based horne health care nursing service, it's available immediately to utilize for the patients who wanted rehabilitation services as a substitutes of hospitalization under the cooperations with workers compensation insurance company.

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A Preliminary Study for Expending of Hospital-Based Home Health Care Coverage - Focused on Car Accident Inpatients Who has the Compensation Insurance - (병원중심 가정간호관리대상 범위 확대를 위한 기초연구(II) - 자동차보험가입 입원환자를 대상으로 -)

  • Park, Eun-Sook;Lee, Sook-Ja;Park, Young-Ju;Ryu, Ho-Sihn
    • Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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    • v.7 no.1
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    • pp.58-72
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    • 2000
  • This study was an attempt to encourage the development of a rehabilitation delivery system and programs as a substitute service for hospitalization on the case of car accident patients, such as hospital based home health care nursing services. Various substitute services for hospitalization are required to curtail the length of stay for inpatients who were hospitalized with car accident compensation insurance. It focused on developing an estimation an early discharge day for car accident inpatients based on detailed statements of treatment for 111 inpatients who were hospitalized at the General Hospital in 1997. This study had four specific purposes as follows. First. to find out the utilization of medical services. Second, to estimate the time of early discharge and income increasing effect based on early discharge for those patients. Third, to identify the factors affecting total medical expenditure and the length of stay for those inpatients. Forth, to figure out the need of utilizing home health care nursing service for accident patients. In order to analyze the length of stay and medical expenditure for inpatients who were hospitalized due to car accidents, the authors conducted micro- and macro-analysis of medical and medical expenditure records. Micro-analysis was done by nominal group discussion of 4 expertise with the critical criteria, such as a decrease in the amount of treatment after surgery, treatments, tests, drugs and changes in the test consistency, drug methods, vital signs, start of ROM exercise, doctor's order, patient's outside visiting ability, and stable conditions. In addition to identifying variables affecting medical expenditure, and the length of stay and income effect due to early discharge day, the data was analyzed with a multiple regression analysis and linear regression analysis model by SPSS-PC for windows and Excell program. Results of this study were as follows. First. the mean length of stay was 50.3 days. whereas the mean length of stay due to early discharge was 34.3 days at the hospital. The estimation of time of early discharge depended on the length of stay. The longer the length of stay, the longer the length of time of early discharge : for instance a length of stay under 10 days was estimated as correlating to a mean length of stay of 6.6 days and early discharge of 6.5. The mean length of stay was 217.4 days and the time of early discharge was 110.1 respectively. The mean medical expenditure per day was found to be 169.085 Won and the mean medical expenditure per day showed negative linear trends according to the length of stay at the hospital. The estimation results of the income effect due to being discharged 16 days early was around 2,244,000 won per bed. However. this sum does not represent the real benefits resulting from early discharge, but rather the income increasing amount without considering medical prime cost in the general hospital. Therefore, further analysis is required on the cost containments and benefits as turn over rate per bed as the medical prime costs. The length of stay was most significant and was positive to the total medical expenditure, as expected. Surgery and patient's residential area was also an important variable in explaining medical expenditure. The level of complications was the most significant variable in explaining the length of stay. There was a high level for need a home health care nursing service which further supports early discharge for accident patients. In addition, when the patient was discharged. they needed follow up care for complications suffered during the car accident. $86.8\%$ of discharged patients responded that they needed home health services after early discharge. From these research findings, the following suggestions have been drawn. Strategies on a health care delivery system must be developed in order to focus on the consumer's needs and being planned for 21 century health policy in Korea. Community based intermediate facilities or home health care should be developed for rehabilitation services as a substitute for hospitalization in order to shorten the length of stay would be. A hospital based home health care nursing service. it would be available immediately to utilize by patients who want rehabilitation services as a substitute for hospitalization with the cooperation of car insurance companies.

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Utilization Patterns and Determinants of Oriental Medical Services : Focused on the Residents of Taegu City (한방의료의 이용행태 및 이용결정요인 분석 - 일부 대도시 지역주민을 중심으로 -)

  • Yoo Wang-Keun;Ryu Kyung-A
    • Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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    • v.4 no.2
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    • pp.1-24
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    • 2000
  • This study was conducted to examine utilization patterns and determinants of oriental medical services. Data were collected from 545 residents in Taegu city The results of this study are summarized as follows 1) 37.8% of subjects used oriental medical services in the past year. Especially, the female, the ages of 50 and 60 over, the single. low-educated. high-income class, white-collar class, medical insured tended to use more oriental medical services than another groups. 2) 46.7% of users of oriental medical services reported that number of visits in the past year was 2 - 5 times 37 1% of them was 1 times, and 4.5% over 10 times. 3) According to the reasons to choose the oriental medical facilities, most was 'on their own judgement'(48.8%) and 'by the advice of relatives and friends'(42.0%) Regarding to the objectives of using oriental medicine, 68.3% was 'treatment', 31.7% 'health counselling and promotion'. And among diseases of users, diseases of musculo-skeletal system was the highest(54.5%). 4) 57.9% of oriental medical services users had experience of utilizing western medicine on the same diseases. Among peoples with experiencing western medicine on the same diseases. 54.4% received oriental medical services 'in addition to western medicine', 45.6%'in place of western medicine 'And 41.2% of using both services reported that they had difficulty in deciding to choose the type of services -oriental medical services or western medicine-for their diseases. 37.3% of them answered that 'providing relevant information' was the most desirable measure to solve this problem, 27.3% 'establishment of effective referral system between oriental and western medical facilities '23.6% 'cooperative medical treatment systems in the same facilities', 11.8%'integration of oriental medicine into western medicine 5) According to the satisfaction level with each items of oriental medical services, the respondents had positive views on efficacy, kindness, and side-effects. They, however, had negative view on the cost of oriental medical services. 6) In regarding to the priority of improvement of oriental medical system,'expansion of insurance benefit package 'ranked first. 'expansion of insurance benefit Package 'ranked second, 'improvement of scientific methods and diagnostic technique 'third, and 'safety of herbal medicine' fourth in order. 7) The significant factors influencing the utilization of oriental medical services were kindness of oriental medical practitioners, efficacy , travel time, age To be brief, utilization rate of oriental medical services in urban area generally tends to be high. There, however, have been various barriers to limit oriental medical services, such as incomplete benefit package of oriental medical insurance and lack of coordination and referral system between oriental and western medical services, lack of scientific diagnostic procedures, high price etc . For the development of oriental medical services, Much attention to remove these limiting factors should be placed. In addition, kindness of oriental medical practitioners , which is expected to be more important factor in the consumer - focused health care environment than ever, should be kept high consistently. Since this study was conducted for specific residents of an urban city. further research including more sampling in different urban areas should be required to generalize the results of the study.

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A Study of Pension Receipt Satisfaction According to the Preparation of the Living Cost for Aging: Focusing on Public Pensions (노후생활비 준비에 따른 연금 수급액의 만족도에 관한 연구: 공적연금을 중심으로)

  • Lee, Seung-Sin
    • Journal of Families and Better Life
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.137-152
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    • 2012
  • The graying of populations is emerging as an international issue around the world, and this is a problem that is rapidly advancing in Korea as well, signaling the need for financial preparations for the aged. For this purpose, various retirement pension systems are being employed as preparatory measures for the nation's elderly. Using data from 1474 people in the 2007 panel study of National Security for the Retired, the present work attempts to look at satisfaction rates with regard to public pension receipts for the national pension and special occupational pensions according to general characteristics and factors related to the preparation for an aging society. Satisfaction with retirement pension receipts according to the type of pension was high for special occupation retirement pensions, individual retirement pensions and the national retirement pension, in that order. Looking at satisfaction rates based on the general characteristics of pension recipients, the study revealed that for the national pension, satisfaction was highest for groups with above-average physical and psychological health, groups who think appropriate living expenses for the elderly are lower, groups in which a partner also earns income, and groups who had amply prepared for their expected living expenses in later life. Regarding special occupation retirement pensions, satisfaction was high for groups over the age of 70, groups with good psychological health, and groups sufficiently prepared for their living expenses in later expenses, compared to groups for which these factors did not apply. In terms of the relative influences impacting retirement pension recipient satisfaction, satisfaction with the national pension was highest when the primary source to cover elderly living expenses was a resource other than income earned by the recipient and their partner and/or income received from children. Concerning special occupation retirement pensions, satisfaction was highest among those whose education terminated before middle school, and for those in good physical health. Based on the above results, it is vital that plans exist for preparing sufficiently for the living expenses of the elderly and for facilitating the physical and psychological health of pension recipients. Plans are also necessary to, ensure that citizens are provided with easily accessible educational programs and activities regarding general installment savings and deposits, stocks and bonds, real estate investments, individual retirement pensions, private insurance, severance pay pensions, and public pensions.

Calibration of Portable Particulate Mattere-Monitoring Device using Web Query and Machine Learning

  • Loh, Byoung Gook;Choi, Gi Heung
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.10 no.4
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    • pp.452-460
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    • 2019
  • Background: Monitoring and control of PM2.5 are being recognized as key to address health issues attributed to PM2.5. Availability of low-cost PM2.5 sensors made it possible to introduce a number of portable PM2.5 monitors based on light scattering to the consumer market at an affordable price. Accuracy of light scatteringe-based PM2.5 monitors significantly depends on the method of calibration. Static calibration curve is used as the most popular calibration method for low-cost PM2.5 sensors particularly because of ease of application. Drawback in this approach is, however, the lack of accuracy. Methods: This study discussed the calibration of a low-cost PM2.5-monitoring device (PMD) to improve the accuracy and reliability for practical use. The proposed method is based on construction of the PM2.5 sensor network using Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) protocol and web query of reference measurement data available at government-authorized PM monitoring station (GAMS) in the republic of Korea. Four machine learning (ML) algorithms such as support vector machine, k-nearest neighbors, random forest, and extreme gradient boosting were used as regression models to calibrate the PMD measurements of PM2.5. Performance of each ML algorithm was evaluated using stratified K-fold cross-validation, and a linear regression model was used as a reference. Results: Based on the performance of ML algorithms used, regression of the output of the PMD to PM2.5 concentrations data available from the GAMS through web query was effective. The extreme gradient boosting algorithm showed the best performance with a mean coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.78 and standard error of 5.0 ㎍/㎥, corresponding to 8% increase in R2 and 12% decrease in root mean square error in comparison with the linear regression model. Minimum 100 hours of calibration period was found required to calibrate the PMD to its full capacity. Calibration method proposed poses a limitation on the location of the PMD being in the vicinity of the GAMS. As the number of the PMD participating in the sensor network increases, however, calibrated PMDs can be used as reference devices to nearby PMDs that require calibration, forming a calibration chain through MQTT protocol. Conclusions: Calibration of a low-cost PMD, which is based on construction of PM2.5 sensor network using MQTT protocol and web query of reference measurement data available at a GAMS, significantly improves the accuracy and reliability of a PMD, thereby making practical use of the low-cost PMD possible.