• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.260-265
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• 2013

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the seasonal variation of death from intentional self-harm by hanging, strangulation and suffocation (HSS: Korean Standard Classification of Diseases-6 code: X70) using the 2011 death registry data. Methods: The analysis was based on data of 8,359 HSS deaths from 2011 national vital statistics in Korea. Daily, weekly, and monthly death pattern on HSS were used to examine the relationship seasonal variation and HSS deaths. Results: A total of 8,359 HSS deaths occurred in 2011, with a mean age of 50.6 years. The HSS death rate (per 100,000) was 25.5 in male and 10.8 in female. In one day 17.6 males and 8.0 females occurred HSS death on average. The number of HSS death per day was the highest on 8th June (45 deaths), and lowest on 1st February (7 deaths) during the period. The variations of daily HSS death showed wide fluctuation from a peak of 34 to 45 deaths (29th May to 9th June) to a trough of 17-26 deaths (10th-13th September: the Korean thank-giving consecutive holidays), 13-20 deaths (2nd-5th February: the new year's day by the lunar calendar) and 8-9 deaths (24th-25th December: Christmas holidays). There were no significant difference between gender and seasonal variation (month, season, and week). Conclusion: The mean number of HSS death per day was highest in June (30.6 deaths), and months with the lowest number of deaths was January and December (range, 19.4 to 19.6 deaths). HSS death were more prevalent during summer and spring and were less likely to occur during winter. On Saturdays (21.0 deaths), the number of HSS death per day was the lowest, and Monday (27.9 deaths) was the highest. HSS death was less likely to occur on holidays (21.4 deaths). There was significant seasonal variation in HSS death by weekly and monthly (p<0.01).

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.76-86
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• 1988

The primary objective of this study was to estimate the level of infant mortality rate and to find the cause of infant deaths prevailed in 1981~86 from vital registration data. In the course of that undertaking we have considered the non-registered portion of infant deaths especially for the non-registered portion of neonatal deaths. The main reason is that deaths occurring in the neonatal period and prior to the registration of the birth leave little incentive for the registration of either the birth or the death. From several ad-hoc survey's results and other countries' experiences it was, however, found that the proportion of neonatal deaths was 69.3%, the proportion of deaths in the period of first month in infanty was 7%, and the proportion of deaths in the period of 2 months and over in infancy was 23.7% respectivily. Thus, adoption the hypothesis that post-neonatal mortality is completly registered, we obtained the extimated number of infant deaths. Attempt to test the hypothesis was also made using the Brougeois- Pichats's function. The result was that the registered number of deaths in the post-neonatal period is almost compatible with the expected number. The major finding in this study was that the level of infant mortality rate in Korea was 19 per thousand live births in 1981 and 13 in 1986. This level of 1986 was almost identical with the level of Japan in 1970. It was also found that there was a difference in the level of infant mortality rate between sexes during 1981-83 but the difference was disappeared in 1985-86. Looking into the cause of infant deaths, it was found from registration that 21.2% of all infant deaths was due to congenital snomalies, 11.5% was due to pneumonia and 5.1% was due to the conditions originating in the perinatal period in that order. This pattern seems to be different with that of U.S.A., Japan and France. However, if we consider the non-registered neo-natal deaths, the order of the cause of infant deaths in Korea will be the same as compared countries. Finally, every efforts should should be made to obtain a good quality of data on infant mortality, making the non-registered events reported completely through hospitals.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.56-65
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• 2021

Purpose: Nurses' acceptance of patient deaths enables them to practice holistic end-of-life care and pursue positive living. The place where most deaths occur in Korea has changed from home to medical institutions, making it necessary to understand the process through which nurses who practice end-of-life care accept patient deaths. This study aimed to obtain insight into nurses' experiences of accepting patient deaths and to develop a practical theory regarding the context of this process. Methods: This qualitative study investigated nurses' process of acceptance of patient deaths based on grounded theory. Results: A core category of this process was found to be "grieving over dying", which consisted of the following steps: "being close by", "being attentive", "acknowledging together", and "accompanying." Conclusion: This study established that nurses' attentiveness toward dying people is due to their grief over patient deaths, and clarified Korean nurses' process of accepting patient deaths and its related factors.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.261-270
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• 2013

Objectives: This study investigated the socio-demographic characteristics and medical causes of death among meteorological disaster casualties and compared them with deaths from all causes. Methods: Based on the death data provided by the National Statistical Office from 2000 to 2011, the authors analyzed the gender, age, and region of 709 casualties whose external causes were recorded as natural events (X330-X389). Exact matching was applied to compare between deaths from meteorological disasters and all deaths. Results: The total number of deaths for last 12 years was 2 728 505. After exact matching, 642 casualties of meteorological disasters were matched to 6815 all-cause deaths, which were defined as general deaths. The mean age of the meteorological disaster casualties was 51.56, which was lower than that of the general deaths by 17.02 (p<0.001). As for the gender ratio, 62.34% of the meteorological event casualties were male. While 54.09% of the matched all-cause deaths occurred at a medical institution, only 7.6% of casualties from meteorological events did. As for occupation, the rate of those working in agriculture, forestry, and fishery jobs was twice as high in the casualties from meteorological disasters as that in the general deaths (p<0.001). Meteorological disaster-related injuries like drowning were more prevalent in the casualties of meteorological events (57.48%). The rate of amputation and crushing injury in deaths from meteorological disasters was three times as high as in the general deaths Conclusions: The new information gained on the particular characteristics contributing to casualties from meteorological events will be useful for developing prevention policies.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.72-79
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• 2015

Objectives: To identify the importance of preventing tuberculosis for HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infectees and to monitor their management of health, we investigated the proportion of HIV-TB (Tuberculosis) deaths among the HIV deaths and its related factors. Methods: Data for HIV deaths from 2002 to 2010 was acquired from Statistics Korea, after which the HIV deaths were reclassified into HIV-TB deaths or other deaths according to the KCD (Korean Classification of Diseases). We analyzed the proportion of HIV-TB deaths among HIV disease deaths and the relationship between HIV-TB deaths and related variables such as sex, age, educational level, marital status, etc. Results: There were 774 HIV deaths in South Korea between 2002 and 2010. TB was the main cause of death in 10.1% of all HIV deaths. The total proportion of HIV-TB deaths was 10.1% but its proportion reached 16.3% between 2005-2007 and then decreased to 4% in 2010. Also, the proportion of HIV-TB deaths was significantly high in the young age groups, but its proportion was significantly low in married groups and well educated groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: The result implies that the policy that takes care of HIV infectee regarding TB prevention has been getting systemized on a national scale. Also, HIV-TB deaths have been affected by social factors such as education and marriage status.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.460-471
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• 2012

Objectives: Due to global warming resulting from climate change, there has been increasing interest in the relationship between temperature and mortality. These temperature-related deaths depend on diverse conditions related to a given place and person, as well as on time. This study examined changes in the impact of high temperatures on death in summer, using the effect and burden of elevated temperatures on deaths in Seoul and Daegu. Methods: A Poisson regression model was used to estimate short-term temperature effects on mortality. Temperature-related risks were divided into three time periods of equal length (1996-2000, 2001-2005, and 2006-2010). In addition, in order to compare the impact of high temperatures on deaths, this study calculated the proportion of attributable deaths to population, which simultaneously considers the threshold and the slope above the threshold. Results: The effect and burden of high temperatures on deaths is high in Daegu. However, the impact (i.e. the effect and burden) of elevated summer temperatures on deaths has declined over the past 15 years. Sensitivity analyses using alternative thresholds show the robustness of these findings. Conclusion: This study suggests that the attributable burden of high temperatures on deaths to be more plausible than relative risk or threshold for comparing the health impact of high temperatures across populations. Moreover, these results contain important implications for the development or the adjustment of present and future strategies and policies for controlling the temperature-related health burden on populations.

• Yonsei Medical Journal
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• v.59 no.9
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• pp.1123-1130
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• 2018

Purpose: Exposure to indoor radon is associated with lung cancer. This study aimed to estimate the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to indoor radon exposure, its burden of disease, and the effects of radon mitigation in Korea in 2010. Materials and Methods: Lung cancer deaths due to indoor radon exposure were estimated using exposure-response relations reported in previous studies. Years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated to quantify disease burden in relation to premature deaths. Mitigation effects were examined under scenarios in which all homes with indoor radon concentrations above a specified level were remediated below the level. Results: The estimated number of lung cancer deaths attributable to indoor radon exposure ranged from 1946 to 3863, accounting for 12.5-24.7% of 15623 total lung cancer deaths in 2010. YLLs due to premature deaths were estimated at 43140-101855 years (90-212 years per 100000 population). If all homes with radon levels above $148Bq/m^3$ are effectively remediated, 502-732 lung cancer deaths and 10972-18479 YLLs could be prevented. Conclusion: These findings suggest that indoor radon exposure contributes considerably to lung cancer, and that reducing indoor radon concentration would be helpful for decreasing the disease burden from lung cancer deaths.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
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• v.27 no.2_2
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• pp.457-465
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• 2024

This study used Korea's cause of death statistical data to identify the scale and characteristics of deaths from respiratory diseases in Jeollabuk-do over the past five years ('18~'22). The average number of deaths due to respiratory diseases in Jeollabuk-do over the past five years was approximately 11.5% of all deaths, and pneumonia accounted for 81.0% of deaths due to respiratory diseases. Deaths from respiratory diseases were highest among men, those in their 80s, those who were widowed, and those with elementary school education. The highest number of deaths by occupation were skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers, but when standardized by age, the highest number of deaths were among technicians and related workers. The main place of death due to respiratory diseases was found to be medical institutions. In order to reduce the occurrence and death of respiratory diseases, it is necessary to establish resident health promotion and disease management health policies that reflect regional characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.186-195
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• 2021

Purpose: The current status and rationale of industrial accidents needs to be examined to develop scientific and systemic preventive measures. Methods: The aim of this study is to analyze the current data on industrial accidents provided by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and categorize work-related deaths by types of industries and annual report. Results: First, the highest number of deaths occurred in industries that had less than 50 people. Second, in the manufacturing industry, the highest death rate was found in workers in the age group 50-59 years. In the construction industry, workers aged 50 and above had the highest number of deaths. In other industries, workers aged 60 and above had the highest number of deaths. Third, the highest number of deaths occurred in workers with less than one year of experience in any industry Fourth, in most industries, the highest work-related deaths occurred during weekdays (Monday~Friday). In 2015, the warehouse delivery industry had 33% higher work-related deaths on the weekends (Saturday and Sunday) as compared to other industries. Fifth, in most industries, the highest work-related deaths occurred from 8 AM to 6 PM. The warehouse delivery industry had higher work-related deaths from 10 PM to 8 AM as compared to other industries. Conclusion: In order to increase the efficacy of industrial accident prevention, it is necessary to establish an effective health management system and apply strict safety management activities.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.113-124
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• 2023

Purpose: The number of households vulnerable to isolation increases rapidly as social ties decrease, raising concerns about the associated increase in lonely deaths. This study aimed to identify issues related to lonely deaths by analyzing South Korean news articles; and to provide evidence for their use in preventing and managing lonely deaths via community nursing. Methods: This exploratory study analyzed the structure and trends of meaning of lonely deaths by identifying the association between keywords in news articles and lonely deaths. In this study, we searched for all news articles on lonely deaths, covering the period from January 1, 2010, to May 31, 2023. Data preprocessing and purification were conducted, followed by top-keyword extraction, keyword network analysis and topic modeling. The retrieved articles were analyzed using R and Python software. Results: Four main topics were identified: "discovering and responding to lonely death cases", "lonely deaths ending in lonely funerals", "supportive policies to prevent lonely deaths among of older adults", and "local government activities to prevent lonely deaths and support vulnerable populations." Conclusion: Based on these findings, it can be concluded that lonely death is a complex social phenomenon that can be prevented if society shows concern and care. Education related to lonely deaths should be included in nursing curricula for concrete action plans and professional development.