• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.323-330
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• 2008

Objectives : This study was conducted to examine the mediating function of body weight perception (BWP) on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and unhealthy weight control behaviors (UWCB: e.g., fasting, or taking diet pills or laxatives) and between BMI and depressed mood, and to explore the effect of distorted BWP on UWCB and depressed mood among adult women. Methods : A regionally representative sample of 8,581 women aged 20-64 years residing in Seoul, the capital of Korea, completed the 2001 Seoul Citizens Health Indicator Survey which provides self-reported information about height, weight, BWP, UWCB, depressed mood, demo graphic/socioeconomic characteristics, and health-related behaviors. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results : BMI was significantly associated both with UWCB and depressed mood, even controlling for all covariates. However, the magnitude and significance of each association was considerably attenuated when BWP was taken into account, indicating that BWP functioned, in part, as a mediator between BMI and UWCB and between BMI and depressed mood, respectively. Among the combinations of BMI and BWP, women who perceived themselves to be heavier than their actual BMls appeared more likely to use UWCB, whereas women who had a distorted BWP, either underestimation or overestimation as compared with their BMIs, tended to be at greater risk for depressed mood than those who had an undistorted BWP. Conclusions : These findings suggest that how women perceive their body weight may be an important predictor and/or mediator of UWCB and depressed mood among adult Korean women.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4415-4419
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• 2013

Background: Measuring effects of cancer on family caregivers is important to develop methods which can improve their quality of life (QOL). Nevertheless, up to now, only a few tools have been developed to be used in this group. Among those, the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer Scale (CQOLC) has met minimum psychometric criteria in different populations in spite of conflicting results. The present study was conducted to evaluate reliability and validity of CQOLC among Turkish cancer family caregivers. Materials and Methods: The CQOLC was administered to 120 caregivers, along with Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Medical Outcomes Study MOS 36- Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Internal consistency and test-retest stability were used to investigate reliability. Construct validity was examined by using known group method, convergent, and divergent validity. For the known group method, we hypothesized that CQOLC scores would differ between depressed and non-depressed subjects. We investigated convergent validity by correlating scores for CQOLC with scores for other similar measures including SF-36 and STAI. The MSPSS was completed at the same time as CQOLC to provide divergent validity. Results: The values for internal consistency and test-retest correlation were 0.88 and 0.96, respectively. The CQOLC discriminated those who were depressed from those who were not. Convergent validity supported strong correlations between CQOLC scores and two main component scores (PCS, MCS) in SF-36 although there was a weak correlation between CQOLC and STAI scores. Regarding divergent validity, the correlation between CQOLC and MSPSS was in the low range, as expected. Conclusions: The Turkish CQOLC is a reliable and valid tool and it can be utilized to determine QOL of family caregivers.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.252-257
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Stroke Impact Scale 3.0 (K-SIS 3.0) in patients with stroke. Methods: Patients with stroke longer than 3 months were invited to participate in the study at specialized rehabilitation centers in Busan. Information on patients was collected using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Modified Bathel Index (MBI), Beck Depression Index (BDI), WHODAS 2.0-12 item, and K-SIS. Floor and ceiling effects of each domain of K-SIS were examined. The internal consistency of each domain of the K-SIS was calculated using Cronbach's ${\alpha}$. Correlation between K-SIS and each scale was assessed using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Results: Ninety subjects participated in the study. The K-SIS was found to have excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's ${\alpha}=0.93$). Each domain of the consistency ranged from 0.86 to 0.94, except the emotion (${\alpha}=0.51$). Significant correlations were observed between MMSE and domains of memory and thinking, and communication (r=0.48 and 0.52 respectively). BDI was negatively related to domains of emotion, ADL, mobility, and participation (r=-0.43, -0.49, -0.52 and -0.33 respectively). Specific daily activity (MBI) and general functioning (WHODAS 2.0) were also found to be closely related to the domains of ADL, mobility, and participation (ranging from r=-0.41 to r=-0.59). No ceiling and floor effect was observed. Conclusion: Excellent reliability and validity of K-SIS were obtained in the study and it could be suggested that K-SIS may be used for patients with stroke for collection of information on functioning in the clinical context.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.535-546
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• 2013

This study was carried out to analyze the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and general characteristics, psychological factors, eating habits, dietary behaviors, and health related quality of life using survey of 335 women aged 20 to 29 years in the Seoul and Kyungin areas. The 335 study subjects were divided into 4 groups by BMI ($kg/m^2$) levels; normal group($18.5{\leq}BMI{\leq}22.9$), overweight group($23.0{\leq}BMI{\leq}24.9$), mild obesity group($25.0{\leq}BMI{\leq}29.9$), and heavy obesity group ($BMI{\geq}30$) by Asian-Pacific obesity index criteria. The family income of the heavy obesity group was significantly (p<0.05) less than that of the normal weight group. Psychological factors, such as stress and depression of the normal weight group tended to be higher than those of overweight and obesity groups. The higher BMI level had the lower self-efficacy(p<0.05) among all subjects. As the BMI level increased, the preference for sweet, salty, and hot taste was significantly high. We found that normal weight women had healthier eating habits and dietary behaviors and a higher level of health-related quality of life than did those who were overweight, mildly obese, and heavily obese women. Overweight and mildly and heavily obese women were strongly associated with decreased physical and mental health related quality of life. Therefore, weight loss is desirable, and is likely to be beneficial for health-related quality of life in obese adult women. In conclusion, this study contains evidence to suggest that obesity management programs including different strategies according to obesity are required to determine the types of programs that are suitable for adult women, prior to their initiation of a program. The findings are helpful to inform researchers and practitioners who are seeking to implement appropriate strategies to create positive changes in the health behaviors of obese adult women.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.772-781
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• 2012

In order to supply the reference data to define the quality of life of the rural agricultural elderly population in the simplified steps, the data were collected by personal visits to 232 elder people over 65 (89 males and 143 females) in Sunchang area. The survey was conducted with written questionnaires concerning the quality of life, health-related habits, basic physical functions and cognitive behavior. The prevalence of the degenerative diseases were assessed by anthropometric and biochemical determinations. The averaged overall quality of life represented by EQ-5D index with Nam's model was calculated to be $0.865{\pm}0.1509$, and the percentages of people below the average were 38% (low QOL group) and 62% (high QOL group) were found to be the above the average. Generally, the subjects with male gender, higher educational background, higher self-rated health status, higher social activities were belonged to the high QOL group. The high QOL group had higher scores of daily living activities KADL and IADL, and lower risks in cognitive functions K-MMSE and depression scale GDS. There was no statistically significant correlation between biochemical indexes of blood and cognitive function and EQ-5D scores when the results were adjusted for age and gender. There were significant differences in nutritional assessment determined by the MNA between the high and low QOL groups. The low QOL group showed inferior nutritional status. The rapidly measurable factors of the quality of life of rural elderly were turned out to be physical activity scores and the simplified nutritional status measurement.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute Of Construction Engineering and Management
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• autumn
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• pp.545-550
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• 2001

Domestic construction industry has faced with many problems in productivity, quality, safety and skilled-labor availability because of the national economic depression, insufficient supply of skilled labors and so on. There is a growing need for improving productivity and quality, and savings in cost. In the case of advanced countries, they have made a number of research efforts to solve these problems with construction automation and robotics. Recently, there are growing interests in construction automation and robotics but such interests have not been further increased due to the difficulties in gathering or accessing valuable information on the research and development of construction automation and robotics. The main purpose of this study is to provide a web-based research database and decision support system for an effective research and development of automated construction system and robots. It is expected that this system would be able to provide a framework for the successful research, development and implementation of the construction automation and robotics in domestic construction industry

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.429-440
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• 2015

This study was to investigate factors influencing the school adjustment according to gender and body mass index (BMI) of middle school students who participated in the 2nd-wave Korea Children and Youth Panel Study (KCYPS). This study used a crosssectional design with secondary analysis with KCYPS. The variables were parental interest, behavioral problem, aggression, attention problem, somatic symptom, social withdrawal, depression, and academic achievement. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regressions. School adjustment was significantly associated with academic achievement high, explaining 11.3~19.1% of the variance in boys. School adjustment was significantly associated with attention problem, explaining 14.9~42.4% of the variance in girls. Factors influencing school adjustment were significantly different according to gender and BMI. To improve the school adjustment, it is necessary to develop gender-specific school adjustment promotion programs according to BMI.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 1977

This study was carried on between June first and July thirty-first 1976 using as subjects women living in the areas of Pusan, Kyoung Sang Buk Do and Kyoung Sang Nam Do. The subjects were divided into 3 groups according to different environments and styles of life, namely married life, widowhood and religious life and according to ages ranging between 45 and 55. Each of these 3 groups of women of .menopausal age consisted of 50 persons and totalling a group of 150. The subjects were chosen according to random sampling and the Cornell Medical Index was applied to discover physical and mental health status with the following results : 1. The total mean scores for complaints in the group of widows was 46.00, in the group of Married women was 37.10 and in the Sisters was 34.30 showing highest scores for the widows and lowest for the Sisters. 2. The mean score percentages for physical and mental complaints 28.80 and 16.50 respectively for the Widows:27.00 and 10.80 for the Married and 24.30 and 10.20 for the Sisters. 3. The highest number of mean scores for physical items was for digestive system complaints which showed a score of 5.04, 4.78 and 4.90 respectively for Widows, Married women and Sisters among the psychic status items all 3 groups showed highest scores for complaints of inadequacy: 5.52, 3.40 and 3.64 respectively. 4. In comparing the 2 groups of Married women and Widows, the highest significant differences appeared in the items of depression and sensitivity but there was also some significant difference in the items of inadequacy, anger, miscellaneous diseases and genito-urinary system complaints. 5. In comparing the Married women and Religious groups the highest significant differences according from the highest were as follows : cardiovascular system, sensitivity, tension, nervous system, frequent illnesses and anxiety.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.141-150
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• 2014

Objectives The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of attachment security, social support and health-related burden in the prediction of psychological distress and the mediation effects of social support and health-related burden in relationship between attachment security and psychological distress. Methods Finally, 161 patients were included for the analysis. Chi-square test and independent samples t-test were used for comparing differences between depressive/anxious group and non-depressive/non-anxious group. For evaluating the relationship among attachment security, social support, psychological distress and health-related burden, structural equation modeling analysis were performed. Results 40.7% and 32.0% of the patients have significant depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms, respectively. In the analysis for testing the differences between groups who have psychological distress and who have not, there were no significant differences of sociodemographic factors and medical characteristics between groups, except for association between depressive symptoms and type of surgery (p = 0.01). Contrary to sociodemographic and medical characteristics, there were significant differences of health-related burden and two coping resources (attachment security and social support) between groups (all p < 0.01), except for the support from medical team in between anxious group and non-anxious group (p = 0.20). In the structural equation model analysis (Model fit : chi-square/df ratio = 0.8, root mean square error of approximation = 0.000, comparative fit index = 1.000, non-normed fit index =0.991), attachment security and social support emerged as an important predictor of psychopathology. Conclusions Attachment security and social support are important factors affecting the psychological distress. We suggest that individual attachment style and the social support state must be considered to approach the newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with psychological distress.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.130-140
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• 2019

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore levels of suicidal ideation and identify subgroups of high suicidal risk among the depressed elderly in Korea. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted on secondary data from the 6th (1st year) Korean national health and nutrition examination survey (KNHANES). A total of 239 depressed elders aged 60 or over who participated in the KNHANES. The prevalence of suicidal ideation and its related factors, including sociodemographic, physical, psychological characteristics and quality of life (EQ-5D index) were examined. Descriptive statistics and a decision tree analysis were performed using the SPSS/WIN 23.0 and SPSS Modeler 14.2 programs. Results: Of the depressed elderly, 28.9% had suicidal ideation. Three groups with high suicidal ideation were identified. Predictive factors included perceived stress level, household income level, quality of life and restriction of activity. In the highest risk group were those depressed elderly with moderate and low levels of stress, less than .71 of EQ-5D index and restriction of activity, and 80.0% of these participants had suicidal ideation. The accuracy of the model was 80.8%, its sensitivity 85.9%, and its specificity 68.1%. Conclusion: Multi-dimensional intervention should be designed to decrease suicide among the depressed elderly, particularly focusing on subgroups with high risk factors. This research is expected to contribute itself to the policy design and solution building in the future as it suggests policy implications in preventing the suicide of the depressed elderly.