• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.51-60
• /
• 2008

Objectives : We examined the effect of sociodemographic factors, cancer, and psychiatric disorders on suicide by gender and age-specific patterns in South Korea. Methods : The study is a case-control study. Claim data was obtained from the national health insurance database and national death registration database. The number of people who committed suicide was 11,523, which was matched with a control group consisting of ten times as many people at 115,230 selected from the national health insurance and medical aids beneficiaries. The medical utilization of the case group was one year before death and that of the control group was from July 1,2003 to June 30, 2004. Four variables-address, economic status, presence of a psychiatric disease, and cancer-were used in multiple logistic regression analyses. Results : Living in cities or in rural areas showed a greater risk for suicide than living in a metropolitan city. Low economic status, the presence of a psychiatric disorder, and cancer were also statistically meaningful risk factors for suicide. The three major psychiatric diseases, schizophrenia, alcohol abuse, and bipolar disorder, were meaningful in all age groups, but the scale of the odds ratio differed by the age group. Only the psychiatric disorder variable was meaningful in the adolescent group, whereas a psychiatric disorder and economic status were meaningful for the young adult group, and all variables were meaningful for the middle-aged group. A psychiatric disorder and cancer were meaningful in the elderly group, economic status was meaningful for male subjects, and address was meaningful for female subjects. Conclusions : Factors such as living in city or rural areas, low economic status, the presence of a psychiatric disorder, and cancer were statistically meaningful risk factors in suicide. These factors also differed by age group. Therefore, policymakers should establish policies for suicide prevention that are relevant for each age group.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.176-187
• /
• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that influence depression, suicidal thought, and life satisfaction of Korean elders. Method: The subjects for this study were 219 Korean elders living in three different provinces. The data was collected using structured questionnaires from October through December, 2007. Result: There were statistically significant differences in the levels of depression, suicidal thought, and life satisfaction according to age, health state, sleep state, economic state, feeling of loneliness, feeling of abuse, and having friends or neighbors. Suicidal thoughts correlated less with the above factors than depression did. Depression significantly correlated with age, life satisfaction, loneliness and suicidal thought. Suicidal thought was influenced significantly by depression. Life satisfaction was influenced significantly by depression, health state, and economic state. Conclusion: It could be concluded that nursing interventions for reducing depression and suicidal thought should be developed to improve life satisfaction and the health state of Korean elders as well as to relieve their feelings of loneliness.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.409-422
• /
• 2021

The growing use of prescription analgesic opioids has rapidly escalated the treatment of chronic pain since the 1990s; however, it is also highly needed to control opioid-related issues, including opioids misuse, abuse, and addiction. In 2018, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) secretariat administered the survey on opioids use and policies to OECD countries and presented it at the Health Committee meeting of December 2018. This study aimed to review the opioids use in OECD countries and their policies to prevent and reduce associated harms, also seek the available policy lessons from OECD countries. More recently, opioids prescribing rate have been increased 14.7% between 2011-2013 and 2014-2016 and steadily focused on the main substance misused and abused in Korea. In addition, policy efforts have contributed to developing a guideline for prescribing opioids to steer the appropriate use of prescription analgesic opioids since 2000 in Korea, so it is not enough to control opioids compared with other OECD countries. Therefore, taking a people-centered and public health perspective, it will consider the health system policies and interventions at a national level to improve their preparation and approach to control opioid-related issues.

• IE interfaces
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.126-135
• /
• 2005

Since the alcohol involves a wide variety of adverse health and social consequences, there is a strong need for improved estimates on economic costs and benefits of alcohol drinking to reduce the social alcohol abuse and to obtain some useful informations for targeting programs. However, there is no research for the intangible costs and benefits so far that are essential to estimate the real overall costs and benefits incurred by alcohol use. Thus this paper finds out and represents a general model for estimating the intangible costs and benefits by use of alcohol demand curve. The calculated monetary values, as a example, of them in 2002 show as big as 7,900 billion won and 4,200 billion won respectively.

• The Ewha Medical Journal
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.99-103
• /
• 2017

Antimicrobials were one of the great invention of modern era. However, the abuse of antimicrobial both in human and animals has led to a high rate of occurrence of antimicrobial resistant microbes. Disease treatment caused by antimicrobial resistant microbes including superbacteria has emerged as critical issue worldwide. Communication and cooperation among researchers in diverse fields are needed to solve the resistance to antimicrobials. Culture Collection of Antimicrobial Resistant Microbes (CCARM) has taken a leadership role an intermediary among various research fields by providing certified antimicrobial resistant microbes with their information since 1999. CCARM collects antimicrobial resistant microbes from clinical, agricultural animals and products, and environmental fields, and classifies and stores them according to their origins, species and antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. CCARM is performing the roles (collection, deposit, preservation, distribution, service, and consulting) of Biological Resource Center designated by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.131-154
• /
• 2000

This study was conducted to provide basic data for development of public information program and public policy which could prevent the medicine abuse in Korea, examining the level of knowledge of medicine and its related factors. Data were collected from the 2,011 residents who live in mtropolitan cities, large-sized cities, small and medium cities, and small towns The results of this study are summarized as follows. 1) In case of purchasing of medicines in pharmacy, 67.3％ of the respondents chose the medicines through recommendations of the professionals such as pharmacists and doctors, while 32.7％ of the respondents chose the medicine through self-judgement, advertizing, or recommendation of relative. 2) 64.7％ of the respondents obtained the information on medicines through TV. It appeared to be higher in the groups of female of the twenties, the unmarred, a brother and sister threesome, highschool graduates, housewives, residents in small and medium cities, atheists, and the middle class, displaying the significant difference from the other groups. 3) 40.5％ of the respondents recognized the side effect of the medicine when they took the medicine, while 34.4％ did not recognize it. The rate of experience in the side effect was 39.7％. The informations on the medicine abuse and the risk of addiction were obtained through broadcast media (47.9％), publications (12.1％), and health professionals (11.6％). 4) 81.1％ of the respondents experienced taking of the fatigue relieving medicine. The experience in taking of the fatigue relieving medicine appeared to be higher in the groups of the forties. the married. a brother and sister threesome. highschool graduates. persons engaging in farming, livestock raising, and forestry, the residents in small towns, and Christians. Each group displayed the significant difference from the other groups. 5) According to the level of knowledge of medicines, the respondents marked average 11.7 ± 3.76 points on the base of 24 points. It appeared to be higher in the groups of female of the twenties, a brother and sister foursome, college graduates, teachers, Catholics, and the middle class, displays the significant difference from the other groups. 6) According to the experience in taking of health medicine and health food, 81.1％ of respondents had the experience in taking ‘the fatigue relieving medicine’; 72.4％ ‘carrot or vegetable juice’; 69.5％ ‘ginseng’; 63.0％ ‘mushroom’; 42.5％ ‘dog meat’; 38.0％ ‘aloe’; 36.4 ‘deer antlers’; 11.4％ ‘snake’; 2.0％ ‘the penis of a fur seal’. 7) The factors influencing the level of knowledge of medicine include experiences in taking of the tonic, the fatigue relieving medicine, and the nutritive medicine, economic status, the number of brothers and sisters, education level, marital status, father's education level, and age. The factors influencing the experience in side effect of medicine are experiences in taking of the fatigue relieving medicine, the nutritive medicine, and the tonic, sex, age, education level, father's education level, marital status, economic status, religion, and the number of brothers and sisters. In conclusion, it is estimated that the level of knowledge of medicines is significantly low in Korea. Especially, it is found out that workmen, students, the upper class, the class of low education level, and persons engaging in farming, livestock raising, and forestry neglect importance of knowledge of medicine. Therefore, it is necessary for public authority, associations related, and health professionals to develop programs for public information and education to help people obtain basic knowledge of medicine.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.248-256
• /
• 2008

Purpose: The findings of various studies and policy reports on marriage change, international marriage migrant women and its issues are presented in this study. Method: Research objectives were accomplished by conducting a literature review. The main areas of the literature review included married migrant women, its challenges, and current policies for international marriage migrant women. Result: Women migrating through international marriage are known to face various difficulties due to their migration. Some important obstacles women migrants face in the Republic of Korea are cultural differences in daily lifestyle, language, food, health care services, cultural assumptions, gender structure, family relationships, expected roles within family, interpersonal relationships and more. The plights of married migrant women include commercialization of international marriage, false information regarding the spouse, family abuse, insecure nationality, economic difficulty and unemployment, racial prejudice, and cultural maladjustment. Current support policies for migrant women living in Korea are suggested. Conclusion: This study concluded with policy implications and recommendations for future study. In addition, the author suggests the necessity of programs and policies for the improvement of married migrant women's well-being based on women's health and family nursing dimensions.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.107-128
• /
• 2006

The purposes of this study are to explore the consumption expenditure and consumption-cultural meaning in the process of marriage and to provide consumer education programs for premarital couples. For the purpose, this study uses a qualitative analysis including an in-depth interview and a participant observation. Major findings are as follows: Consumers preparing for their marriage experienced quite a different consumption context, which should be said an exceptional practice from the economic point of view. As the agency businesses for marriage becomes one of the fast growing industries, the marriage of Korea is now under the rule of popular consumption culture. Thus, the exceptional consumption abuse during a marriage process brings about the imbalance in consumers' daily life after wedding ceremony. In this point of view, we can see the importance of consumer education programs for the marriage process. The latter half of this study is devoted to propose the desirable model of the consumer education program for premarital couples.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.505-522
• /
• 2007

This study examined the effects of eco-system factors on adolescents' suicidal ideation and whether self-esteem and depression mediate in the process to provide theoretical basis for prevention and treatment for problems of adolescents who have suicidal ideation. 2,088 high school students were asked to complete self-administering questionnaires on eco-system factors and adolescents' suicidal ideation. Data were analyzed with frequencies, t-test, ANOVA with Scheffe ad-hoc test, correlation analysis using SPSS 12.0 program and AMOS 5.0 program. Study results were ; First, adolescents' suicidal ideation showed significant differences according to their gender, socio-economic financial status, family structure, and the type of school they attended. Second, self-esteem and depression were proved to have significant mediating effect. Child abuse victimization, subjective school achievement and influence of media coverage of celebrity suicide were most important variables which influenced adolescents' suicidal ideation. These results reinforce importance of understanding adolescents' suicidal ideation with eco-system perspective. Moreover, prevention programs for adolescents' suicide require differentiated strategies and tactics according to the target group characteristics.

• Korean Parent-Child Health Journal
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.127-137
• /
• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to attempt an accurate understanding of the quality of life for the children and provide basic materials for application to nursing research, intervention and further theoretical development. Method: Data obtained from such research methods as the lexical and literature review were analysed according to Walker and Avant's(1995) process of concept analysis. Results: As a result of analysis, it was found that the attributes of the concept of the quality of life for the children included value/acceptance, family relationship, safety, good relationship with friends, right of children, school life, parent relationship, leisure, economical stability, not child abuse, and health. There was the coexistence between antecedent element and the outcomes of subjective judgement - health, family, economic strength, education, friends, welfare, social-cultural environment which indicates the coexistence of positive and negative emotions. Conclusion: nursing intervention should be provided for children by concentrating focus on the coordination of internal and external situations in order to prompt them to express their life with positive emotions. Experiential reference was used to suit the purpose of this study based on the use of objective and subjective indicators, and the development of the instrument considering the children were proposed because of the absence of the unified measurement instrument.