• Korea journal of population studies
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.167-187
• /
• 2000

The rates and numbers of elderly suicide in Korea have been increased during 1985-1998. This indicates the seriousness of the problems which the elderly are faced with. So many late-life problems may push older people across the edges. Those in unbearable situations may call out fur helps, they may try to cope with various ways, or they may commit suicides. Because it is widely believed that suicide among the elderly can be understood as a personal solution or alternative to late-life problems in old age, the elderly\`s suicides seem to be an appropriate indicator in estimating seriousness of late-life problems. A comparison of the history of suicide research with other populations shows that the several late-life problems have been found with placing an individual elder at risks for increasing suicidal behaviors Research has identified such problems as financial insecurity, retirement, loss of social roles, physical illness, lack of social supports, and loneliness as the problems that increase the incidence of suicidal behavior. Though it is difficult far us to explain and understand the phenomenon of the elderly\`s suicide because of its complexity, we need to ascertain problems and social conditions behind suicides and also to prepare for some appropriate policy-tasks in light of social welfare for the aged, through examining the phenomenon. For explaining the elderly\`s suicide, the theoretical orientations are based on sociological perspectives in the paper. From the standpoints of social integration theory and exchange theory, this study is to examine the relationship between late-life problems and suicide. These two may have been fruitfully employed in conjunction with each other. Finally, this study would identify urgent late-life problems related with the elderly\`s suicide and suggest the relevant policies for Korean elders. Sometime in the near future, the government should be required to provide social welfare programs for the elderly, particularly for those at risk for increasing suicidal behaviors.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.177-184
• /
• 2016

Solutions to improve collaborative energy-saving programs were developed as follow; First, the scoring for the selection of the programs between KEMCO and the NGOs' Energy Network needs to be adjusted. Second, solutions were proposed to diversify the network selected to participate in programs and to tighten the network among the participating citizens. Third, improving the compatibility with the targets that are set for the program and raising the program budget was proposed. Fourth, ideas to introduce the final evaluation guidelines for the programs by the network, to improve the convenience of the program procedures. Fifth, developing a manual to inspect energy-saving measures in households, counseling for at-home energy-saving behaviors, sharing search programs such as financial support and home repair, introducing a program energy-saving APPs.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
• /
• v.44 no.8
• /
• pp.47-61
• /
• 2006

The study analyzed the characteristics of the daily life and the living arrangements use of the elderly with literature review after the modernization period based on the daily life perspectives. The changes in the ideology, social system, and family system, which influenced the society and families, also affected the status of the elderly and their daily lives. Consequently, they had been facing conflicts, acceptance, and internal differentiations. The characteristics of the changes in the daily lives of the elderly in different periods were as follows. The contents were written from three different perspectives, phenomenological, symbolic interaction, and Marxist. During the modernization period, the family system and the hierarchy within a family had been reformed. However, the elderly were still considered as the symbolic leader and the respected figure of the family. From a phenomenological perspective, elderlies teach the next generations and influence the family's lives. On the other hand, from a perspective of symbolic interactions, spatial adjustment behaviors toward the largest room between the elderly and the next generation were detected. The actual authority was given to the next generation. However, the elderly were still treated as the symbolic authority. Yet, as the society became more industrialized, conflicts aroused about the support of the elderly. Those, who were neglected from the family, even spent their daily time at the elderly center or the community center. The daily lives from the Marxist perspectives suggested that modernization caused the young generations, who were well-educated and had financial powers, to have initiatives. The role of the elderly was reduced and they became negligible people, who spend meaningless daily lives. The interested the Third Ages is a new perspective on the elderly, who were neglected from the industrialized society. From a phenomenological perspective, the Third Ages are the generations that seek and demand for new housing.

• Health Policy and Management
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.112-123
• /
• 2013

Background: Under the risk of financial sustainability of National Health Insurance, Korean government attempted a series of regulations over pharmaceutical prices. The first price-cut was implemented to the hyperlipidemial treatments, and the prices of statins were reduced on 15th, April in 2009. The purposes of this study are 1) to investigate the impact of this price-cut on pharmaceutical expenditure, and 2) to identify the factors associated with drug-switch among statins. Methods: Using the national patients sample data, this study conducted time series analysis on the expenditures, prices, and volumes of statin drugs. To understand the factors associated with drug-switch, the multinomial logit model was analyzed at the patients level. Results: The results of time series analysis demonstrated that the price-cut of hyperlipidemic medicines did not lead to the reduced expenditure, suggesting the increased volume was the major cause. The multinomial logit analysis identified the switch of healthcare provider as the significant factor that was highly associated with drug-switch, implying the physicians' preference was the major motivation of drug-switch. Conclusion: Without control of utilization, price regulation itself could not reduce pharmaceutical expenditure. This suggests that the pharmaceutical regulations should be implemented on the basis of understanding of provider behaviors. The findings of this study will form the first step for further empirical studies.

• Korea journal of population studies
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.215-240
• /
• 2006

The purposes of this study is to explore the effect of parents' related variables, children related variables and the familism related variable on the two types of filial piety behaviors, which are the traditional familism type of filial piety and the individualistic type of filial piety. The former is measured by the coresidence with parents, financial support to parents, while the latter is measured by visiting to parents' house and phone calling on parents. The data used in this study are "the national survey for filial piety consciousness" administered by Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation, the 598 married children are analysed. The key findings are followings. The first one is that the attributes related our traditional familism are still the important factors affecting on both the familism type of filial piety and individualistic types of filial piety. The second is that the children who fulfill the traditional familism type of filial piety also do well the individualistic type of filial piety.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.12
• /
• pp.5063-5069
• /
• 2014

Background: Cancer is a disease which affects not only patients but also their families physically and emotionally. The purpose of this study was to determine the needs, challenges and ways of coping of caregivers of cancer patients. Materials and Methods: In the study, a phenomenological approach was used. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews. The study sample comprised 16 family members providing care for a cancer patient. Results: The study findings are grouped under four main themes: the impact of caregiving, masking feelings, experienced challenges and expectations, and coping. During the caregiving process, patient relatives are affected physiologically, psychologically and socially. It was determined that patient relatives hid their feelings and avoided talking about the disease for fear that they might upset the patient, and that they had difficulty in coping with the patient's reactions during the treatment process. Family members had difficulties arising from the health system, hospital conditions and treatment in addition to transportation and financial problems. Support is very important in coping, but it was determined that some of the relatives of patients did not receive adequate support. Patient relatives expect that health care professionals should provide them with more information about their patient's condition and the course of the disease that their patients should be dealt with by the physicians specialized in cancer, and that psychological support should be provided both for them and for their patient. Conclusions: During the caregiving process, family members are faced with many difficulties and they exhibit different coping behaviors which health care professionals should take into account.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.256-268
• /
• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to explore ecological factors and strategies for childhood obesity prevention targeting vulnerable children using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodology. Methods: The CBPR was conducted by following basic process steps. Participants were 12 community stakeholders such as community child center directors (n=4), vulnerable children's mothers (n=3), community health center officials (n=2), and lay health advisors (n=4); they were purposively sampled from K municipal county in Seoul, South Korea. The qualitative content analysis was performed to explore main themes of the ecological factors and strategies by using data obtained from 5 times of focus group interview. Results: Twelve ecological factors associated with childhood obesity prevention were identified: Intrapersonal factors including emotional overeating; interpersonal factors including permissive parenting style of children's eating behaviors; organizational factors including social workers' less educational opportunities; and community/policy factors including less government financial support. Four ecological strategies for childhood obesity prevention were addressed: Developing obesity prevention programs targeting vulnerable children' lifestyles; promoting parents' active participation in education; building healthy meal service environments through empowering social workers; and building supportive community environment and securing community resources for child obesity prevention. Conclusion: Our findings may be informative in terms of providing a comprehensive understanding of multi-level ecological barriers against vulnerable children' obesity prevention and, moreover, guiding multi-level strategies for preventing childhood obesity targeting children enrolled in community child centers.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
• /
• v.11 no.6
• /
• pp.54-64
• /
• 2010

A firm decides to go to the project based on its investment analysis. However, the cash flows generated from the real project can not be always coincident with what expected as it follows uncertain behavior and the asymmetric payoff caused by the managerial flexibilities involved in the real asset affects the project value. Amongst various managerial flexibilities entailed in most of the real assets, although investment delay has been known to enhance the project value thanks to its ability to provide new market information to management, the related research to select the time to invest have been just few. Therefore, this research aims to show the theoretical framework to decide when to invest reflecting the behaviors of increasing project value and loss recovery cost due to investment delay with option pricing, related financial economic, and variational theories.

• Hwankyungkyoyuk
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.39-50
• /
• 2003

Secondary school environmental education is offered mostly in extra-curricular activities, not included in the school curriculum. Therefore, drawing out its curriculum has been left to teachers' discretion. Teachers' beliefs in EE have much more influence on the selection of content of EE than any other psychological factors. It follows that the reality of school EE depends on what teachers believes about EE and which content of EE they select according to their beliefs. This study is to research the realities of the secondary school EE: examine teachers' beliefs about EE and analyse environmental views in their environment-related programs; examine whether teachers' programs reflect their beliefs and environmental views; identify the factors which teachers inhibit teachers from their expression of these beliefs. To identify what perspective was reflected to these programs, this study employs environmentalism. Environmentalism can be classified into 3 categories: environmental management; deep ecology; social ecology. Data were gathered by means of in-depth interviews with five teachers. To show teachers' beliefs clearly, the analysis of the data was conducted on the basis of 5 categories: 'ecological sensitivity', 'value education', 'behaviors', 'issues', 'perception of a cause of environmental problems, related to social structures'. These belifs reflect deep ecological perspective and social ecology. But these perspectives did not accord with those in programs. Most EE programs included only the deep ecological perspective. They didn't reflect their beliefs that students should perceive the cause of environmental problems in the social structure. The factors which teachers find as inhibiting or supporting their expression of these beliefs were analysed as following: (1) EE requests the change of curriculum and methods of instruction; (2) teachers should acquire 'environmental consciousness' and environmentrelated knowledge; (3) programs requests an administrative and financial support.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.19-29
• /
• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to investigate the related factors to dental care utilization, oral health behaviors, and oral health status in immigrant workers in Korea. Methods: The subjects were 504 foreign immigrant male workers over 20 years old who visited Daegu labor consultation center for oral health survey and oral examination. The questionnaire included 5 questions of socioeconomic characteristics, 8 questions of oral health practice behavior, 6 questions of dental clinic visit, 8 questions of social relations and Korean language proficiency. The question for health behavior was measure by body mass index(BMI). Social relations and Korean language proficiency instrument was modified by Seol from "Family welfare survey in Korean international marriage" and scored by Liker 5 scale. Results: The oral health examination of the immigrant workers was as follows: decayed teeth - 76.6%, filling teeth - 27.4%, missing teeth - 69.8%, dental caries experience above five or more - 60.2%, periodontal pocket tissues - 58.9%. Simplified Oral Hygiene Index was very poor and accounted for 49.0%. Dental care utilization experience was closely associated with social relation indexes including attendance in family events, household stuff help, financial help and counseling for hard work(p<0.01). Dental care utilization experience proportionally increased with proficiency in Korean literacy including speaking, listening, and writing abilities of Korean language(p<0.01). Conclusions: In order to improve the oral health condition of the immigrant workers, it is important to provide social network, Korean language proficiency support, and health insurance coverage through economic burden reduction by the Korean government.