• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.23.1-23.6
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• 2016

Objectives A stable follow-up participation rate is a very important factor for validity in a cohort study. This study analyzed the factors that affect the participation rate at one hospital-based birth cohort in South Korean. Methods The participants were recruited from the Mothers' and Children's Environmental Health study between 2006 and 2010. The analysis targeted 1751 mothers who participated in a birth cohort. We conducted analyses of general characteristics during pregnancy and those of infants at birth that affect the participation rate of the 6-month follow-up survey. Results The participation rate for the 6-month follow-up survey was 60.4%. The participation rate in the follow-up of the subsequent period decreased within a 5% to 10% range compared to the number of subjects. The participation rate of premature infants was 16.9% lower than that of a full-term infant (52.6% vs. 69.5%). Analysis showed a 16.7% difference between the participation rate of low-birthweight infants in follow-ups (53.7%) and the participation rate of infants with normal weight (70.4%). The participation rate of mothers who were employed during pregnancy was significantly lower for the 6-month follow-up compared to the participation rate of mothers who were unemployed during pregnancy. Conclusions In this study, factors such as premature birth, low-birthweight, and the employment status of the mother during pregnancy affected the participation rate of the follow-up survey for the birth cohort at six months. A specific strategy is needed to encourage survey participation for the high risk groups in the follow-ups.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.29-41
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• 1994

The purposes of this study are (a)to investigate the effect of follow-up on the increase of response rate;(b)to analyze the effect of follow-up on the statistics by predetermined response rates ; therefore, (c)to describe the importance of high response rate and to suggest methods in order to increase response rate in mail survey. Telephone directory of Seoul was utilized as a sampling frame, and modified Total Design Method(TDM) was applied to collect the data. The results are summarized as follows. 1. Final response rate was 76.5% by 2 follow-ups. 2. The first follow-up with telephone call had a significant effect on increase of response rate. As a result, follow-up by postcard in TDM could be omitted in this method. 3. The second follow-up by registered mail did not have a significant effect. Therefore, use of this procedure is depending upon such research situtations as importance of high response rate and cost available. 4. Follow-ups helped to make collected sample highly representative. 5. Most questionnaires were arrived on the first half of data collection period in each follow-up. 6. Most of questionnaires were collected for 10 weeks. Accumulated responses could be fitted by exponential and logistic curve, simultaneously. The fitted curve suggested that eventually limited number of questionnaires by arrived. So, if researchers want higher response rate, they have to conduct more follow-ups. 7. Statistics in the predetermined response rate were not changed significantly. But replications are needed to generalize this result.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.57-66
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• 2008

Follow-up process consists of two steps. First, it monitors whether project proponents comply with reviews made by KEI. The second steps is to survey environmental impacts during and after implementation of the proposed action. The follow-up requires the proper participation of stakeholders: project proponents, compliance monitors, impact monitors, and environmental agencies approving and reviewing said projects. Currently, follow-up process does not work well because each stakeholder does not play his proper role for various reasons such as mutual distrust among stakeholders and problems associated with institutional settings. This study intends to improve effectiveness of follow-up process and, ultimately, to improve quality of EIA in Korea by devising a follow-up system that delineates clear roles and build a strong network among stakeholders. In order to do so, the study identifies current problems associated with follow-up process and examines basic concepts and procedures involved in it. Secondly, it analyzes relational dynamics among stakeholders to identify what's behind the current mutual distrust. Third, it proposes a way to delineate clear roles to each stakeholder so that follow-up process runs efficient as an organic network.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was conducted to estimate the relationship between health behavior and follow-up needed for results of health examinations. Methods: The participants were 2,245 adults over age 19. Data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey VI-1 was used. Health behavior was defined as smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, hours of sleep and BMI. Those who needed follow-up care after a health examination were defined as having abnormal blood pressure, abnormal blood sugar, or abnormal blood cholesterol. Results: The proportion needing follow-up was 77.4%. The odds ratio (95%CI) for needing follow-up for blood pressure for men was 1.59 (1.18-2.15) with excessive alcohol consumption over one month, and 2.33 (1.73-3.13) with obesity, and for women, 3.55 (2.66-4.74) with obesity. For blood sugar in men it was 1.59 (1.18-2.15) with excessive alcohol consumption and 2.33 (1.73-3.13) with obesity, and for women, 3.55 (2.66-4.74) with obesity. For low HDL-C in men it was 0.53 (00.40-0.72) with excessive alcohol consumption and 2.39 (1.81-3.15) with obesity, and in women, 0.73 (0.57-0.94) with excessive alcohol consumption and 1.66 (1.29-2.14) with obesity. For high triglycerides it was 2.37 (1.42-2.39) with smoking and 2.34 (1.70-3.22) with obesity in men and in women, 1.51 (1.05-2.16) with obesity. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that obesity is associated with high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low HDL-C, and high triglycerides.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.493-501
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to evaluate weight control program provided by university health care center for female college students. The program was 8-week long and composed of diet, exercise, and behavioral modification. Evaluation was made on the completion of 8-week program and a follow-up survey was done at 3-24 months after the end of program by telephone or bye-mail. Total of 76 women completed the 8-week program and 51 for follow-up survey. On the completion of 8-week program, significant decreases in body weight, BMI, body fat (kg), ％ body fat, and WHR were resulted, however, no change in muscle mass was found. Even the subjects without weight change showed significant reduction in body fat (kg) and ％ body fat. Total food intake was decreased resulting in reduced intakes of most nutrients. Meal distribution of energy was changed; ％energy from snack decreased from 22％ to 14％, and proportion for breakfast increased. Blood values of hemoglobin, hematocrit, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride were within normal range, and no changes were observed by this program. The follow-up survey revealed that 88.3％ of the subjects continued to lose weight after completion of the program, while only 7.8％ gained weight. And 78.4％ of the subjects considered the program effective. In conclusion, the weight reducing regime with education is effective for long lasting weight control and health conscious behavior for female college student. Since the subjects reduced the size of meal, instead of cutting only calories down, food selection to meet all the nutrient requirements except energy should be emphasized.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.36.2-36.2
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• 2017

Massive stars (${\geq}8M_{\odot}$) are believed to experience core-collapse and finish their lives as supernova (SN) explosions. Astronomers operating the current SN survey facilities try to catch the first moments of SN explosions. Since neutrinos are emitted first from the SNe before the electromagnetic lights, any neutrino detections from more than two sites within around 10 seconds could be useful alert for early follow-up observations, especially for optical SN follow-up telescopes. In this talk, I will brief the current SN follow-up observation projects, what they want to find out and contribute to SN sciences. Focus will be on the early detection and early sciences on SNe, which is what the Korean Neutrino Telescope can contribute most importantly.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.195-213
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• 2006

Follow-up surveys with 700 smoking male adults and 300 nonsmoking male adults were performed before 20-days and after one month, three months and six months since government's price increase enforcement. 572 smokers among 700 and 198 non-smokers among 300 were remained and followed up till the end of the surveys. The cessation rate of smokers are 6.6%(after one month), 10.3%(after three months) and 11.0%(after six months). Smoking cessation ratio of new smoking quilters who considered that price increase as a motive of their giving-up smoking are 76.3%, 81.3% and 65.1%. The smokers estimates of short-run price elasticities from follow-up surveys are -0.6853, -0.6230 and -0.5482 at each survey period. Including non-smokers, estimates of short-run price elasticities from follow-up surveys are -0.3920, -0.3739 and -0.3481 at each survey period. The effect of demand decrease caused by KR\500 price increase stayed with little difference for six months because price elasticities between each survey period showed no much change. Effectiveness and validity of tobacco control by price increase was confirmed through the survey results. Therefore if the government want to attain long term strategic goal to decrease general smoking rate among male adult smokers by 30%, the strong smoking prohibition policy, just like the price increase of December 2004, should be continuously driven.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.93-107
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to verify the effectiveness of sociodrama on adolescents who are maladjusted in school. For this study, nine adolescents were selected from a middle school located in Seoul. The Inventory of School adjustment by Bae Sook-Jin, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory(BDHI) and Impulsivity Test by Eysenck were administered. The experiment group acted out a sociodrama twelve times. The first follow-up test was conducted twelve weeks after the pre-test. The second follow-up test was conducted six weeks after first follow-up test. Each time the adolescents acted out a sociodrama their behavior was recorded by a video- camera and then documented by research assistants. Also in order to discover any changes in daily life after sociodrama, an interview survey were done with the adolescents' teachers. The findings were as follows. First, in the initial follow-up test degree of school-maladjustment was less than in the pre-test. Further decreases in the level of maladjustment were noted in the subsequent follow-ups. Therefore, it can be concluded that the performance of sociodramas can reduce school-maladjustment among adolescents and that this reduced level is maintained. Second, the level of hostility discovered in the first follow-up test was less than that in the pre-test, and this level continued to decrease in the following follow-ups. Therefore, we may conclude that sociodrama that reduces adolescent hostility and the reduced levels continue. Finally, the degree of impulse detected in the first follow-up was, once again, less than that of the pre-test, And, as in the other cases, there was a continued decrease in this level. We may therefore conclude that sociodrama does reduce the impulse of adolescents and that this reduction is maintained. This study indicates that sociodrama is an effective method to improve the psychological characters of adolescents who are maladjusted in school. Given the above, a follow up study is suggested.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.30-39
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• 2000

Coronary intervention is now a well established method for the treatment of coronary artery disease. Coronary restenosis is one of the major limitations after coronary intervention. So medical teams advise the patients to get the follow-up coronary angiogram in 6 months after coronary intervention to know if the coronary artery stenosis recurs or not. This study was done in order to know how many patients complied with the advice, and to identify the relative factors to the compliance with getting the follow-up coronary angiogram. The subjects were 101 patients (male: 58 female: 22, mean age: $61{\pm}15$), who received coronary interventions from Jan. 1st to Mar. 31st 1997, and their data were collected from them by questionnaires one year after intervention. The questionnaires consisted of family support scale, self efficacy scale and compliance with sick role behavior scale. The result may be summarized as follows. 1. The number of patients who complied with getting the follow-up coronary angiogram were 37 people(36.6%) and did not comply with it were 64 people(63.4%). All scores of family support(t=5.56, p<.0001), self efficacy (t=4.13, p<.0001) and compliance with sick role behavior(t=5.66, p<.0001) were significantly higher in the patients who got the follow-up coronary angiogram than in those who did not get it. But there was not any relative factor in demographic variables (p>.05). 2. The major motivations for getting follow-up coronary angiogram were recurrence of subjective symptom(40.5%), the advice of medical team(32.4%), and fear of recurrence (27.1%). The restenosis rate in patients who got the follow-up coronary angiogram was 37.8%. 3. The restenosis rate was higher in the patients who had subjective symptoms than in those who did not have any subjective symptom. So subjective symptom and restenosis rate showed a high positive correlation(r=39.9, p<.001). However, 27.2% of the patients who did not have any subjective symptom showed coronary restenosis. 4. The reasons why they did not get the follow-up coronary angiogram were economic burden(37.5%), improved symptom(34.4%), busy life schedule(10.9%), fear of invasive procedure(9.4%), negative reaction of family member(3.1%), no helper for patient(3.1%) and worry about medical team's mistake (1.6%). The relative fators on compliance with getting the follow-up coronary angiogram after coronary intervention were family support, self-efficacy and Compliance with sick role behavior. And the most important reason why the patients did not get the follow-up coronary angiogram after coronary intervention was an economic burden.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.261-266
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• 2009

Objectives : The aim of this study is to examine the cognitive function change related to aging, the incidence of cognitive impairment, and the association between apolipoprotein E polymorphism and cognitive impairment through a follow-up of the elderly with normal cognitive ability at baseline. Methods : Two hundred and fifteen subjects aged 65 and over were surveyed in February, 1998 (baseline survey), and their cognitive function was assessed again in 2003 1st follow-up) and the once again in 2006 (2nd follow-up). Ninety one subjects completed all surveys up through the 2nd follow-up and their cognitive function scores using MMSE-K (Korean Version of the Mini-Mental State Examination) and the distribution of apolipoprotein E allele were analyzed. Results : The cognitive function scores decreased with aging and the difference between baseline and the 2nd follow-up scores of the study increased with the age group. The incidence rate of cognitive impairment through an 8-year follow-up was 38.5% and higher in older age groups. Age was the only significant factor for incidence of cognitive impairment, but there was no significant association between apolipoprotein E genotype and incidence of cognitive impairment. Conclusions : The cognition of the elderly decreased with aging and the association of apolipoprotein E genotype with incidence of cognitive impairment was not significant in this study. To confirm the association between apolipoprotein E polymorphism and incidence of cognitive impairment further studies will be needed.