• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
• /
• v.49 no.6
• /
• pp.897-916
• /
• 2014

There is a considerable community between Eight Constitution Medicine and disease ecology in that they examine the relationship between humans and environment in terms of genetic, environmental and cultural factors, in addition to the factor of germs. In this respect, the purpose of this research aims to investigate the community between Eight Constitution Medicine, a branch of Eastern Medicine and disease ecology in geography. The research method is to analyse the clinical results from 647 patients and the data from a field survey on the Yeonggwang-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province. The results are summarized as the following: First, geographical distribution of patients varies depending on the type of physical constitution; it is also divided into two types, an oceanic type and an inland type. Second, it is highly probable that there is a significant relation between a vulnerable disease in association with a type of physical constitution and patient's native place; there are diseases that are not associated with all the patients who have the same constitution; they might be incurred by the eating or life habits in association with the characteristics of geographical environment. Third, the case study of Yeonggwang-gun County, Jeollanam-do Province, with a focus on the mutual relationship among the three factors. shows that patients, who share in common the eating or life habits that coincide with their own personal types of constitution, maintain a good health condition; if not, they tend to be exposed to a various kinds of disease. Because the study on the community between Eight Constitution Medicine and disease ecology is now at the early stage, diverse types of approaches should be tried to be applied in the future.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.15-32
• /
• 2013

Few public health researchers have paid research attention to the location of medical institutions in Korea. Previous studies were published in geography journals, and relied on limited data in terms of geographic regions and the type of medical institutions. This study utilized nationwide data covering 8 types of medical institutions. We obtained data from Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service and National Population and Housing Census. The correlation coefficients of resident, daytime, university-graduate population, and the population of different age groups (fewer than 15, 15~64, 65 or more) were compared to understand their relative association with the location of medical institutions. Medical clinic, dental clinic, oriental medical clinic, and pharmacy, all of which are almost completely operated by private sector, showed strong positive correlation with population. Hospital-level medical institutions, which are operated by both public and private sector, had moderate positive correlation. Daytime population and university-graduate population, rather than resident population, were more correlated with the location of medical clinics. The correlation coefficients of the population of 15~64 age group and the location of medical institutions were greater than that of other age groups. The results showed that daytime and university-graduate population are more important than resident population to explain the location of medicalrelated facilities. The results also suggests that the population of age groups (especially, 15~64) might be one of important influence factors in the location of medical institutions.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• v.29
• /
• pp.12.1-12.8
• /
• 2014

Objectives Cohort studies of associations between air pollution and health have used exposure prediction approaches to estimate individual-level concentrations. A common prediction method used in Korean cohort studies is ordinary kriging. In this study, performance of ordinary kriging models for long-term particulate matter less than or equal to $10{\mu}m$ in diameter ($PM_{10}$) concentrations in seven major Korean cities was investigated with a focus on spatial prediction ability. Methods We obtained hourly $PM_{10}$ data for 2010 at 226 urban-ambient monitoring sites in South Korea and computed annual average $PM_{10}$ concentrations at each site. Given the annual averages, we developed ordinary kriging prediction models for each of the seven major cities and for the entire country by using an exponential covariance reference model and a maximum likelihood estimation method. For model evaluation, cross-validation was performed and mean square error and R-squared ($R^2$) statistics were computed. Results Mean annual average $PM_{10}$ concentrations in the seven major cities ranged between 45.5 and $66.0{\mu}g/m^3$ (standard deviation=2.40 and $9.51{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively). Cross-validated $R^2$ values in Seoul and Busan were 0.31 and 0.23, respectively, whereas the other five cities had $R^2$ values of zero. The national model produced a higher cross-validated $R^2$ (0.36) than those for the city-specific models. Conclusions In general, the ordinary kriging models performed poorly for the seven major cities and the entire country of South Korea, but the model performance was better in the national model. To improve model performance, future studies should examine different prediction approaches that incorporate $PM_{10}$ source characteristics.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.50 no.2
• /
• pp.100-126
• /
• 2017

Objectives: The aim of this study was to measure income differences in smoking prevalence at the district level and to investigate correlations among area deprivation, smoking prevalence, and income differences in smoking prevalence, stratified by urbanity. Methods: Data were pooled from the Community Health Survey data of South Korea between 2008 and 2014. The age-standardized prevalence of smoking and its interquintile income differences were calculated. We conducted correlation analyses to investigate the association of the deprivation index with smoking prevalence and interquintile differences in smoking prevalence. Results: Across 245 districts, the median prevalence of smoking in men was 45.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 43.4 to 48.5%), with an interquartile range (IQR) of 4.6% points. In women, the median prevalence was 3.0% (95% CI, 2.4 to 3.6%) and IQR was 1.6% points. The median interquintile difference in smoking prevalence was 7.4% points (95% CI, 1.6 to 13.2% points) in men and 2.7% points (95% CI, 0.5 to 4.9% points) in women. The correlation coefficients for the association between the deprivation index and smoking prevalence was 0.58, 0.15, -0.22 in metropolitan, urban, and rural areas, respectively, among men, and 0.54, -0.33, -0.43 among women. No meaningful correlation was found between area deprivation and interquintile difference in smoking prevalence. The correlation between smoking prevalence and interquintile difference in smoking prevalence was more evident in women than in men. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of geographical variations in smoking prevalence and interquintile difference in smoking prevalence. Neither smoking prevalence nor the deprivation index was closely correlated with interquintile income difference in smoking prevalence. Measuring inequalities in smoking prevalence is crucial to developing policies aimed at reducing inequalities in smoking.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.51-65
• /
• 2003

Objectives： To examine the regional mortality differences in The Republic of Korea according to geographic location. Methods： All 232 administrative districts of the Republic of Korea in 1998 were studied according to their geographic locations by dividing each district into three categories； "metropolis," "urban," and "rural". Crude mortality rates for doth sexes from total deaths as well as the three major causes of death in Korea (cardiovascular disease, cancer, and external causes) were calculated with raw data from the "1998 report on the causes of death statistics" and resident registration data. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated using the indirect standardization method. Poisson regression analyses were performed to examine the effects of geographic locations on the risk of death. To correct for the socioeconomic differences of each region, the percentage of old ($\geq$ 65 years old) population, the number of privately owned cars per 100 population, and per capita manufacturing production industries were included in the model. Results： Most SMRs were the lowest in the metropolis and the highest in the rural areas. These differences were more prominent in men and in deaths from external causes. In deaths from cancer in women, the rural region showed the lowest SMR. In Poisson regression analysis after correcting for regional socioeconomic differences, the risk of death from all causes significantly increased in both urban (OR＝1.111) and rural (OR＝1.100) regions, except for rural women, compared to the metropolis region. In men, the rural region showed higher risk (OR＝1.180) than the urban region (OR＝1.l51). For cardiovascular disease and cancer, significant differences were not found between geographic locations, except in urban women for cardiovascular disease (OR＝1.151) and in rural women for cancer (OR＝0.887), compared to metropolis women. In deaths from external causes, the risk ratios significantly increased in both urban and rural regions and an increasing tendency from the metropolis to the rural region was clearly observed in both sexes. Conclusions： Regional mortality differences according to geographic location exist in The Republic of Korea and further research and policy approaches to reduce these differences are needed. to reduce these differences are needed.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.16-38
• /
• 1994

The spatial structure of Korea has been changed drastically during the second half of this century. The events such as the Korean War and the resultant division of the Korean Peninsular into two Koreas, rapid industrialization and urbanization are the major causes among others for the spatial changes of the nation. The changes in turn have spawned a number of spatial problems. It is time, we argue, to diagnose how much the nation is now ill-structured, and to discuss of which directions the long-term spatial management be reoriented. A delphi survey was conducted during the early 1993 to fulfill such research needs. Questionnaires were distributed among geographers, planners, and high governmental officials throughout the nation. These 'experts of spatial problems' were requested to evaluate the past spatial policies and strategies, and to identify spatial and environmental problems at the national, regional and local levels. The survey included questions with regard to the spatial problems in North Korea too. A complementary literature survey in the fields of spatial sciences was accomplished as well in order to identify the major research interests and issues with regard to the nations's spatial structure. The delphi survey results indicatee that the present spatial structure: in relation to consumption, housing and economic activities is satisfactory in overall, while rather poor in terms of education, leisure and community activities. Most of the experts consider infrastructural improvements are urgent in the areas of roads, waste disposal facilitles, railroads, harbors, water supply and drainage systems. The over-concentration of economic, social and political function in the Seoul Metropolitan Region is perceived to be the most serious spatial problem in Korea. The long-term solutions suggested are strategies toward a more balanced regional development as well as toward a cleaner environment. The concensus among the experts for the short-term solution is the redistribution of population and industries from the Seoul Metropolitan Region to the intermediate and small cities. The land use policies and concurrent large-scale infrastructural projects are evaluated largely pertinent and desirable in general. It is, however, suggested that development projects be conducted in a more harmonious way with environment. The survey respondents suggest that the present environmental management policies should be reexamined critically. With regard to regional and local problems, transportation and pollutions are thought to be most serious in the Seoul Metropolitan Region, while employment opportunities, and information, education and health care services are most deprived in small cities and rural areas. The majority of the experts consider a city size of 250, 000-500, 000 population is desirable to live within. Respondents beileve that North Korea's physical environment is still not aggravated much whereas its infrastructural provisions are largely pool. The co-authors of this research figure a "environmentaly sound and spatially balanced Korean Penninsular" as the ideal type of spatial structure in Korea. The basic guidelines toward this ideal prototype are suggested: the recovery of spetial integrity, progressive restructuring of the nation, land uses geared to public welfare rather than private interests, and eco-humanistic approach in spatial policies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.18
• /
• pp.7625-7628
• /
• 2014

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. The primary aim of this work was to provide an in-depth evaluation of research publications in the field of diets and breast cancer. The impact of economic outcome on national academic productivity was also investigated. Data were retrieved using Pubmed for English-language publications. The search included all research for which articles included words relating to "diets and breast cancer". Population and national income data were obtained from publicly available databases. Impact factors for journals were obtained from Journal Citation Reports$^{(R)}$ (Thomson Scientific). There were 2,396 publications from 60 countries in 384 journals with an impact factor. Among them, 1,652 (68.94%) publications were Original articles. The United States had the highest quantity (51% of total) and highest of mean impact factor (8.852) for publication. Sweden had the highest productivity of publication when adjusted for number of population (6 publications per million population). Publications from the Asian nation increased from 5.3% in 2006 to 14.6% in 2012. The Original article type was also associated with geography (p<0.001; OR=2.183; 95%CI=1.526-3.123), Asian countries produced more proportion of Original articles (82%) than those of rest of the world (67.6%). Diets and breast cancer-associated research output continues to increase annually worldwide including publications from Asian countries. Although the United States produced the most publications, European nations per capita were higher in publication output.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.283-290
• /
• 2005

Objectives : The aim of this paper was to examine the relationship between the summertime (June to August) heat index, which quantifies the bioclimatic apparent temperature in sultry weather, and the daily disease-related mortality in Seoul for the period from 1991 to 2000. Methods : The daily maximum (or minimum) summertime heat indices, which show synergetic apparent temperatures, were calculated from the six hourly temperatures and real time humidity data for Seoul from 1991 to 2000. The disease-related daily mortality was extracted with respect to types of disease, age and sex, etc. and compared with the time series of the daily heat indices. Results : The summertime mortality in 1994 exceeded the normal by 626 persons. Specifically, blood circulation-related and cancer-related mortalities increased in 1994 by 29.7% (224 persons) and 15.4% (107 persons), respectively, compared with those in 1993. Elderly persons, those above 65 years, were shown to be highly susceptible to strong heat waves, whereas the other age and sex-based groups showed no significant difference in mortality. In particular, a heat wave episode on the 22nd of July 2004 ($>45^{\circ}C$ daily heat index) resulted in double the normal number of mortalities after a lag time of 3 days. Specifically, blood circulation-related mortalities, such as cerebral infraction, were predominant causes. Overall, a critical mortality threshold was reached when the heat index exceeded approximately $37^{\circ}C$, which corresponds to human body temperature. A linear regression model based on the heat indices above $37^{\circ}C$, with a 3 day lag time, accounted for 63% of the abnormally increased mortality (${\geq}+2$ standard deviations). Conclusions : This study revealed that elderly persons, those over 65 years old, are more vulnerable to mortality due to abnormal heat waves in Seoul, Korea. When the daily maximum heat index exceeds approximately $37^{\circ}C$, blood circulation-related mortality significantly increases. A linear regression model, with respect to lag-time, showed that the heat index based on a human model is a more dependable indicator for the prediction of hot weather-related mortality than the ambient air temperature.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.289-309
• /
• 2023

While South Korea's universal healthcare system has garnered attention in public health, the issue of inequality in healthcare service provision among different age groups has incessantly become a significant concern. The focus of this concern is primarily on essential healthcare services, encompassing fundamental aspects of healthcare such as internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatric and adolescent care. This inequality is not limited to differences among age groups (both junior and senior demographics) but also extends to potential disparities in healthcare services based on geographic location, particularly in urban and rural contexts. This paper aims to investigate disparities in primary healthcare service resources in South Korea's evolving economic landscape between 1995 and 2021. We utilize a set of inequality indices with a spatial perspective through geographic cluster analysis. The findings reveal that concerns about inequality have been amplified during various economic events, including the IMF crisis in 1999, the global financial crisis in 2008, and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. These years are identified as significant phases that have contributed to manifesting spatial disparities in primary healthcare provisions, with a particular emphasis on the senior-aged population rather than junior or all population groups. Our findings underscore the pressing need to address the unequal distribution of essential healthcare resources as part of preparedness for potential economic impacts, requiring a comprehensive consideration of the interconnected nature of demographic and spatial dimensions in healthcare services.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.359-365
• /
• 2005

Objectives : An abrupt economic decline may widen the socioeconomic differences in health between the advantaged and disadvantaged in a society. The aim of this study was to examine whether the South Korean economic crisis of 1997-98 affected the socioeconomic inequality from all-causes and from cause-specific mortality between 1995 and 2001. Methods : Population denominators were obtained from the registration population data, with the number of death (numerators) calculated from raw death certificate data. The indicator used to assess the geographic socioeconomic position was the per capita regional tax revenue. Administrative districts (Si-Gun-Gu) were ranked according to this socioeconomic measure, and divided into equal population size quintiles on the basis of this ranking. The sex- and 5-year age-specific numbers of the population and deaths were used to compute the sex- and age-adjusted mortality rates (via direct standardization method), standardized mortality ratios (via indirect standardization methods) and relative indices of inequality (RII) (via Poisson regression). Results : Geographic inequalities from all-causes of mortality, as measured by RII, did not increase as a result of the economic crisis (from 1998-2001). This was true for both sexes and all age groups. However, the cause-specific analyses showed that socioeconomic inequalities in mortalities from external causes were affected by South Korean economic crisis. For males, the RIIs for mortalities from transport accidents and intentional self-harm increased between 1995 and 2001. For females, the RII for mortality from intentional self-harm increased during the same period. Conclusions : The South Korean economic crisis widened the geographic inequality in mortalities from major external causes. This increased inequality requires social discourse and counter policies with respect to the rising health inequalities in the South Korean society.