• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.2059-2065
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• 2013

This goal of this research was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP) for breast cancer in the Republic of Korea from a government expenditure perspective. In 2002-2003 (baseline), a total of 8,724,860 women aged 40 years or over were invited to attend breast cancer screening by the NCSP. Those who attended were identified using the NCSP database, and women were divided into two groups, women who attended screening at baseline (screened group) and those who did not (non-screened group). Breast cancer diagnosis in both groups at baseline, and during 5-year follow-up was identified using the Korean Central Cancer Registry. The effectiveness of the NCSP for breast cancer was estimated by comparing 5-year survival and life years saved (LYS) between the screened and the unscreened groups, measured using mortality data from the Korean National Health Insurance Corporation and the National Health Statistical Office. Direct screening costs, indirect screening costs, and productivity costs were considered in different combinations in the model. When all three of these costs were considered together, the incremental cost to save one life year of a breast cancer patient was 42,305,000 Korean Won (KW) (1 USD=1,088 KW) for the screened group compared to the non-screened group. In sensitivity analyses, reducing the false-positive rate of the screening program by half was the most cost-effective (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, ICER=30,110,852 KW/LYS) strategy. When the upper age limit for screening was set at 70 years, it became more cost-effective (ICER=39,641,823 KW/LYS) than when no upper age limit was set. The NCSP for breast cancer in Korea seems to be accepted as cost-effective as ICER estimates were around the Gross Domestic Product. However, cost-effectiveness could be further improved by increasing the sensitivity of breast cancer screening and by setting appropriate age limits.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.111-124
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• 2018

This study aims to develop a classification model for predicting the occurrence of hyperlipidemia, one of the chronic diseases. Prior studies applying data mining techniques for predicting disease can be classified into a model design study for predicting cardiovascular disease and a study comparing disease prediction research results. In the case of foreign literatures, studies predicting cardiovascular disease were predominant in predicting disease using data mining techniques. Although domestic studies were not much different from those of foreign countries, studies focusing on hypertension and diabetes were mainly conducted. Since hypertension and diabetes as well as chronic diseases, hyperlipidemia, are also of high importance, this study selected hyperlipidemia as the disease to be analyzed. We also developed a model for predicting hyperlipidemia using SVM and meta learning algorithms, which are already known to have excellent predictive power. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, we used data set from Korea Health Panel 2012. The Korean Health Panel produces basic data on the level of health expenditure, health level and health behavior, and has conducted an annual survey since 2008. In this study, 1,088 patients with hyperlipidemia were randomly selected from the hospitalized, outpatient, emergency, and chronic disease data of the Korean Health Panel in 2012, and 1,088 nonpatients were also randomly extracted. A total of 2,176 people were selected for the study. Three methods were used to select input variables for predicting hyperlipidemia. First, stepwise method was performed using logistic regression. Among the 17 variables, the categorical variables(except for length of smoking) are expressed as dummy variables, which are assumed to be separate variables on the basis of the reference group, and these variables were analyzed. Six variables (age, BMI, education level, marital status, smoking status, gender) excluding income level and smoking period were selected based on significance level 0.1. Second, C4.5 as a decision tree algorithm is used. The significant input variables were age, smoking status, and education level. Finally, C4.5 as a decision tree algorithm is used. In SVM, the input variables selected by genetic algorithms consisted of 6 variables such as age, marital status, education level, economic activity, smoking period, and physical activity status, and the input variables selected by genetic algorithms in artificial neural network consist of 3 variables such as age, marital status, and education level. Based on the selected parameters, we compared SVM, meta learning algorithm and other prediction models for hyperlipidemia patients, and compared the classification performances using TP rate and precision. The main results of the analysis are as follows. First, the accuracy of the SVM was 88.4% and the accuracy of the artificial neural network was 86.7%. Second, the accuracy of classification models using the selected input variables through stepwise method was slightly higher than that of classification models using the whole variables. Third, the precision of artificial neural network was higher than that of SVM when only three variables as input variables were selected by decision trees. As a result of classification models based on the input variables selected through the genetic algorithm, classification accuracy of SVM was 88.5% and that of artificial neural network was 87.9%. Finally, this study indicated that stacking as the meta learning algorithm proposed in this study, has the best performance when it uses the predicted outputs of SVM and MLP as input variables of SVM, which is a meta classifier. The purpose of this study was to predict hyperlipidemia, one of the representative chronic diseases. To do this, we used SVM and meta-learning algorithms, which is known to have high accuracy. As a result, the accuracy of classification of hyperlipidemia in the stacking as a meta learner was higher than other meta-learning algorithms. However, the predictive performance of the meta-learning algorithm proposed in this study is the same as that of SVM with the best performance (88.6%) among the single models. The limitations of this study are as follows. First, various variable selection methods were tried, but most variables used in the study were categorical dummy variables. In the case with a large number of categorical variables, the results may be different if continuous variables are used because the model can be better suited to categorical variables such as decision trees than general models such as neural networks. Despite these limitations, this study has significance in predicting hyperlipidemia with hybrid models such as met learning algorithms which have not been studied previously. It can be said that the result of improving the model accuracy by applying various variable selection techniques is meaningful. In addition, it is expected that our proposed model will be effective for the prevention and management of hyperlipidemia.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.176-192
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• 1991

School nurses, in service of 102 special schools in Korea, were urveyed by mail questionnaires from February to March, 1991 and 77 of hem responded. Collected data were analyzed to establish the direction of health management in special school and to provide basic reference data for improving the quality of the management of school-nurses' services. The major findings are as follows: Out of special schools surveyed, 67.5% is private school and 83.2% is located in city. The average number of classes, students, and educational personnels per special school is 17.2, 194, and 28 respectively. The average age of school-nurses surveyed is 32.7. The proportion of graduates from the junior college and upward was 97.4%, the proportion of the married was 71.4%. Out of respondents, 71.4% has religion : 79.2% has past career in the fields of clinics or public health: 62.3% accompanishes independent services: 77.9% belongs to primary school. About 69% of nursing room in special schools surveyed is located at the first floor. Out of special school surveyed, 90.9% has no organization for school health programms: Only 18.2% entrusted everyone of school doctor, school dentist, and school pharmacists with school health. 46.8% of respondents didn't know about the annual budget for school health programmes. The average annual expenditure for school health programme per special school was 317,000F26. won and the purchase cost for medical supplies accounted for the larger part of them. The monthly average number of students utilizing school nursing room was 71 per school, annual utilization times of school nursing room was 4.4 per student and utilization due to injury was prevalent by 26.6% and there is some differences in using the school nursing room according to disabled area. Rate of referral to medical facilities was 1.4%. The leading reason of referral to medical facilities was high fever among those who have visual handicaps, fracture among those who have emotional disturbance, injury by trauma among others. Nine hundred fifty six students of students in special school surveyed have sufferd from epilepsy and prevalence rate of epilepsy was 6.4%. Only 22.6% of respondents replied that they had physical examination more than 2 times per year. Out of respnodents, 98.7% answered that they had health education and 67.1% of them ansered that they educated in a classroom, 98.7% of respondents emphasized need of sex education. Respondents put the most emphasis on the personal hygiene when they performed health education and they used broadcasting education in the area of visual handicaps, OHP or VTR in hearing handicaps, home correspondence or OHP VTR in other area importantly. About 47% of repondents answered that health education was the most difficult and they emphasized that definite guide on health management was requested. Respondents had self-confidence and high perfomance rate in most of school-nurses' services completely, but so they was not in area of evaluation of school health programmes, an examination of physical strength, evaluation of health education, management of school purification area, suture of wounds. In consideration of above findings, we may conclude that special education for school-nurse in special schools as well as improvement of definite guiding principles are requested to establish direction for health management in special schools and to improve the degree of quality for school-nurses' sevices in special schools.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.15-36
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• 1996

It is clear that the women's participation in social activity is dramatically increased in civilian field as well as military profession. Because of the characteristics of military nursing service, there are many difficulties. Frequent move, medical insurance, baby care. and the education are typical forms of difficulties for nurse officers in the military. The purpose of this research is to contribute to the perfect execution of nursing service. guarantee the active attitude for research and improve the combat strength by solving those private and economic problems. The method of research was analysis of question survey and the review of related literatures. The subject of research was 300 active nurse officers who work at the Army Hospitals. The survey was conducted 14 days from Oct 15 to Oct 28. The collected data was processed by computer using SPSS(Statistical Package of Social Science). Frequencies and percentages were used to examine the demographic characteristics of subject, and T-test was also used in the case of necessity. The result showed as follows; As the general characteristics of subject group; 28.7 years of average age, 73.6 months of service period, 63.4% of married. In regard of specialty; General 57.7%. Intensive Care 12.7% and Psychiatries 8.8%. The dissatisfactory factors about military welfare system were the difficulties in children education (36.9%). disadvantages on the civil medical insurance system (27.3%), and little chance of self education and development (21.5%). The problems in performing their duties were shown as dwelling instability due to frequent move (67.7%), and bring up children (14.2%). The reasons for resigning their job were shown as the instability of living status (64.2%), bring up children (18.8%) and dissatisfaction to the service (11.2%). The residential status was shown that military offered houses (45.2%), rental houses (29.3%) and own houses(14.64). The average numbers of moving residencies were; 3-4 time(34.6%), less than 2 times(33.1%), and 5-7 times(21.5%). Higher than 94.7% of the subject group spent more than 50.000 Won. In regard of education, they wanted to attend graduate school with their own expense(26.2%), computer science(20%) and Office Job Training(20%). The ways of taking care of children were mother-in-low(49.6%), mother(14.6%), and others(25%). The average expenditure per month for children were 20-30 hundred Won(44.2%), 10-20 hundred Won(25%) and 30-40 hundred Won(22.3%). The places of children care selected were public or occupational care center(56.2%), religious organization(20.8%), and other center managed by social organizations(10.4%). The result of survey for general welfare of nurse officers are as follows; By and large they seem to be satisfied with their job. however. there are some dissatisfactory factors. They are children care facilties, promotion. income. welfare facilities. disadvantage in medical insurance and civil hospitals. house purchase. unfair chances in specialty training. influence on promotion by educational status. and insufficient role for their children and husbands. As conclusion. the recommendations for improving nursing service are as follows; 1. Children care center managed by occupation 2. Dormitory system for children by military personnel 3. Equal opportunities in education according to ability 4. Reasonable moving price according to the distance and scope of family and extra allowance

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.109-119
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• 1995

As the population of elderly in Korea is increasing rapidly since the 1990's and will more rapidly in the 21st Century, the demand of their health care would be a great burden to health care expenditure. Then it would be necessary to contemplate the functional status and life satisfaction for elderly to make them live more independently. The objectives of this study were find out the functional status in life and life satisfaction for the elderly aged 65 or over who had resided in urban area of two Gus in Pusan and rural area of two Myuns in Haman Gun in Kyeognam Province, and to provide basic data for planning systematic health care programme. The study period was two weeks from February 6 to February 18, 1995 and the subjects were 274 elderly of which 143 were urban residents, 131 were rural residents, and the study method was by structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed with SAS/PC/sup +/ programme using Chi-square test, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. The results were as follows; 1. To see the pattern of living together, those living with partners were the most common, 39.1% ; 37.8% of urban elderly lived with married sons, 32.2% of them lived with partners, but 46.6% of rural elderly lived with partners, 16.8% of them lived with married sons, which showed difference between residence(p<0.005). 2. Elderly who had jobs were 64.1% in rural residents, and 7.7% in urban residents, which showed significant difference(p<0.05). 3. The score of cognitive function of total subjects was 24.7, that of urban elderly was 23.8, and that of rural elderly was 25.7, then it was higher in rural ones and low for old-elders and those who had no jobs. 4. The score of PADL was 26.8 for urban elderly, 30.1 for rural elderly, and that of IADL was 22.2 for urban elderly, 25.6 for rural elderly, which showed higher activities of daily living for rural elderly than urban elderly(p<0.001). 5. The score of domestic performance was 21.9 for urban elderly, and 30.5 for rural elderly, which showed higher score for rural elderly(p<0.001). 6. The score of life satisfaction was 20.7 for urban elderly, 29.8 for rural elderly, then it was higher for rural elderly(p<0.01). 7. As a result of ANOVA for functional status in living by general characteristics; the score of cognitive function differed by age, job; that of PADL differed by age, job, education, and the pattern of living together, that of IADL differed by age, job, and the pattern of living together. The score of domestic role performance differed by age, job, marital status, and the pattern of living together. 8. ANOVA for life satisfaction showed that the score of life satisfaction differed by job(p<0.001) and the pattern of living together(p<0.01). 9. The correlations between functional status in living and life satisfaction showed that the higher the score of cognitive function was(r=0.39), the higher the score of activities of daily living was(r=0.50), and the higher the score of domestic role performance was(r=0.41), the higher the score of life satisfaction. 10. Stepwise multiple regression analysis for life satisfaction pointed out that residence was responsible for 39.9% of the variance. cognitive function was for 5.3%, and domestic role performance was for 1.2%.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.583-597
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• 2020

This study analyzed how elderly people's perception of social welfare affects social welfare service and social welfare policy satisfaction by paying attention to the use of social welfare services and satisfaction with social welfare policies. In order to achieve this research goal, 465 people aged 60 or older who completed responses to the additional survey were collected and analyzed as research targets based on data from the Korea Welfare Panel, which is accumulated by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and Seoul National University's Social Welfare Research Institute. The results of this study are as follows. First, "Awareness of welfare for the elderly (recognition of welfare expenditure, recognition of welfare targets, recognition of welfare tax increases)" was found to have a negative impact on "use of social services." Second, "Awareness of welfare for the elderly (recognition of welfare expenditure, recognition of welfare targets, recognition of welfare tax increases)" was found to have a negative impact on "satisfaction with social welfare policies." Third, the impact of the recognition of welfare for the elderly on the use of social services was found to be different according to the demographic characteristics (education level, income level, educational background, gender). Fourth, according to the "population statistical characteristics (education level, income level, educational background, gender)" the impact of the recognition of welfare for the elderly on the satisfaction of social welfare policy was shown to be different. The implications of this study are that we looked at multi-dimensional welfare awareness and social service use experience together as factors affecting social welfare policy satisfaction. In other words, it is meaningful that the government focused on welfare awareness based on individual values and subjective perceptions as an influence on social welfare policy satisfaction, and sought practical alternatives to welfare policies and welfare sites by examining whether the experience of using social services in relation to welfare awareness and social welfare policy satisfaction among the elderly.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.109-129
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was the acquisition of the optimum scale of the apportionment of standard & high-class bed for the maximum profit representative of the desire of customers in a General Hospital with 1,100 beds located in Seoul. This investigation was proceeded by the analysis of the result of the simulation with the survey of both the patients' needs for bed and the degree of the medical service by the grade of the ward. And finally the consequence was obtained as follows: 1. The result of the investigation of the inpatients' preference for the grade of ward classes shows that a private ward reflected 4.3 percent, a semi-private ward 1.7 percent, a three-bed ward 0.1 percent, and a ward with six beds 93.9 percent each other. 2. A questionnaire poll was paralleled of service terms of a medical doctor and a nurse by ward class, the data were used for the standard of the allotment of labor cost by the ward class. The poll shows that the service tenn of a medical doctor and a nurse based on a ward with six beds by ward class showed 1.7 times in internal medicine and 1.9 times in surgery at a private ward; 1.4 times in internal medicine and 1.7 times in surgery at a semi-private room; and 1.2 times both in internal medicine and in surgery at a three-bed ward 3. The resultant findings revealed the most profit per bed and per patient in a private ward. However, an analysis of profit with a standard of unit area by ward class represented a higher profit in both the internal medicine and the surgery semi-private ward than other ward classes. 4. The result of the analysis through simulation based on the data of the prime cost per the ward class proved the optimum scale of the distribution of beds by class as follows: sixteen beds of the internal medicine and twenty three beds of the surgery in the private ward; two hundreds and two of the internal medicine and one hundred and ninety eight of the surgery in the semi-private room; three of both the internal medicine and the surgery each other in the three-bed ward; one hundred and ninety eight of the internal medicine and two hundred and fifty two of the surgery in the ward with six beds. The result of this research exhibits that the income and expenditure of the hospital could be improved by changing parts of wards into private ones(containing the maximum profit per a unit of width) in case the scale of the number of beds is reset with the consideration of the profit per the unit width. In the near future it's strongly expected that the research for the more scientific standard of the allotment of labour cost by ward class and for definition of the optimum scale of the number of beds that actualize the maximum profit with the change of the three elements of the prime cost: cost of materials; labor costs; management expenses.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.553-559
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• 2015

Research on micro-level assessment of the changes of socio-economic status following health interventions is very scarce. The use of household asset data to determine wealth indices is a common procedure for estimating socio-economic position in resource poor settings. In such settings information about income is usually lacking, and the collection of individual consumption or expenditure data would require in-depth interviews, posing a considerable risk of bias. In this study, we determined the socio-economic status of 213 households in a community population in an island in the north-western Tanzania before and 3 year after implementation of a participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation (PHAST) intervention to control schistosomiasis and intestinal worm infections. We constructed a household 'wealth index' based housing construction features (e.g., type of roof, walls, and floor) and durable assets ownership (e.g., bicycle, radio, etc.). We employed principal components analysis and classified households into wealth quintiles. The study revealed that asset variables with positive factor scores were associated with higher socio-economic status, whereas asset variables with negative factor scores were associated with lower socio-economic status. Overall, households which were rated as the poorest and very poor were on the decrease, whereas those rated as poor, less poor, and the least poor were on the increase after PHAST intervention. This decrease/increase was significant. The median shifted from -0.4376677 to 0.5001073, and the mean from -0.2605787 (SD; 2.005688) to 0.2605787 (SD; 1.831199). The difference in socio-economic status of the people between the 2 phases was highly statistically significant (P<0.001). We argue that finding of this study should be treated with caution as there were other interventions to control schistosomiasis and intestinal worm infections which were running concurrently on Kome Island apart from PHAST intervention.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.141-158
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• 1994

To provide better health care services to the rural population, the government has made the Community Health Practitioner(CHP) a regular government official from April 1, 1992. This study was carried out to study the impact of officialization of CHP on the activities and management system of Primary Health Post(PHP). Fifty PHPs were selected by two stage sampling, cluster and simple random, from 595 PHPs in Kyungnam and Kyungpook provinces. Data were collected by a personal interview with CHPs and review of records and reports kept in the PHPs. The study was done for the periods of January 1-March 31, 1992 (before officialization) and January 1-March 31, 1993 (after officialization). Ninety-six percent of the CHPs wanted to become a regular government official in the hope of better job security and higher salary. The proportion of CHPs who were proud of their iob was increased from 24% to 46% after officialization. Those CHPs who felt insecure for their job decreased from 30% to 10%. Monthly salary was increased by 34% from 802,600 Won to 1,076,000 Won and 90% of the CHPs were satisfied with their salary, also more CHPs responded that they have autonomy in their work planning, implementation of plan, management of the post, and evaluation of their activity. There were no appreciable changes in such CHPs' activities as assessment of local health resources, drawing map for the catchment area, utilization of community organization, grasping the current population structure in the catchment area, keeping the family health records, individual and group health education, and school health service. However, the number of home visits was increased from 13.6 times on the average per month per CHP to 27.5 times. More mothers and children were referred to other medical facilities for the immunization and family planning services. Average number of patients of hypertension, cancer, and diabetes in three months period was decreased from 12.7 to 11.6, from 1.5 to 1.2, and 4.3 to 3.4, respectively. Records for the patient care, drug management, and equipment were well kept but not for other records. The level of record keeping was not changed after officialization. The proportion of PHPs which had support from the health center was increased for drug supply from 14.0% to 30.0%, for consumable commodities from 22.0% to 52.0%, for maintenance of PHP from 54.0% to 68.0%, for supply of health education materials from 34.0% to 44.0%, and supply of equipment from 54.0% to 58.0%. Total monthly revenue of a PHP was increased by about 50,000 Won; increased by 22,000 Won in patient care and 34,700 Won in the government subsidy but decreased in the membership due and donation. However, there was no remarkable changes in the expenditure. The proportion of PHPs which had received official notes from the health center for the purpose of guidance and supervision of the CHPs was increased from 20% to 38% during three months period and the average number of telephone call for supervision from the health center per PHP was increased from 1.8 to 2.1 times(p<0.01). However, the proportion of PHPs that had supervisory visit and conference was reduced from 79% to 62%, and from 88% to 74%, respectively. The proportion of CHPs who maintained a cooperative relationship with Myun Health Workers was reduced from 42% to 36%, that with the director of health center from 46% to 24%, that with the chief of public health administration section from 56% to 36%, and that with the chairman of PHP management council from 62% to 38%. Most of the CHPs (92% before and 82% after officialization) stated that the PHP management council is not helpful for the PHP. CHPs who considered the PHP management council unnecessary increased from 4% to 16%(p<0.05). Suggestions made by the CHPs for the improvement of CHP program included emphasis on health education, assurance of autonomy for PHP management, increase of the kind of drugs that can be dispensed by CHPs, and appointment of an experienced CHP in the health center as the supervisor of CHPs. The results of this study revealed that the role and function of CHPs as reflected in their activities have not been changed after officialization. However, satisfaction in job security and salary was improved as well as the autonomy. Support of health center to the PHP was improved but more official notes were sent to the PHPs which required the CHPs more paper works. Number of telephone calls for supervision was increased but there was little administrative and technical guidance for the CHP activities.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.204-214
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to identify instant noodle intake and consumption patterns of adults in metropolitan areas of Korea. There was a total of 702 subjects, 18 years of age and above, and data from the self-administrated questionnaires were collected and analyzed using comparative statistical analysis, including frequency, chi-square, t-test, and one-way ANOVA. According to the results, preference level for instant noodles among the adults was indicated to be $4.84{\pm}1.32$ and 54% of subjects either "liked" or "more than liked" noodles. People in 20s liked them the most. Noodles in envelope type package with soup are highly preferred. The most common reason why they chose to eat instant noodles was "convenience." At the same time, people avoid them because of their bad nutrition and calories. Half of the subjects consume instant noodles at least once a week mainly for lunch and dinner as a substitute for their meal. In the case of eating-together-with-family was the largest. 72.4% of subjects consumed entire soup additive content and 20.6% of them eat almost without soup because of being full and worrying that it might be harmful to health. Significant difference was shown in the preference level and intake patterns depending on respondents' general characteristics. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.