• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.82-91
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• 2023

In 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began in full-scale, the WHO Director-General warned of the dangers of an infodemic. The infodemic is a phenomenon in which false information spreads rapidly like an epidemic and causes chaos, and it was noted that the COVID-19 pandemic is not just limited to health problems, but also linked to a variety of issues such as human rights, economic inequality, various discrimination, hate speech, fake news, global governance etc. In the field of education, it is necessary to think about how to connect this global situation with school classes. Accordingly, this study suggested the direction for global citizenship education by analyzing how the infodemic spreads on Korean social media with the case of the recent global COVID-19 pandemic. According to the research results, the rate of negative emotions was higher than positive ones in the emotions that generate infodemic, while anxiety and anger were focused among negative emotions. In addition, the infodemic tended to spread widely with the feelings of anger rather than anxiety, and the feelings of anger led to advocating aggressive policies against certain country and regions. Therefore, global citizenship education is required to focus on a sense of duty and responsibility as a citizen, not on the level of national identity based on an exclusive sense of belonging. Furthermore, global citizenship education needs to lead to presenting a blueprint for education in a way that can enhance the awareness of the global community for joint response to global challenges and realize common prosperity based on sustainability and justice.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.279-289
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• 2012

This study conducted a comparative analysis of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the Fosu and Benya lagoons in Ghana, based on the anthropogenic effect on the two lagoons. Salinity, oxygen, temperature, conductivity, turbidity and pH were measured, invertebrate richness and species densities were determined. The AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) and multivariate statistics were used to determine the different responses of fauna to pollution. The fauna were categorized into five ecological groups based on the degree of tolerance of the different species to pollution: disturbance-sensitive species; disturbance-indifferent species, disturbance-tolerant species, second-order opportunistic species; and first-order opportunistic species. The Fosu Lagoon supported more pollution tolerant species, whereas the Benya Lagoon had more species that were sensitive to organic enrichment under relatively unpolluted conditions. Chironomus sp., which is adapted to virtually anoxic conditions, was the most abundant in the Fosu Lagoon whereas Nemertea sp. was the most abundant in the Benya Lagoon. The numerical and relative abundance (%) of all 7 taxa in the Fosu Lagoon was 1,359 and 92.35%, respectively. The numerical and relative abundance (%) of all 34 taxa in the Benya Lagoon was 2,459 and 87.52%, respectively. Expectedly, the level of dissolved oxygen in the less saline Fosu Lagoon was higher than that in the more saline Benya Lagoon. The reduced photoperiod and photosynthetic activities of aquatic plants might account for this trend. There is a need to implement comprehensive monitoring and management initiatives for sustaining the ecological health of coastal lagoons in Ghana in order to support the many people that depend upon these ecosystems for their livelihood.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7625-7628
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• 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 the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.188-202
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to review a good sample for a healthy city to adapt its strategy. People has interested in the urban environment and their health in the region with a step-up in income and the improvement of living conditions. They has realized that urban environment is closely related to their quality of life, concentrated on development of clean city and healthy city from the point of urban planning. The movement of healthy city has been spread out from Europe on 1986, and WHO(World Health Organization) has been supporting the practical work to improve upon the physical or social condition on each regional level. The policy of healthy city has promoted centering around each local government which is made up of networking with others globally to interchange informations. This study reviewed a successful case of Kobe city in detail and will provide further useful insights into planners in building appropriate policies.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.283-290
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• 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
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.289-309
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• 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
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.359-365
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• 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.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.1403-1418
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• 1999

Nursing is a discipline that helps to understand human being, to mitigate pains in life by promoting and recovering health, and to study the basic principles in sustaining and preserving life. To understand man and thus to nurse, it is essential to take the way of life of the specific person, his/her ideas, and natural environment into consideration. This means, the temperament, geography, environment and society peculiar to Korea have formed its own culture distinguished from those of other people. Thoughts and philosophy develop as a products of the specific culture and society. Therefore, accurate understanding of the concepts of nursing in the traditional thoughts and philosophy is indispensible to define Korean nursing. Modern Korean nursing at first rooted in the westernized nursing and western nursing intervention has been applied ever since its introduction in the late 19th century under the paradigm of western natural science. However, Koreans in the past made use of alternative therapy which put its emphasis on the organic and holistic view of life as well as a means for traditional medicine and nursing. This alternative therapy has been largely ignored since the introduction of western medical science, and was considered something used only by the aged or the uneducated. Moreover, Health concerned practices and customary traditional therapy have been discarded in the clinical medicine as "unscientific" or "unsystematic". As described above, it is true that Korean nursing has developed in the quantitative aspect only adhering to western nursing intervention. Now it is the time to stop to hold ourself and to look back our past. To find and develop the originality of Korean nursing to cope with the globalization, it is necessary to rediscover nursing (alternative) therapy in Korean culture ignored so far. For this purpose, this study examines the oriental philosophy to explore alternative nursing theory now under development. Also it aims to present ways to apply alternative therapy to nursing education, research and clinical practices and ultimately to show the desirable direction of the nursing to go in the future. Yangsaeng theory of Taoism and Yin-yang, Oh-hang(five elements) and khi theory in Dongeuibogam which gave enormous influences on Korean medical culture and treatment together with Sahsang(four temperaments) emphasized in Dongeuisusebowon will be examined as conceptual framework. Concepts of nursing are categorized into views on each the universe, the human being and nursing. Views on human being is classified into subcategories of body, life, health, and disease. Also it emphasizes the necessity of including alternative therapy in nursing intervention. Views on the universe is classified into yin-yang, khi, and temperament. Nursing will be available anywhere and easily accessible with this new nursing intervention. Trying to give a new thoughts to all those traditional concepts and alternative therapy, this article suggests the necessity of developing original Korean nursing theory and nursing intervention.

• Journal of Cadastre & Land InformatiX
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.197-211
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• 2018

We conducted this research to examine how well regional housing prices are suited to use as an alternative to conventional census-based regional deprivation indices in health and medical geography studies. To examine the relative performance of mean regional housing prices compared to conventional census-based regional deprivation indices, we compared several multilevel logistic regression models, where the first level was individuals and the second was health districts in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) in Korea, for the sake of adjusting the regional clustering tendency of unknown factors. In these models, we predicted two dichotomous variables that represented individuals' after-lunch tooth brushing behavior and use of dental floss by individual characteristics and regional indices. Then, we compared the relative predictive performance of the models using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). The results from the estimations showed that mean regional housing prices and census-based deprivation indices were correlated with the two types of dental health behavior in a statistical sense. The results also revealed that the model with mean regional housing prices showed smaller AIC and BIC compared with other models with conventional census-based deprivation indices. These results imply that it is possible for housing prices summarized using aerial units to be used as an alternative to conventional census-based deprivation indices when the census variables employed cannot properly reflect the characteristics of the aerial units.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.6.1-6.10
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• 2016

Objectives This study examined the spatial distribution and the extent of soil contamination by heavy metals resulting from primitive, unconventional informal electronic waste recycling in the Agbogbloshie e-waste processing site (AEPS) in Ghana. Methods A total of 132 samples were collected at 100 m intervals, with a handheld global position system used in taking the location data of the soil sample points. Observing all procedural and quality assurance measures, the samples were analyzed for barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn), using X-ray fluorescence. Using environmental risk indices of contamination factor and degree of contamination ($C_{deg}$), we analyzed the individual contribution of each heavy metal contamination and the overall $C_{deg}$. We further used geostatistical techniques of spatial autocorrelation and variability to examine spatial distribution and extent of heavy metal contamination. Results Results from soil analysis showed that heavy metal concentrations were significantly higher than the Canadian Environmental Protection Agency and Dutch environmental standards. In an increasing order, Pb>Cd>Hg>Cu>Zn>Cr>Co>Ba>Ni contributed significantly to the overall $C_{deg}$. Contamination was highest in the main working areas of burning and dismantling sites, indicating the influence of recycling activities. Geostatistical analysis also revealed that heavy metal contamination spreads beyond the main working areas to residential, recreational, farming, and commercial areas. Conclusions Our results show that the studied heavy metals are ubiquitous within AEPS and the significantly high concentration of these metals reflect the contamination factor and $C_{deg}$, indicating soil contamination in AEPS with the nine heavy metals studied.