• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.56-66
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• 2014

For maintaining adequate psychometric properties when reducing the number of items from an instrument, item level psychometrics is crucial. Strategies such as low item correlation or factor loadings, using classical test theory, have traditionally been advocated. The purpose of this study is to describe the development of a new short form assessing the impact of low back pain on physical activity. Rasch measurement model has been applied to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Activity Measure (ICF-AM). One hundred and one individuals with low back pain aged 19-89 years (mean age: $48.1{\pm}17.3$) who live in the community were participated in the study. Twenty-seven items of lifting/carrying construct of the ICF-AM were analyzed. Ten items were selected from the construct to create a short form. Item elimination criteria include: 1) high or low mean square (out of the range: .6-1.4 for the fit statistics), 2) similar item calibrations to adjacent items, 3) person separation value, and item-person map for potential gap in person ability continuum. All 10 items of the short form fit to the Rasch model except one item (i.e., carrying toddler on back). Despite its high infit and outfit statistics (1.90/2.17), the item had to be reinstated due to potential gaps at the upper extreme of person ability level. The short form had a slightly better spread of person ability continuum compared to the entire set of item. The created short form separated individuals with low back pain into nearly 4 groups, while the entire set of items separated the individuals into 6 groups. The findings prompted multidimensional models for better explanation of the lifting/carrying domain. The item level psychometrics based on the Rasch model can be useful in developing short forms with rationally retained items.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.50-58
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of self-perception on the relationship between body image and depressive symptoms in middle school adolescents. Methods: This study performed a pathway analysis with a sample of 284 adolescents recruited from three middle schools. Self-reported questionnaires consisted of items regarding body image, self-perception, and depressive symptoms. Results: Body image, self-perception, and depressive symptoms showed a significant correlation. Self-perception was directly affected by body image and depressive symptoms were not affected by body image. The mediating effect of self-perception on body image's impact on depressive symptoms was confirmed. Self-perception had a significant indirect effect on depressive symptoms, which means that self-perception has a full mediating effect on body image's impact on depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The effect of body image on depressive symptoms was fully mediated by self-perception in early adolescents. It suggests that self-perception needs to be considered when providing nursing interventions for adolescents.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.109-115
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• 2013

This study targeted 501 the elderly ages 65 or over in three places including the Senior Welfare Center and the college for seniors located in Daegu City and Gyeongsangbuk-do. The study results on the preference for oral health care management items across different ages showed that the age group of 65~69 fluoride application; the age group of 65~74 scaling and education of brushing; the age group of 70~74 denture cleaning and maintenance; the age group of 75 denture production. In the relationship between the self-perceived oral condition and the items of oral health care management, respondents who currently have a poor oral condition or have greater chewing trouble, or have higher dry mouth, preference the manufacturing of dentures in most cases. Respondents who have a lower number of teeth or wear dentures preference dentures cleansing and management in most cases. Respondents who have shaking teeth or have frequent tooth pain preference tooth extraction. Since the preference for oral health care management items may differ by their age or oral condition, oral health management customized to each individual should be applied.

• Journal of Wellbeing Management and Applied Psychology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.39-46
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• 2023

Purpose: The small-scale environmental impact assessment system in Korea was introduced and implemented in August 2000, but it has a problem that it cannot guarantee implementation due to the large proportion of qualitative reduction measures for each evaluation item. Therefore, when preparing a small-scale environmental impact assessment, research was conducted on how to improve the existing simple listing-type reduction measures and qualitative evaluation standards to quantitative reduction measures and evaluation standards reflecting regional characteristics. Research design, data and methodology: The small-scale environmental impact assessment system in Korea was introduced and implemented in August 2000, but it has a problem that it cannot guarantee implementation due to the large proportion of qualitative reduction measures for each evaluation item. Therefore, when preparing a small-scale environmental impact assessment, research was conducted on how to improve the existing simple listing-type reduction measures and qualitative evaluation standards to quantitative reduction measures and evaluation standards reflecting regional characteristics. Results: As a result of the analysis of qualitative and quantitative factors, the arithmetic sum of the qualitative factors of the total six projects is 160, accounting for 80% of the total number of reduction measures, and the quantitative factors are 40, accounting for 20%. Among them, the number of qualitative reduction measures reached 97.4% for animal and plant items, and more than 90% for air quality, noise and vibration, and eco-friendly resource circulation items. Conclusions: Therefore, it is necessary to avoid establishing qualitative reduction measures and set quantitative measures as the basis, but to specify the specifications, size, and installation location related to the reduction measures, and to calculate the numerical reduction efficiency.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.19 no.3 s.53
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• pp.1-12
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• 2004

This study was conducted to evaluate the variation characteristics of influent and effluent quality from sewage treatment facilities using activated sludge processes and to assess the impact caused by discharge of treated sewage on the receiving water Monthly data of five water quality items (BOD, COD, SS, T-N, T-P) were used to understand the water quality at three sewage treatment plants in Seoul for five years from 1999 to 2003. Concentration differences of water quality parameters were observed between upstream and downstream site at the sewage treatment plant outfall to investigate the impact of discharge in Tan stream and Han river basin. 1. Due to the effect of continuous improvement in sewer system, the concentrations of influent went on increasing generally. 2. Effluent concentrations of BOD, COD and SS showed the trend of a little decreasing, but the trend of increasing in T-N and T-P. 3. In Tan stream basin, the impact of sewage treatment plant discharge was not observed directly, because concentration of discharge was lower than stream water's. But discharges from sewage treatment plants affected water quality at downstream site in Han river, concentration of T-P especially.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.8 no.8
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• pp.196-205
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of participation in jazz dance to body image and mental health in an attempt to make a contribution to the spread of jazz dance. The subjects in this study were 183 people who were selected by purposive sampling from a population of Seoul and Gyeonggi province residents who were at the Western age of 18 and up. The selected people took general education courses at colleges, attended cultural centers or fitness clubs, or learned dance for all. One instrument used in this study to assess their body image was Jourard and Secord(1954)'s Body Cathexis Scale, which was modified into six factors and 39 items. The other was Kim Gwang-il, et. al.(1978)'s 46-item inventory, which translated Rickles and Rock(l976)'s SCL-90 with 90 items to suit Korean circumstances. That inventory was modified into 31 items and four factors. For data handling, factor analysis, reliability analysis, regression analysis and path analysis were utilized. The findings of the study were as follows: 1. The extent of jazz dance participation had an impact on their body image. Those who performed jazz dance more frequency had a better image about their health and the lower part of the body. 2. The level of jazz dance participation exerted an influence on their mental health. A longer participation term led to more interpersonal sensitivity, and a higher participation frequency was followed by more somatization. 3. Concerning the causal relationship of participation in jazz dance to body image and mental health, the participation frequency affected health, the image of the lower part of the body and somatization in the firsthand manner, and the image of the lower part of the body had a firsthand impact on interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, anxiety and depression. Accordingly, the image of the lower part of the body played a crucial role as a parameter in the relationship between the jazz dance participation frequency and mental health.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.413-424
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• 2021

Health impact assessment in the environmental impact assessment is conducted to determine whether to exceed the standard of each single substance and to establish appropriate reduction measures. In some development projects, although all substances in risk assessment meet the standard, exposure concentration is very close to it. However, considering the cumulative exposure of all substances, health effects are likely to occur considerably severer than those of individual substances, so it is necessary to prepare a concrete and improved methodology for integrating evaluation of emissions to identify the health effects actually exposed to receptors of living things. This study established the definition of cumulative risk assessment through overseas advanced cases and domestic and foreign literature reviews, and proposed a methodology for utilizing cumulative risk assessment considering health effects on multiple substances when developing industrial complexes. Applied by the proposed methodology, integrated indicators forfourtypes of hazardous heavy metals (Ni, Cr⁶⁺, Cd, As) emitted from industrial complexes were calculated, and applicability was tested with case of the industrial complex development projects conducted over the last decade (2011-2020).

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.88-107
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• 2000

The Alcoholics Anonymous(AA) program has been known to be effective in many countries in helping alcoholics to stop drinking and to change their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. In this study, we examined AA activities among Korean AA members and measured the self-evaluated physical, social, and mental changes following the entry into the AA program. Out of identified 300 AA members who were attending 18 different AA group meetings at the time of the survey, 207 completed the self-administered questionnaire(response rate of 69.0%). T-test and ANOVA were used to compare the scores of physica(4-items), social(4-items), and menta(10-items) changes according to the level of AA activities. The proportion of the respondents who practiced the 11th step (meditation) or the 12th step (take alcoholics to a meeting after carrying messages) on the regular basis was 66.6% and 37.2%, respectively. The average time spent in meditation per week was $4.8{\pm}5.47$ hours. The length of participation in AA meetings has significantly positive impact on the average score of changes in all the 3 health states; physical(p<.01), social(p<.05), and mental states(p<.01). Also, practicing the 11th step was significantly associated with improvement of social(p<.01) and mental(p<.05), while practicing the 12th step improved only mental states(p<.01). Our findings demonstrated that not only the length of participation in AA meetings but also the practice of regular meditation(11th step) and taking alcoholics to an AA meeting after carrying messages(12th step) are very important for AA members, and lead to great positive changes in physical, social, and mental states following entry into the AA program.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.241-250
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• 2018

Recently, negative effects on human health such as disease caused by harmful environment have been dealt with seriously. In particular, studies on the effect of radon exposure, which is known as a primary carcinogen in lung cancer due to radioactive materials, have been actively studied. In Korea, since January 1, 2018, radon measurement is mandatory when building a new apartment, so it is necessary to measure the radon concentration and submit it to the local government and it should be posted where residents can see it. Radon has only recommended standards for multi-use facilities, but now it has decided to set recommendation standards for private homes. Therefore, it should now be possible to manage the radon in the environmental impact assessment phase as well as in the Post-environmental Impact Assessment. It should be possible to share health information such as the radon concentration and the risk of radon, and participation of health experts in the environmental impact assessment stage is required. Soil, air quality, hygiene and aerial items should be improved to take into account the effects of radon on human health during the environmental impact assessment process. If the level value of conncentration of radon shows above the recommended level, then alternative measures should be prepared and mitigation measures should be prepared as well.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.487-500
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL). Methods: The MENQOL was translated into Korean according to algorithm of linguistic validation process. A total of 308 menopausal women were recruited and assessed using the Korean version of MENQOL (MENQOL-K), the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF), and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-K). In estimating reliability, internal consistency reliability coefficients were calculated. Validity was evaluated through criterion validity and construct validity with confirmatory factor analyses using SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 25.0 software. Results: In item analyses, the "increased facial hair" symptom was excluded because of the low contribution of MENQOL-K. The confirmatory factor analysis supported good fit and reliable scores for MENQOL-K model, and the four-factor structure was validated (χ²=553.28, p<.001, NC=1.84, RMSEA=.05, AGIF=.85, AIC=765.28). The MENQOL-K consists of 28 items in 4 domains, including vasomotor (3 items), psychosocial (7 items), physical (15 items), and sexual subscales (3 items). There was an acceptable criterion validity with moderately significant correlation between MENQOL-K and WHOQOL-BREF. The Cronbach's α for the 4 subsacles ranged from .80 to .93. Conclusion: The MENQOL-K is a valid and reliable scale to measure condition-specific quality of life for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. It can be used to assess the impact of menopausal symptoms on the quality of life of Korean women in clinical trials.