• Journal of Korean Society for Geospatial Information Science
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.37-44
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• 2012

There are approximately 25,724 shelters to which people can be quickly evacuated for safety in case of emergency across the nation, and Seoul has about 3,870 shelters. Those nationwide shelters are located at a point within a five-minute radius for quick evacuation. Seoul's shelter capacity can hold 285% of its population. The problem is, however, that there is no knowing how many shelters are reachable within five minutes when considering walking speed according to individual differences in age, height, health state, and physical condition. In addition, available service areas become different according to the spatial allocation and distribution of shelters with possible vulnerable points. This study thus defined the pedestrian walking speed at 1m/s, 1.3m/s, and 2m/s by reviewing previous studies and conducted network analysis of the Location Allocation Model with the designated shelters and road networks in Seoul. The results identified the shelter service and vulnerable areas in each administrative district of Seoul according to walking speeds. It was analyzed that the vulnerable areas in which the elderly could not reach a shelter were more than twice as big as those of adult men and women with a fast walking speed.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.9-19
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• 2020

The purpose of this study is to analyze the difference in suicide rates between regions and to determine the effect of social workers on the regional suicide rate. The main analysis results are as follows. First, the suicide rates in metropolitan cities were lower than was lower than in other regions, and cities and districts were lower than those in the county area. Second, suicide rates were high in areas with many cultural and social welfare facilities per population. Suicide rates were high in low mental health facilities and low social welfare budgets. The suicide rate in rural areas was high. Third, suicide rates were high in areas with low economic requirements, areas with a high proportion of the elderly, divorce rates, and areas with a small number of social security recipients and living alone. In other words, the suicide rate in rural areas was high. Finally, social workers did not affect the difference in local suicide rates. Local social services and budgets have no real impact on suicide rates. In the future, it is necessary to improve the quality and quantity of community welfare practices that can lower community suicide rates.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.351-359
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• 2019

Neurocognitive testing commonly uses the MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) to evaluate the overall cognitive function of patients at outpatient clinics, but the MMSE has recently been extensively used in the SNSB II (Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery II) for making diagnoses. We retrospectively investigated the results of routine neurocognitive tests and the results of the blood tests of 120 elderly patients who had been referred to a South Central Medical Center from 2017 to 2018 and who had been examined at a public health center. These subjects' space-time capability was high on the sub-region of the global deterioration scale (GDS). GDS showed a significant increase as the Na decreased on the electrolyte analysis. The subjects' concentration, their language-based orientation for space and time, their memory, and their scores for the frontal lobe function on GDS showed statistically significant reductions (P<0.001) For the normal and abnormal groups according to the ALT and creatinine levels, the frontal/execute function areas showed statistically significant differences (P<0.001) as well as negative correlation between GDS and ALT (P<0.01). In conclusion, this study provides basic information to develop test items that are important for patient screening and diagnosis, and several routine blood chemistry factors provide basic information for diagnosing and assessing the status and progress of cognitively impaired patients.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.72-78
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• 2023

Objectives : This study aims to identify various psychiatric symptoms and psychosomatic symptoms caused by COVID-19 infection and investigate their long-term impact. Methods : A systematic literature review was conducted, selecting papers from domestic and international databases using keywords such as "COVID-19" and "psychosomatic." A total of 16 papers, including those using structured measurement tools for psychosomatic symptoms, were included in the final analysis. Results : Psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms have been reported in acute COVID-19 infection, while long-term post-COVID symptoms include chest pain and fatigue. The frequency of long-term psychosomatic symptoms has been estimated to be 10%-20%. Factors contributing to these symptoms include psychological and social stress related to infectious diseases, gender, elderly age, a history of psychiatric disorders, and comorbid mental illnesses. It is suggested that systemic inflammation, autoimmune responses, and dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system may be involved. Conclusions : Psychosomatic symptoms arising after COVID-19 infection have a negative impact on quality of life and psychosocial functioning. Understanding and addressing psychiatric aspects are crucial for symptom prevention and treatment.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.380-390
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• 2017

This study examined the relationship between social support, social participation and physical functioning among older adults in community senior centers. The subjects of this study were 194 persons aged 60 years or older who participated in the senior center in K province and D city, from June 16 to June 30, 2016. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, T-test, one way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and structural model analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics 23.0 and IBM AMOS 21.0. The result showed that the social support and physical functioning of the elderly in the community were above normal, and social participation was somewhat low. Interestingly, an analysis of the physical functioning between social support, social participation and depression revealed significant correlations. The factors affecting the physical health were 23.4% of the respondents who had a significant influence on social support and leisure activities. In addition, the result of structural model analysis showed that social support had a significant influence on the social participation, depression and physical functioning. Therefore, the results suggests that the development of educational programs and an age-friendly environment should be actively provided to older adults in the community by strengthening the physical function through social support for active ageing.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.470-478
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• 2012

This study was conducted to investigate dietary factors, bone status, and bone loss in postmenopausal women in rural areas. A total of 189 women participated in the follow-up study after two years. Radius, Tibia, and Phalanx SOS (Speed of Sound) was measured on two occasions 2 years apart by ultra-sonic-metry, and % body fat was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis at the baseline and after 2years. Dietary intake data were collected 4 times at different season by 24-hour recall method, and then calculated as average. Bone density of radius decreased by 4.2% during the two year period. When the subjects were divided into three groups, by bone decline level during two years, the lowest bone loss group had higher potassium and vegetable intake than other groups. Age and calcium intakes showed significant correlation with bone decline rate at tibia. In multiple regressions, the baseline SOS, vitamin A, vegetables and eggs intakes were found to be significant factors for tibia bone decline. In conclusion, dietary factors, such as higher vegetable intake, seem to affect the changes in bone mineral density in more favorable way. Therefore, efforts are needed to enhance the access to nutritional care for rural elderly postmenopausal women.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1-12
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• 2022

Clean water is an essential urban infrastructure in human daily life, and water plays a vital role in public health. Due to restrictions on outdoor activities during COVID-19, time staying at home has increased. Therefore, it is plausible to assume that large-scale disaster incidences such as COVID-19 will affect water consumption. In this regard, this research aims to explore the factors that influence household water use during COVID-19. The analysis period of the study is 2020, and the geographical scope covers Seoul and Incheon. A dependent variable was water consumption in the autonomous districts of Seoul and Incheon, and the factors reflecting urban characteristics were used as independent variables. Multiple regression was used for analysis, and the unit of analysis was the autonomous district in Seoul and Incheon. The finding confirmed that the pandemic situation caused an increase in water consumption. In addition, it supports policy for the elderly so that they can use water without financial difficulty. It implies that a stable supply of clean water is essential for managing infectious diseases. The findings of this study are expected to provide some implications for efficient water supply policies and efficient water supply management in the event of the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.587-595
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate exploring the field application of combined cognitive-motor learning program based on proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation and Bartenieff Fundamental program. The combined cognitive-motor learning program(CC) was applied to the 10 MCI elder while 10 elder in occupational therapy(OT) took cognitive learning class. MMSE-K, Time up & go test(TUG), Tandem gait test(TA), GQOL-D were measured and analyzed. The collected data were analyzed by Independent & Paired T-test. The results were as follows: Both groups showed similar learning effect in MMSE-K test. However, in TA & GQOL-D test, CC group showed significant learning effect than OT group. From these result, we conclude that combined cognitive-motor learning program is valuable as alternative program for cognitive development and social development as well as physical development of MCI elder.

• 한국노년학
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.963-979
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to identify frailty profiles based on physical, psychological, and social domains of functioning and to examine the associated factors showing the differences among frailty profiles. Respondents were 70 years and older(n=403) and latent class analysis was applied to determine the optimal subgroups based on Tilberg Frailty Indicators which comprised of three domains(the physical, psychological, and social domain). Also, we performed multinominal logistic regression analysis to find out factors making differences among frailty profiles. Latent class analysis(LCA) identified three distinct types: multi-frail type(27.0%), psychologically frail type(26.8%), inadequate support type(46.2%). All three types had common difficulties in dealing with daily life problems and did not receive enough help with theses difficulties. Based on the results of the LCA three-class models, people in multi-frail type accumulated problems in physical and psychological domains and had partially social domain. On the other hands, psychologically frail type showed a relatively high anxiety disorder and depression. Lastly, people in inadequate support type reported the lack of helps, but they were relatively healthy. Comparing these groups with inadequate support type, people with multi-frail had lower educational level, poor nutritional management status and were less likely to participate in labor market. People in psychologically frail type were more likely to be male, to live in big cities rather than middle and small cities, and less likely to smoke. Based on these results, our results showed the multifaceted concept of frailty among Korean elderly people and we suggested several implications for preventing frail process.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.252-260
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• 2021

For frailty management, the importance of resistance exercise has been emphasized, and various devices have been developed. Recently, digital weight control technology that converts electromagnetic resistance to a digital weight is attracting attention, but there are no reports confirming the effectiveness and safety of the device for seniors in Korea. This study conducted a biomechanic-based ergonomic analysis of an elderly-friendly exercise device utilized in digital load control technology to suggest a direction for development. Twenty seniors (age: 62.40 ± 2.09 years) were included. The load of the device was classified into three levels, and the muscle activity and heart rate were assessed during three experimental motions. A questionnaire based on the International Organization for Standardization 9241-11 was adopted to evaluate the stability, operationality, efficiency, and satisfaction with the software and device. The program could be divided into three exercise intensities that can be utilized in the field depending on whether the exercise load, muscle activity, and heart rate were consistent. The monitor size needed to be enlarged to make the menu Korean, reduce the device size, and minimize noise. Considering these findings, the development of an advanced age-friendly exercise device by improving the size, display, and noise is suggested.