• Toxicological Research
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• v.17
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• pp.313-317
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• 2001

The Ministry of Health and Welfare of Japan has set up six research groups concerning the endocrine disrupting chemicals. One of these projects was "A study on development of testing methodology for health effects due to exposure of environmental endocrine disruptors". In this paper, three topics are described. In OECD collaboration for pre-validation of uterotrophic assay, the most sensitive response to ethnyl estradiol was noted in the ovarectomized rats treated subcutaneously for 7 days. Secondly, it was suggested that changes of the serum $\alpha_{2u}$-globulin level may be a sensitive parameter for detecting the estrogenic activities of chemicals. Finally, development of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of preoptic area in the brain oj male rats was inhibited by the treatment with estrogenic chemicals, and their masculine behaviors and reproductive abilities were impaired after sexual maturation. In conclusion, these parameters are considered to be sensitive endpoints for testing estrogenic chemicals.chemicals.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.30-41
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• 2018

Background: The purpose of the work is to develop a system that allows processing of information for analysis and industrial risk management, to monitor the level of industrial safety and to perform necessary measures aimed at the prevention of accidents, casualties, and development of professional diseases for effective management of industrial safety at hazardous industrial sites. Methods: Risk assessment of accidents and incidents is based on expert evaluations. Based on the lists of criteria parameters and their possible values, provided by the experts, a unified information and analytical database is compiled, which is included in the final interrogation questionnaires. Risk assessment of industrial injuries and occupational diseases is based on statistical methods. Results: The result of the research is the creation of Guidelines for risk management on hazardous industrial sites of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Guidelines determine the directions and methods of complex assessment of the state of industrial safety and labor protection and they could be applied as methodological basis at the development of preventive measures for emergencies, casualties, and incidents at hazardous industrial sites. Conclusion: Implementation of the information-analytical system of risk level assessment allows to analyze the state of risk of a possible accident at industrial sites, make valid management decisions aimed at the prevention of emergencies, and monitor the effectiveness of accident prevention measures.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.81-82
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• 2024

Urban air mobility (UAM) is emerging as an innovative transportation solution for cities. However, the potential noise impact on urban life must be carefully examined. Continuous exposure to UAM noise, with its unique frequency characteristics and temporal variability, may adversely affect citizens' health by causing sleep disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive impairmenet, particularly in children. NASA has formed a UAM Noise Working Group to study this issue comprehensively. In Korea, the Seoul Metropolitan Government's UAM demonstration project is expected to accelerate related research and development. Scientific analysis, including noise measurement, prediction modeling, and health impact assessment, must be prioritized. Measures to minimize noise should be established based on this evidence, such as optimizing flight modes, developing noise reduction technologies, and establishing new noise management standards. Transparency and social consensus are crucial throughout this process. Expert review and open communication with civil society are necessary to address related concerns. Sharing demonstration project results and providing opportunities to experience UAM noise through digital twin simulations can help address public concerns and build social consensus. Proactively and scientifically tackling noise issues is essential for the sustainable development and successful integration of UAM into daily life.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.79-91
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• 2015

Purpose - First, the study identifies and analyzes consumer preferences with regard to health foods and supplements. Second, it identifies and analyzes consumer preferences with regard to the properties of Vitamin C supplements. Third, in order to provide a basic data for the development of Vitamin C supplements and to measure how consumers value the properties of different Vitamin C products, a consumer survey was conducted through the choice-based conjoint model. Based on the results, the research estimates consumers' relative product-related priorities as well as price levels and willingness to pay (WTP) for different product types, and makes suggestions regarding consumer-oriented new product development and progressive directions for the successful launch of health foods and supplements. Research design, data, and methodology - This study aims to define the attributes of health foods and supplements based on several characteristics including their natural ingredients, product price, product originality, natural ingredient content, and additional functional ingredients, and makes suggestions regarding strategic market pricing and product development for health foods and supplements according to customer attitudes and characteristics. The research used choice-based conjoint analysis methodology based on the Multinomial Logic Model and collected 94 questionnaires filled out by users of Korean Vitamin C supplements. Results - Product price is the most influential factor among the five analyzed properties. When consumers buy Vitamin C products, the relative significance level of four of the examined properties is as follows: 40.9% for product price, 23.3% for product originality, 21.9% for natural ingredient content, and 13.9% for additional functional ingredients. Vitamin C content is excluded as it is not a statistically significant factor. It is interesting that supplement manufacturers and retailers consider Vitamin C content to be very important whereas consumers do not regard it as an important factor at the time of purchase. The results for the marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for each property of Vitamin C supplements show that consumers are willing to pay an additional 11,146 Korean won for a 50% increase in the natural ingredient content. With regard to product originality, consumers are willing to pay an additional 11,301 Korean won for products manufactured in Europe than for products manufactured in China. Moreover, consumers show a greater preference for products manufactured in Korea than in Europe. However, consumers are not willing to pay more for additional Vitamin C or additional functional ingredients added to Vitamin C products. Conclusions - According to the results of consumer research on Vitamin C supplements, which represent a popular health food supplement in Korea, most Korean health food and supplement companies are not consumer- or market-oriented when developing new products. Companies gather information from either R&D specialists or sales managers and their opinions are highly reflected in new product development. The study's results will help companies recognize the importance of understanding consumers' unmet needs in advance to develop new products in the future.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.131-138
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to compare the health status of South Korea with those of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and examine the trends. Position vAlue for Relative Comparison (PARC) was used as a gauge for comparison, and five sectors of the health care system were measured: demand, supply, accessibility, quality, and cost. The Mann-Kendall test was used as a statistical analysis method to examine trend of PARC values obtained from 2000 to recent years. According to the results, the demand, supply, accessibility, and quality sectors were higher than the OECD average, while the cost was lower than the average. However, there is a recent trend of sharp increases in health care costs. Some indicators: health employment, quality of primary care and mental health care were lower than the OECD average, and health determinants showed a worsening trend. Therefore, policy-makers need to take this into account and make efforts for sustainable health care.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.2-13
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• 2022

Purpose: This study assessed the status of the Development and Utilization of critical pathways (CP) in South Korea. Methods: We surveyed 195 hospitals obtained on the Korean Hospital Association website. Data were collected using structured questionnaires for staff members in charge of CP management personnel in these hospitals. The questionnaire included CP developed by the institutions, the coverage rates and completion rates of CP in the current year, and management indicators related to CP. The questionnaire also included CP support systems and content within the institutions and questions regarding the advantages of CP utilization and obstacles associated with the CP development process. Results: Analysis of the responses from 70 hospitals (35.9% response rate) showed that a total of 1,370 CP sets were developed. The number of CP related to surgery departments was 365 (26.6%), and CP related to surgery and procedure was 1,093 (79.8%), respectively. The CP coverage rate was the most frequently used indicator to monitor the effect of CP (97.1%), followed by the completion rate (90.0%) and the length of stay in hospital (61.4%). CP managers reported that CP were highly useful for communication (3.39±0.493) and accurate information provision (3.39±0.491). The perception that CP violated doctors' autonomy in treatment was relatively low (2.87±0.645). Conclusion: It is necessary to establish an infrastructure in hospitals for CP. CP can facilitate communication and provide accurate information.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.73-89
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• 2008

Objectives: This research was conducted to suggest a recommendation for the Korean credentialing policy of health education specialist as the primary human resource in community health promotion activities from the special group perspective of the Korean Society for Health Education and Promotion. Methods: This research was conducted by the professional focus group discussion and descriptive literature review on health education and promotion. Results: This draft recommendation for Korean credentialing system development of health education specialist was based on the four background reasons for modifying health promotion related acts, for developing better policy of health education credentialing, for keeping the public and ethical responsibilities as the competitive professional society, and for improving health promotion activities in Korea. Theoretical background of the four reasons was Ottawa Charter. We classified three credentialing levels of health education specialist based on health education own competencies, coordiating competencies with environmental factors, and research competencies. Furthermore, we developed 10 major roles and categorized 53 sub-roles based on these competencies above. We recommended 10 classes required to take to become Health Education Specialist. These 10 classes were developed based on the credentialing systems in the United States and Japan. These 10 classes were about health education and promotion methods and strategies not health intervention topics. We also built the draft plan for continuing education to keep KCHES based on the NCHEC in the United States. Conclusions: Further research should be conducted to build better health education specialist credentialing systems modifing current communtiy-based health promotion activities in terms of modifying public regulation, developing KCHEC examination system, protecting job security both in public and private sectors, and creating professionalism in KCHEC.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.353-370
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• 2014

A new method is proposed in this study for estimating the damping ratio of a super tall building under strong wind loads with short-time measured acceleration signals. This method incorporates two main steps. Firstly, the power spectral density of wind-induced acceleration response is obtained by the wavelet transform, then the dynamic characteristics including the natural frequency and damping ratio for the first vibration mode are estimated by a nonlinear regression analysis on the power spectral density. A numerical simulation illustrated that the damping ratios identified by the wavelet spectrum are superior in precision and stability to those values obtained from Welch's periodogram spectrum. To verify the efficiency of the proposed method, wind-induced acceleration responses of the Guangzhou West Tower (GZWT) measured in the field during Typhoon Usagi, which affected this building on September 22, 2013, were used. The damping ratios identified varied from 0.38% to 0.61% in direction 1 and from 0.22% to 0.59% in direction 2. This information is expected to be of considerable interest and practical use for engineers and researchers involved in the wind-resistant design of super-tall buildings.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.187-191
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• 2022

Background: Traffic injuries have become a significant public health problem in low- and middle-income countries. Several studies have examined the role of personality and attitude toward traffic safety in predicting driving behaviors in diverse types of drivers. Few studies have investigated risky behavior among public passenger van drivers. This study aims to identify the predictors of self-reported risky driving behavior among public van drivers. Method: A total of 410 public van drivers were interviewed at terminal stations in Bangkok. Hierarchical regression models were applied to determine the effects of demographics, personality traits, and attitude on self-reported risky driving behaviors. Results: The results indicated that drivers with a high education level, more working days, and high scores for normlessness and anger were more likely to report risky driving behaviors (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The personality traits and attitude toward speeding account for aberrant self-reported risky driving behavior in passenger van drivers. This could be another empirical basis for evidence-based road safety interventions in the context of public transport.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.149-153
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• 2005

Asthma is an inflammatory airways disease characterized by bronchial hyperresponsiveness and airways obstruction, which results from a complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors. Interleukin (IL)-13 and IL-4 are important in IgE synthesis and allergic inflammation, therefore genes encoding IL-13 and IL-4 are candidates for predisposition to asthma. In the present study, we screened single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL-13 and IL-4 and examined whether they are risk factors for asthma. We resequenced all exons and the promoter region in 12 asthma patients and 12 normal controls, and identified 18 SNPs including 2 novel SNPs. The linkage disequilibrium(LD) pattern was evaluated with 16 common SNPs, and haplotypes were also estimated within the block. Although IL-13 and IL-4 are localized within 27 kb on chromosome 5q31 and share many biological profiles, this region was partitioned into 2 blocks. One SNP and three SNPs were determined as haplotype-taggingSNPs (htSNPs) within IL-13 and IL-4 haplotype-block, respectively. No significant associations were observed between any of the SNPs or haplotypes and development of asthma in small number of Korean subjects. However, the genetic variants of IL-13 and IL-4 would provide valuable strategies for the genotyping studies in large population.