• KSBB Journal
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2012

Recently, translational research (TR) in health technology (HT) has been considered as an emerging alternative research system for the improvement of human health. TR from bench to bedside involves a strong bidirectional relationship between basic science discovery and clinical practice. To support R&D planning and policy in HT effectively, the performance of TR programs was analyzed and evaluated in a R&D project on health and medical technology. TR programs were classified into three parts: unilateral TR, bilateral TR and multilateral TR. Bibliometrics and citation analysis were performed to assess research papers and gather information for the performance analysis of TR programs. In addition, both quantitative and qualitative analysis were successfully carried out using ISI Web of Science, Google Scholar Citations, SCOPUS and Knowledgematrix. In conclusion, the performance analysis of TR programs could significantly improve the efficiency of R&D plans, R&D management and evaluation for a safe and healthy life.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.509-520
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• 2019

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated whether a mobile health (mHealth) application can instigate healthy behavioral changes and improvements in metabolic disorders in individuals with metabolic abnormalities. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Participants were divided into an mHealth intervention group (IG), which used a mobile app for 24 weeks, and a conventional IG. All mobile apps featured activity monitors, with blood pressure and glucose monitors, and body-composition measuring devices. The two groups were compared after 24 weeks in terms of health-behavior practice rate and changes in the proportion of people with health risks, and health behaviors performed by the IG that contributed to reductions in more than one health risk factor were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Preference for low-sodium diet, reading nutritional facts, having breakfast, and performing moderate physical activity significantly increased in the mHealth IG. Furthermore, the mHealth IG showed a significant increase of eight items in the mini-dietary assessment; particularly, the items "I eat at least two types of vegetables of various colors at every meal" and "I consume dairies, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, every day." The proportion of people with health risks, with the exception of fasting glucose, significantly decreased in the mHealth IG, while only the proportion of people with at-risk triglycerides and waist circumference of females significantly decreased in the control group. Finally, compared to those who did not show improvements of health risks, those who showed improvements of health risks in the mHealth IG had an odds ratio of 1.61 for moderate to vigorous physical activity, 1.65 for "I do not add more salt or soy sauce in my food," and 1.77 for "I remove fat in my meat before eating." CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the additional use of a community-based mHealth service through a mobile application is effective for improving health behaviors and lowering metabolic risks in Koreans.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.23-36
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• 2010

Objectives: This study was performed to suggest the roles and professional competencies of health education specialists to improve the efficacy of health promotion activities in public health organizations. Results and Conclusion: Based on the advanced cases of utilizing health education specialists in international and domestic public health organizations, five key roles of health education specialists were proposed. They included developing and applying behavior change strategies necessary to begin and maintain health behavior practices, analysing the needs of the priority population in a systematic way, organizing multiple health behavior change programs and multilevel intervention programs, and doing research on health determinants and scientific evidence of health promotion programs, In order to improve the quality of health promotion services in public health organizations, professional competencies of health education specialist should be developed and strengthened.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.140-147
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• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the types of worksite health promotion programs. Method: Data were collected from the excellent 35 cases chosen at the contest for worksite health promotion held by Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. Result: Out of all the health promotion programs, the exercise program recorded 35.0%, the nutrition program 29.4%, the smoking cessation program 28.0%, and the alcohol reduction program 7.6%. The major element of worksite health promotion programs were awareness raising intervention. Behavior change intervention and supportive environment intervention occupied a small portion of the health promotion programs. Evaluation of health promotion programs was made mainly by indicators of health behavior change and clinical symptom. Yet economical indicator was not used at all. Conclusion: Use of various evaluation indicator and development of various interventions including behavior change and supply of supportive environment are required to encourage worksite health promotion program.

• Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.314-324
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• 2018

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze research and development projects in mental health services in Korea, using priority evaluation of mental health promotion policies to determine direction of the service. Methods: An online survey was conducted that targeted experts in the mental health service regarding promotion of mental health in Korea in 2016. The survey was based on 32 policy projects that resulted from 12 strategies according to 4 policy objectives. Results: Analysis of 32 mental health projects were assessed regarding the possibility of technology development success, magnitude of the ripple effect, and necessity of a national response. It was observed that 3 policy projects relevant to suicide, had a high relative priority. This was followed by policies for improvement of health insurance and the medical benefit cost system, and policies for reinforcement of crisis psychological support such as those for disaster victims. Conclusion: The prioritization of mental health services should place an emphasis on promotion of a healthy mental lifestyle, rehabilitation support for patients with serious mental illness, and reinforcement of social safety networks for suicide prevention.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.607-613
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• 2021

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are still a considerable challenge in Myanmar. We undertook a control program for STH infections (especially Trichuris trichiura) among schoolchildren in Myanmar using mass drug administration (MDA) and health education. Around 1,700 schoolchildren from 15 primary schools in 3 suburban districts (Shwe Pyi Thar, Twantay, and Kyauktan) of the Yangon Region were subjected in this study during 2017-2019. All of the schoolchildren in each school were orally administered albendazole (400 mg in a single dose) 2, 3, and 4 times a year in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively. The results revealed that the egg positive rate of any intestinal helminths (including STH) was reduced from 37.6% (649/1,724) in 2017 to 22.8% (352/1,542) in 2019. The egg positive rate of Ascaris lumbricoides was decreased remarkably from 23.3% (402/1,724) in 2017 to 3.6% (56/1,542) in 2019. However, that of T. trichiura was only slightly reduced from 26.9% (464/1,724) in 2017 to 20.2% (312/1,542) in 2019. The intensity of infection with A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura was both more or less reduced, and the proportion of light infection cases with A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura increased from 35.6% in 2017 to 64.3% in 2019 and from 70.3% in 2017 to 81.7% in 2019, respectively. The results indicated that repeated MDAs (2-4 times a year for 3 years) using albendazole on schoolchildren in Myanmar failed to control T. trichiura infection. For a successful control of trichuriasis in Myanmar, new MDA strategies, using a modified albendazole regimen (multiple daily doses for 2 or 3 days) or an alternative anthelmintic drug, such as oxantel pamoate, is strongly recommended.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.79-89
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• 2010

Objectives: This study aims to identify health status and health risks among female marriage immigrants to Korea and to provide a basis for public health strategies to address their health issues. Methods: The participants of the study were 3,069 immigrant wives. The health examination was conducted by the Korea Association of Health Promotion (KAHP) in 2008. The participants also completed self-administered questionnaires on demographic characteristics, health-related behaviors and mental health. Results: Patterns of immigrant women's health problems differed by age and country of origin. Behavior patterns also differed by their heritage, age, and years of residence in Korea. Generally Vietnamese women fell in lower ranges of disease prevalence and health risk factors in the participant group and Japanese women presented most healthy eating habits. Filipina women showed relatively high disease prevalence than any other group. Conclusion: Immigration to Korea by marriage is relatively a new phenomenon, thus continuing surveillance and research are needed to identify health risks, behavior patterns, and their relationships. Interventions and policies for the health of migrant wives, their children and families are required.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.15-28
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• 2012

Objective: This paper aims to describe health promotion (HP) research according to HP activities, strategies, target population, and settings, and to explore challenges for HP to reflect principles and values. Methods: A content analysis was employed for all research reports funded by the Korea Health Promotion Foundation from 2005 to 2011. Content analysis was conducted according to the HP activities and strategies as mentioned in the Ottawa Charter, and by target population and setting. Challenges for HP research were explored by priority actions suggested by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education. Results: The total number of research was 384. The most popular topic was on HP actions for reorienting health services, followed by developing personal skills, creating supportive environments, building healthy public policy, and strengthening community actions. Research focusing on enabling strategies was most dominant among the HP strategies, while both advocating and mediating strategies were unlikely to be studied. An even distribution was found across target populations. The most popular setting was communities, followed by workplaces and schools. Conclusion: HP research tends to be anchored on bio-medical, individualized, and behavioral perspectives. A discussion was made to overcome this tendency by employing HP in social sciences theory and methods.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.264-276
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to propose and to test a predictive model that could explain and predict the health promotion behavior of obese school-age children in Korea. Methods: Participants for this study were 365 students from 13 elementary schools located in Jeonbuk Province, Korea. The data were analyzed using SPSS 15.0 program and Amos 7.0 program. Results: The results verified the factors that influence health promotion behavior of the participants. Important direct factors were prior health-related behavior, perceived self-efficacy, and commitment to a plan of action and indirect factors were perceived barrier and activity-related effect. These factors explained 75.3% of variance in the participants' health promotion behavior. The proposed model was concise and extensive in predicting health promotion behavior of the participants. Conclusion: Findings may provide useful assistance in developing effective nursing interventions for maintaining and promoting health promotion behavior in obese school-age children.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.73-83
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a comprehensive health promotion program for North Korean young adult defectors in South Korea. Methods: The comprehensive health promotion program consisted of nutrition, mental healthcare, physical activity and sexual behavior was developed on the basis of need assessment results. For the evaluation of the program, 70 North Korean young adults who were attending two alternative schools for North Korean defectors were recruited. The program had taken place once a week for 13 or 19 weeks. Effectiveness of the health promotion program was evaluated using anthropometric measurement, 3-day food records and a questionnaires that comprised the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Short Form with 36 questions (SF-36) and health behaviors. The surveys were proceeded at the beginning and after the program. Results: After health promotion program, participants' height was significantly increased (p=0.004) and body fat mass (0=0.004) and percentage of body fat mass (p=0.003) were significantly decreased. The number of subjects who ate breakfast alone was decreased whereas the number of subjects who ate breakfast with friends was increased (p<0.001). There were no significant changes in dietary intakes, mental health status and quality of life. North Korean young adult defectors' willingness to participate and interests in the health promotion program were high, however the practice rate was low. Conclusion: The health promotion program could induce interests and willingness to participate, but bring about limited effects on the health behaviors. These results imply that a health promotion program for North Korean young adult defectors should have a long-term strategy as well as short-term plan. Furthermore, it should be based on their health problems, health related behaviors, academic performance and daily life matters.