• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.145-152
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• 2011

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of Optimal humidification during Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (nCPAP) for Extremely Low Birth Weight Infant (ELBWI). Methods: The study design was a pre-test-post-test nonequivalent nonsynchronized quasi-experimental design. The participants were 218 ELBWI on nCPAP (experimental group: 102 and control group: 116). Data collection was conducted from January 2005 to April 2010. In order to measure and analyze the nCPAP duration, reintubation and nasal condition, Chi-square test and t-test were used. Results: Hypothesis 1, that the duration with nCPAP in the experimental group is longer than that of the control group and hypothesis 2-3, that the rate of reintubation and nasal problems in the experimental group are lower than the control group, were all supported as there were statistically significant differences between two groups. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the Optimal humidification in this study is an efficient intervention because it helps increase the last time of nCPAP with ELBWI and minimize complications. It is expected that Optimal humidification is beneficial and helpful in preventing and caring for respiratory problems in these infants.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.77-83
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• 2015

Relative to a fetus of the same gestational age, very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are more likely to be underfed and to undergo growth restriction during their early hospital stay. The current trend towards "early and aggressive" nutritional strategies in VLBW infants aims to overcome the early nutritional deficiency and thereby boost postnatal catch-up growth, simultaneously improving long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes. Although the minimum starting amino acid (AA) dose to prevent negative nitrogen balance is well established, the upper limit and the rate of increase of early AA doses are controversial. Most randomized controlled trials show that early and high-dose (target, 3.5 to 4.9 g/kg/day) AA regimens, with or without high nonprotein calories, do not improve long-term growth and neurodevelopment. High-dose AA supplementation may lead to early metabolic disturbances and excessive or disproportionate plasma AA levels, particularly in infants of very low gestational age. Further large studies are needed to clarify the optimal strategy for early administration of parenteral AA doses in VLBW infants.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.63-73
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• 2007

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to obtain basal information to establish a proper birth-encouraging policy in the future through the survey of the attitude towards childbirth and its related factors among female students in junior, senior high school, and university. Methods: A survey was performed for 2 weeks in June, 2006, for a total of 688 female students which included 185 ones in a girls' junior high school and 242 ones in a girls' senior high school in Sacheon, and 261 ones in two universities in Jinju. The selfadministered questionnaires developed by the authors included the socio-demographic characteristics, the attitude towards childbirth, the preference of a son for their future child, the belief on relative importance of family or work after marriage, the seriousness perception of low birth rate in Korea, frequencies of education in school about low birth rate. The attitude was measured by an answer to the question of 'To what degree do you think you are going to have a child(or children)?' Results: The proportion of positive attitude towards their future childbirth was 76.2% in junior high school, 63.9% in high school, and 82.8% in university students (p<0.01). In the logistic regression analysis, the significant factors related with positive attitude towards future childbirth were school grade, preference of a son for their future children, and belief on relative importance of family or work after marriage. Conclusions: It suggests that the related factors with positive attitude towards future childbirth need to be considered to make a proper birth policy.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.182-188
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• 2011

Purpose: Recently in Korea, there have been significant improvements in neonatal mortality rate (NMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR). This study aimed to investigate the proportion of the NMR among IMR, with the goal of discerning the influence of improved NMR on the reduction of IMR in the last 5 years in Korea. Methods: All data were from Statistics Korea. Changes in the NMR percentage among IMR and the percentage of the death by the distribution of the birth weight and gestational were investigated. Results: The total birth rate decreased, but the total number of preterm and low birth weight infants increased. These was a large decrease in NMR and IMR. The proportion of NMR among INR exceeded 50%. Early NMR was higher than late NMR. Among the total infant death, the mortality of preterm and low birth weight infants was high. Conclusion: Between 2005 and 2009, the total birth has declined in Korea, but the frequency of low birth weight infants is trending upward. The improvements in NMR and IMR, and the downtrend of the NMR percentage in IMR, are encouraging. It seems that the continued decrease of mortality of preterm and LBWI is required for better improvements NMR and IMR in Korea. This result is expected to be used for the basic data to improve the management of the newborns in Korea.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.36-46
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• 2009

Purpose: To evaluate the neonatal statistics on a national basis, data for birth characteristics and neonatal mortality were collected and analyzed from 57 hospitals in Korea. Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to determine the characteristics of neonatal births and mortality rates in 57 hospitals in Korea during 2007. We analyzed the characteristics of all inborn births and hospitalized neonates in the neonatal care units (NICUs) and compared the results with published Korean data from 1996 and 2002. Results: A total of 40,433 inborn live births were reported from the 57 hospitals during 2007. Pre-term, term, and post-term births comprised 24.2%, 75.6%, and 0.2% of the neonates, respectively. Low birth weight infants (LBWIs), very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs), and extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWIs) made up 22.0%, 4.6%, and 1.7% of the neonates, respectively. A total of 21,957 (collected by gestational period) and 21,356 (collected by birth weight) neonates were hospitalized in the 57 NICUs. Pre-term, term, and post-term neonates comprised 39.8%, 59.8%, and 0.4% of the neonates, respectively. LBWIs, VLBWIs, and ELBWIs made up 37.3%, 9.5%, and 3.3% of the neonates, respectively. Pre-term, term, and post-term neonates had mortality rates of 4.5%, 0.7%, and 3.7%, respectively, while the mortality rates of LBWIs, VLBWIs, and ELBWIs were 4.7%, 15.3%, and 32.2%, respectively. In comparison with prematurity data from 1996 and 2002, LBWIs, and ELBWIs had a marked increase in birth frequency and a decreased mortality rate in Korea during 2007. Conclusion: The number of live births and the survival rate of pre-term neonates, especially VLBWIs and ELBWIs, are increasing. Even though the outcomes of neonatal care are improving, further efforts to manage these premature infants are needed.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.8
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• pp.769-776
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• 2003

Purpose : The survival rate of very low birth weight infants(VLBWI) has improved by virtue of specialized neonatal care. This study was performed to analyze the changes in incidence, survival rate and morbidity of VLBWI who admitted to Chonnam National University Hospital from 1996 to 2001. Methods : We enrolled 565 VLBWI, and compared the incidence and the survival rate according to the birth weight or gestational weeks between period I(1996 to 1998) and period II(1999 to 2001). The mortality rate according to the postnatal age, cause of death, morbidity and days of hospital stay were also compared. Morbidity is categorized into 'short term' which is curable until discharge, and 'long term' causing any types of sequelae after discharge. Results : Incidence of VLBWI significantly increased in period II over period I(6.0% vs. 11.0%, P< 0.001). The survival rate also increased in period II(71.8% vs. 80.1%, P<0.05), especially in 1,000 to 1,249 gm of birth weight(P<0.001) and in 28 to 30 weeks of gestation(P<0.001). The most common cause of death was respiratory distress syndrome in period I; however it was sepsis in period II. Although overall and short term morbidity rate increased, long term morbidity and days of hospital stay didn't increase in period II. Conclusion : Although the incidence of VLBWI significantly increased and the survival improved in period II compared to period I, especially in 1,000 to 1,249 gm of birth weight and 28 to 30 weeks of gestation, 'long term' morbidity rate and hospital days didn't increase.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.23 no.3 s.75
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• pp.25-33
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• 2005

This study examines socio-demographic characteristics of married couples and their desire for a second child. Questionnaires were completed by 355 married men and women who have only one child currently. The participants were classified into four groups by their desire, or a lack thereof, for a second child. Group I consisted of married people who wanted to have another child, and whose spouse wanted the same. Members of Group II were in a marriage where only the wife wanted to have another child. Members of Group III were in a marriage where only the husband wanted a second child. Group IV consisted of participants who did not want another child, and whose spouse agreed with thor The research questions were (1) how different those four groups are in terms of socio-demographic characteristics, (2) what are the reasons to stop having children and to have another child, and (3) what are the perceptions of the current low fertility rate in Korea, and the policies designed to increase birth rata The results indicate that wife' age, husband's educational level, expectant level of household economy, age at marriage, marriage duration and the time length between marriage and birth of the first child were significantly different among the four groups. The reasons to stop having children were expected constraint of privacy and time, physical and psychological burden and economic pressure. The most pronounced reason for wanting another child was the desire to give their first child a sibling. Group III had more serious disagreement about having another child than did Group II. There were significant differences among the four groups in the perceptions of possible consequences of the low birth rate. These perceptions included: undermined competitiveness of the nation and weakened family ties.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.108-115
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• 2021

Purpose: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a useful tool for evaluating brain injury and maturation in preterm infants and often requires sedation to acquire images of sufficient quality. Infant sedation is often associated with adverse events, despite extreme precautions. In this study, the swaddling technique was investigated as an alternative non-pharmacological strategy to obtain brain MRIs of sufficient quality. Methods: We applied the feed and swaddle technique during routine brain MRI as a quality improvement project and compared its morbidity with that of sedation in a historic age-matched group. Seventy-nine very low birth weight infants in the neonatal intensive care unit of Ajou University Hospital (Suwon, Korea) were enrolled. Thirty-two (40.5%) infants were in the feed and swaddling group, and 47 (59.5%) were in the sedation group. Results: The morbidity associated with the cardiopulmonary system (swaddling group vs. sedation group: 53.13% [n=17] vs. 63.83% [n=30], P=0.723) and central nervous system (40.63% [n=13] vs. 29.79% [n=14], P=0.217) were not significantly different between groups. The MRI failure rate was not significantly different (swaddling group vs. sedation group: 12.5% [n=4] vs. 4.3% [n=2], P=0.174). The MRI scanning time was longer in the swaddling group than in the sedation group (76.5±20.3 minutes vs. 61.5±13.6 minutes, P=0.001). Cardiopulmonary adverse events were significantly less common in the swaddling group than in the sedation group (3.13% [n=1] vs. 34.04% [n=16], P=0.002). Conclusion: The success rate of MRI was comparable between the swaddling technique and sedation. Furthermore, despite the drawback of prolonged scan time, cardiopulmonary adverse events are fewer with swaddling than with sedative agents. Therefore, swaddling can be an alternative to sedation or anesthesia when performing neonatal MRI scans.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.289-297
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• 2023

Technological advances in neonatology led to the improvement of the survival rate in preterm babies with very low birth weights. However, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) has been one of the major complications of prematurity. IVH is relevant to neurodevelopmental disorders, such as cerebral palsy, language and cognitive impairments, and neurosensory and psychiatric problems, especially when combined with brain parenchymal injuries. Additionally, severe IVH requiring shunt insertion is associated with a higher risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Multidisciplinary and longitudinal rehabilitation should be provided for these children based on the patients' life cycles. During the infantile period, it is essential to detect high-risk infants based on neuromotor examinations and provide early intervention as soon as possible. As babies grow up, close monitoring of language and cognitive development is needed. Moreover, providing continuous rehabilitation with task-specific and intensive repetitive training could improve functional outcomes in children with mild-to-moderate disabilities. After school age, maintaining the level of physical activity and managing complications are also needed.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-23
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• 2009

This paper uses a survey data to analyze the age-specific fertility rates, age-specific cumulative fertility rates, and ages of marriage of the five birth cohorts of Korean women born in the 1940s and thereafter. It was found that later cohorts reach their highest age-specific fertility rate at higher ages than earlier cohorts. The age-specific cumulative fertility rates of the 1950s and 1960 cohorts were found to be much lower than those of the immediately preceding cohorts, while those of the 1970s and 1980s cohorts were not different from those of the 1960s cohorts. Women belonging to later cohorts were found to get married at relatively higher ages. The estimation results of the hazard model show that women belonging to later cohorts and those with more schooling have a tendency to get married at higher ages. The effect of the birth cohorts is thought to be due to the economic, social, and cultural changes in Korea during the late 50 years or so. The time interval between a woman‘s marriage and first birth was found not to be affected by either the year of marriage or that of her birth. Also, those who remained employed for some time around their marriage and those with low schooling were found to have a lower first child birth hazard, which implies that married women’s employment status and family income play an important role in their decisions on childbirth.