• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.136-143
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• 2021

Objectives : The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is a global medical crisis imposing particular burden on public sector employees. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychiatric distress among public sector workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods : We conducted a cross-sectional study with 531 public sector workers in Gwangmyung city who completed Korean versions of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Impact of Event Scale-Revised-Korean (IES-R-K). Results : The results revealed more than moderate levels of stress (85.2%), depressive symptoms (22.2%), and posttraumatic stress symptoms (38.8%). PSS total score was significantly correlated with PHQ-9, IES-R-K total scores as well as IES-R-K subscale scores. Total scores on the PSS, PHQ-9, and IES-R-K were all inversely correlated with age. Conclusions : COVID-19-related workers experience considerable stress and depressive symptoms, with self-rated stress correlating significantly with depression scores. Age may serve as a protective factor against occupational stress and burnout. These findings highlight the need for adequate psychiatric screening and intervention for public sector workers.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.195-229
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• 2018

This study has examined how the welfare system has changed as it has passed through the most controversial period in Korean modern history. The welfare system has changed in a way that adapts to the need for export-led economic growth. Industrialization centered on light industry, which started in the mid-1960s, absorbed the labor force that existed in the rural areas and commodified them, thereby creating a momentum for Korean society to get out of poverty. However, the public de-commodification, ie social security system, adapted to the commodification of the labor force has been institutionalized only in a very limited area and people. Indeed, the de-commodification system was confined to the area directly linked to the reproduction of the labor force. Even so, the target was very limited in the abundance of labor in rural areas. Compulsory medical insurance was rejected because of corporate burden, and industrial accidents insurance was introduced centering on large-scale workplaces. As the Korean economy began to move from the light industry to the heavy industry in the 1970s, the commodificated labor force changed from a low skilled labor force to a skilled male labor force. It is at this time that dual structures have begun to be created between workers employed in export-oriented large enterprises and workers employed in domestic-oriented SMEs. Therefore, the system of de-commodification that supports the reproduction of labor power in response to social risks has also been institutionalized centering on large-scale workplaces.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.525-534
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• 2019

Korea is facing one of the fastest aging population problems in the world due to the extension of life expectancy and low birth rates due to economic development and the development of health care. It has become difficult to take care of elderly people in need of long-term care at home, and social problems such as dementia and the increase in stroke cases are serious problems. The government is enacting and implementing the Long-Term Care Insurance Act for the purpose of improving the quality of life for senior citizens subject to long-term care and alleviating the burden of family support in order to solve such social structure and problems for senior citizens. However, as a result of the implementation of the long-term care insurance system for the elderly, the privatization of the facilities and the disorder are causing widespread requests for public accountability of the services and the enhancement of the quality of the facilities. In addition, various arrangements are needed for the production of low-wage medical care workers, tasks for quality improvement, problems regarding financing methods, and so on. In order to maintain and develop the long-term care insurance system for the elderly, the government will consider seeking ways to improve the legal and institutional aspects according to changes in the social environment of the age, as well as seeking mental and psychological measures for the stabilization of old life as well as physical health.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.41-53
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• 2019

As the paradigm of healthcare shifts from the center of treatment to the center of prevention, products and services related to disease prevention are emerging at domestic and abroad. The government considers the smart healthcare industry as a solution to healthcare problems such as an increase in the number of chronic illnesses and an increase in the burden of medical expenses. The purpose of this study is to explore the factors affecting the use of smart healthcare products and services focusing on Health Literacy and health related personal characteristics and to provide policy implications. The subjects of the questionnaire are 1,027 adults over 20 in the nation, and conducted an online survey. In addition, the factors were analyzed by decision tree method. As a result, most of the respondents(76.9%) did not have experience using Smart Healthcare products and services. However, in the Health Literacy question, there was a difference in use experience depending on the degree of difficulty in using the mass media information. Other factors were the degree of intention to use new technology, the understanding of counseling about family members and friends, and health checkups. In order to enable self-healthcare through smart healthcare products and services, the ability of consumers to explore and utilize health information from the mass media should be improved. In addition, government and enterprise efforts are needed to achieve this.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.30-41
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• 2019

Objectives: The effects of particulate matter and ozone on health are being reported in a number of studies. These effects are likely to be stronger on the elderly population, but studies in this regard are scarce. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of particulate matter ${\leq}2.5{\mu}m$ and ozone on the acute health status of the elderly population. Methods: In order to analyze the health status of the elderly population, the NHIS-Senior Cohort data was used. In this study of people 60 years or older in Seoul, the number of outpatient visits and ER visits between 2002 and 2013 were calculated. Each disorder and the lag effect were analyzed separately. Particulate matter and ozone were analyzed using both the single exposure model and the adjusted multi-exposure model. Results: In the single exposure analysis with PM2.5 as the exposure variable, with each increase of $10{\mu}g/m^3$, the number of outpatient visits increased by 1.0081 times, vascular disease 1.0065 times, chronic pulmonary disease 1.0086 times, and diabetes 1.0055 times. In the multi-exposure model adjusting for ozone, the number of outpatient visits increased by 1.0066 times. There was a one-day lag effect and 1.0066 times increase between PM2.5 and ER visits in the multi-exposure model and 1.0057 times when adjusted for ozone (p value <0.10). There was a one-day lag effect in all multi-exposure models with ozone as the main variable, and when the particulate matter was adjusted, there was a one-day delay and 1.0143 times increase in ER visits. Conclusions: In our study, an increase in the number of outpatient and ER visits in the elderly population in accordance with the increase in PM2.5 and ozone was found. The association found in our study could also produce a socioeconomic burden. Future studies need to be performed in regards to younger populations and other air pollutants.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.12
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• pp.154-165
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• 2020

With a long-lasting pandemic of COVID-19, we have faced unprecedented socioeconomic threats. The regulation of human exchange has exposed us not only to the threat of health and medical care problems, but also to the burden of the contraction of economic activity. The outbreak of COVID-19 did give us an opportunity to reexamine the social safety net which has been prepared for such crisis situations. The current study, in this vein, aims to investigate the impact of evaluations of social safety nets on the trust in government and on individual willingness to accept tax increases. To this end, this study has explored the data from a survey conducted on 1,000 adult men and women across the country (South Korea) in May, 2020, when COVID-19 has entered a pandemic phase. The analysis result then has shown that the evaluation of social safety net after the outbreak of COVID-19 had a positive impact on the trust in the government, which in turn led to the increase of the willingness to accept tax increases. Moreover, the positive impact of trust in government on the willingness to accept tax increases has been more amplified when the income level was increased. These results could contribute to laying the theoretical foundation for restructuring the policies and systems for the post COVID-19 era.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.397-408
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• 2020

This study conducted a focus group interview with 15 college freshman from J college to find out their experiences in non-face-to-face lectures with COVID-19. The contents of the interview were recorded and conducted, and the meaning was analyzed according to the focus group interview procedure through repeated listening. Components were 'Operation of non-face-to-face lectures in unprepared situations', 'Loss of orientation in lectures and departure from learning', 'One way listening', 'The convenience of taking a lectures'. The experience of 'Operating non-face-to-face lectures in unprepared situations' included the start of mixed non-face-to-face lectures, cumbersome and inconvenient online systems, and the demand for tuition refunds. The experience of 'Loss of orientation in lectures and departure from learning' has experienced difficulty in concentrating on lectures, Deficiency in the degree of recognition of learning content, and burden of assignments and exams. The experience of 'One way listening' has experienced lack of interaction between professors and learners and non reflection of liveliness in the field. Finally, participants experienced satisfaction with being able to lectures and repeat lectures at anytime and anywhere they wanted with the convenience of taking lectures. Based on this study, participants called for improvements in the quality lecture contents and interaction between professors and learners, and it is thought that universities will need administrative and financial support and education design and system construction to construct high-quality lecture contents.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.601-610
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• 2022

Although the number of people insured by private health insurance in Korea is steadily increasing, the household burden or the status of multiple purchasing for private health insurance has not been addressed. In this study, data of the 2011-2018 Korea Health Panel Survey was used to examine the purchasing trend of Korean households' private health insurance. Households with more than three private health insurance per household member were defined as the 'poly-purchases'. The logit model was applied to analyze factors associated with poly-purchase of private health insurance using 2018 cross-sectional data. From 2011 to 2018, the number of insurances purchased by Korean households increased (4.0 to 4.6), the number of insurances per capita increased (1.3 to 1.6), and the proportion of the poly-purchasing households increased (5.2% to 10.8%). As a result of logit analysis, the probability of poly-purchasing was increased when the household head was a woman, with a high level of education and income, and when the job of the household head was a service or sales. Poly-purchasing was less likely when the family was subsidized with Medical Aids and suffered with more chronic diseases. The results of this study serve basic evidence for establishing policies regarding private health insurance, such as establishing the relationship between public and private insurance.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.81-93
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning of clinical practice experience, including web-based simulation practice, in the context of the corona pandemic era. As for the research method, data were collected through a focus group interview on the experience of web-based simulation practice and subsequent clinical practice and analyzed by content analysis method. The contents of the two interview groups were analyzed, and the results were divided into 2 components, 7 topic groups, and 18 topics. The first component, the clinical practice, was divided into four topic groups: 'The anxious start of practice in a pandemic situation', 'Direct experience through various cases', 'Training opportunities to prepare as a future nurse', and 'The burden of performance and limited experience'. The second component, the web-based simulation practice, was divided into three topic groups: 'Unfinished nursing practice', 'Indirect experience of clinical nursing in virtual space', and 'Requirement of an integrated practice model'. Clinical practice is a very important part of the nursing education curriculum. However, the nursing that students can perform in the field is very limited. Therefore, to supplement the shortcomings of observation-oriented clinical practice and to increase the quality of practical education, it is necessary to consider a hybrid education model including web-based simulation practice.

• Korea Science and Art Forum
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• v.31
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• pp.355-365
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• 2017

The future population of Korea is expected to reach the second highest level in the world by 2060 for the elderly. It is because of the rapid development of low fertility and medical technology. The burden of society for the elderly is expected to increase steadily. The elderly person firstly appears functional disorder. They have low ability in memory and in cognitive will be. Their activities are therefore limited. And economic production capacity is sharply reduced. Self-sufficiency is a difficult situation. They need help in economic and social aspects. Products for them need research and development. The elderly have a Mild Cognitive Impairment(MCI) stage with poor cognitive abilities. It is effective to combine pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment methods for people with mild cognitive impairment. The effects of non-pharmacological treatments on music have been proven. This paper is a study on the appearance from the viewpoint of design in the development of ancillary instruments using music therapy techniques with Digital Convergence. For this study, we investigated the preference for external appearance of mild cognitive impairment. Two times surveys were conducted. As a result, the design of home care product for the hard cognitive impaired was different from that of a conventional game machine or set top box. It should be designed according to the user's special circumstances. They are memory and cognitive abilities. Products that meet physical and mental changes must be developed.