• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.2 s.57
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• pp.293-307
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• 1997

In Korea, sudden deaths of middle-aged and older male workers who are the responsible persons at home as well as workplace, have aroused social concern. Besides, U. N. has reported recently that mortality of Korea male in 40-50's was one of the highest among newly developed countries in 1992. Not much is, however, known about the nature of the work contributing to the mortality of different groups of workers. Therefore, this study was done to examine mortality of public servants, comprising about 5% of all the employed in Korea, according to their job titles and grades. The datas of 1753 official deaths, comprised 323 (only disease-oriented deaths) applicants of survivors' compensation, were used to examine age-adjusted Standardized Mortality Ratios(SMRs) according to their job titles, grades, tenures and cause of deaths. Controlling age and sex difference was conducted using 26,950,481 general population, 95,340 general deaths and 864,560 working public servants. All the groups were aged 20-64, who were being observed January - December in 1993, at the same time. Results and discussions are as follows. 1. SMRs standardized by general population was significantly low (SMR 44.9 CI 42.8-52.7) for all job titlses. Of public servants, 90.0% was graduated from high school, although 17.5% in general population. The distinction of social status such a education may produce a strong healthy worker effect. Besides, SMRs for different tenure groups showed a steady increase as tenure increases. This suggests that the magnitude of healthy-worker effect may be greater with increasing tenures. 2. SMRs standardized by own public servants was significantly elevated for work-men(SMR 121.0, CI 110.2-132.6) in solitue. When SMRs for different grade, of work-men was examined, 9th(SMR 124.2, CI 104.4-146.7) and 10th(SMR 137.9 CI 120.8-156.8)grade, lower grade in workmen, showed significantly elevated SMRs. Of workmen, 57.0% were graduated from high school and 50.1% in 9th grade, as well. These mean that low economic states made up social class, education may increase mortality rate. 3. Of SMRs according to all causes of death, only policemen on 'cause of death related hypertensive disease'(SMR 282.5, CI 121.6-556.7) was significantly high except for' cause of death related other signs, symptoms and ill-defined conditions'. 4. When SMRs on cause of death related hypertensive disease for different grade of policemen was examined, senior policemen(SMR 241.9), in charge of the front service, showed elevated SMR, in spite of statistical no significance. Especially, the working hour of senior policemen is quite long and also the work schedule is even more irregular for policemen. The results of this study showed that mortality for different jobs differed, and it differed also for different grades in the same job. This difference in mortality may reflect the difference in the nature of job contents, and further studies are warranted to elucidate which job characteristics are responsible.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.16 no.3 s.43
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• pp.181-195
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• 1992

The purposes of this study were to investigate 1) the effect of body exposure and color of a woman's suit on the perception of modesty, and 2) the effect of perceiver's sex and age on impression formed by the function of clothing variables. The instrument of this study consisted of a response scale and stimuli. Thirteen items of 7-point semantic differential scales were developed to measure the perceiver's impression on wearer's modesty. Stimuli were color pictures of a model wearing one of 8 types of suit constructed by a 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 factorial design. The manipulation of each level of the clothing variables were: color of the suit by black and red, leg exposure by varying skirt lengths to a Chanel-line and mini skirt, and neck exposure by shirt collar blouse and scarf. Two models, representing typical female college students living in Seoul, were selected to eliminate model effect. The sample include 384 subjects, consisting of 4 groups of male and female college students and middle aged men and women. Eight experimental groups were randomly assigned to one of eight stimuli based on between-subject design. One half of each group responded to model 1 and the other half to model 2 of same stimulus. Responses to the semantic differential scales were factor analyzed (pc model, Varimax rotation) to identify factors constructing impression of modesty. Two factors emerged regard­less of subgroups; Elegance and Extroversion factor. The first factor was found to be dominant, accounting for 60 percent of the total variance. The other accounted for just 11 percent. Multidimensional ANOVA (5-way, 3-way) was conducted to test the effect of the clothing variables against two factors identified from the factor analysis. Leg exposure was the most powerful variable affecting the impression of Elegance and Extroversion factor for all per. ceiver subgroups. Neck exposure had primary effect on the impression of Elegance, whereas it partially influenced that of Extroversion. Color of suit had only partial effect on the impression of Extroversion. Hypothesis I was partially supported from the findings above. The effect of perceiver's age and sex on impression by the function of clothing variables was tested by comparing the result between four subgroups. In forming an impression of the wearer's modesty, male college students were least affected by the manipulation of clothing variables, while middle aged males were affected most. In the female groups, there was no age difference and they fell between the male groups in the degree to which they were affected. Hypothesis II was supported only by age difference in two male groups, and by sex difference in two student groups.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.141-155
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• 2024

Background: This study aimed to identified the relationship between the risk of obstructive sleep apnea, subjective health, and health-related quality of life among the middle-aged and elderly population in Korea. Methods: Adults aged 40 or older were extracted from the total 22,559 respondents to the 2019-2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey VIII, and secondary analysis was conducted on a total of 6,659 middle-aged and elderly people with no missing values. Logistic regression analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted to examine the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea risk factors and subjective health as well as quality of life. Results: The subjective health status decline in the high-risk group compared to the non-risk group for obstructive sleep apnea was statistically significantly higher, with an odds ratio of 1.84 (p<0.001). The health-related quality of life was also statistically significantly lower by 0.02 points (β, -0.02; p<0.001). As a result of subgroup analysis on specific variables, the association between the risk of obstructive sleep apnea and subjective health and health-related quality of life was statistically significant depending on gender, sleep time, presence of depression, household income, and number of household members. Based on the obstructive sleep apnea risk group, women had a higher correlation with low subjective health and lower health-related quality of life scores than men. Sleeping time of more than 8 hours or less than 6 hours was more associated with low subjective health and lower health-related quality of life score than sleeping time of 6-8 hours. Patients with depression were more likely to have low subjective health than those without depression. The lower the household income level and the smaller the number of household members, the higher the association with low subjective health and the lower the health-related quality of life score. Conclusion: It is essential to recognize that the risk of obstructive sleep apnea not only directly affects sleep disorders but also impacts individuals' subjective health and quality of life. Consequently, social support and education should be provided to raise awareness of this issue. Particularly, programs for preventing and managing obstructive sleep apnea should target vulnerable groups such as women, individuals in single-person households, low household income, and those with depression, aiming to improve their subjective health and quality of life.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.889-900
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• 2003

This study was carried out to obtain information regarding eating habits, including health related behavior and health food consumption patterns. The subjects of this study were 149 men and 152 women residing in the Ulsan area. We obtained results by means of a questionnaire and an interview, and these were analyzed using the SPSS package program. The results of this study are summarized as follows The average age of the men was 47.6 $\pm$ 7.3 years and of the women was 47.3 $\pm$ 7.6 years old. The average height and weight of the men were 169.4 $\pm$ 5.5 cm and 67.7 $\pm$ 8.2 kg, respectively. Those of the women were 157.6 $\pm$ 5.0 cm and 58.2 $\pm$ 7.5 kg, respectively. The BMI values of all the subjects ranged from 20.0 to 25.0, all within the normal levels. In the case of dietary patterns, 24.3% of the total population always skipped a meal. In particular, 15.9% of the total population skipped breakfast. No time to eat, no appetite, having no taste, and having poor health were themain reasons for skipping meals. With regard to health care, there was a significant difference between the men and the women with respect to smoking and drinking (p<0.001). Of the total population, 40.5% hardly exercised (less than once a week), 26.2% exercised occasionally, 13.6% frequently exercised, and 19.6% exercised almost every day. A total of 60.7% responded that they were not interested in their health. The mean eating habit score of the subjects was 65.6 $\pm$ 9.9. The women had a higher eating habit score than the men (64.0 $\pm$ 9.6 for the men and 67.2 $\pm$ 9.9 for the women). Except for one group above 60 years, the older group had a higher eating habit score than the younger one. The group having a higher income and a more specialized career had a higher eating habit score than the one having a lower income and a less specialized career. There was also a marital difference. The group of single subjects showed a lower eating habit score than the married group. The group having a higher eating habit score drank, smoked and went out for meals less, and exercised more than the group having lower scores. They also were more concerned about their health. In the older group, there were more diabetic and hypertensive individuals. The subjects who had a higher BMI index were more likely to be patients with hypertension, especially in the men's group. Those who had a higher BMI index and hypertension simultaneously took a variety of medicines and foods for promoting health. Those who worried a lot about their health and had health problems tended to take special foods for their health. Patients usually took tonics. Special foods for health included Chinese medicines, tonic foods, vitamin or mineral supplements and manufactured health food supplements. Preferences for them depended on the sex and age of the subject. In the case of tonic foods, the men liked them more than the women. Foods other than tonic foods were favorites with the women. This study may provide basic information on the eating habits and health related behaviors of middle-aged people. However, further studies are needed to improve the eating habits and to change the nutritional attitudes, so that people can make better choices of health foods.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.61-71
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between dietary variables and the prevalence of insulin resistance (IR) in middle-aged Korean adults using data from the 2007-2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Because IR is closely linked with metabolic syndrome, subjects were divided into three groups according to symptoms of metabolic syndrome: the 'Normal group' without any symptoms, the 'Risk group' with one or two symptoms, and the Metabolic syndrome (MetS) group' with three or more symptoms. Subjects between the ages of 30 and 65 years with no prior diagnosis or treatment for diabetes, hypertension, or dyslipidemia were selected. The number of subjects per group was as follows: 2,085 adults in the Normal group, 3,699 adults in the Risk group, and 1,160 adults in the MetS group. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to Adult Treatment Panel III criteria with modified waist circumference cutoff values (men ${\geq}$ 90 cm, women ${\geq}$ 85 cm). Subjects with HOMA-IR > 2.0 were classified as IR. Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated using the following formula: (fasting plasma glucose ${\times}$ fasting plasma insulin)/22.5. Nutrients and food groups intake were obtained from a single 24-hour recall. Subjects with IR in the Normal group were more obese and less physically active than non-IR subjects. In the MetS group, subjects with IR were more obese and had a lower prevalence of smoking and drinking, compared with non-IR subjects. Men with IR in the Normal group had a tendency to consume more oils and sugars than non-IR men, while women with IR in the same group had higher intake of carbohydrate, dietary glycemic index, and dietary glycemic load than non-IR women. Women with IR in the Risk group had lower energy intake but higher intake of oils and sugars than non-IR women. In the MetS group, consumption of fruits was higher in subjects with IR than in non-IR subjects. In conclusion, findings of this study suggest that dietary carbohydrate intake, including glycemic index, may be associated with IR in healthy women. Further research in prospective cohort studies in order to examine the effects of dietary carbohydrate on IR incidence will be necessary.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.46-55
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• 2024

Objective: This study was conducted to provide basic data for the establishment of effective health policies for the unmet medical experience that may occur among the elderly depending on whether they live in a singleperson household or not. Methodology: This study used data from the 8th National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019-2020) and excluded cases with missing values in variables for the total number of respondent participants of 15,469. Finally, 2,850 subjects aged 65 or older were selected for final analysis. This study examined the relationship between experiences of unmet medical needs, attempting to confirm the relationship between single-person households and unmet medical needs through subgroup analysis considering gender, age, and household income. Results: According to the results, in the case of single-person households, the odds ratio (OR) for unmet medical needs was significantly higher at 1.60 times (95% CI: 1.16-2.21). Upon conducting subgroup analyses for gender, age, and household income quintiles, the OR was significantly higher at 2.24 times (95% CI: 1.14-4.41) for males and 1.48 times (95% CI: 1.02-2.14) for females, statistically significant in both cases. For individuals aged 65-69, the OR was significantly higher at 1.90 times (95% CI: 1.04-3.47), but for those aged 70-74 and over 75, it was not statistically significant. In the case of households with 'low' income, the OR was higher at 1.62 times (95% CI: 1.16-2.26), and for 'middle' income, it was significantly higher at 3.21 times (95% CI: 1.08-9.51). Conclusion: This study confirmed that the experience of unmet medical care is high among men who make up single-person households and low-income seniors. Therefore, this study suggests that policies to expand medical services and support welfare for single-person households should be established to resolve these problems, showing that health policies that take into account individual and regional characteristics are needed to improve medical accessibility for single-person households.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.582-595
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• 2022

Objectives: To investigate the effects of acupuncture at GV20 and EX-HN1 on cerebral blood flow (CBF) velocity and cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) in the middle cerebral arteries (MCA) and anterior cerebral arteries (ACA) and to compare the effects to acupuncture at GV20. Methods: The study was a randomized, crossover trial that included 10 healthy men aged 20 to 29 years who underwent acupuncture treatment four times with a washout period of one week. The CBF velocity and CVR were measured by transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) on both MCAs at the first and second visits, and both ACAs at the third and fourth visits. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups (A and B) before the first and third visits. Group A received two phases of acupuncture intervention at a single GV20 point and a combination of GV20 and EX-HN1 acupoints. Group B received the same interventions, but in the reverse order. Results: The increase in CO₂ reactivity was significantly higher for the combination acupoints of GV20 and EX-HN1 than for the GV20 single acupoint in both MCAs (Right: 136 to 178, p=0.017; Left: 127 to 191, p=0.017) and ACAs (Right: 133 to 158, p=0.013; Left: 122 to 168, p=0.025). No significant change was noted in the corrected velocity at PETCO₂ 40 mmHg, blood pressure, or heart rate. Conclusions: The findings suggest that improvement of the CBF in the MCA and ACA after GV20 acupuncture increases when acupuncture is also performed at EX-HN1. These results clinically support the combined use of EX-HN1 and GV20 to treat disorders of MCA and ACA circulation.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.537-551
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was designed to identify meaningful themes related to the recognition of lifestyle risk factors and barriers in seeking treatment following an acute event of first-time acute myocardial infarction. Methods: A methodological mixed method of thematic content analysis and a quantitative analysis was used. The sample consisted of 120 male patients < 65 years of age who agreed to be in the study were interviewed using a semistructured during 2008-2009. Data were analyzed according to the procedure of thematic content analysis and the meaningful themes were coded into SPSS data for quantitative analysis. Results: Pre-hospital delay greater than three hours reported by 58.3% (n=70) of the sample and similarly 63.3% had no recognition about their symptoms as cardiac in origin. The mean number of risk factors was $3.9{\pm}1.8$ out of 11 when lifestyle and psychosocial factors were included. From the interview data among the 70 patients delayed greater than three hours, thirty-five themes categorized into 12 main themes influenced the delayed decision which was identified according to personal-cognitive, socio-cultural, and contextual factors. Conclusion: Health care providers should consider these themes in designing individual interventions to make lifestyle changes and to facilitate more prompt decisions to seek care.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.196-204
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was done in order to examine the differences in gender respect to care burden, fatigue, and life contentment of family caregivers of elderly with dementia. Methods: The setting of the study was a community-based dementia care center providing daycare services. One hundred ninety four caregivers were recruited for the survey. A structured questionnaire was used which included demographic information, care burden, fatigue, and general contentment scales. Caregivers were classified into 4 groups by gender relationship with care recipients. Results: The majority of the caregivers were middle-aged and elderly. More than twice as many were female rather than male caregivers. The results showed that women caregivers expressed more fatigue than men overall (p < .05). In the gender relationships, a different combination of man-woman appeared to have more burdens than that of a woman-woman group (p < .05). For fatigue, the man caregiver-woman elderly group showed a higher fatigue score than a woman-man group (p < .05). However, there was no significant difference in life contentment among groups. Conclusion: These results suggest that caregiver's gender and gender relationship with elders could be considerable factors when the nurses make a plan in the community for dementia nursing management services.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.258-265
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• 2017

Although excessive intake of sodium is known to cause various diseases and threaten public health and policies for reducing overconsumption of sodium are being implemented, the theoretical research on sodium intake is incomplete. This study attempted to provide a policy basis by examining whether or not planned behavior theory, which is a typical health communication theory used to describe health-related behaviors, can be applied to explain sodium intake behavior. Especially, sodium ingestion behaviors were compared using the theory of actions planned for men and women as well as young people, middle-aged, and elderly persons, who are predicted to show differences in eating habits. In this study, questionnaires were prepared to measure the daily eating habits of subjects and subordinate factors of planned behavior theory: behavioral beliefs, outcome expectations, normative beliefs, compliance motivation, and control beliefs. Questionnaires were given to 93 college students and their families. As a result of the difference analysis and path analysis of the questionnaire responses, the following suggestions were obtained. First, age difference is more obvious than sex difference in terms of low salt intentions. For example, older people are healthier than younger people in terms of eating habits and health concerns. Second, the elderly are more likely to practice the low-salt formula when they are provided information on the benefits and effects of the low-salt formula compared to younger ones. Third, systematic efforts are needed to promote a culture that emphasizes the health benefits of a low salt diet rather than providing piecemeal information on the advantages and effects of a low salt diet.