• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.316-339
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• 2022

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic across various sectors are far-reaching, and the education sector is not an exemption. Approved and recognized vaccines are clinically proven to provide protection and have been considered one of the primary mitigations against the virus. Knowledge, attitude, and related practices (henceforth KAP) toward the virus is widely considered to be an essential cognitive key in public health for health intervention, prevention, and promotion. Previous studies revealed a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude. This study investigated the KAP and their relationship among the 857 college students in one state college in the Philippines using an online survey. Using descriptive statistics, the findings showed that the majority of the respondents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Respondents were shown to be knowledgeable about COVID-19, specifically about its transmission, clinical symptoms, treatment, risk groups, isolation, prevention, and control. Positive attitudes toward individual and governmental mitigation and control of the virus were shown. Their scores on practices revealed that they always exhibit protective and preventive behavioral practices. Pearson correlation revealed a weak significant relationship between knowledge and practice, and a fair significant relationship between attitude and practice. No significant relationship is found between knowledge and attitude. This study hopes to find its place in the literature worthy of consideration as empirical support toward understanding a specific group's perceptive risk and preventive behavior toward the virus, policy making, and health intervention and promotion.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.69-87
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• 2023

Objectives : This study collected and analyzed information related to preventive formulas from continuously published and revised COVID-19 treatment guidelines in various regions of China. Methods : We collected treatment guidelines published in different regions of China and categorized formulas for prevention and medical observation period listed in them according to the editions. The categorized preventive formulas were compared by type and target group. Results : Herbal medicines used for prevention included formulas derived from Korean medical classics, such as Okbyeongpungsan(玉屏風散) and Eunkyosan(銀翹散). The newly composed formulas, totaling over 100, were created by adding, subtracting, and combining formulas such as Sang-gukeum(桑菊飮), Eunkyosan(銀翹散), Sasammaekmundongtang(沙參麥門冬湯), Okbyeongpungsan(玉屏風散), Gwakhyangjeong-gisan(藿香正氣散), and Soshihotang(小柴胡湯). Patent medicines including Huoxiangzhengqi capsule(藿香正氣膠囊), Lianhuaqingwen capsule(連花淸瘟膠囊), Shufengjiedu capsule(疏風解毒膠囊), and Jinhuaqinggan granule(金花淸感顆粒) were frequently used, mainly targeting close contacts. These medicines were used differently depending on the specific population group, such as the general population, the elderly, children, pregnant women, and patients with underlying diseases, and were also applied differently according to the individual's constitution. Conclusion : We were able to identify various background factors contained in the guidelines for the use of preventive formulas presented by TCM group, and understand the social conditions that enabled the group to provide such guidelines. Through this, thorough preparation should be made so that the Korean Medicine can actively respond to another future pandemic.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.256-269
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• 2020

Objectives: Everyone has been affected in some way by the COVID-19 pandemic, while some workers face threats to their health due to their jobs as well as worries about spreading the virus to intimate family members. With these concerns in mind, this study aims to identify occupations more vulnerable to COVID-19 and suggests the necessity of providing proper control measures against the risks in a timely manner in Korea. Methods: Daily briefing reports by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) were compiled (n=120) between January 20 and May 31, 2020. A total of 11,486 confirmed cases were included, which were sorted by occasion, area, and occupation. Among them, 2,411 cases were classified with specific occasions and/or areas of infection, while only 544 cases were determined with identifiable occupations. Guidelines for biological hazard management and COVID-19 guidelines for workplaces from domestic and international bodies were enlisted and compared. Results: It is unsurprising to find that healthcare professionals are experiencing the most immediate threat from COVID-19. In addition, service workers with face-to-face practices or indirect contact are also facing high risks. Religion facilities and eating places (dining, drinking bar, café, etc.,) follow. Guidelines and manuals for biological hazards are still lacking in Korea compared to the US and EU. Workplace manuals for managing COVID-19 are neither as comprehensive as the approaches of NIOSH's hierarchy of controls nor inclusive enough for minimizing secondary or tertiary suffering. Conclusions: The COVID-19 crisis is still ongoing and there is no doubt there will be more such events in the future. This analysis suggests that occupational health professionals, amid a pandemic including COVID-19, are urged to anticipate emerging risks related to all sorts of occupations, identify vulnerable workers and working environments, and plan and take actions to protect workers' health.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.384-389
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• 2021

Background: Social distancing by working-from-home is an effective measure to decrease the spread of COVID-19. However, this new work pattern could also affect the well-being of workers. Therefore, the aim of the study was to study the magnitude of occupational health problems and lifestyle changes among workers who have only recently started working from home. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using online self-administered questionnaires during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in the Bangkok metropolitan area, Thailand. The participants were from any organization that allowed working from home. The demographic data including the analysis of the characteristics of working from home, the occurrence of occupational health problems, and the lifestyle changes caused by working from home were analyzed. Results: A total of 869 workers were included as study participants. The highest prevalence of physical health problems among all workers was identified to be weight gain at a rate of 40.97% (95% confidence interval = 37.69-44.24), and the highest prevalence of psychosocial problems was identified to be cabin fever at a rate of 31.28% (95% confidence interval = 26.66-35.90%) among full-time working-from-home workers. The health effects that were significantly related to the intensity of working from home (p for trends <0.05), either positively or negatively, included body weight changes, ergonomic problems, indoor environmental problems, and psychosocial problems. Meanwhile, the lifestyle changes related to work intensity included eating pattern, sleep habits, and exercise. Conclusions: Working from home can affect workers' well-being in various aspects. Hence, occupational health providers must prepare for risk prevention and health promotion in this "new normal" working life pattern and for future pandemics.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.509-514
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• 2021

The pandemic of COVID-19 is driving the demand for non-face-to-face diagnosis, observation, and treatment in the healthcare environment, which has led to increased interest in helathcare robots. The authors intend to predict the direction in which the quarantine healthcare robots should be utilized in the post-corona era through analysis of national agency reports, on-offline press reports, and domestic and foreign robot company press releases. The COVID-19 pandemic has raised interest in medical robots. And there is a need to apply healthcare robots that can perform tasks such as disinfection, logistics transfer, screening tests, monitoring of patients, remote medical treatment support for isolated patients, and video calls with family members. Therefore, it is considered that future correct development and application of healthcare robots and empirical research to verify them should be continued based on sufficient consideration for various problems associated with the practical application of robots.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.477-489
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• 2021

COVID-19 has spread seriously around the world in 2020 and it is still significantly affecting our whole daily life. Currently, the whole world is still undergoing the pandemic and South Korea is no exception to it. During the pandemic, South Korea had several events that prevented or accelerated its spread. To establish the prevention policies for infectious diseases, it is very important to evaluate the intervention effect of such events. The susceptible-infected-removed (SIR) model is often used to describe the dynamic behavior of the spread of infectious diseases through ordinary differential equations. However, the SIR model is a deterministic model without considering the uncertainty of observed data. To consider the uncertainty in the SIR model, the Bayesian approach can be employed, and this approach allows us to evaluate the intervention effects by time-varying functions of the infection rate in the SIR model. In this study, we describe the time trend of the spread of COVID-19 in South Korea and investigate the intervention effects for the events using the stochastic SIR model based on the Bayesian approach.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.568-577
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• 2022

Objectives: Many studies have shown that social distancing, as a non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) that is one of the various measures against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is an effective preventive measure to suppress the spread of infectious diseases. This study explored the relationships between traditional health-related behaviors in Korea and social distancing practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2020 Community Health Survey conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (n=98 149). The dependent variable was the degree of social distancing practice to cope with the COVID-19 epidemic. Independent variables included health-risk behaviors and health-promoting behaviors. The moderators were vaccination and unmet medical needs. Predictors affecting the practice of social distancing were identified through hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Smokers (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.924) and frequent drinkers (aOR, 0.933) were more likely not to practice social distancing. A greater degree of physical activity was associated with a higher likelihood of practicing social distancing (aOR, 1.029). People who were vaccinated against influenza were more likely to practice social distancing than those who were not (aOR, 1.150). However, people with unmet medical needs were less likely to practice social distancing than those who did not experience unmet medical needs (aOR, 0.757). Conclusions: Social distancing practices were related to traditional health behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and physical activity. Their patterns showed a clustering effect of health inequality. Therefore, when establishing a strategy to strengthen social distancing, a strategy to protect the vulnerable should be considered concomitantly.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.501-508
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• 2022

It has been found that the incidence and mortality of COVID-19 are high in patients with underlying chronic diseases. Amid COVID-19 pandemic, tooth brushing is as important as hand washing for health care. The aim of this study was to identify factors related to the rate of tooth brushing and hand washing in hypertensive patients. We analyzed 62,762 hypertensive patients over the age of 40 from the Community Health Survey 2020. The practice rate of hand washing was higher among women, younger age, higher education level, mask wearers when going out, and tooth brushing practitioners after lunch. The hand washing practice rate was higher in hypertensive patients who practiced tooth brushing. In conclusion, there was the relationship between oral hygiene and personal quarantine. It is necessary to prepare sustainable measures to increase the practice rate of infectious disease prevention behaviors for patients with underlying chronic diseases who are susceptible to COVID-19.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2023

Background: Breaking the chain of disease transmission from overseas is necessary to control new infectious diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 effectively. In this study, we developed a mobile app called Self-Symptom Checker (SSC) to monitor the health of inbound travelers. Methods: SSC was developed for general users and administrators. The functions of SSC include non-repudiation using QR (quick response) codes, monitoring fever and respiratory symptoms, and requiring persons showing symptoms to undergo polymerase chain reaction tests at nearby screening stations following a review of reported symptoms by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, as well as making phone calls, via artificial intelligence or public health personnel, to individuals who have not entered symptoms to provide the necessary information. Results: From February 12 to March 27, 2020, 165,000 people who were subjected to the special entry procedure installed SSC. The expected number of public health officers and related resources needed per day would be 800 if only the phone was used to perform symptom monitoring during the above period. Conclusion: By applying SSC, more effective symptom monitoring was possible. The daily average number of health officers decreased to 100, or 13% of the initial estimate. SSC reduces the work burden on public healthcare personnel. SSC is an electronic solution conceived in response to health questionnaires completed by inbound travelers specified in the World Health Organization International Health Regulations as a requirement in the event of a pandemic.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2023

Backgrounds: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the university students population is one of the high risk and vulnerable groups. This study analyzed the status of student's mental health, including anxiety and depression caused by COVID-19, and its related factors among a university students in Korea. Methods : Our study subjects included university students in Korea. The survey items included general characteristics, teaching methods, physical activity, eating habits (SDBQ-L), weight-related questions, general anxiety disorder-7(GAD-7), and depression symptoms checklist. Frequency analysis, chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis were performed and data was analyzed using R version 4.1.2 program. Results : The prevalence of anxiety complaints was 5.5%, while the prevalence of depression complaints was 30.8%. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis of factors influencing anxiety, anxiety occurred 19.081 times (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.352-154.807) in the group with unhealthy diet (p<0.01). While in the multivariable analysis to identify factors affecting depression, women were 2.607 times significantly higher (95% CI: 1.255-5.415) than men, 0.407 times (95% CI:0.197-0.840) for residents of the metropolitan area, 3.418 times higher (95% CI:1.633-7.198) for unhealthy dietary people, and 2.225 times higher (95% CI: 1.080-4.582) for weight gainers (p<0.05). The type of class had no effect. Conclusions: COVID-19 and its associated interventions had negative effects on the mental health status including anxiety and depression in university students in Korea. Based on our results we recommend developing mental health interventions and prevention strategies for students in all universities in Korea.