• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7693-7702
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• 2014

Background: Human papilloma virus (HPV) occurs in women of all age groups, and causes cervical, anal, vaginal, vulvar, penile and oropharyngeal cancers. The aim of the study was to discover what nurses know about HPV infection, testing and vaccination and to determine vaccine practice of their daughters and perceived barriers. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional and prospective study was carried out nurses who have worked in a hospital between January and June 2014. Pre-test and post-test were used to evaluate the nurses' knowledge about HPV infection, testing and vaccination. This study was performed with nurses who had girls between 9 and 26 years of age for evaluating the behavior of vaccination after three months of education. Results: The mean of pre-test and post-test scores about HPV infection, which included 22 items, were $8.2{\pm}5.6$ and $19.2{\pm}1.5$, respectively. Before education the HPV testing knowledge score was remarkably poor ($1.9{\pm}1.7$ over 5), after education it increased to $4.8{\pm}0.5$. The mean HPV vaccine knowledge score were $3.7{\pm}2.7$ (pre-test) $7.3{\pm}0.8$ (post-test) on a 0-8 scale. The difference between mean total pre-test ($13.9{\pm}9.1$) and post-test ($31.3{\pm}1.9$) scores was statistically significant (p<0.001). After three months of education, only two of the nurses' daughters were vaccinated. The main reason was noted by nurses were not willing to be vaccinated was cost, doubts about safety and efficacy related to the vaccine. About one-third of nurses declared that they would receive the vaccine for their daughter later. Conclusions: Nurses have a crucial role in the prevention, treatment, increasing public awareness and care for population. The education of the nurses about HPV infection, test and vaccination will play an important part decreasing cancer mortality and morbidity.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.43-50
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• 2011

In an aging society, as the number of people with disabilities increases concerns are raised about the quality of life of these people and their access to a safe environment becomes important. The purpose of this study is to find out the value of accessibility as an attribute of housing. To estimate the value of accessible, barrier-free housing, this study uses the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) and analyzes the factors which affect the Willingness To Pay (WTP) of survey respondents by using Survival Analysis. In addition, the importance and satisfaction of barrier-free facilities in the dwellings of survey respondents was investigated. Since aging could be an important factor in influencing the need for accessibility, this study surveyed two age groups, one group (212 respondents) of people below the age of 65 and the other (162 respondents) of people above 65. The results of this study show that respondents would pay on average 2.67% more for being barrier-free when answering an open-ended question and 3.87% more for barrier-free housing when using the double referendum model. This is the increase in value that the respondents perceive as a consequence of removing all the architectural barriers from a dwelling. On average, elderly respondents would pay 2.99% of housing price for accessible features compared to 4.40% of the younger group. However, if the elderly who have willingness to pay for accessibility, the value the older group put on barrier-free housing was higher than the value perceived by the younger group. Factors that influence the WTP are importance of barrier-free facilities, education level and housing type. The value of dwellings without barriers estimated in this study shows the potential size and value of this kind of housing market to the housing development sector.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.199-209
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• 2013

This study empirically investigates how the switching barriers influence the consumer's perceived intention to change his or her current favorite internet shopping mall. Drawing from switching cost theory, variables pertaining to trust, shopping mall service quality, product price, web page quality, switching barriers were examined to examine the consumer's behavioral intention to switch to another shopping mall. The interaction effect of consumer involvement was also included in the research model. The results of the study report that customer satisfaction and switching cost influence shopping switching intention, while the effect of attractiveness of the shopping mall was not significant in the statistical analysis. Furthermore, a moderating effect of consumer involvement was not found significant in the PLS analysis. The study demonstrates the shopping mall owners try to increase the customer's overall satisfaction and raise the switching barrier by providing mileage advantages, for instance.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to examine beliefs, self-efficacy and eating behaviors by the stages of change in vegetable consumption among college students (n = 297). A survey was conducted to examine study variables, and subjects were categorized into three groups based on the stages of change: precontemplation/contemplation stage (PC/C), preparation stage (P), action/maintenance stage (A/M). Subjects had 3.7 servings of vegetables a day, and vegetable consumption was significantly different by stages of change (p < 0.001). The A/M group showed higher score on beliefs regarding vegetable consumption (p < 0.001) than the other groups, and perceived benefits of vegetable consumption (e.g. cancer prevention) more strongly (p < 0.05). The PC/C group felt more barriers than the A/M group, such as disliking cooking methods, texture of vegetables (p < 0.001), bad taste and bad experience of eating vegetables (p < 0.05). Self-efficacy score was 27.2, with decreasing self-efficacy from A/M to P, PC/C (p < 0.001). The A/M group showed more confidence in nine behaviors such as "eating vegetables during meals" and "replacing menu at home with more vegetable dishes" (p < 0.001) than the other groups. The A/M group had more desirable eating behaviors (e.g, having a variety of foods, eating regularly, consumption of food groups). This study suggests that target population for education and educational strategies be different based on the stages of change. For those in the PC/C stage, education might focus on reducing barriers and increasing self-efficacy. For those in the A/M stage, it is necessary to use strategies to maintain and reinforce behaviors for enough vegetable consumption.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.60-65
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• 2019

Objectives: This study examined cancer knowledge, beliefs, and practice among faith-based Chinese in the USA versus Taiwan to gain better understandings on how environment and culture might play a role for tailored cancer education programs. Methods: A self-administered survey included a validated 10-item Cancer Screening Belief Scale (CSBS), an 8-item Cancer Screening Knowledge Test (CSKT), and a 14-item cancer Warning Signs Test (CWST) was administered. Participants were recruited from 9 Chinese churches (5 in the USA and 4 in Taiwan). Results: A total of 372 Chinese participated, 50% lived in the USA and 50% in Taiwan. Mean age was 44.31 (standard deviation, 14.74), 60% males, and majority had college education (85%). Taiwan participants scored higher on both CSKT (6.13 vs. 5.52; p<0.001) and CWST (6.80 vs. 5.38; p<0.001). Although perceived screening benefits and barriers were similar, Taiwan participants endorsed higher on screening norms (11.67 vs. 10.82; p<0.001). Taiwan participants also indicated more doctor recommending cancer screenings (42.1% vs. 29.6%; p=0.015), USA participants were more likely to have had annual health exams (65.4% vs. 48.9%; p=0.002). Regression results showed that those resided in the USA were 2.38 times more likely to report annual health exams. Married status (odds ratio [OR], 2.85), college education (OR, 2.38), doctor's recommendation (OR, 2.87), no family cancer history (OR, 2.47), and those with lower barriers were significant factors on annual health exams. Conclusions: Taiwan participants scored higher on cancer knowledge and screening norms, while more USA participants reported annual health exams. Taiwan's universal healthcare might play a role on the different healthcare seeking patterns.

• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.14-22
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to determine the factors contributing to the barrier of dental treatment for special needs patients perceived by the main caregivers of the patients. A questionnaire was developed with three parts: patient-related factors, caregiver-related factors, and factors for treatment barriers. Patient- and caregiver-related factors were analyzed for correlations with the barrier factors. Fisher's exact test and Chi-square test were used at the level of 0.05. A total of 52 caregivers (mean age [SD]=50.2 [11.5] years) for the patients with intellectual and cognitive disabilities (mean age [SD]=38.9 [21.3]) responded to the questionnaires. Oral hygiene status, need for assistance in tooth brushing, and cooperation for tooth brushing were correlated with the level of treatment cooperation of the patients (p<0.05). The above three factors were also correlated with the treatment barrier despite patients presenting oral symptoms (p<0.05). Two thirds of the caregivers felt the treatment cost as severe or a considerable financial burden. For patients, insurance types and need for assistance in tooth brushing, and for caregivers, education levels and financial status were significant factors contributing to financial burden (p<0.05). There were background factors of the patients and their caregivers associated with access to dental treatment for special needs patients. Deficient cooperative skills and financial burdens were the main obstacles to treatment access. Tooth brushing skills and oral hygiene status can be proxy measures to cooperative ability for dental treatment.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.384-389
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• 2023

Background: Exposure to welding fume is associated with adverse effects on worker health. The use of various control measures can reduce levels of exposure and the resulting health effects. However, little is known about the factors that may influence workers' use of control measures in the workplace and their perceived intervention needs. This study aimed to investigate workers' and other stakeholders' views on ways to improve the use of welding fume control measures in Australian workplaces. Methods: We conducted a series of online focus group discussions and individual interviews with participants who have some occupational involvement in welding, whether as workers, employers or industry representatives, union representatives, or regulators. A semi-structured question guide was used, and all discussions and interviews were recorded and transcribed for analysis. Results: Five focus group discussions and five individual interviews were conducted with a total of 21 participants. Three major themes emerged. The first addressed the current awareness of welding fume harms and concern about exposure; the second focussed on the current use of control measures, and barriers and facilitators to their use; and the last centred around intervention needs and the contents of a potential effective intervention. Conclusion: Improving the use of control measures to prevent exposure to welding fume requires knowledge around the barriers and facilitators of control, use, and the intervention needs of stakeholders. This study has provided such knowledge, which will facilitate the design and implementation of an intervention to reduce welding fume exposure and ultimately protect the health of workers.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.238-245
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• 2015

Background: Pharmacy schools newly adopted a 6-year program strengthening clinical knowledge since 2011 in Korea. The clinical training under the guidance of preceptors at hospital sites is a requisite for pharmacy students during the last year of undergraduate course. It has been rarely studied on the hospital pharmacists' perspective regarding being a preceptor or teaching pharmacy students. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the hospital pharmacists' intention toward student training and to identify the relevant factors among the individual pharmacists' characteristics and working environment within the theoretical frame of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Method: A mail-survey was conducted for pharmacists working in tertiary hospitals in Seoul and Incheon. The survey questionnaire consisting of 131 questions with a 5-likert scale was developed for investigating pharmacists' attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and the intention to teach pharmacy students as well as other demographic variables. To estimate the construct validity of components, factor analysis was conducted and Cronbach's alpha was calculated to estimate the reliability of the observed variables. Statistical analyses of one-way variance analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed using SPSS 18.0. Results: The survey response rate was 53% (116/210) and the three constructs of attitude (r = .519), subjective norm (r = .233) and perceived control (r = .392) have appropriate correlations with the intention, proving the appropriateness of using the TPB model. Pharmacists working in inpatient (mean = 3.45) and outpatient clinics (mean = 3.34) generally showed positive intention for teaching. The attitude (${\beta}=.432$, p < 0.01) and perceived control (${\beta}=.270$, p < .01) constructs were significant predictors of the intention. Both age (r = 0.246, p = 0.017) and length of career (r = 0.310, p = 0.002) were positively related with the perceived control. Conclusion: Hospital pharmacists showed generally positive intention to provide student training in spite of the concern on their limited perceived behavioral control. Future research to find the actual barriers pharmacists faced in educating students need to be conducted.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.101-114
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• 2023

Pets are increasingly becoming vital companions in human life, prompting researchers to focus on understanding the grief experiences of pet owners. Unlike other forms of loss, pet loss often leads to complicated grief, characterized by intense and prolonged sorrow. This is likely due to the comparatively lower societal value placed on the human-pet relationship, which may restrict pet owners from feeling truly understood by others. The subjective perception of these "social constraints" significantly hampers the process of recovering from pet loss and contributes to the development of complicated grief. In this study, we hypothesize that the perceived social constraints could intensify the transition from the initial shock of pet loss to complicated grief. The results confirm that pet owners' perceived social constraints play a moderating role in the relationship between the shock of pet loss and complicated grief. Notably, pet owners experience heightened levels of complicated grief when perceiving greater social barriers and constraints. By highlighting the pivotal role of perceived social constraints in comprehending the experiences of pet loss and grief, this study underscores the importance of social awareness and improvement.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.109-129
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• 1994

Chronic health problems has become a major concern and challenge to the health care professionals today. Especially hypertension, one of the leading primary cause of death in Korea, is a typical chronic disease requiring adequate and continuous management. Though these hypertensives need to maintain desirable health practice by themselves for their life time, many previous studies indicated that most of the essential hypertensives have no specific symptoms and thus, reluctant to follow appropriate medical regimens causing the condition further aggravated and complicated. Self-care is an essential factor that keeps chronic patients in control of their health and wellness. Thus this study was conducted to identify the effect of the comprehensive self-regulation program as a nursing intervention on the promotion self-care performance and improvement in physical parameters of hypertensives. For this purpose, a one group quasi-experimental research with pre and post test design was used. The subjects of the study was consisted of thirty persons with mild or moderate essential hypertension from two companies in Cheong-ju city. The whole program was carried out from October, 1993 to February, 1994. The self-regulation program was consisted with group education on hypertension and self-care, self-regulation including the blood pressure self-monitoring and recording, recording of daily self-care activities, and encouraging and reinforcing self-efficacy through verbal persuation and enactive attainment. The subjects were asked to measure their own blood pressure by themselves twice per day and to record blood pressure and the daily self-care performance according to the instructions provided during the whole period of 9 weeks. The instruments used for data collection in this study were as follows : 1) Instruments used for measuring the knowledge about hypertension, multiple health locus of control, and perceived benifits and barriers were adapted from previous studies and modified by author to be fit for the subjects. 2) Self-efficacy scale and self-care performance record were developed by the author. 3) Physiological parameters included systolic / diastolic blood pressure, body weight, level of blood cholesterol, and 24hour ambulatory blood pressure. The post-experimental Cronbach's Alpha as the reliability test of scales were 0.703-0.897, an appropriate level of confidence. The effect of the program was analyzed by experimental stages ; the first week, the fifth week, and the ninth week since the experimental imput began. Data were analyzed by the SPSS PC+ program with paired t-test and t-test, repeated measure ANOVA, and pearson's correlation to de termine the effect of program. The results were as follows : 1) After the self-regulation program, scores on knowledge(t=-2.41, p=.011), perceived self-efficacy (F=5.60, p=.001), self-care performance(F=22.31, p=.0001) were significantly higher than those before the program. 2) After the program, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly lower than those before the program(F=10.89 -13.11, p=.0001). However in 24hour ambulatory blood pressure, systolic mean pressure was nearly significantly lower, but not in diastolic mean pressure. 3) After the program, the body weight was significant decresed(t=5.53, p=.0001), but the blood cholesterol level was not decreased significantly except in those cases with higher cholesterol level. 4) There were significant relationships between changes in self-care performance and diastolic pressure at 1st week (r=.3389, p=.033) and changes in self-care performance and systolic pressure at 9th week(r=.3651, p=.024). 5) There were significant relationship between perceived self-efficacy and self-care performance at 5th week(r=.5313, p=.001) and 9th week (r=.3026, p=.052). 6) After the program, internal health locus of control and perceived benefits did not show significant change, but perceived barriers was significantly lower than those before the program (t=3.57, p=.0001). From the above results, it can be concluded that 1) The self-regulation program is an effective nursing strategy to promote self-care performance of hypertensives and to lower the blood pressure. Thus this program can be recommended in the management of the hypertensives in workplaces and community settings. 2) The synthesis of Orem's self-care theory and Bandura's self-regulation & self-efficacy theory in this study was proved to enhance explanation and prediction of the change of self-care behavior. Thus the result of the study would contribute in development of the self-care theory and an expansion of practice-theory.