• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.5716-5725
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• 2014

This study examined the effects of a prenatal education program of labor and delivery experience for primigravidas in mid-pregnancy. This investigation was designed as a one group pre-post quasi-experimental study, aiming to determine the effects of prenatal education on anxiety, confidence and knowledge in delivery by demonstrating knowledge and actual situations including understanding labor, breast-feeding, baby care and others, and experiencing the education program. Subjects were collected randomly from an on-line club in D city. The simulation education proceeded for 2 hours a week from April to June, 2014, and there were 6 sessions each in the first and second periods. We included 35 primigravidas who attended all 6 sessions. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis and a paired t-test. According to the study results, the subjects showed a significant difference in knowledge in delivery (t=-9.07, p<001), confidence in delivery (t=-9.00, p<001) and anxiety (t=14.39, p<001) after participating in the prenatal education program. An evaluation of satisfaction revealed experience to be the most differentiating factor, and the simulation experience was identified as most effective. The desired appropriate number of class sessions was 4 times, and 88.6% of the pregnant women intended to attend the program at their next birth, indicating a high response rate.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.379-388
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• 1999

Breastfeeding is an excellent way of feeding infants and continues to be an important source of nutrition and antibodies for infants. Although breast-feeding is believed to be important, the rate of breastfeeding among Korean women is very low. One reason for the low breastfeeding rate is that the health professionals in the past have given little practical help couples to overcome difficulties encountered during breastfeeding. The promotion of breastfeeding has recently become a high priority among health professionals because of the undisputed physiological, psychological, social, economic, and nutritional benefits. Fathers have been found to influence the course of breastfeeding, but no one has conducted a systematic investigation into in and included fathers perspectives of breastfeeding in Korea. It is important to find strategies to solve the problems by assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice of breastfeeding with fathers as well as mothers. The purpose of this research is to find ways to promote primiparous(first child) couples's breastfeeding by assessing their general knowledge, attitude and practice of it. More specifically its purposes is to identify the relationship between knowledge, attitude, practice and the background factors of breastfeeding of primiparous couples in order to promote and support breastfeeding. The data will help health professionals to guide first-pregnancy couples to prepare and overcome any difficulties encountered during breastfeeding. Data were collected through a questionnaire which included both structured and open-ended questions. The questionnaire was composed referencing earlier literature, studies and surveys. This survey was made postpartum 2-3days after childbirth on 96 couples. The numbers of subjects for data analysis were selected 51 couples through pilot screening test. Data were coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences : Cronbach's alpha coefficient, T-test, ANOVA, Stepwise pearson's correlation coefficient. The relations between the variables of breastfeeding were examined using a Pearson's correlation coefficient. This study showed that, the internal validity of the instrument was tested by Cronbach's alpha. The result was : mother knowledge 0.72, mother attitude 0.88, and father knowledge 0.70, father attitude 0.92, practice 0.76 and planning of breast feeding 0.95. The average age of mothers in the sample was 28.9 years old, and the average age of fathers in the sample was 31.3 years old. The other descriptive informations available included. the study also found that fathers were more important than doctors or nurses. However results of the study indicate that there were no differences between father and mother knowledge of breastfeeding(t=-0.39, p=0.698), and father attitude was statistically significant higher than mother attitude of breastfeeding (t=2.24, p=0.030). In analysis, the variable 'practice' with breastfeeding was the relationship with mother knowledge (p=0.031) and mother attitude(p=0.015). In this study, the correlation between one couple' knowledge and attitude was not significant. Primiparous couples surveyed in the postpartum period regarding knowledge, attitude and practice about breastfeeding might be affected by recall bias, the effects of the euphoria of the first 24-48 hours postpartum, but these variables were not examined. This study results add to the body of knowledge about nursing care for breastfeeding mothers and fathers. This indicates that a need for education about breastfeeding and, that fathers be included in it as well as mothers.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.247-254
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• 2014

Purpose: Maternal-fetal attachment in a pregnant woman is important for her health and for her child's emotional stability. This study was done to identify the contribution of maternal fatigue, social support, and Taegyo to maternal-fetal attachment based on a survey of pregnant women. Methods: The study was a descriptive correlation study. Participants were 211 from two women's health clinic centers. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression. Results: Mean scores for maternal-fetal attachment, Taegyo, maternal fatigue, and social support were 93.74 (range 25-125), 64.76 (17-85), 24.12 (10-40), and 54.43 (22-132), respectively. There were significant differences in maternal-fetal attachment according to parity, breast feeding experience, and putting prenatal education into practice. Multiple regression analysis showed that the key determinants of maternal-fetal attachment, were Taegyo (${\beta}$=.67), maternal fatigue (${\beta}$=.21), and social support (${\beta}$=.13), and these explained 55% of the total variance of attachment. Conclusion: The results suggest a need to encourage Taegyo in prenatal management program and provide methods for fatigue resolution and promotion of social support.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.145-161
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• 1998

This correlational study sought to find the relationship among women's health status and the level of importance & performance of postpartal care. One hundred thirty three women who live in Seoul and rural area including hospitalized in a general hospital and midwifery clinic were studied from 1st April, 1998 to 25th April, 1998 for 25 days. Data analysis consisted of frequency, percentage, Pearson Correlation Coefficiency, t-test, ANOVA and Sheffe test as a post hoc, using SPSS. The results of analysis were as follows ; mean age of respondents was 31.9 years and mean number of children was 1.8. The most of family type was nuclear family and lived int apartment. Mean frequency of pregnancy was 2.7 times and most women delivered at local clinic, general or University hospital. Mean period of after delivery was 53.7 month. The level of importance and performance of traditional postpartal care (Sanhujori) was more higher than hospital postpartal care. The level of importance, performance of postpartum care and health status had significant relationship. The higher level of importance was, & the higher level of performance was higher, and the higher degree of health status. The factors related to health status were postabortal sahujori period after abortion, nuclear family, the evaluation of sahujori, whether women and followed the caregiver's advice well or not and whether they have physical symptoms or not, at the level of $5{\sim}0.1%$ of significance statistically. The factors related to the level of importance of postpartal care were the number of child, present health status and health status of pre-post of delivery, deliver place and the opinion of effective postpartum care method at the level of $5{\sim}0.1%$ of significance statistically. The factors related to the level of performance of postpartal care were delivery place, the opinion of whether they can do at the hospital or not and whether they have physical symptom or not at the level of $1{\sim}0.1%$ of significance statistically. In conclusion, this finding reconfirmed the relationship among women's health status and the postpartal care. It provides a challenge to the health professional caregivers to research continually and repeatedly and confirm the conceptual model of Sanhujori, reestablish effective and integrative postpartal caring system which contains oriental and western paradigm for women's life long health toward the 21C.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.119-137
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• 1995

Maternity nurses' roles are to find out women's various responses related to the health problems during pregnancy, to intervene adequate nursing and supports, and to help them adapt satisfactorily to new situation, such as hospitalization. The purposes of this study are : firstly, to inquire about women's emotional status, feeling of discomfort, and the nursing need during hospitalization because of discomfort, and the nursing needs during hospitalization because of the possibility of abortion by threatened and habitual abortion : secondly, to provide fundamental data for developing adequate nursing intervention and improving hospital management. The subjects of this study were 62 women who were hospitalized, visited out-patient clinic for follow-up, and stayed at home after discharge since August, 1993 from one hospital located in Seoul, from March 23 to April 13, 1994. The questionnaire was consisted of 21 items of emotion(Reliability Cronbach's alpa, .77), 19 items of feeling of discomfort(.79), and 21 items of nursing needs (.89), and nurses' performance according to nursing needs,(.90). These were measured by using Likert Scale and analyzed by using SPSS / $PC^+$ with the descriptive statistics, $X^2$-test, and ANOVA. Research findings are as follows : 1) The subjects' average age, hospitalized days, and gestational age are 32.2, 15.7, 12.9 by respectively. 2) 88.7% of the subjects are getting antepatal care, 66.1% are experiencing 1.75 times of spontaneous abortion, and 82.3% are nuclear family. 3) The Emotions were mainly comprized negative and subjective state of minds such as uneasiness, anxiety, and discomfort. The domains of emotions were related to 'fetus', 'herself', 'hospitalization', and 'husband's 'families', in rank. The highest scored item was "I, above anyone else, am mostly stressed from abortion." 4) The feelings of discomforts were firstly related to 'personal discomfort arising from absolute bed rest', 'meals provided', Usage of hospital, perse', 'health team', in rank. 5) The nursing needs frequently pointed out were 'Nurses kindly explain of me the purpose, method, and results of the lab. test', 'Nurses sincerely pay attention to my word in communication'. The least nursing needs were 'Nurses observe my feces and whether I have constipation or not'. 'When I can't move, nurses help me by holding my arms or pulling my bed'. 6) The highest performed items were 'Nurses observe whether I bleed or not', and 'Nurses give me drug with exact dose in time'. The least performed items was about hospital environment, such as 'Temperature, ventilation & humidity in the room should be controlled'. 7) Besides religion that is related to nursing need with statistically significant difference, none of general characteristics were related to emotion, feeling of discomfort, and nursing needs.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.447-456
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• 2001

We have recently demonstrated that the fluoroquinolone antibacterial DW-116 caused a significant developmental toxicity in rats. The present study was conducted to determine whether the development toxicity induced by DW-116 treatment was the result of malnutrition fro reduced food intake or the direct effects of test chemical on conceptuses. The test chemical was administered by gavage to pregnant rats from gestational days 6 through 16 at dose levels of 0 and 500 mg/kg/day. A pair-feeding study was also performed in which the pregnant rats received the same amount of diet consumed by the DW-116-treated pregnant rats. All dams were subjected to caesarean section on day 20 of gestation and their fetuses were examined for examined for external, visceral, and skeletal abnormalities. In this treatment group, the maternal toxicities included increased abnormal clinical signs, decreased maternal body weight, suppressed body weight gain during treatment and posttreatment periods, and reduced food intake. The significant developmental toxicities included increased fetal deaths, decreased live fetuses, reduced fetal body weight and placental weight, increased incidence of fetal abnormalities, and increased fetal ossification delay. In this pair-fed group, however, slight maternal toxicities including decreased body weight and suppressed body weight gain during treatment period were observed in comparison with the control group, and minimal development toxicities including reduced fetal and placental weights and increased fetal ossification delay were found. The number of fetal deaths and live fetuses, and the incidences of malformed fetuses and litters with affected fetuses were comparable to the control values. Based on the results, it could be concluded that the development toxicity observed in the treatment group is attributable to the direct effects of Dw-116 treatment, but not to the maternal malnutrition from reduced food consumption during pregnancy.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.385-391
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• 1997

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of anti-sperm antibody (ASA) on the fertilization processes using conventional IVF and ICSI procedure in human and hamster oocytes. In human IVF, we have observed restricted fertilization with sperm testing positive for ASA. ($23{\sim}90%$ IgA, 60-97 % IgG). However, if ICSI was perform in the next IVF cycle with the same patients, we could successfully fertilize the oocytes (37%; p<0.001), thus achieving pregnancy and delivery. When the sperm were cocultured in medium containing ASA, there were binding of ASA to sperm surface. In addition, the mean rate of the acrosomal reaction in an in vitro acrosome reaction test was lower for Ab-bound sperm (43.5%) than for Ab-free sperm group (51.3%, p<0.05). We used human sperm and hamster oocytes to confirm the negative effects of the ASA on fertilization. The sperm and/or oocytes have been expose to medium containing ASA before IVF and ICSI. In this experiment, the ASA was bound to the oocyte and sperm surface. The following results were obtain by using various combinations of ASA free or ASA bound sperm with ASA free or ASA bound oocytes for IVF. When ASA free sperm were inseminate with ASA free and ASA bound hamster oocytes, the fertilization rates are 89.6% and 74.3% respectively. However, when ASA bound human sperm were use the results were 62.5% and 55.6% respectively. These shows the fertilization rate was significantly decreased in both ASA bound and ASA free oocytes when using ASA bound sperm. No difference found when ASA are present on the oocyte surface. When the hamster oocytes was treated by ICSI with ASA free or ASA bound human spermatozoa, no significant difference was found. These results showed that ICSI is the most promising method for couples who fertilization was not possible by conventional IVF because of ASA.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.27
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• pp.3.1-3.4
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• 2012

Objectives: The current use of humidifier detergent and its harmful impact on humans has arisen as a societal environmental health issue. Therefore, in this study we aimed to explore the relationship between demo-socio characteristics and humidifier use, as well as the monthly usage changes in pregnant women; thus, we report the actual status of humidifier usage of Korea's pregnant population. Methods: From a birth cohort of a Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study, 1,144 pregnant women who responded through questionnaires including demo-socio characteristics, obstetric status and household environment including whether they use humidifier and frequency of use were included in this study. Statistical analyses were performed to explore the relationship between maternal characteristics and the relevance of the use of humidifiers was performed using a chi-square test, a t-test and univariate logistic regression analysis. The monthly usage rate was demonstrated in the graph. Results: The humidifier usage rate in pregnant women was 28.2%. The average frequency of humidifier usage was 4.6 days per week, 7.3 hours per day. The usage rate was higher in the multipara group and the above the age of 34 age group than in the primipara and below the age of 34 groups. Seoul showed a higher usage rate than Cheonan and Ulsan and as the education level and income increased, the usage rate of humidifiers among pregnant women also increased. In the monthly trend of usage rate, the winter season showed the highest usage rate of over 45% and the lowest in late summer and beginning of fall with a value of 12% or less. Conclusions: During pregnancy, the mother's body is especially vulnerable to hazardous environmental exposure that not only affects the pregnant woman but also the fetus. Further research is still needed to elucidate the route and effect of environmental risk factors. Therefore, based on precautionary and preventive principles, special interest and caution in harmful environments are strongly needed not only at an individual level but also at a national level.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.523-532
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• 2004

The present study was carried out to investigate the potential adverse effects of amitraz on pregnant dams after maternal exposure during the gestational days (GD) 1 through 19 in Sprague-Dawley rats. The test chemical was administered orally to pregnant rats at dose levels of 0, 3, 10, or 30 mg/kg/ day. During the test period, clinical signs, mortality, body weights, food consumption, serum biochemistry, gross findings, organ weights and reproductive findings on GD 20 were examined. In the 30 mg/kg group, an increase in the incidence of abnormal clinical signs and death, a suppression in the body weight gain, and a decrease in the food consumption were observed. A decrease in the liver weight and increases in the kidneys, adrenal glands and heart weights were also found. Serum biochemical investigations revealed increases in the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin, and chloride. In addition, an increase in the fetal death and decreases in the litter size and fetal body weight were seen at caesarean section. Inthe 10 mg/kg group, an increase in the incidence of abnormal clinical signs, decreases in the food consumption and liver weight, increases in the total bilirubin and chloride, and a decrease in the fetal body weight were observed. There were no adverse effects on clinical signs, mortality, body weights, food consumption, serum biochemistry, gross findings, organ weights and reproductive findings in the 3 mg/kg group. Based on the results, it was concluded that the 19-day repeated oral dose of amitraz to pregnant rats caused increases in the clinical signs, kidneys, adrenal glands and heart weights, AST, total bilirubin and chloride and decreases in the body weight gain, food consumption and liver weight at the dose levels of above 10 mg/kg/day. Under the present experimental conditions, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of amitraz was considered to be 3 mg/kg/day.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.337-346
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• 2001

Objective : To determine the clinical risk factors associated with the mode of delivery decision and to compare cesarean section rates after adjusting for risk factors identified among Korean hospitals. Methods Data were collected from 9 general hospitals in two provincial regions by medical record abstraction during February 2000. A total of 3,467 cases were enrolled and analyzed by stepwise logistic regression. Performance of the risk-adjustment model (discrimination and calibration) was evaluated by the C statistic and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Crude rates, predicted rates with 95% confidence intervals, and adjusted rates of cesarean section were calculated and compared among the hospitals. Results : The average crude cesarean section rate was 53.2%, ranging from 39.4% to 65.7%. Several risk factors such as maternal age, previous history of cesarean section, placenta previa, placental abruption, malpresentation, amniotic fluid abnormality, gestational anemia, infant body weight, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and chorioamnionitis were found to have statistically significant effects on the mode of delivery. It was confirmed that information about most of these risk factors was able to be collected through the national health insurance claims database in Korea. Performance of the risk-adjustment model was good (c statistic=0.815, Hosmer-Lemeshow test=0.0621). Risk factor adjustment did lead to some change in the rank of hospital cesarean section rates. The crude rates of three hospitals were beyond 95% confidence intervals of the predicted rates. Conclusions : Considering that cesarean section rates in Korean hospitals are too high, it is apparent that some policy interventions need to be introduced. The concept and methodology of risk adjustment should be used in the process of health policy development to lower the cesarean section rate in Korea.