• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제57권3호
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• pp.260-268
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• 2024

Objectives: Regional disparities in cardiovascular care in Korea have led to uneven patient outcomes. Despite the growing need for and access to procedures, few studies have linked regional service availability to mortality rates. This study analyzed regional variation in the utilization of major cardiovascular procedures and their associations with short-term mortality to provide better evidence regarding the relationship between healthcare resource distribution and patient survival. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using nationwide claims data for patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), stent insertion, or aortic aneurysm resection in 2022. Regional variation was assessed by the relevance index (RI). The associations between the regional RI and 30-day mortality were analyzed. Results: The RI was lowest for aortic aneurysm resection (mean, 26.2; standard deviation, 26.1), indicating the most uneven regional distribution among the surgical procedures. Patients undergoing this procedure in regions with higher RIs showed significantly lower 30-day mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.55 to 0.96; p=0.026) versus those with lower RIs. This suggests that cardiovascular surgery regional availability, as measured by RI, has an impact on mortality rates for certain complex surgical procedures. The RI was not associated with significant mortality differences for more widely available procedures like CABG (aOR, 0.96), PCI (aOR, 1.00), or stent insertion (aOR, 0.91). Conclusions: Significant regional variation and underutilization of cardiovascular surgery were found, with reduced access linked to worse mortality for complex procedures. Disparities should be addressed through collaboration among hospitals and policy efforts to improve outcomes.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제57권1호
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• pp.47-54
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• 2024

Objectives: This study was conducted to systematically summarize trends in research concerning patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as reported in Korean medical journals. Methods: We performed a literature search of KoreaMed from January 2020 to September 2022. We included only primary studies of patients with COVID-19. Two reviewers screened titles and abstracts, then performed full-text screening, both independently and in duplicate. We first identified the 5 journals with the greatest numbers of eligible publications, then extracted data pertaining to the general characteristics, study population attributes, and research features of papers published in these journals. Results: Our analysis encompassed 142 primary studies. Of these, approximately 41.0% reported a funding source, while 3.5% disclosed a conflict of interest. In 2020, 42.9% of studies included fewer than 10 participants; however, by 2022, the proportion of studies with over 200 participants had increased to 40.6%. The most common design was the cohort study (48.6%), followed by case reports/series (35.2%). Only 3 randomized controlled trials were identified. Studies most frequently focused on prognosis (58.5%), followed by therapy/intervention (20.4%). Regarding the type of intervention/exposure, therapeutic clinical interventions comprised 26.1%, while studies of morbidity accounted for 13.4%. As for the outcomes measured, 50.7% of studies assessed symptoms/clinical status/improvement, and 14.1% evaluated mortality. Conclusions: Employing a systematic approach, we examined the characteristics of research involving patients with COVID-19 that was published in Korean medical journals from 2020 onward. Subsequent research should assess not only publication trends over a longer timeframe but also the quality of evidence provided.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.324-337
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• 1990

축전지 공장의 환경과 근로자들의 개인 위생의 개선 조치가 근로자의 혈중 연농도에 어떤 영향을 미치는지를 관찰하기 위하여 새로 설립된 축전지 공장의 생산직 근로자 116명을 대상으로 채용시 혈중 연농도를 측정하고 1987년 2월부터 약 3개월 간격으로 $12{\sim}18$개월간 추적 관찰하였다. 관찰기관 중 작업환경 및 근로자 개인위생의 개선조치를 시행하였고 1987년 8월부터 6개월 간격으로 3회 작업장내 공기중 연농도를 측정하였다. 또 사무직 근로자 40명을 대조군으로 선정하여 그들의 혈중 연농도의 변화를 관찰하였다. 작업환경 개선은 국소배기장치 설치와 바닥의 진공청소였고 개인위생 개선조치는 매일 작업복 세탁, 퇴근시 샤워, 식사 전 손씻기, 작업장내 흡연 및 음식섭취 금지, 그리고 마스크 착용이었다. 대조군 40명 중 6개월까지 혈중 연농도의 관찰이 가능했던 27명에서 채용시 혈중 연농도가 $21.97{\pm}3.36{\mu}g/dl$이고 6개월후 $22.75{\pm}3.38{\mu}g/dl$로서 유의한 증가는 없었다. 공장이 가동되기 전에 입사한 A군은 폭로 전 혈중 연농도가 $20.49{\pm}3.84{\mu}g/dl$였고 폭로시작 3개월 후에 $23.90{\pm}5.30{\mu}g/dl$로 유의한 증가를 보였으며(p<0.01), 6개월 후(개선조치 1개월후)에는 $28.84{\pm}5.76{\mu}g/dl$로 더욱 증가되었으나 그후 4회 측정치는 $26.83{\sim}28.28{\mu}g/dl$로 더 이상 증가하지 않았다. 공장이 가동된 후 개선조치가 시행되기 전에 입사한 B군의 경우 폭로전 혈중 연농도가 $16.58{\pm}4/53{\mu}g/dl$였고 3개월후(개선조치 1개월후)에 $28.82{\pm}5.66{\mu}g/dl$로 급격히 증가했으며(p<0.01), 그 후 4회 측정치도 $26.46{\sim}28.54{\mu}g/dl$로 더이상 증가하지 않았다. 개선조치가 시행된 후 입사한 C군에서는 채용시 혈중 연농도가 $19.45{\pm}3.34{\mu}g/dl$였고 3개월후의 혈중 연농도가 $22.70{\pm}4.55{\mu}g/dl$로 유의한 증가를 보였고(p<0.01), 6개월에 $23.68{\pm}4.18{\mu}g/dl$, 9개월에 $25.42{\pm}3.60{\mu}g/dl$로 서서히 증가하는 경향을 보였다. 1987년 8원부터 6개월 간격으로 3회 작업환경을 측정하고 작업장의 공기중 연농도에 따라 4개부서로 구분하여 그 성적을 보면 제I부서는 $0.365mg/m^3$였으나, 작업환경 개선조치 후 각각 $0.216mg/m^3,\;0.208mg/m^3$로 감소되었고, 제II부서는 $0.232mg/m^3$였는데 개선조치후 $0.148mg/m^3,\;0.120mg/m^3$였으며, 작업환경 개선 조치후 측정한 제III부서는 1988년 1월, 8월에 각각 $0.124mg/m^3,\;0.091mg/m^3$였고 제IV부서(이동부서)는 1988년 8월에 $0.110mg/m^3$로 III, IV부서가 I, II부서에 비해 낮았다. 각 부서별 비교에서 A군과 B군의 혈중 연농도는 공기중 연농도와 비례하지 않는 결과를 보여 작업환경이 제일 나쁜 제 I부서에서 오히려 혈중 연농도가 낮고 작업환경이 좋은 제III부서에서 더 급격히 혈중 연농도가 증가하였다. C군은 제 I부서의 혈중 연농도가 제일 높았고 이동부서인 제IV부서에서 제일 낮아 공기중 연농도와 혈중 연농도 사이에 일정한 관련성을 나타내지 않았다. 이상의 결과로 보아 연취급 근로자의 모니터링은 공기중 연농도보다 혈중 연농도의 측정이 타당하며 작업환경개선도 중요하지만 개인위생에 대한 개선조치가 오히려 더 효과적이라 생각된다.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.141-148
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• 2001

Objective : To investigate the sources, extent and related factors in South Korean doctors. Methods : The study subjects were 934 doctors in Taegu, Kyungpook Province, Korea(540 independent practitioners, 105 employed at hospitals and 289 residents in training). Information concerning job stress was obtained using a 9-item questionnaire. Information regarding related factors such as demographic characteristics(age, sex, marital status), perceptions on the socioeconomic status of doctors and working conditions(work time, on-call days per week) was also obtained by self-administered questionnaire during April and May, 2000. Results : Major sources of job stress included clnical responsibility/judgement factor, patient factor and work loading factor. The job stress score of residents was the highest among three groups. The score was lower in older doctors. The score was low among those who thought doctors' socioeconomic status was not good. The longer the work time, the higher the job stress score was. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to control for the mutual influence of independent variables. In regression analysis, the score of residents was higher than practitioners. Work time and socioeconomic status perception had negative effects on job stress score. Conclusion : The average job stress score of the doctors was high. Age, work type, working conditions and perceptions of socioeconomic status were found to besignificantly related to job stress score. Although the job stress of doctors is somewhat inevitable due to the nature of the doctor's job, control of work time, development of coping tools and other intervention methods are needed to reduce job stress of doctors. Further studies are required to understand the characteristics of iob stress and reduce the job stress of doctors.

• 한국식생활문화학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.127-139
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• 2007

This research was peformed to investigate the anthropometric data, blood profiles, and nutrient intakes of elderly persons living in a rural area. The subjects were 67 undernourished people who participated in follow-up nutrition intervention programs for9 weeks. Anthropometric data showed that the mean heights and weights in the management group were 157.6 cm and 59.1 kg, respectively, for the males and 152.6 cm and 51.0 kg, respectively, for the females. The mean BMIs of the management group were 23.8 kg/m$^2$ in the males and 22.4 kg/m$^2$ in the females. The total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and albumin levels of the subjects were 181.7-191.4mg/dL, 48.3-53.0mg/dL, and 3.85-4.00g/dL, respectively. Energy, ash, P, Na, vitamin B$_1$, vitamin B$_2$, vitamin B$_6$, and niacin increased significantly after intervention for the management group. The mINQ, however, did not significantly increase after intervention. Also after intervention, there was no significant difference in mINQ between the management group and the comparison group. MAR (14) in the management group was significantly increased from 0.62${\pm}$0.2 before intervention to 0.68${\pm}$0.2 after intervention (p=0.022), and it was significantly different between the management group and the comparison group (p=0.017). MAR (8) in the management group was not significantly different (p=0.915) before and after intervention. However, MAR (8) between the management group and the comparison group did show a significant difference (p=0.031). MAR (3) in the management group was significantly increased from 0.48${\pm}$0.2 before intervention to 0.55${\pm}$0.2 after intervention (p=0.045), however, MAR (3) was not significantly different between the management group and the comparison group (p=0.093). For the probability of nutrient insufficiency, in the management group the probability of nutrient values below the EAR (except for Fe) decreased after intervention compared to before intervention. On the other hand, the probabilities of values above the RI, or EAR${\sim}$RI, were increased

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• 제10권6호
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• pp.635-640
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of a sodium reduction program at local restaurants through nutrition education and examination of the health of restaurant owners and cooks.SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study was a single-arm pilot intervention using a pre-post design in one business district with densely populated restaurants in Seoul, South Korea. The intervention focused on improving nutrition behaviors and psychosocial factors through education, health examination, and counseling of restaurant personnel. Forty-eight restaurant owners and cooks completed the baseline survey and participated in the intervention. Forty participants completed the post-intervention survey. RESULTS: The overweight and obesity prevalences were 25.6% and 39.5%, respectively, and 74.4% of participants had elevated blood pressure. After health examination, counseling, and nutrition education, several nutrition behaviors related to sodium intake showed improvement. In addition, those who consumed less salt in their baseline diet (measured with urine dipsticks) were more likely to agree that providing healthy foods to their customers is necessary. This study demonstrated the potential to reduce the sodium contents of restaurant foods by improving restaurant owners' and cooks' psychological factors and their own health behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: This small pilot study demonstrated that working with restaurant owners and cooks to improve their own health and sodium intake may have an effect on participation in restaurant-based sodium reduction initiatives. Future intervention studies with a larger sample size and comparison group can focus on improving the health and perceptions of restaurant personnel in order to increase the feasibility and efficacy of restaurant-based sodium reduction programs and policies.

• 한국식품영양학회지
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.495-506
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• 2014

This study was conducted to measure the effect of a community-based nutritional intervention program on dietary behaviors and nutrient intakes of low-income elderly women in Korea. The subject of the study was a group of 88 elderly women using the free meal service in Dong-gu, Gwangju city in Korea. The study was carried out from April to July 2009, and the pretest, application of nutrition education, and post-test were applied in each stage. This community-based nutrition intervention program consisted of snack supplement and nutrition education provided three times a week and 36 times in total. The nutrition education was led by the nutritionists and professionals using various educational media. Snack supplement included were milk, soymilk, carrot juice, bread, yogurt, and bananas. The result of pretest showed that the nutrient intakes of the subjects were much below the Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) level of Dietary Reference Intake for Koreans. Comparison of the dietary behavior score and nutrient intakes before and after the nutritional intervention program indicated that the food behavior score increased from 3.1 to 5.6 (P<0.001) and intake of energy, protein, carbohydrate, thiamin, niacin, vitamin C, iron, and potassium of the subjects all increased significantly (P<0.05). Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR) of their nutrient intakes was also improved from 0.53 to 0.64 (P<0.01). These results indicated that the nutrition intervention program conducted in this study was effective in improving dietary behavior and nutrient intakes of elderly women in local community.

• 치위생과학회지
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• 제24권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2024

Background: Oral frailty is defined as the functional decline of the oral function due to aging, and it is associated with frailty and chronic disease. Most of the frailty intervention is for adults aged 65 years and older. However, early intervention for preventive disorder is most important. The objective of this study was to identify the age at which oral frailty surpass the "normal" range. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 719 adults (aged 30~89 years) residing in Gangwon province in May 2023. Risk of oral frailty was assessed using criteria from The Korean Academy of Geriatric Dentistry including oral function such as swallowing and mastication, and frailty. Frailty was assessed using the Kihon Checklist. To determine when oral frailty surpass the "normal" status, statistical analysis including chi-squared tests and multiple logistic regression analysis were performed using R (ver. 4.3.1). Results: There were 388 (54.0%) individuals who had a "normal" status risk of oral frailty. The risk of oral frailty was higher in the 50~54 age group compared to the 30~34 age group (odds ratio [OR] 0.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.28~0.91), after adjusting for gender, education, income, occupation, and frailty (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.22~0.94). This means that from 50~54 years old, regardless of gender, education, income, occupation, or frailty condition, there is a distinction from the "normal" status. Conclusion: We found that intervention for oral frailty is needed starting from age 50 years. This is the stage where early indications of oral frailty become apparent. Early intervention for oral frailty can lead to a decrease in the prevalence of diseases and medical expenditure. Therefore, early intervention in middle-aged adults of oral frailty is necessary to improve the quality of life related to oral health.

• 보건교육건강증진학회지
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.51-62
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• 2011

Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify the effects of a community-level metabolic syndrome self-care management program. Methods: Data included baseline demographics, abdominal circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, triglyceride, and HDL-cholesterol collected at 15 public health centers in Seoul from January to March, 2010. A data obtained(584 men and 410 women) from Metabolic Syndrome Management Program in Seoul was analyzed using Paired t-test and Linear mixed model. Results: The group with 6-month intervention resulted in significant decrease in abdominal circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, blood sugar, and triglyceride. In moderate intervention group with 3-month follow-up showed tendency that abdominal circumference(-1.27(${\beta}$)) and diastolic blood pressure(-1.66(${\beta}$)) are significantly reduced. In the group with aggressive intervention, the more counseling led to significant reduction in abdominal circumference(-0.22(${\beta}$)). Conclusions: These results indicate that a self-care for metabolic syndrome management can improve metabolic syndrome status over a short-term period. Further structured research is needed to develop a systematic program on health behaviors focusing on exercise, diet, and intervention.

• 동서간호학연구지
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.50-62
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• 2003

Through this literal study, we have endeavored to provide korea's unique nursing intervention methods based upon Lee Je-Ma's Sasang Constitutional Theory which is a unique korean medical science. The Sasang Constitution Theory lay great emphasis upon health caring medicine to promote health according to self Constitution at normal times, preventive medicine to manage byself body and mind in everyday life, and eventually, ethical medicine to love benevolence and kindness but to dislike jealousy.A variety of methods has been introduced to diagnose a person's Constitution. And yet, appearance, mind and pathological signs are three major criteria. In appearance, comprehensive features such as figure (the shape of the human body), countenance, behavior, mood, and posture are observed. In mind, nature (character), talent, steadiness, personality, and greed are investigated. In pathological signs, physiological conditions when healthy and peculiar symptoms when being ill are diagnosed. By these three criteria, each Constitution is categorised into Taiyang Person, Soyang Person, Taieum Person or Soeum Person. Different healthcaring methods exist for each Constitution such as mind and body healthcaring, diet healthcaring, knowledge and behaviour leathering, age group healthcaring, regional healthcaring, social life hralthcaring, everyday life healthcaring, and materia medication healthcaring. An independent and unique healthcaring method for each person according to self Constitution could be an important nursing intervention strategy, and can product a new nursing theory. To enjoy longevity by inducing positive caring methods, I believe that individual nursing may be the most desirable nursing approach. Lee Je-Ma's Sasang Constitution caring method is not only a general nursing theory but also expected to be an important landmark/milestone/factor in Korean nursing, preventive nursing, developing new nursing intervention methods and forming new nursing theories. Therefore, it is required to conduct thorough, practical and theoretical researches in the field of nursing.