• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.167-175
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• 2024

Objectives: Rural housewives are integral to household management and family care, yet their sedentary lifestyles present significant health risks. This study used the transtheoretical model (TTM) to investigate strategies that encourage and maintain regular exercise habits among rural housewives. Methods: A semi-experimental study was conducted in 2021 with 114 housewives aged 30 to 59 who attended rural health centers in Gorgan, Iran. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups. Data collection involved a validated questionnaire that gathered demographic information and constructs of the TTM. The intervention group participated in a comprehensive educational program, which included four 60-minute sessions. Data were collected again 6 months post-intervention and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS version 21. Results: The study encompassed women with an average age of 39.75±6.05 years, the majority of whom had educational levels below a diploma, and over 90% were married. We observed strong correlations between the processes of change, self-efficacy, and decisional balance. At the outset, there were no significant differences in demographics or model structures between the 2 groups. However, 6 months post-intervention, the intervention group exhibited statistically significant differences in the mean scores of model structures, stages of change, and body mass index (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of physical activity training for rural housewives. The findings suggest that the educational intervention, which utilized the TTM, significantly impacted the participants' model structures and their stages of change.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.341-352
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• 2006

Purpose: This study was conducted to develop & to determine the effect of an tailored falls prevention exercise for older adults. Method: Subjects consisted of 59 older adults (experimental group : 29, control group : 30) living at nursing homes. Experimental group participated in tailored falls prevention exercise for 16 weeks(3 times a week, 50 min every session). Data were collected before the exercise, 16 weeks & 24 weeks after the beginning of exercise. Results: 1) the experimental group significantly improved the muscle strength of hip extensor & flexor, knee extensor & flexor, ankle dorsiflexor, & plantar flexor compared to the control group. 2) the experimental group significantly decreased the mean time for 10 times chair stand. 3) the experimental group significantly increased the standing time on one leg and the number of heel raise for 30 seconds compared to the control group. In addition more older adults in the experimental group completed the tandem stance & semi-tandem stance for 10 seconds than the control group. 4) The experimental group significantly decreased the mean time of 6m walk and the fall frequency compared to the control group. Conclusions: This results suggest that tailored falls prevention exercise for older adults can improve muscle strength, static & dynamic balance and decrease the fall frequency of older adults.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.7-12
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• 2011

Purpose : We studied the correlation between reference voluntary contraction (% RVC) of vastus lateralis (VL) and vastus medialis (VM), Berg balance scale (BBS), and timed-up & go (TUG) test. Methods : We recruited 30 stroke patients from a rehabilitation center at a hospital.? All subjects could walk with or without an assisting device. Subjects were evaluated with % RVC of VL and VM, BBS, and TUG. The data were analyzed using a Pearson correlation coefficient. Results : The % RVC of VL and VM and BBS (p<0.01) showed a significant positive correlation. TUG negatively correlated with % RVC of VL and VM and BBS (p<0.01). Conclusion : Lower extremity muscle activity increases balance and walking ability. We recommend the implementation of lower extremity strength exercises in the rehabilitation of stroke patient.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.250-259
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• 2011

Objectives: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant global public health concern, affecting 5.3 million US individuals annually. An estimated 1 in 3 women globally are abused by an intimate partner in their lifetime, and the effects carry over into the workplace. This article examines employers' perceptions of IPV in the workplace, targeting supervisors of Latina employees. Methods: Fourteen employers and supervisors of small service-sector companies in Oregon were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Interpretive description was used to identify themes. These qualitative interviews preceded and helped to formulate a larger workplace intervention study. Results: The following themes were found and are detailed: (1) factors associated with recognizing IPV in the workplace, (2) effects of IPV on the work environment and (3) supervisors' responses to IPV-active vs. passive involvement. Also, supervisors' suggestions for addressing IPV in the workplace are summarized. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the need for more IPV-related resources in the workplace to be available to supervisors as well as survivors and their coworkers. The needs of supervisors and workplaces vary by site, demonstrating the need for tailored interventions, and culturally appropriate workplace interventions are needed for Latinas and other racially and ethnically diverse populations.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.6 no.7
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• pp.811-833
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• 2010

Vibration control and health monitoring of building structures have been actively investigated in recent years but treated separately according to the primary objective pursued. This paper presents a general approach in the time domain for integrating vibration control and health monitoring of a building structure to accommodate various types of control devices and on-line damage detection. The concept of the time-domain approach for integrated vibration control and health monitoring is first introduced. A parameter identification scheme is then developed to identify structural stiffness parameters and update the structural analytical model. Based on the updated analytical model, vibration control of the building using semi-active friction dampers against earthquake excitation is carried out. By assuming that the building suffers certain damage after extreme event or long service and by using the previously identified original structural parameters, a damage detection scheme is finally proposed and used for damage detection. The feasibility of the proposed approach is demonstrated through detailed numerical examples and extensive parameter studies.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.18-29
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• 2014

Purpose: This study sought to ascertain and describe u-Health nurses (ubiquitous healthcare nurse, tele-nurse)' experiences working with low-income elders in Korea. Methods: Data were collected through semi-structured interview, focus group interviews of 6 nurses and participant observations in community places in public rental housing in the city of Seoul. The ethnographical analysis method, proposed by Spradley, was used to analyze interview data. Results: We identified two major clusters of themes on common issues and concerns experienced by nurses: "work environment" and "daily work life." In addition, ten themes and fourteen sub-themes were extracted from the field work data. Conclusion: The study provided a deeper understanding of the experiences and services of u-Health nurses in Korea, of which much remains to be understood, as the healthcare services they currently provide are limited. Moreover, its findings could empower novice nurses and expand nurse's professional knowledge and competence.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.77-89
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• 2019

Objectives : In this study, We overviewed study trend on 'Mibyung' by analyzing articles published in Korea from 1997 to 2019. Methods : We collected research articles on 'Mibyung' from 7 Korean research databases using the keyword '미병' and '아건강'. Then we analyzed them by publish year, journal, and research subjects. Research subjects were categorized into 'diagnosis', 'relationship with other factors', 'trend', 'concept', 'application development', 'policy research', 'prevalence and recognition', 'clinical report' or 'animal study'. Results & Conclusions : The largest number of related articles was published in 2017(12 articles, 26.7%). 'Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine' was the journal with the most published articles(16 articles, 35.6%). Most of the research subjects were about diagnosis(11 articles, 24.4%) and analysis on relationship with other factors(10 articles, 22.2%). Little were published on policy(4 articles, 8.9%) and clinical study(1 article, 2.2%). More research on policy and clinical trials should be implemented for future mibyung study.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.293-304
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the experience of medical treatment and management of nursing staffs in long term care settings. Methods: This study is qualitative research. The participants were seven nursing staff (five nurses and two nursing assistants) who had experience over six months in long term care facilities. Data were collected through in-depth interviews using semi-structured research questions. The collected data were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis method. Results: Four main themes were emerged as 'various medical treatments', 'difficulties about managing medical problems', 'lack of regulatory support' and 'strategies for solving medical problems'. Conclusion: The findings of this study provide the nursing staffs' difficulties and opinion about medical treatment and management in long term care settings. To provide more effective health service for the aged, the regulatory complement about medical treatment in long term care facilities should be considered.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.59-70
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• 2024

Objectives: This research analyzed and compared housing transaction prices and depression rates according to housing types before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data on housing transaction prices and depression rates from 2018 to 2022 in 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea, were utilized. Dummy variables were employed to account for potential confounders influencing the relationship between the variables. Statistical analysis was conducted using R, and the relationship between depression rates and housing transaction prices was examined through Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and panel data regression analysis. Results: The results of OLS and one-way random effects models indicated a significant relationship between apartment (p<.05) and officetel (p<.001) transaction prices and depression. However, detached/semi-detached and row/townhouse transaction prices did not exhibit a significant relationship with depression. Conclusion: It was observed that as apartment and officetel transaction prices increased in Seoul before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, depression rates also increased. Considering that changes in housing prices by housing type in South Korea may impact the mental health of local residents, it is deemed necessary to consider healthy housing and housing prices as comprehensive determinants of mental health.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.153-163
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• 2024

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the experiential meaning of child-rearing for marriage immigrant women in Korea in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Using the hermeneutic descriptive phenomenology framework developed by Colaizzi, 10 marriage immigrant women rearing preschool and school-age children were invited through purposive and snowball sampling from two multicultural support centers in Korea. The participants were rearing one or two children, and their original nationalities were Vietnamese, Japanese, Cambodian, and Chinese. Individual in-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted from September 1 to November 30, 2021. We extracted significant statements from the transcripts, transformed these into abstract formulations, and organized them into theme clusters and themes to authentically capture the essence of the participants' subjective experiences. Results: Four theme clusters with 14 themes were derived. The four theme clusters identified were "navigating child healthcare alone," "guilt for not providing a social experience," "worry about media-dependent parenting," and "feelings of incompleteness and exclusion." This study explored the perspectives of mothers raising children as marriage migrant women who experienced physical and emotional health crises due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The findings underscore that marriage immigrant women encountered heightened challenges in managing their children's health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic due to linguistic and cultural barriers limiting access to healthcare and information. Additionally, these women experienced considerable emotional stress from perceived inadequacies in providing a holistic social and developmental environment for their children under extensive social restrictions.