• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.141-157
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• 2017

Social medicine is recognized as one of medical specialties in many countries. However, social medicine has never been formally introduced to Korea, presumably because the term and its principles were not accepted for some years in the past in American medicine, which has strongly influenced Korean medicine. This paper describes the origins and evolution of social medicine and briefly discusses contemporary social medicine in Korea. Social medicine was initiated in France and Germany in 1848. Since then, it has expanded globally and developed in diverse ways. Included in core principles of social medicine is that social and economic conditions have important effects on health and disease, and that these relationships must be subjected to scientific investigation. The term 'social medicine' is rarely used in Korea, but many of its subject matters are incorporated into preventive medicine which, besides prevention, deals with population health that is inescapably social. However, the Korean preventive medicine directs little attention to the basic concepts and principles of social medicine, upon which systematic development of social medicine can be based. Thus, it is necessary to supplement the social medicine contents of preventive medicine through formalizing the linkages between the two fields. One way of doing so would be to change the title of 'preventive medicine' course in medical colleges to 'preventive and social medicine,' as in many other countries, and to adjust the course contents accordingly.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.90-90
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• 2002

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.493-510
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• 2011

Objectives : This study aims to explore how social support and social network are related with health behavior. Methods : The target population was 12,449 people in Chungcheongbuk-do. The sample was accrued for the period of 3 months in 2008 by face to face interview of direct visiting from systematic sampling method. The instruments used in this study were social support, social network and health behavior. Results : There was significant difference in the level of social support and social network by sex, age, educational level, occupation, and monthly income(p<0.05). There was significant difference in the level of social support by alcohol drinking, physical exercise. There was significant difference in the level of social network by smoking, alcohol drinking, physical exercise, obesity(p<0.05). Multivarite analysis shows significant difference in the level of social instrumental support by smoking, physical exercise. It shows significant difference in the level of social emotional support by smoking. It also shows significant difference in the level of social network by smoking, physical exercise. Conclusion : These results suggest that social support and social network may be associated with health behavior. Because this study was cross sectional research, the order was not found between social support, social network and health behavior. Through a study on monitoring, we will obtain more information for relationship.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.82-89
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• 2021

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the curriculum of the medical humanities and social medicine at 11 Colleges of Korean Medicine (CKM) based on the Korean Medicine Education Accreditation Standards 2021 (KAS2021) and suggest ways to improve the quality of Korean Medical education in the future. Methods: The curricula for each grade were collected from the websites of 11 CKM. Based on KAS2021, medical humanities and social medicine courses were extracted and compiled. Courses offered, frequency of course offerings, time of offerings, credits, and course hours were investigated. Results: Courses in languages and literature were most frequently offered in CKM. Most medical humanities and social medicine courses were offered in the pre-medical program and the fourth year of the medical program and were conducted as individual courses. Developing a curriculum that integrates conceptual definitions of the medical humanities and social medicine with basic and clinical studies is necessary. Conclusion: Eleven CKM should reorganize and operate their medical humanities and social medicine curricula based on each college's circumstances. This will allow each college to improve the quality of its educational offerings, creating a foundation for fostering excellent korean medicine doctors with professional medical skills and communication skills.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.59-70
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• 2012

Objectives: The purpose of this research is to measure the level of individual social capital, and to reveal the associations between social capital and self-rated health status and how the administrative section(dong, eup, and myeon) might modify the relationships. Methods: This study used the data from Gyeongsangnam-Do health survey (2008). The study subjects were 6,500 adults randomly sampled from 20 counties. Trained interviewers conducted the interviews in the interviewees' houses using structured questionnaires. The association of social capital with self-rated health was analyzed using hierarchical logistic regression. Results: The proportion of trust and social participation were the highest at eup region and the lowest at myeon, The significant social capital associated with self-rated good health were both social participation and trust in the subgroups of dong. The significant social capital associated with self-rated good health were social participation and trust in the subgroups of eup. The significant social capital associated with self-rated good health was trust in the subgroups of myeon. Conclusions: This study highlights that self-rated good health was associated with social capital measured by social participation and trust, and the direction is different in the administrative section. But, health policy encouraging social capital to improve health should be considered.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.54-62
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• 2003

Objectives : To assess the distribution of social support, and explore its effects on self-rated health status in a low income neighborhood of Seoul, Korea. Methods : In September 2001 we conducted a survey in a low income neighborhood of Seoul, Korea, in which 862 residents, aged 18 years or over, participated. We measured the general sociodemographic characteristics, self-rated health status and social support with the instrument developed from Korean translation of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support survey (MOS-SSS) scale of the US. Logistic regression was used to identify the determinants of social support, and explore its effects on self-rated health status. Results : Lower social class, women or divorced people had much less social support compared to higher social class, men or those never married, respectively. Those families on much lower income also received less social support. Social support has a positive impact on the self-rated health status, which remains statistically significant even when other relevant variables are adjusted. Conclusions : This study suggests that social support has an important role in health, and the socially disadvantaged have lower social support. Therefore, to improve the health status of the poor, it is necessary to encourage community participation, and develop strategies that could strengthen their provision of social support.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.300-301
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• 2001

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.137-144
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• 2007

Objectives : According to Rowe and Kahn (1998), successful aging is the combination of a low probability of disease, high functioning, and active engagement with life. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between active engagement with life and functioning among the community-dwelling elderly. Methods : Data were collected from Wave 2 of the Suwon Longitudinal Aging Study (SLAS), consisting of a sample of 645 persons aged 65 and older living in the community. A social activity checklist and social support inventory were used as measures of engagement with life, along with the Physical Functioning (PF) scale as a measure of functioning. The effects of social support and social activity on physical functioning, taking into account the covariates, were analyzed by hierarchical linear regression analysis. Results : Maintenance of social activity and social support were significantly associated with higher physical function, after adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related covariates. Social support appeared to be more prominent than social activity in predicting physical functioning. Conclusions : Social support and social activity are potentially modifiable factors associated with physical function in older persons. Studies examining the role social engagement may play in preventing disability are warranted.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.25 no.4 s.40
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• pp.429-447
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• 1992

The effects and roles of social support and stressors (stressful life events and chronic strains) on psychosocial distress were examined in a model with data from a sample of the white-collar workers (N=416) in Korea. The findings of this study present that mean levels of psychosocial distress were higher in the female, youth, unmarried and divorced, and low economic status (monthly income). The analysis also shows that, as expected, stressful life and chronic strains as stressors are positively related to occurrence of psychosocial distress, and social support is negatively related to psychosocial distress. Further, the contribution of social support to predicting psychosocial distress is greater in magnitude than that of stressful events, chronic strains, and seciodemographic variables. There is no evidence that social support buffers the impacts of stressors on psychosocial distress, rather social support takes a role of mai or direct effects on psychosocial distress. Therefore, the strength of the social support is an important and meaningful strategy to prevent from stress and mental, physical illness.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.140-147
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• 2015

Medical education can provide students with an opportunity to encounter marginalized communities and motivate them to become involved with the needs of disadvantaged people. The College of Medicine of The Catholic University of Korea includes a social service program in the medical humanities and social sciences curriculum. The course has lectures on social welfare, human rights, and social service, as well as four days of social service in 'Flower Village,' which is a Catholic social welfare institution. This study analyzes the satisfaction, feedback, and reflection papers of students who completed the social service program and provides an educational model for the medical humanities and social sciences. Students' satisfaction with the program was scored at 4.23 out of 5. A qualitative study of students' reflection papers derived 7 key phrases, among which 'nature and practice of social service,' 'holistic understanding of humans,' 'empathy and communication,' and 'social responsibility' are identified as goals of this program and 'happiness,' 'respect for human life,' and 'compassion' are good indicators of students' compassionate participation. Encounters with marginalized communities within the medical curriculum allows students to serve people with social difficulties and work for the improvement of their living conditions. Students learn to approach social needs with concern and empathy and seek ways to contribute to those communities.