• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.431-439
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• 2023

Objectives: Numerous studies have explored the causes and spread of outbreaks, yet there is a lack of research on post-coronavirus disease 2019 condition (PCC) in Korea. The goal of this study was to identify the various types of PCC and associated factors in discharged patients and to provide directions for the ongoing health management of confirmed patients. Methods: A telephone survey was conducted among 680 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients diagnosed between July 7, 2021 and August 26, 2021, in Dangjin, Chungnam, Korea. A descriptive analysis of characteristics, univariate analysis, and regression were performed using data from basic epidemiological surveys conducted at the time of diagnosis and post-discharge questionnaires. Results: Of the 585 patients who responded, 159 (27.2%) developed PCC. Of the 211 patients with no initial symptoms, 27 (12.8%) developed PCC, versus 132 (35.3%) of the 374 patients with initial symptoms. Among the initial symptoms, fever or chills, cough or sputum, loss of smell, and sore throat were associated with PCC. Compared to patients with less than 10 days of hospitalization, those with a hospitalization period of 21 days to 30 days (odds ratio [OR], 2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 5.2) and 31 days or more (OR, 5.8; 95% CI, 1.9 to 18.1) had a higher risk of PCC. Conclusions: More than a quarter of COVID-19 patients, including those who had no initial symptoms, experienced PCC in Korea. People with the initial symptoms of fever, chills, and respiratory symptoms and those who had prolonged hospital stays had a high risk of PCC.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.67-82
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• 2017

The study intends to examine the effects of the fishing license system on fisheries resources in order to reduce the adverse effects of recreational fishing, such as fishery resource reduction and environmental pollution. In doing so, the research question of the study is to determine what factors influence anglers' willingness to support fishing licenses. Based on the extended theory of planned behavior, we further included explanatory variables such as recreation specialization and motivations besides anglers' attitudes, norms and self-efficacy towards the environment and proposed six research hypotheses. The data were collected through on-site and online surveys in Gwangju and Cheonnam province and a total of 337 effective questionnaires were collected for data analysis. Three different binary logit models were employed with the dependent variable of anglers'willingness to support fishing licenses to assess the effects of explanatory variables. Study results show that social norms, the level of recreation specialization, motivation factors related to environmental experiences positively affected anglers'willingness to support fishing licenses. However, anglers'consumptive orientation attitudes such as catching big fish, motivation factors related to activity general experience preferences and previous fishing experience had negative effects on the dependent variables. Study results indicate that public outreach and education programs are essential to successfully introduce the fishing license system. Managerial and policy-related implications are further discussed to make recreational fishing a more environment-friendly recreational activity. This study investigated the effects of diverse variables derived from anglers' social-psychological characteristics on their support for fishing licenses and suggest diverse policy-related and managerial implications.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.126-133
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• 2018

The aim of this survey is to investigate the current state of pattern identification, treatment and management on chronic fatigue in the Korean medicine. From May 25, 2017 to June 7, we distributed contents of questionnaires to 17,992 Korean medical doctors via e-mail, and then received answers from 329 people. The surveys were conducted by a specialized research organizations. Researchers were blinded to the participant's personally identifiable information or whether they participated in the investigation. In Korea, almost Korean medicine doctors (94.5%) used pattern identification in the treatment of chronic fatigue patients. The main diagnostic methods were visceral (38.5%), qi-blood-fluid-humor (32.3%), and sasang constitutional pattern identification (14.3%). The high-frequent therapy were herbal medicine (37.0%), acupuncture (27.9%), moxibustion (11.7%), and cupping (8.6%). The primary goals of treatment were Improvement and relaxation of stress condition (18.1%), improvement of quality of life (13.1%), increase of functional vitality (34.0%), and fatigue management (23.3%). The key factors affecting treatment outcomes were the patient's aggressiveness in treatment (23.5%) and his/her lifestyle and environment(22.7%). This study was a pioneering research for chronic fatigue on the aspect of medical service provider in the Korean medicine. We hope that this study can be used as a basis for developing a more appropriate and reasonable practice guidelines for chronic fatigue.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 2017

Objective: During the physical therapy education, if we can understand the student's attitude then we can make valuable suggestions with respect to the teaching in the universities and professional employment in the country. The aim of the current study is to develop a questionnaire to test the physical therapy students' attitudes towards their education and profession and to test its test-retest reliability and content validity. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: A total of 47 physical therapy students who were in their final year were randomly selected to participate in the study. After the making of the questionnaire, it was given to 6 professional experts teaching in the field of physical therapy to obtain their responses for each question with a 5-point Likert scale grading. Their answers were used in making the content validity of the questionnaire. Afterwards, the physical therapy students were asked to fill the questionnaire. Instrument reliability and test-retest reliability were also assessed by having the students complete the questionnaire after one month of taking the questionnaire. Results: The content validity index was 0.71 for the whole scale and values of individual subdivisions were ranging from 0.69 to 0.75. Instrument reliability measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.86 for the whole scale and subdivision values were ranging from 0.32 to 0.86. Test-retest reliability was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient, which was 0.71 for whole scales and subdivision values were ranging from 0.38 to 0.70. Conclusions: This questionnaire, which assesses the physical therapy student attitude towards their education and profession, has good content validity, instrument reliability, and test-retest reliability.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.144-151
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of an instrument that measures spiritual needs of families of terminal cancer patients. Methods: This methodological study was processed as follows: 1) The preliminary 26 items were developed based a conceptual framework of spiritual needs of families of patients with cancer. 2) The content was validated by an expert panel (Three nursing professors and five hospice nursing specialists). 3) The instrument was validated by a survey (n=111). 4) Twenty-six items were selected and used for the final version of the scale. Results: Three factors were extracted through factor analysis: 'relationship with God/Acceptance of dying', 'recovery of relationship/hope and peace', and 'meaning and purpose of life'. These factors explained 61.088% of the total variance. Cronbach's alpha and Guttman split-half coefficient of the 26 items were 0.944 and 0.826 respectively. Conclusion: This scale was identified as a valid and reliable tool. Therefore, the scale is useful in assessing spiritual needs of families of terminal cancer patients in the field of hospice and palliative care.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.187-195
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• 2019

Background: Steroid injections are commonly used in pain clinics to relieve pain and treat inflammation. In Korea, these steroid injections are well known as 'ppyeojusa', which means to inject into the bone in Korean. Some patients often have a negative perception of this treatment method due to inaccurate information about the treatment and side effects of steroids. The purpose of this study is to investigate patients' perception and knowledge of ppyeojusa. Methods: A questionnaire about ppyeojusa was completed by patients who visited one of the pain clinics in nine university hospitals, from August 1 to September 10, 2017. Results: Three-hundred seventy-four patients completed the survey. Eighty-five percent of patients had had ppyeojusa, and 74% of the respondents had heard of ppyeojusa from the mass media, friends or relatives. Only 39% of the patients answered that this injection was safe without side effects if properly spaced. Of the patients surveyed, 21% responded that ppyeojusa are "injections into the bone"; while 15% responded that ppyeojusa are "terrible injections that melted 'the bone if used a lot'". Half of the patients did not know what the active constituent is in ppyeojusa. If steroid injections are advised by the pain specialists, 89% of the patients would consent. Conclusions: Most pain clinic patients have heard of ppyeojusa. Most patients obtained information about ppyeojusa from mass media, rather than their physicians. Therefore, it is likely that most patients have inaccurate knowledge.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2023

Background: Dental evaluation and protection are important for preventing traumatic dental injuries when patients are under general anesthesia. The objective of the present study was to develop a questionnaire based on dentition-related risk factors that could serve as a valuable tool for dental evaluation and documentation. Methods: We developed a questionnaire for dental evaluation before administration of general anesthesia, investigated the association between patient-and-dentist responses and mouthguard fabrication, and assessed response agreement between 100 patients. Results: Protective mouthguards were fabricated for 27 patients who were identified as having a high risk of dental injury. There was a strong association between dentists' responses and mouthguard fabrication, depending on the general oral health status, use of ceramic prosthesis, presence of masticatory pain related to periodontal diseases, gingival edema, and implants (P < 0.05). Response agreement between patients and dentists for items related to dental pain, loss of dental pulp vitality, root canal therapy, dental trauma, aesthetic prosthesis, tooth mobility, and implant prosthesis was high (Cohen's kappa coefficient κ ≥ 0.6). Conclusions: A high agreement was observed between patient-dentist responses and a strong association with mouthguard fabrication for items pertaining to ceramic prosthesis, masticatory pain, and dental implants. Patients with a "yes" response to these items are recommended to undergo a dental evaluation and use a dental protective device while under general anesthesia.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2023

In 1945, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Approximately 70 000 Koreans are estimated to have been exposed to radiation from atomic bombs at that time. After Korea's Liberation Day, approximately 23 000 of these people returned to Korea. To investigate the long-term health and hereditary effects of atomic bomb exposure on the offspring, cohort studies have been conducted on atomic bomb survivors in Japan. This study is an ongoing cohort study to determine the health status of Korean atomic bomb survivors and investigate whether any health effects were inherited by their offspring. Atomic bomb survivors are defined by the Special Act On the Support for Korean Atomic Bomb Victims, and their offspring are identified by participating atomic bomb survivors. As of 2024, we plan to recruit 1500 atomic bomb survivors and their offspring, including 200 trios with more than 300 people. Questionnaires regarding socio-demographic factors, health behaviors, past medical history, laboratory tests, and pedigree information comprise the data collected to minimize survival bias. For the 200 trios, whole-genome analysis is planned to identify de novo mutations in atomic bomb survivors and to compare the prevalence of de novo mutations with trios in the general population. Active follow-up based on telephone surveys and passive follow-up with linkage to the Korean Red Cross, National Health Insurance Service, death registry, and Korea Central Cancer Registry data are ongoing. By combining pedigree information with the findings of trio-based whole-genome analysis, the results will elucidate the hereditary health effects of atomic bomb exposure.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.506-515
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the status of hazard communication regarding dental materials among dental hygienists in the Daegu Metropolitan City and the North Gyeongsang-do Province area. Materials: A total of 310 dental hygienists were surveyed using self-administered questionnaires to investigate the status of hazard communication on dental materials and information needs. We collected instructions for use and material safety data sheets(MSDSs) for 67 dental materials frequently used at dental hospitals located in the Daegu Metropolitan City and the North Gyeongsang-do Province area. Results: The questionnaire surveys showed that only 11% of the 310 dental hygienists had knowledge of MSDS and 46.8% of respondents never read instructions for use before using materials. Just 7.4% of dental hygienists have undergone training on hazard information for dental materials. In particular, dental hygienists working at dental clinics had significantly lower response rates on knowledge of MSDS(p<0.001), reading of instructions for use(p=0.042) and training on the hazard information of dental materials(p=0.004) than those in dental hospitals or general hospitals. The essential information most desired by dental hygienists was hazard identification(82.3%) followed by first-aid measures(53.9%), handling and storage(51%), disposal considerations (49%) and toxicological information(47.1%). All dental materials were on foreign products which came from Japan(59.7%), the USA(26.9%) and Liechtenstein(13.7%). In terms of usage, 56.7% of dental materials were prosthetic, followed by conservation(31.3%), orthodontics(9%), and prevention(3%). We found that dental hygienists had accessed MSDSs for only five dental products among the 67 dental materials. The instructions for the use of the 67 dental materials provided hazard identification(64.2%), first-aid measures(83.6%), handling and storage(97%), disposal considerations(20.9%) and toxicological information(26.9%). Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, the hazard communication system for dental hygienists working at dental clinics should be improved.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.567-580
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• 2013

Purpose: This study aims to develop measuring tools for 'Consumer Issues' of ISO 26000, the international standards for corporate social responsibility(CSR), and propose strategic suggestions on the CSR implemention by analyzing the differences among various industries. Methods: In order to test the research models, structured questionnaires were used and nationwide surveys were conducted targeting at customers who have had experiences in using the products and services from the companies which published CSR reports. In addition, for the empirical analysis of data, the models were verified with AMOS confirmatory factor analysis(CFA). Results: From the result of the analysis of differences among industries, it was shown that level of CSR activities was high in public sectors, followed by service industries and manufacturing. It was also shown high in air transport and the electrical and electronic industries, while it was confirmed low in energy and environment related industries such as energy, automobile and chemical industries. As a result, strategic approaches are suggested, considering the different characteristics of each industry in implementing CSR. Conclusion: This study has developed measuring tools for 'Consumer Issues' to research the core subjects and issues of ISO 26000, the international standards for CSR. It has confirmed the characteristics and differences regarding 'Consumer Issues' among industries and proved that industries can provide guidelines for the implementation of CSR activities through approaching and researching various issues from interested parties. This study has also suggested the importance of customer awareness of CSR activities and active communications by industries.