• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 1983

Health institutions in Korea include a wide range of traditions, most notable of which are hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and health centers as foci for the dispension of western medicine care ; and herb clinics and shamans acting as centers for traditional medicine. Health consumers have pluralistic conceptions of illness(or disease) and act accordingly, using what they consider as appropriate medical practices. The research conducted surveyed residents of Jeomdong-Myon(a rural farming district), Guro 6-Dong(an urban district) and the Banwol(a semiurban district) area on attitudes about health institutions and their utilization of them. The results indicate that the hospital is considered the most reliable health institution, however, the most widely known and commonly used institution was the pharmacy. Hospitals and clinics were found to be utilized more frequently by those residents who were familiar with them than by others less familiar with them. In addition respondents with higher education, those with medical insurance, and those living in urban areas tended to utilize hospitals and clinics more frequently than their less educated, uninsured, or rural counterparts. Converse to the ranking of western medical institutions, traditional health institutions were rated low with regards to reliability, familiarity and utilization. This indicates that western medical care has pervaded the Korean medical system.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.113-120
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• 2005

Objectives: The worldwide epidemic of obesity is reporting but also in Korea. But there are few studies reporting with a community-based longitudinal data in Korea. This issues objects to measure the prevalence and evaluate the trends of overweight based on the repeated cross-sectional studies at a rural community adults during 10 years. Methods: With 1990~1999 Yang-Pyeong Cohort Baseline Survey Dataset, BMI is calculated and Overweight is categorized according to the classification of overweight in adult by Korean Society for the Study of Obesity. Results and Conclusions: Crude BMI means at 1990 is estimated to $22.0Kg/m^2$ and at 1999, $24.4Kg/m^2$(p for trend<0.0001). Trends of age adjusted BMI has borderline significant, but that of Age and Sex adjusted BMI is statistically significant(p for trend=0.039). In male population the change of the overweight prevalence from 1990 to 1999 is 35%, and in female population the change is 21.9%(Z=0.55). Female has more increased prevalence than male, but the change is more dominant in male than in female. At a rural community, obesity has markedly been increasing during the past decade and female in a rural community has higher prevalence of overweight.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.117-124
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• 2007

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate how willingness to have an additional childbirth was related to mother's general characteristics and various reasons for avoiding an additional childbirth. Methods: By using organized questionnaire, we had face-to-face interviews with 722 mothers who had 12 to 36 months child in a urban-rural area of Chungcheongnam-do from 14 February to 19 February in 2005. Questionnaires included general characteristics composed of age, monthly income, number of children, major carers and mother's job status, and 6 reasons for avoiding an additional childbirth. We performed chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Of 722 mothers, 66.5% had no willingness to have an additional childbirth. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, old age of mother(95% CI of OR: 1.084-1.190), two or more children(95% CI of OR: 6.97-15.602) and weak norm about need for a child(95% CI of OR: 1.633-29.352) were independent related factors with willingness to have an additional childbirth. Conclusions: In our study, 2/3 women who already had children were appeared to have no willingness to have additional childbirth. Policies about family planning and controlling birth rate should be focused on eliminating barrier to additional childbirths.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.148-157
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• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of allergic rhinitis between urban areas in the adjacent areas to a steel industrial complex and rural areas and the impact of pollutants in the industrialized city on allergic rhinitis. Methods: From July 28 to August 9 of 2008, 1,043 residents of urban and rural areas in a local community had enrolled in health screening and questionnaire survey. One thousand thirty-three patients also underwent a skin prick test. Prevalence rates of allergic rhinitis were calculated according to residential areas, and the used statistical analysis were Fisher's exact test and chi-square test. Results: In a survey, the fraction of adults, who complained of sneezing, nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea, during a recent 1 year period, showed the significant difference between urban (30.5%) and rural areas (22.4%). The fractions of positive skin prick tests were not different between two areas in each age group. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis was 8.4% in urban areas and 6.9% in rural areas. Considering the age groups, the adults group only showed the significantly higher prevalence of allergic rhinitis in urban areas (8.2% vs. 3.7%). Conclusions: Unlike the children and adolescents groups, the prevalence of allergic rhinitis in adults group was higher in the industrialized urban areas.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.89-97
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• 1988

Twenty-eight porcine rotavirus were isolated from piglets with diarrhoea in chonnam province. According to the age, 41 to 60 day old pigs showed the highest isolation frequency among the post weaning pigs. The characteristics of the field isolates were determined by electronmicroscopy(EM), immunofluorescent assay(FA), and electrophoretic migration patterns of the genome profiles. Some of the isolates showed remarkable haemagglutination activity against rabbit and dog erythrocytes, ranged from 4 to 2848, respectively. At least 3 serotypes of porcine rotavirus were recognized by serum neutralization test using serotype specific rotavirus hyperimmune sera.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 1992

The medical care insurance system has been adopted in rural areas in 1988, since then, the utilization of medical care services has increased rapidly in rural areas. The government has restructured the 15 health centers, which are located in remoted rural areas and these 15 health centers were strengthend to provide the curative care to the residents in order to meet the curative can demand of the residents. Besides the reorganization of the health centers, the government has implemented the oriental medical care demonstration project at the health center in a designated rural areas. This study was aimed to analyze the utilization and expenses of medical and oriental medical care services in a designated rural areas. Number of annual visits of residents to health centers in 1991 showed slightly decreased compared with that in 1989. However number of annual visits to the hospitalized health centers was an increase of 49.3%~64.5%. Regarding the coverage of curative care for the residents in rural areas, the hospitalized health centers are functioning more effective than that of health center. Expenses per case of medical care rendered by health center was lower than that of oriental medical care, while the expenses of the medical care was quit higher than that of oriental medical care in the hospitalized health centers. According to the above mentioned study results, the hospitalized health centers were more effective and suitable to provide a curative care to the residents than the health centers, and also the oriental medical care could be needed to be provided by public health network in the near future.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.23 no.3 s.31
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• pp.316-323
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• 1990

To analyze of determinants influencing the utilization of the rural health sub-centers (HSCs), 116 of 144 HSCs in Kyong Gi Do, were selected for this study. The self-administered questionnaire covering the environment and the characteristics of doctors working in the HSCs was sent to HSCs by mail. 105 questionnaires were returned of which 88 were completed and use in the study. The dependant variable was the total number of medical care visits to the HSCs from January 1, 1990 to March 31, 1990. Data was analyzed by multiple regression analysis. The results were as follows : First, the more time required to set from the HSCs to nearest hospital or clinic, the higher the utilization of the HSCs. Second, the more geographically accessible the HSCs was, the more utilization the HSCs. Third, the older of the HSCs doctors were, the more utilization of the HSCs. Fourth, the higher frequency of bus service from the HSCs to town, the more utilization of the HSCs. Fifth, the more time required from the HSCs to town, the more utilization of the HSCs. Therefore, the determinants influencing the utilization of the rural HSCs in Kyong-Gi Do, are mostly geographical accessibility of medical care.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2000

A public perception survey of environmental health due to small-scale industries was conducted in Sudong Myun, Namyangju City, Kyungki Do, recently being changed to industrialized rural community. This survey had the purpose to ascertain public interest, to identify public needs, and to assess participation for environmental health programs of rural community. The results of survey were as follows: 1. The rate of the respondents with factory worker 19.4% and half(53.1%) of respondents had lived nearby the factory. 2. Some respondents were not favor their neighboring factories(30.1%) and have discussed about its environmental problems in community meeting(14.4%) especially in neighborhood adjacent factories. 3. The respondents have perceived that: (1) major problems were water contamination, air pollution, nasty odor, dust, and noise (2) health problems were more serious in employees than in other residents (3) the employers were responsible for environmental problems (4) the health service should provided by public health center channel and participated by the residents (5) most important service for workers was improvement of working conditions. We hope the community environmental and/or occupational health delivery system for the employees and residents will be developed true public health center channel in a rural community on the basis of this result.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.331-336
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• 2001

Objectives : To assess the prevalence of knee osteoarthritis through proper diagnosis in a rural community and to elucidate the relevant factors of this health problem in order to develop educational methods for the prevention of female knee osteoarthritis as well to provide basic data for prospective research. Methods : Over a period of three months starting from August, 2000, 432 women over the age of 40 and living in a rural area were selected by a multistage cluster sampling method in order to investigate the prevalence of knee osteoarthritis and the related factors. The study utilized interviews and radiological examination. The criteria of knee osteoarthritis used was the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria for osteoarthritis of the knee(1995). Results : The adjusted prevalence of knee osteoarthritis among the subjects was 55.0%, and multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio(OR) of knee osteoarthritis among subjects 50-59 years of age and subjects older than 60 years of age as compared to subjects 40-49 years of age were 2.43(95% CI: 1.30-4.70) and 4.40(95% CI: 2.47-7.83), respectively. The OR of knee osteoarthritis among factory workers or farmers as compared to others was 1.79(95% CI: 1.03-3.12). The OR of knee osteoarthritis among subjects who had a family history and subjects who had knee injury or surgical history against those subjects had neither were 2.56(95% CI: 1.42-4.03) and 4.70(95% CI:1.45-15.19), respectively. The OR of knee osteoarthritis among smokers against non smokers was 0.47(95% CI: 0.22-0.97). Conclusions : Related factors of knee osteoarthritis included age, occupation, family history, smoking, knee injury and history of surgery In order to prevent knee osteoarthritis in high risked rural woman, education concerning self-care methods and safety guideline must be provided at the work place by the public and private health sectors. Additionally, these women should be continually encouraged to exercise, including jogging and swimming regularly.

• The Korean Journal of Food & Health Convergence
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.9-16
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• 2021

There are two forms of medicine that have existed over time and are important in the delivery of expert health care. The forms of medicine are traditional and modern medicine. This study was aimed at assessing the awareness and perspective on the use and integration of traditional and modern medicine in a rural area of Sokoto State, Nigeria. Two hundred and seventy-one (271) respondents were recruited and a self-administered questionnaire on the awareness and perspective on use and integration of traditional and modern medicine was used to assess the participant's view. Among the participants, 200(73.8%) were females. The mean±SD age of respondents was 30.55±9.73 years. 80.8% of the respondents were aware of traditional medicine while 100% were aware of modern medicine. All respondents prefer modern medicine but about 28.8% support integration of both healthcare services. The results were considered significant when p-value was less than 0.005. There is a statistically significant relationship between the integration of traditional and modern forms of medicine and age, gender, religion, education, ethnicity and occupation but not for marital status. Though all the respondents preferred modern medicine to traditional medicine, some people still feel it will be good to combine both for a better healthcare system.