• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.476-482
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• 2023

Introduction: There is a growing global interest in the issue of precarious employment. We aimed to analyze the characteristics and socio-demographic distribution of precarious employment using a summative score approach. Methods: To operationalize precarious employment, we utilized data from the Korean Working Conditions Survey and focused on three distinct dimensions: employment insecurity, income inadequacy, and a lack of rights and protections. By constructing a summative scale ranging from -16 to 2, with lower scores indicating higher precariousness, we measured employment precariousness among Korean wage workers. To compare employment precariousness according to survey participant characteristics, we employed the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test. Results: We analyzed a weighted number of 38,432 workers. The overall sample showed a median (Q1, Q3) summative scale score of -3 (-6, -1). The median summative score was lower for women compared to men (men: -2; women: -5; p < 0.001), as well as for young or older workers compared to middle-aged workers (young: -4; middle-aged: -2; older: -5; p < 0.001). Similarly, workers with lower educational levels (middle school or below: -8; high school: -5; college or above: -2; p < 0.001) and non-white collar workers (blue collar: -5; service/sales worker: -6; white collar: -2; p < 0.001) experienced higher levels of employment precariousness. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that certain vulnerable groups, such as women, young or older adults, workers with low educational attainment, and caregiving or low-skilled elementary workers, are disproportionately exposed to high employment precariousness. Active policy interventions are needed to improve the employment quality of vulnerable groups.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2017

This study has some issues about the elderly, the disabled, and the vulnerable groups whose economic ability is low even if the disaster or disaster situation is not a big problem for the people. we should emphasize the necessity of disaster preparedness action manual considering the characteristics of disaster vulnerable classes and taking serious risks to them even in the same situation. We also want to conduct research only for people with disabilities who are choosing the same definition of the world among the vulnerable groups. I would like to provide a basis for developing a site action manual for people with disabilities by comparing the cases of Korea and Japan. Therefore, through the cases of Japan and Korea, it is possible to maintain the independence of everyday life during disasters, the communication function in disasters, the method of moving information and mobile information, the function of recognizing emergency response, Action Emphasize the urgency of developing action manuals. From this domestic situation, we will conclude the discussion on the disaster safety and action manual for the disabled.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.71-81
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• 2024

Purpose: This study aims to identify research trends in papers related to the elderly and the disabled published in the journal of Korean society for school & community health education from 2000 to 2023 and seek the direction of the academic development of this journal in the future. Method: A total of 26 articles related to the elderly and the disabled, who are vulnerable groups, were analyzed by year by analyzing the specific subjects, research themes, research design, data collection methods, and keywords of papers published from 2000 to 2023. Results: Looking at the research subjects, studies on the elderly (18 studies) accounted for a larger proportion than studies on the disabled (8 studies). Research themes in the field of healthy living practices for the elderly (44.4%) and research in the field of mental health management (37.5%) for the disabled accounted for a high proportion. The design of research were mostly quantitative and cross-sectional studies. Data collection is mostly based on secondary data. In studies targeting the elderly, keywords appeared in the following order: 'Health' and 'Elderly'. And research targeting the disabled appeared in the following order: 'Disabilities', 'Health', and 'COVID-19'. Additionally, research on the elderly and the disabled has recently shown an increasing trend. Conclusion: Research on the elderly and the disabled has been conducted in line with the purpose of the Korean society for school & community health education, However, In terms of quantitative expansion and qualitative research, research themes, research designs, and data collection methods must be diversified. Methods, public perception. Additionally, research on vulnerable groups that fit the public health promotion and health education paradigm is needed.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.65-77
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• 2020

Objectives: This study investigated the average number of drinkers in Korea, the number of high-risk drinkers, the average amount of alcohol consumed by high-risk drinkers, and the types of alcohol consumed according to the characteristics of the group of dependent drinkers. Methods: The results were obtained by analyzing the following data: The Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health; Country Profile 2014; WHO Country Profile 2014; Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014, Korean Statistical Information Service; National Tax Statistics-Liquor Tax; Gallup Drinking Frequency Survey 2015 Results: This study found that a large proportion of drinkers in Korea are already high-risk drinkers, and even among drinkers, alcohol consumption was highly biased. It was reported that 49.8% of men in the problem, abuse, and dependence groups accounted for 92.4% of total alcohol consumption among the male population. Notably, the 9.6% of men making up the dependent group consumed more than 30% of the alcohol ingested among males. Women had significant variations within groups that were considered high-risk and exhibited a large share of alcohol consumption in the problem (10.0% of the female population), abuse (1.8% of the female population), and dependence (1.5% of the female population) groups, constituting 72.8% of total alcohol consumption. The average amount of alcohol consumed by drinkers in Korea seems to have exceeded the level of intake by high-risk groups. Alcohol-dependent groups consumed 900.7 mL of soju, 405.2 mL of table wine, and 2,043.8 mL of beer, which is very similar to the consumption average of 2,031 mL of beer and 895.2 mL of soju in the drinking group. Conclusion: It has been shown that men's dependence on alcohol is serious, and it is possible to infer that alcohol consumption in some vulnerable groups is very high. As the average alcohol intake among alcohol-dependent groups and ordinary drinkers is very similar, it is highly likely that the drinker is an alcohol-dependent consumer in Korea.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.298-308
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• 1995

To investigate the effect of estrogen and dietary protein level on Ca metabolism, female rats were undergone ovariectomy or sham-operation. Ovariectomized rate were divided into either estrogen-or vehicle-treated groups. Each treatment group was again divided into 40%-casein(H) or 10%-casein(L) diet groups. All experimental diets contained 0.2% Ca, 0.4% P and fed to rats for 8 weeks. Apparant Ca absorption and Ca balance were not affected by dietary protein level and ovariectomy, however they were increased by estrogen injection and this effect was even higher in low protein groups. Urinary Ca excretion were higher in high protein groups. GFR was not affected by dietary protein level, ovariectomy, or by estrogen injection. Urinary protein excretion was higher in high protein groups, which implies that the kidney funtion was deteriorated by high protein diet, and this may account partly for the higher urinary Ca in high protein groups. Ovariectomy or estrogen treatment had no effect on urinary protein excretion. Urinary hydroxyproline was higher in ovariectomized rats and increased in high protein grous. Elevated value of ovarictomized rats was lowered by estrogen injection, especially in low protein group. Alkaline phosphatase tended to increase in ovariectomized groups and lowered with estrogen treatment, but this difference was not statistically significant. Serum PTH was not affected by ovariectomy and dietary protein level. Therefore the increased hydroxproline excretion does not seem to be attributed to PTH. Dietary protein level, ovariectomy and estrogen treatment did not affect the weights and components of femur, scapular, and 4th vertebra. Ash/wt ratio of femur was, however, lower in ovariectomized rats and increased with estrogen treatment. Therefore, among the bones studied, femur seemed to be the most vulnerable. The results of this study shows that estrogen treatment may alleviate or reduce bone loss in postmenopausal women somewhat, especially for those people with low protein diet.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.10
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• pp.1081-1091
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• 2020

The objective of this study is to disclose the effect of socio-demographic characteristics such as, age and ethnicity which is comprised of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Others on four financial capability domains namely planning ahead, managing money, choosing products and staying informed. A closed ended self-administered questionnaire was disseminated to a total of 2000 respondents among four types of groups which consist of FELDA or rural area residents, private sector employees, government sector employees and youth in institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. Those four groups were selected to cover a wide range of Malaysian population. 500 respondents were involved in this study for each types of groups through purposive sampling technique. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and analysis via Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was utilized in this study. The results revealed that age has significant effect on planning ahead, managing money, choosing products and staying informed. Whereas, ethnicities were found to have no effect on financial capability except planning ahead domain. It is suggested that more devotion should be placed on research and professional training in building respondents' financial capability. Furthermore, government and non-government organizations should develop a comprehensive approach to intensify their financial capability and upgrade their standards of living especially of financially vulnerable households.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2016

Background: Several studies have investigated the relationship between specific occupations and suicide mortality, as suicide rates differ by profession. The aim of this study was to investigate suicide mortality ratios across broad occupational groups in Greece for both sexes in the period 2000-2009. Methods: Data of suicide deaths were retrieved from the Hellenic Statistical Authority and comparative mortality ratios were calculated. Occupational classification was based on the International Classification of Occupations (ISCO-88) and the coding for Intentional self-harm (X60-X84) was based on the international classification of diseases (ICD-10). Results: Male dominant occupations, mainly armed forces, skilled farmers and elementary workers, and female high-skilled occupations were seen as high risk groups for suicide in a period of 10 years. The age-productive group of 30-39 years in Greek male elementary workers and the 50-59 age-productive group of Greek professional women proved to have the most elevated number of suicide deaths. Conclusion: Further research is needed into the work-related stressors of occupations with high suicide mortality risk and focused suicide prevention strategies should be applied within vulnerable working age populations.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.156-163
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• 2012

Objectives: It is necessary to examine groups carrying out sexually risky behavior because the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is high among them. In this study, the prevalence of STDs among homosexuals and sexbuying men in South Korea was investigated, along with their sexual risk factors. Methods: Men who have sex with men (MSMs, n=108) were recruited in Seoul and Busan by applying the time location sampling method, while sex-buying men (n=118) were recruited from a john school in Gyeonggi province, the suburbs of Seoul. Dependent variables included past or present infection with syphilis, Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and human immunodeficiency virus. Independent variables included health behavior, social support, sexual behavior, and safe sex. Results: It was found that when the MSMs were non-drunk while having sexual intercourse (odds ratio [OR], 0.132), they showed a higher STD infection rate when they had a higher number of anal sex partners (OR, 5.872), rarely used condoms (OR, 1.980), had lower self-efficacy (OR, 0.229), and were more anxious about becoming infected with an STD (OR, 3.723). However, the men who paid for sex showed high STD infections when they had more sex partners (OR, 2.286) and lower education levels (OR, 3.028). Conclusions: STD infections among the two groups were high when they were engaged with many sex partners and not having protected sex. In other words, there was a gap in risky sex behavior within such groups, which was significantly related to the possibility of developing an STD. Therefore, the preventive intervention against STDs for these groups needs to be expanded to include management of sex behaviors.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.287-297
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• 2003

This intervention study was performed to assess the effect of spirulina on lipid metabolism, antioxidant capacity, and immune function in elderly Koreans. The subjects were 6 male and 6 female people between the ages of 60 and 75, who were given spirulina supplements of 7.5 g/day for 24 weeks. Dietary intake, anthropometric measurements and biochemical assessment for plasma lipid levels, antioxidant status and immune function were measured before and throughout the intervention period. Before entering the study, the subjects were in relatively good health. Their nutrient intake was satisfactory, and anthropometric indices and plasma nutrient levels were within the normal range. Spirulina supplementation for 24 weeks did not affect dietary intake and anthropometric parameters. However, considerable changes were observed in blood lipid profiles, antioxidant capacity, and immune indices. The plasma concentrations of triglycerides, total- and LDL-cholesterol decreased from 4 weeks of the supplementation period. The antioxidant capacity improved, as shown in increasing TAS and decreasing TBARS after supplementation. Improved immune function was also observed as the PBL lymphocyte proliferation rate and plasma C3 levels increased. The above effects of spirulina supplementation did not differ between mild hypercholesterolemic (cholesterol $\geq$ 200mg/d1) and normochole-sterolemic (cholesterol < 200 mg/dl) subjects. This study provided evidence that spirulina could be used as dietary supplementation in nutritionally vulnerable groups to improve nutritional and health status and to prevent chronic disease such as hyperlipidemia or oxidation-prone diseases. further studies in this area with various population groups are warranted.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was designed to determine the quantitative changes of the numbers of the mechanoreceptors in the experimentally tenotomized Achilles tendon of rabbits as compared with short-term immobilization and long-term immobilization. Materials and Methods: 14 white rabbits were used. After tenotomizing the right Achilles tendon, the subjects were divided into 2 groups according to the periods of immobilizaton. The left side of each Achilles tendon of the rabbits were used as controls. The tendons were stained with a modified gold-chloride method. Results: The number of mechanoreceptor was significantly decreased in the tenotomized Achilles tendon group than the control group (p<0.01). There was no statistical difference between the two experimental groups in the numbers of the mechanoreceptors (p>0.01). Conclusion: The injured Achilles tendons may more vulnerable to injury because of the decreased numbers of mechanoreceptors, but no difference between the periods of immobilization. It may suggest that post-operative immobilization period may not affect on the outcome of operative treatment from the viewpoint of mechanoreceptors.