• Health Policy and Management
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.30-71
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• 1999

There has been a dramatic increase in public awareness regarding dementia during recent years. However, dementia remains a family affair and patients do not receive adequate care in Korea. This study aims to assist patients and their caregivers by establishing Home and Community based Long-Term Care in a city. The data collected for analysis include five main categories: dementia prevalence, limitations of daily activities of patients, burden of caregivers, the services that patient's family want to utilize, the resources that handle dementia in the community. Major findings can be summarized as follows: 1)The prevalence rate of dementia for elderly people is 13.1 per 100 persons. Alzheimer's disease amount to 38.9% of dementia patients and vascular dementia account for 36.7% of them 2)Eight out of ten patients have mild dementia. Almost all patients have normal ADL. IADL, however, shows different picture. In every items of IADL, about 60% of patients reveals some limitations. 3)The proportion of patients who had medical diagnosis is as low as 20%. Families of patients think dementia as normal aging process and medical doctors in the community do not give special concern to dementia patients. 4)Caregivers does not have proper social support. They suffer from long care time, experience large obstacles in respect of health, daily living, and social activity. 5)Health center and Community welfare center have launched some programs-consultation, home-visiting nursing, day care center, voluntary force mobilization and so on-for dementia patients. But they do not perform expected roles and functions because of lack of skilled personnels and inadequate coordination of relevant organizations for dementia care. 6)Families of dementia patients prefer home helper and home-visiting nurse to hospitalization. For the future, however, demand for institution-based long-term services will increase. We develope community dementia care model based on above findings as follows: 1)Health center execute community cardiovascular control program for the prevention of vascular dementia. 2)Refer to epidemiologic characteristics of patients and preference of family, the most urgent task for dementia care in this city is to expand and organize Home and Community based Long-Term Care. 3)For the continuous and comprehensive care, care plan for a patient must be prepared. Case management team should be builded to prepare this plan and coordinate relevant resources. 4)Special long-term care unit for dementia will be needed in a near future. This unit should have multiple functions, such as day-care center, short stay facility, training center for relevant personnels, besides long-term nursing home considering effective care of dementia and efficient operation of the facility. 5)Voluntary workers deserve their due efforts. Incentive mechanisms must be developed to activate voluntary activities.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2000

From 1998, Oriental Medical Physicians(OMP) is distributed in Public Health Sector. but long term plan for Oriental Medicine in Public Health is not existed. So, this study is designed for the activation of OMP Subjects in this study were comprised 3 groups of oriental medicine related persons, the group of which are Students of 11 Oriental Medical Schools, Oriental Medical Physicians in Public Health Sector, Specialist Croup of Oriental medicine Policy(total 1,458 persons). Data were collected from July 1st to November 30, 1999. Direct interview with key persons, systematic interview by using of interview protocol, e-mail and facsimile have been conducted. The results of survey were coded by Excel 5.0, and analysed with SAS 6.12 statistical package. Inter-group difference determined by T-test, and descriptive statistics have been examined. Major findings can be epitomized as follows. 1) OMP disposition to multifarious organizations and institutes such as Public Health Centers, Public Health Sub-centers, Public Hospitals, Private Hospitals in Remote-Vulnerable Area, Community Social Welfare Centers, Institutes for Heath Policy Research, etc, will promise an effective use of Oriental Medical Physician. 2) Average number of patients treated by OMP was 22.8, average budget for oriental medical department, in which OMP were affiliated, was 39.6 million Won per year. Direct cost per every patient visit was 7,210.9 Won, which is considered expensive for public health service. Therefore, development and transformation for Oriental Medical Service in Public Health Sector is desirable in economic and political aspects. 3) It is recommended that ${\ulcorner}Advisory\;Committee{\lrcorner},{\ulcorner}Planning\;Commission\;for\; Public\;Health\;in\;Oriental\;Medicine{\lrcorner}$ should be established for the activation and for the support of Oriental Medical Physician in Public Health Sector, 4) Most effective programmes for oriental public health doctor are health service programmes for the elderly, Home health visit, chronic degenerative disease control services(p<0.001). 5) Standard guideline for facilities and equipments of Oriental Medicine Department in Public Health Center is needed for optimal supply of resources and activation of public health activity.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.304-315
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• 2012

Today, suicide by self-poisoning of prescribed or non-prescribed drugs on purpose has been increasing and is a major cause of mortality. It is very important to treat promptly and properly for saving the lives from those suicides. There is neither an organization such as poison control center nor measurement in S. Korea, though. The object of this study was to evaluate information of frequently used substances for suicide attempt in S. Korea. Our results also can provide healthcare provider including pharmacists and doctors, etc and contribute to increasing health and welfare for Korean. From June $1^{st}$ 2006 to April $30^{th}$ 2012, we retrospectively studied patients visiting emergency room due to suicide attempt. We collected information of underlying disease, history of past medical condition and suicide attempt, ingredient and getting route of ingesting substances, emergency treatment, and outcome by reviewing electronic medical record. We also evaluated actual treatment of self-poisoning and made guide information about antidote medication for S. Korean healthcare provider. Among total 242 cases of suicidal attempts, cases ingesting substances including prescription, non-prescription drugs and agricultural chemicals were 86.4%. The most frequently used drugs for suicide attempt were sedatives-hypnotics (53.6%), followed by analgesics (16.7%) and antidepressants (12.4%). Analgesics including acetaminophen and aspirin were most in teenagers but sedatives-hypnotics including benzodiazepines, non-benzodiazepine (zolpidem) and antihistamine were most in other ages including elderly people. Most frequently used antidote was activated charcoal (62.7%) and specific antidotes for some substances (acetaminophen, aspirin, agricultural chemicals) were also treated properly, accompanying with medication for supportive care. In conclusion, the most used substances for suicide attempt were sedatives-hypnotics and treatments for self-poisoning in emergency room were appropriate based on existing references. Therefore, information of frequently used substances and antidote reflecting these results will be useful for South Korean healthcare provider.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.484-494
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify trends for studies published in the Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing and journals published by member societies from inaugural issues to 2010. Methods: A total of 6890 studies were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Quantitative studies accounted for 83.6% while qualitative studies accounted for 14.4%. Most frequently used research designs were quasi-experimental (91.1%) for experimental research and survey (85.2%) for non-experimental research. Most frequent study participants were healthy people (35.8%), most frequent nursing interventions, nursing skills (53.5%), and 39.8% used knowledge, attitude and behavior outcomes for dependent variables. Most frequently used keyword was elderly. Survey studies decreased from 1991 to 2010 by approximately 50%, while qualitative studies increased by about 20%. True experimental research (1.2%) showed no significant changes. Studies focusing on healthy populations increased from 2001-2005 (37.5%) to 2006-2010 (41.0%). From 1970 to 2010, studies using questionnaire accounted for over 50% whereas physiological measurement, approximately 5% only. Experimental studies using nursing skill interventions increased from 1970-1980 (30.4%) to 2006-2010 (64.0%). No significant changes were noted in studies using knowledge, attitude and behavior (39.9%) as dependent variables. Conclusion: The results suggest that further expansion of true experimental, qualitative studies and physiological measurements are needed.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.895-908
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to examine female baby boomers' dietary habits and their attitudes together with their needs for future perspectives of dietary life. Our aim is to use these findings as a basic data when forecasting for food-related industries or policy making. A survey is being carried out for a total of 358 female baby boomers and analyzed by SPSS 12.0. The following is a summary of this study. The average age is 52.6 years old, most of them graduated from highschool (63.1%) and had a nuclear type of family (76.1%). Only 39.0% is composed of housewives, others had either full-time or part-time jobs. Self-assessment of stress is not so high and only 8.1% are dissatisfied with their lives. 38.2% are either overweight or obese in terms of BMI, and most of them are non-smokers (97.2%) or non-drinkers (63.0%). Their mean dietary habit scores are $70.6{\pm}11.8$, and the scores show significant relations with their education levels (p<0.01), monthly income (p<0.01), life satisfaction rates (p<0.001), stress levels (p<0.001), smoking habits (p<0.05), drinking habits (p<0.05), regular exercises (p<0.001) and regular health check-ups (p<0.05). The rate of skipping breakfast, lunch and dinner are 18.2%, 1.1%, 5.2% respectively. The main reason for skipping breakfast is the 'lack of time'. With regards to the frequency of grocery shopping, almost half of the subjects (55.7%) said '1~2 times per week' and bought mainly raw food sources such as vegetables, fruits, and meats. The majority of the subjects (91.3%) report that they cooked meals at homes, and took about 1 hour of time. The subjects also point out that cooking was a bothering task, and only 46.4% would prepare meals at home, while others would rather eat out or eat convenience foods. The main reasons for not wanting meal services in the elderly welfare facility are because they didn't want to live such places (48.4%) and the meals are tasteless (31.3%). As for delivery meal services, 60.1% are aware of it, and 39.9% would consider using it in the future. Factors to be considered when using the delivery meal service are sanitation (43.7%), nutrition (28.7%), taste (18.4%), price (6.3%), and brand name (2.9%). This study is expected to be used as useful information when developing food-related strategies for baby boomers in the future.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.263-272
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• 2021

This study investigated the oral health knowledge and educational needs of adults by life cycle. We aimed to provide basic data for developing oral health education plans for well -aging. The survey was conducted online and through mobiles by Gallup Korea during February 2021. A total of 319 adults over the age of 19 were surveyed. The study aimed at investigating the general characteristics, the quality of life-related to oral health, knowledge of oral health, and the need for well-aging education. The PASW Statistics ver 18.0 statistical program was used for data analysis. The analysis of the data suggests that prevention was the highest priority among all age groups. Furthermore, there was a difference in the perceived educational need among different age groups. The cause of the youth, the treatment of the middle-aged and the elderly were significantly related to oral and systemic disease. The need for education related to oral diseases was ranked in the order of aches, bad breath, periodontal diseases, and tooth discoloration. For information, the subjects reached out to the internet, dental and medical institutions, and public health centers. The teaching methods experienced by those surveyed included lectures combined with experience, videos, and expert lectures. We believe that this study can be used to develop an education plan that reflects the needs of the subjects when conducting life cycle education for well-aging.

• 한국노년학
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.599-616
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• 2020

The South Korean government has introduced a new Customized Care Service for Older Adults by eliminating the six existing care services for them since 2020. It is a significant change of care service system for older adults and the service would play a key role in providing preventive services for them. The aim of the study is to examine the meaning and tasks of the introduction of the Customized Care Services for Older Adults in South Korea by using the framework of Gilbert and Terrell. The study found that the new service was designed under the government's policy contexts of the establishments of public-based social service providers and the emphasis of community care, and it has brought about a number of significant institutional changes of care system in terms of allocation, benefits, delivery, and finance. The institutional coverage of the service was increased to lower 70% of older adults and a large number of kinds of health and social care services would be provided for them. The sphere of living was set in each local area and the new service providers are entirely in charge of providing the services in each sphere. The financing system was changed to support service providers by providing government subsidies. Although a number of positive results would be expected to occur for the elderly, it is likely that some challenging tasks would happen in the fields as follows: the inadequate coverage, the vagueness of the application of self-care principle and the decrease in the amounts of direct care services, the inappropriate area of service provision, and the supplier-oriented provision of services rather than user-oriented.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.217-226
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• 2010

The lower limb orthosis with a pneumatic rubber actuator, which is intended for the assistance and the enhancement of muscular activities of lower limbs was developed in this study. Compared to other knee extension assistive devices being developed by other researchers, our device is designed especially for the elderly people and intended only for slight assistance so that the subjects can keep their muscular strength. For the effectiveness of system, muscular activities of major muscles in lower limbs during sit-to-stand (STS) and squat motion were measured and analyzed. Subjects were performed the STS and squat motion with and without lower limb orthosis. We made comparison muscular activities between with and without lower limb orthosis. Lower limb orthosis was controlled using muscular stiffness force feedback that is controlled by muscular activities of the measured muscle from force sensor. For analysis of muscular activities, electromyography of the subjects was measured during STS and squat motion, and these were measured using MP 150(BIOPAC Systems, Inc.). Muscles of interest were rectus femoris(RF), vastus lateralis(VL), vastus medialis(VM) and vastus intermedius(VI) muscles in lower limbs of the right side. A biodex dynamometer was used to measure the maximal concentric isokinetic strength of the knee extensors of wearing and not wearing orthosis on right side. The test were performed using the concentric isokinetic mode of test with the velocity set at 60°/s for muscles around the knee joints. The experimental result showed that muscular activities in lower limbs wearing orthosis using muscular stiffness force of a vastus medialis muscle was reduced and knee extension torque of an knee joint wearing lower limb orthosis was increased. With this, we confirmed the effectiveness of the developed lower limb orthosis.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2011

This paper aims to find the optimal control gain for enhancing the convenience of electric walking frames and design a control algorithm. With the recent advances in medical technology, there has been a rapid increase in the aging population and a variety of mobile walking frames have been developed for improvement of the quality of life. However, the manual walking frames of such mobile aids don't have any electric motor which helps facilitate elderly users' walking and thus are not efficient enough for the old people of weak strength to use especially when moving on uneven surfaces such as slopes or thresholds. The types of electric walking frames have been developed to overcome such inefficiency. Electric walking frames require users' control operations for motor driving unlike manual frames. Therefore, when they are not properly handled, it causes considerable inconvenience to their users. The present study compared the electric walking frames with manual ones in terms of operational convenience and attempted to improve the user convenience of walking frames varying the control value for user convenience based on certain standards. This paper presented a haptic sensor designed to recognize the will to walk and measure the degree of convenience and proposed a control algorithm for improvement of convenience. For user convenience, this paper evaluated the relative convenience of walking frames in view of changing differences between the center of vehicle (COV) and the center of position (COP). With the employment of an electric walking frame and a new measuring method, all the processes were experimentally tested and validated.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.37-57
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• 1998

In recent, Korea introduced the local self-government system. And the local government tried to establish and implement plans for women. Those plans were established on the basis of not the particular environments of regional societies but similar policies of central government. Despite of geographical migrations, we can find differences of population structure and economic status among regions. As the result, most of regional policies for women were ineffective. This paper examines population structure and economic status of women by regions and recommends the long and medium direction for local policies for women. For analysis, it utilizes the 2% sample data-set of National Statistical Office's '1995 Population and Housing Census' in Korea. The findings of this paper are summarized as following; Firstly, the dependency rate of Chungchong-do, Cholla-do, Kyongsangnam-do will reach about 45% in 2000. Therefore, as soon as possible, those local government should establish the labor policies to enhance the economically active participation rate of the elderly persons and welfare policy for them. Secondly, the level of women's economic participation. Thus, local governments should set up labor market policies for women according to regional situations. For examples, in Kyonggi-do, Seoul, Daejeon, Daeku which unemployment rate of the highly educated women are relatively high, those local governments should seek the measures to tackle unemployment problem of them. Thirdly, due to the differences regional economic structure, women's employment structures differed also by region. Hence, local governments should formulate suitable plans to consider the working status of regional women's workers.