• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.585-591
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• 1999

The purpose of the present study was to measure the dietary folate intake of Korean women of childbearing age. Folate intake obtained from 24-hour recall method and food frequency questionnaire was assessed in two hundred and ninety-three nonpregnant and non-lactating healthy women of childbearing age. The mean folate intake of women aged 20-29 was 112.8ug/day, 49.3% of their recommended level of 250ug/day. Folate intake of women aged 30-49 was 129.0ug/day, significantly higher than that of participants aged 20-29. A quartile analysis on the folate intake revealed that there significant differences in the consumption of dark green, leafy vegetables (p<0.01), other vegetables (p<0.01), and fruits and legumes(p<0.05) between the highest of childbearing age is far from adequate. To reach of the present study show that the folate intake of Korean women of childbearing age is far from adequate. To reach the recommended intake level of 250ug/day for women of childbearing age, folate supplementation and special nutrition education promoting folate intake might be necessary.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.151-171
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between family-friendly policies in working places and the childbearing intentions of married-employed women. The analysis included 415 married working women from the 2012 wave of the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Family. The factors influencing the childbearing intentions of the women were age, education, number of children under age 18, childbirth leave, childcare facilities, and flextime. The women whose work-places provided childbirth leave had stronger childbearing intentions. The women under age 35 had stronger childbearing intentions when their work-places had flextime policies. In conclusion, my recommendation is that the government should pay more attention to the micro-personal factors, such as the Family-friendly Workplace Practices proposed in this study, when executing policies to reverse the current trend of low fertility.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.109-117
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• 2023

Menstrual cycle irregularity reflects the reproductive health of women of childbearing age, but studies are scant on women in communities. In this study, we identified factors associated with menstrual cycle irregularity among 884 community women of childbearing age (19-40 years) and confirmed the relationship between menstrual cycle irregularity and depressive symptoms. Data were collected through online or mobile platforms. We noted that 25% of participants had menstrual cycle irregularity. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that age, irregular eating, and depressive symptoms were associated with menstrual cycle irregularity. After adjusting for confounding variables, participants with depressive symptoms were at a slightly higher risk of menstrual cycle irregularity (odds ratio = 1.078, confidence interval = 1.021-1.139). Additional support be provided for community-living women of childbearing age with depressive symptoms, to improve their reproductive health

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.218-229
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and examine the validity and reliability of a self-efficacy scale for preventive health management related to premature labor (PHMSE-PL) for women of childbearing age. Methods: Instrument development and validation were undertaken in three steps: conceptualization through a literature review and in-depth interviews, item generation and evaluation of content validity, and evaluation of construct validity and reliability. The content validity, factorial structure validity, and internal consistency reliability of the PHMSE-PL were evaluated, and cognitive interviewing was undertaken. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analyses, Cronbach's α, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: The content validity was assessed by experts and was strengthened through cognitive interviews with women of childbearing age. The PHMSE-PL comprised 34 items across five factors. The construct validity of the PHMSE-PL was supported. Cronbach's α for the total scale was .97 (95% CI=.96-.97). Conclusion: An evaluation of the psychometric properties of the PHMSE-PL scale found it to be a valid and reliable tool for women of childbearing age. The scale appears to be useful for women of childbearing age to self-assess their preventive health management self-efficacy related to premature labor and for health professionals to evaluate and promote women's preventive health management.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.250-263
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• 2022

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a webtoon education program on preventive self-management related to premature labor (PSM-PL) for women of childbearing age, to evaluate its effects, and to assess the usability of webtoon education for women of childbearing age. Methods: The study design was a stratified randomized trial with repeated measures. The participants were Korean women of childbearing age (between the ages of 19 and 49 years), with 49 participants each. The preventive health management self-efficacy related to premature labor (PHMSE-PL) scale, the preventive self-management knowledge related to premature labor (PSMK-PL) scale, and usability of webtoon education were assessed. The intervention group read six episodes of the PSM-PL webtoon within 2 days after clicking an online link. The control group did not receive anything but was given the webtoon after the last measurement. To test the effect of the repeatedly measured variables, a generalized estimating equation model was used. Results: The experimental group had statistically significantly greater increases in PHMSE-PL and PSMK-PL scores from baseline to immediately after and 2 weeks later than the control group. The average score for usability of webtoon education was high (4.52; standard deviation, 0.62) on a scale of 1-5. Conclusion: This webtoon education program on PSM-PL was a feasible and acceptable program that increased self-efficacy and knowledge of preventive health management of premature labor in women of childbearing age. Future studies that adopt a webtoon format can be beneficial for childbearing women with other risk factors.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.186-189
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• 2010

Purpose: As many patients often showed the value of menopause although they were women of childbearing age, this study looked into their previous history. According to the findings, they were patients with a mastectomy due to breast cancer and were taking breast cancer treatment Tamoxifen (the women hormone inhibitor) after chemotherapy. This study is conducted to examine changes in FSH and E2 concentration of patients breast cancer patients of childbearing age according to Tamoxifen used to prevent recurrence of breast cancer and proliferation of mammary parenchyma. Materials and Methods: This study aims to investigate similarity in patients treated with surgery who were in their childbearing age and in values of FSH and E2 by dividing test results of FSH and E2 requested at the department of nuclear medicine among patients who visited this hospital from Jan. 2009 to Mar. 2010 into women of childbearing age (n=50), menopausal women (n=50), and patients with breast cancer surgery who take Tamoxifen (n=50) and then comparing the test results. Results: The FSH and E2 test results of 50 patients were compared and analyzed as average${\pm}$standard deviation, and the results showed that the figure of women of childbearingage (n=50) was FSH : $7.14{\pm}6.19$, E2 : $138.76{\pm}85.40$, that of menopausal women (n=50) was FSH : $52.12{\pm}24.43$, E2 : $15.06{\pm}4.43$, and that of patients with breast cancer surgery who were in their childbearing age (n=50) was FSH : $44.21{\pm}21.07$, E2 : $13.53{\pm}4.26$. When these different results of FSH and E2 were compared, the value of patients with breast cancer surgery who were in their childbearing age with Tamoxifen was somewhat similar to that of menopausal women. Conclusion: The test results of FSH and E2 have reportedly found the test values of patients with breast cancer surgery could be similar to that of menopausal women eventhough they were in their childbearing age due to the women hormone inhibitor Tamoxifen. Therefore, if a tester conducts this experiment after understanding the clinical meaning, the reliability of the tester reporting test results would be increased.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.100-109
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the differences in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome between menopausal women and women of childbearing age and to determine the risk of metabolic syndrome among women in each group depending on whether they eat alone. Methods: Data of 1,813 women from the seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016) were used. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0, and complex sample frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, complex sample cross analysis, complex sample general linear regression, and complex sample logistic regression analysis were performed. Results: According to the results of the study, there was no difference in the prevalence and risk of metabolic syndrome according to the presence of companions during meals between women of childbearing age and post-menopausal women, but there was a difference in health behavior. In other words, women of childbearing age who ate alone had a lot of experience of drinking, and menopausal women who ate alone did not tend to make any efforts to control their weight and did not perform aerobic exercise. In particular, the negative health behavior of menopausal women who ate alone increased the risk of prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Conclusion: The findings indicate that, for women who eat alone, interventions to prevent metabolic syndrome should be differentiated before and after menopause. Therefore, it is suggested to offer an educational program to prevent metabolic syndrome in women of childbearing age as well as provide regular assessments to diagnose metabolic syndrome and health behavior improvement programs for menopausal women.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.79-92
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• 2012

Purpose: Obesity affects dysfunction of Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovary(H-P-O) axis. Dysfunction of H-P-O axis could be related to Skin Resistance Variability (SRV). This study investigated the impacts of obesity which related to female age on SRV. Methods: We randomly selected 400 women who had taken CP-6000A test and InBody test on the same day at Oriental Hospital of Sangji University from Jan. 2008 to Jun. 2011. In this study, the Body Mass Index(BMI) range of normal group is 18.5~24.9, obesity group is over 25, the age range of childbearing age group is 24~34 years, post-menopause group is 50~65 years. 139 women that met the criteria of this study were assorted by their BMI and age. After detection of SRV, SPSS 19.0 has conjugated for data analysis and the independent samples t-test and paired samples t-test were used to verify the results. Results: At 1st and 2nd trial, the height of 3 area of childbearing age obesity group was significantly higher than that of childbearing age normal group. At 1st and 2nd trial, the height of 1, 2 area of childbearing age obesity group was higher than that of childbearing age normal group, but there were no significant difference. At 1st and 2nd trial, the height of 1, 2, 3 area of post-menopause obesity group was mostly higher than that of post-menopause normal group, but there were no significant difference. Conclusions: This study showed the SRV of obesity group was higher than that of normal group in most of 1, 2, 3 area. Further study will be needed.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.254-259
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• 2007

This study assessed folate intakes, folate concentrations in plasma and erythrocytes, plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentration, and urinary excretion of folate metabolites in Korean women with childbearing potential. A total of 23 women voluntarily participated in this study. Precise dietary intakes for 3 consecutive days were determined by weighing all foods consumed and folate intake was calculated using a computer-aided dietary analysis system. Folate concentration of plasma and erythrocytes was determined by a microbiological method. Plasma tHcy concentration was assayed using an HPLC analysis method. Urine excreted over the same period of time was collected and folate catabolites, para-aminobenzoylglutamate (pABG) and para-acetamidobenzoylglutamate (ApABG), were evaluated using a reverse-phase HPLC method after affinity chromatography. Young women of 20 and under were likely to consume less folate with low energy intake, had lower folate concentration in plasma and erythrocytes, and excreted a lesser amount of ApABG and total folate catabolites than women of 25 years and over. The results of this study confirmed that young Korean women with childbearing potential, especially those under 21 years of age, might be at risk for compromised folate status due to insufficient folate intakes from inadequate energy consumption.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.229-240
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• 2017

Background: This study purposed to analyze the spatial accessibility of women in childbearing age to the healthcare organizations (HCOs) providing delivery services in Gangwon-do. Methods: Network analysis was applied to assess the spatial accessibility based on the travel time and road travel distance. Travel time and travel distance were measured between the location of HCOs and the centroid of the smallest administrative areas, eup, myeon, and dong in Gangwon-do. Korean Transport Database Center provided road network GIS (Geographic Information System) Database in 2015 and it was used to build the network dataset. Two types of network analysis, service area analysis and origin-destination (OD)-cost matrix analysis, applied to the created network dataset. Service area analysis defined all-accessible areas that are within a specified time, and OD-cost matrix analysis measured the least-cost paths from the HCOs to the centroids. The visualization of the number of the HCOs and the number of women in childbearing age on the Ganwon-do map and network analysis were performed with ArcGIS ver. 10.0 (ESRI, Redlands, CA, USA). Results: Twenty HCOs were providing delivery services in Gangwon-do in 2016. Over 50% of the women in childbearing age were aged more than 35 years. Service area analysis found that 89.56% of Gangwon-do area took less than 60 minutes to reach any types of HCOs. For tertiary hospitals, about 74.37% of Gangwon-do area took more than 60 minutes. Except Wonju-si and Hoengseong-gun, other regions took more than 60 minutes to reach the tertiary hospital. Especially, Goseong-gun, Donghae-si, Samcheok-si, Sokcho-si, Yanggu-gun, Cheorwon-gun, and Taebaek-si took more than 100 minutes to the tertiary hospital. Conclusion: This study provided that the accessibility toward the tertiary hospital was limited and it may cause problems in high-risk delivery patients such as over 35 years. Health policy makers will need to handle the obstetric accessibility issues in Gangwon-do.