• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.18-40
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• 2008

Measurements of health related quality of life can be used to compare patients with specific conditions to average individuals in the general population in a similar age and gender group. However there are few data available regarding health related quality of life for the general population of Korea. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the validity of the Korean version of EQ-5D and to measure the health related quality of life of the general adult population in a metropolitan city. The survey was cross-sectional and employed a stratified and multistage sampling design through 100 examination sites in 5 districts of UIsan. A total of 12,644 individuals from 4,112 households participated in the survey. Of these, we analyzed data from 8,068 adults who were over 19 years old and completed the EQ-5D. To examine the validity of the questionnaire, the differences in 5 dimensions and the $EQ-5D_{index}$ were analyzed with regard to demographic and socioeconomic factors such as sex, age, income, and education. In addition, visual analogue scales (VAS) were used to evaluate the overall health related quality of life issues of the respondents. The level of health related quality of life of the general adult population was then compared with the results from the third Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and other countries. There were a small number of people with problems related tomobility, self-care, and usual activity. In addition, many people complained ofpain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. The complaint rate in each dimension, VAS, and $EQ-5D_{index}$ indicated relatively better states for males, the younger group, the higher income group, and the higher education group. In addition, the level of health related quality of life of the general population of Ulsan was relatively higher than that of Koreans nationwide as well as the populations of other countries. EQ-SD provided a valid measure of the health-related quality of life of the general adult population. In addition, the results of a survey of Ulsan revealed that the quality of life of its population is better than that of the overall population of Korea and of the populations of other countries.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.3-14
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• 2018

Background: Both objective body shape and perceived body image have been known to influence the mental health. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of a combination between actual body mass index (BMI) status and perceived body image with anxiety depressive condition (ADC) in Korean men and women. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data of 26,239 subjects ${\geq}20$ years old from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2014). This study performed a Rao-Scott chi-square and multivariate logistic regression analyses reflecting survey characteristics and used a variety of independent variables such as socio-demographics and health behavior factors. Results: With all independent variables considered, people with normal weight who perceived themselves as overweight were more likely associated with ADC than a referent group with normal weight who perceived themselves as normal weight, as shown for both men (odds ratio [OR], 1.52; confidence interval [CI], 1.07-2.15) and women (OR, 1.25; CI, 1.06-1.48). Meanwhile, compared to the referent group, men with underweight who perceived themselves as underweight showed a lower association with ADC (OR, 0.63; CI, 0.41-0.97), whereas women with underweight who perceived themselves as underweight showed its higher association (OR, 1.47; CI, 1.10-1.96). Conclusion: A certain group of people categorized as a combination between actual BMI status and perceived body image showed a relatively high likelihood of having ADC, and the gender difference in the likelihood of having the condition for a group was clear. Therefore, this study suggests the need to identify the group at a high risk of ADC on the basis of actual BMI status and perceived body image and to develop an appropriate mental health management program for the group.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.536-546
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• 2014

Objectives: The major objective of this paper is compare the exposure work hours and experieence of ill health symptoms among under and over employment and matched group. Workers with over employment have more exposed to hazards than that with under employment because that workers with over employment work more than those with ender employment. Methods: This study as heuristics one used the third Korean Working Conditions Survey done by Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute in 2011. The sample size is 50,023 economic active persons. Over and under employment were measured by matching method of preferred and actual work hours. The exposed work hours to hazards were measured according to 13 hazardous factors and the experience of ill health symptoms were scaled by the number of experienced 14 ill health symptoms. To compare the exposure and the symptoms experience were compared by mean difference test with F test. Results: The proportion of over employment in male employees is 32.1% and that in female employees is 29.3% and under employment rate is 11.2% in mae and 13.9% in female employees. There is significant difference of the rate of over and under emplyment among age groups, industrial sectors, occupational groups and the state of employment. The difference of the exposed work hours to hazards among under, over and matched group were statistically significant in all hazards by gender. The exposed work hours to hazards in over employment were more than those in under employment. The number of experienced symptoms in over employment is statistically significantly more than that in under employment. Conclusions: Workers with over employment may be vulnerable group in the criteria of hazard exposure and health status. The results have some implications and limitations because that this study is heuristic one. The mismatch of preferred and actual working hours may be unfavorable work condition that has impact on safety and health of workers. The impact mechanism may be investigated as future study, Because that this study used cross sectional survey data, some causal relationships cannot be evaluated.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.94-100
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• 2017

In the case of the side scan sonar operated by the towing method, the underwater structure electric jig was developed because there is a difficulty in the cross-sectional survey that the user wants when conducting the survey. However, in the case of the sound wave photographing method using the electric jig, since the boat and the sonar behaves as one body, data distortion has occurred due to various problems according to working environment, such as, the rolling phenomenon of the boat due to the wave and the fluctuation of the sonic image due to the inoperability of the boat driver. Therefore, in order to solve the image blurring caused by the operation of the equipment for underwater survey of the existing side scan sonar, in this research, the program was supplemented to enable the shake correction by attaching the shake correction sensor and developing the shake correction algorithm. In order to verify the improvement of the sonar data resolution, the sonic images before and after the shake correction were collected through on-site investigation and the analysis of the sonic image data acquired by a diver measuring the actual damage length and depth. This study is expected to contribute to the development of sonar imaging technique of the underwater surface of the structure and bed surface of the sea or a river using the side scan sonar in the future.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.81-89
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the individually perceived quality of life in Korean patients with BMS using two questionnaires : the Medical Outcome Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36) and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49). This cross-sectional study included sixty subjects diagnosed with BMS and sixty healthy subjects as controls. All subjects in this study completed two questionnaires: the Medical Outcome Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36) and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49), which had been translated into Korean and subsequently validated for use in Korea. All of the subscales in the SF-36 exhibited significantly lower scores in BMS patients than control groups. Comparison of the mean SF-36 scores between the two groups revealed the greatest differences to be for the subscales of physical pain and role emotional (role limitations due to emotional problems). The mean score on each subscale of the OHIP-49 was significantly higher in BMS patients than control groups. Comparison of the mean OHIP-49 scores between the two groups revealed the greatest difference to be for the subscale of physical pain. These findings demonstrated that BMS had an impact on various components of a patient's quality of life. BMS patients exhibited more impaired results and a poorer quality of life than control groups.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4073-4081
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• 2012

This study was designed to estimate the prevalence of arthritis and to identify subgroups with high prevalence rates of arthritis. Study subjects were 18,406 Korean adults aged 19 and more from the 4th (2007-2009) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys data. Annual self-reported prevalence and its rate ratios by demographic and behavioral factors were calculated using SAS 9.2 with survey procedure. The result was as follows. The crude prevalence of arthritis was 11.7% (osteoarthritis 10.2% and rheumatoid arthritis 1.7%). The prevalence was increased by age strata (2.4% in 19-44 aged, 16.4% in 45-64, 38.3% in 65 and more). After adjusting for age, we found the subgroups with high prevalence: older people, women, residents in non-apartment area, separated and divorced people, people with low education, people with several occupations (agricultural and fishery workers, elementary occupations, and unemployed), people with low household incomes, people with medical aid, and people with higher BMI. Those subgroups may be target populations in community health programs to control the disability from arthritis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6697-6704
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• 2015

Background: The burden of breast and cervical cancer is changing over time in developing countries. Regular screening is very important for early detection and treatment. In this study, we assessed inequalities in breast and cervical cancer screening rates in women according to household wealth status, and analyzed the potential predictors associated with a low cancer screening rate in Jordan. Materials and Methods: A nationwide populationbased cross-sectional survey collected information on different variables at the national level. All ever-married women (the phrase is used throughout the text to refer to women who had ever married) aged 15-49 years were included in the survey. Analysis of breast self-examination (BSE) and clinical breast examination (CBE) at least once in the previous year was carried out in 11,068 women, while lifetime Pap-smear testing was carried out in 8,333 women, aged 20-49 years. Results: Over 39% and 19% of ever-married Jordanian women reported having undergone a breast examination during the previous year and Pap smear examination at least once in their lifetime, respectively. The rate of BSE in the previous year was 31.5%, that of CBE in the previous year was 19.3%, and that of Pap smear examination at least once in life was 25.5%. The adjusted OR was higher for performing BSE (aOR 1.22, 95% CI 1.04-1.43), undergoing CBE (aOR 1.31, 95% CI 1.08-1.60) and undergoing Pap smear examination (aOR 2.38, 95% CI 1.92-2.93) among women in the highest wealth-index quintile as compared to those in the lowest quintile. The concentration index was 0.11 for BSE, 0.01 for CBE, and 0.27 for Pap smear examination. Women in their twenties, living in rural or the southern region of Jordan, with an elementary school education or less, who listened to the radio or read the newspaper not more than a few times a year, and nulliparous women were less likely to undergo breast and cervical cancer screening. Conclusions: The rates of breast and cervical cancer screening are low in Jordan. Reducing the sociodemographic and economic inequalities in breast and cervical cancer screenings requires concerted outreach activities for women living under socially deprived conditions.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.53-70
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• 2006

This study aims to provide policy suggestions on how to implement the process of empowerment, by investigating the conditions that hinder the process and the attitude of the KBS employees. For the cross-sectional study, this thesis examined the domestic and international references, conducted a survey of KBS employees, personal interviews and made direct observations. Approximately 1,200 copies of the questionnaire were distributed and 474 were completed and returned. The analysis used SPSS 12.0 software to process the data collected from 460 respondents. The survey findings showed a decrease of 24.2%p in the number of responses expressing negative views of the team structure and a decrease of 1.29%p in the number of positive responses. The findings indicated a positive transformation illustrating employees' improved understanding and approval of the team structure. However, KBS must address the issue on an ongoing basis. It has been proven that the employee empowerment increases the productivity of the individual and the group. In order to boost the level of empowerment, the management must exercise new, innovative leadership and build trust between the managers and the employees first. Additional workload as a result of shirking at work places was prevalent throughout all divisions and ranks, according to the survey data. This outcome leads to the conclusion that the workload is not evenly distributed or shared. And the data also showed the employees do not trust the assessment and rewards system. More attention and consideration must be paid to the team size and job allocation in order to address this matter; the present assessment and rewards system need to be complemented. The type of leadership varies depending on the characteristics of the organization's structure and employees' disposition. KBS must develop and reform its own management, leadership style to suit the characteristics of individual teams. Finally, for a soft-landing of KBS team structure, in-house training and education are necessary.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.321-329
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• 2014

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) prevalence. Methods: The analysis was performed using data from the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a cross-sectional survey of the Korean civilian population conducted from 2010 to 2012. The analyses were restricted to males who were 40 years of age and above. Complex sample multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations of COPD prevalence with 25(OH)D and other factors. Results: $FEV_1/FEV_6$ varied significantly with smoking status, age, household income, education level, occupation, body mass index (BMI), and physical activity (p < 0.05). In univariate analysis, smoking status, BMI, household income, education level, and occupation showed association with COPD (p < 0.05), but vitamin D was not associated with COPD (p = 0.078). However, when adjusted with smoking status, household income, education level, occupation, BMI, age, and smoking index, the lowest quartile of 25(OH)D showed OR 1.643 (95% CI 1.161-2.236) compared to 3rd quartile (p = 0.024). Conclusion: A significant relationship was observed between serum concentration of 25(OH)D and COPD.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.130-138
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• 2018

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to explore patients' perceptions that deserve attention when designing core questions for a clinical practice guideline of Korean medicine(KM) for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). Methods : Patients who had been admitted to Pusan National Korean Medicine Hospital from November 1, 2015 to October 31, 2016 were invited to the survey. Patients were eligible if they were both clinically and radiologically confirmed as degenerative LSS. The structured questionnaire was distributed by mail and outpatient visits. Questions included types of experienced Korean/Western medical interventions for LSS, their perceived effectiveness on symptoms, the necessity for studies of KM for degenerative LSS, the types of KM interventions to be investigated and the types of outcome measures after treatments. Data were descriptively analysed. Results : Twenty of thirty-one invited participants responded to the questionnaire. Acupuncture and herbal medicine were the most frequently used KM interventions. Eighteen respondents reported that KM treatments were helpful for their improvement. Sixteen patients who mentioned that research on KM is needed chose acupuncture as the top priority(88%) among KM interventions. The most important outcomes in the view of nineteen respondents included functional recovery (68%) and pain relief (53%). Thirteen respondents (65%) replied that both short-term and long-term outcome were important for them. Conclusions : Our findings may have limited validity due to the small number of respondents and the potential selection and information bias. Further qualitative studies and large-scale surveys to comprehensively identify patients' views are warranted.