• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 2019

Background: Police officers' stress perception, frequency of stressful events (stressors), and police work characteristics may contribute to poor sleep quality through different mechanisms. Methods: We investigated associations of stress severity (measured by stress rating score) and frequency of stressors with sleep quality and examined the influence of police work characteristics including workload, police rank, prior military experience, and shift work on the associations. Participants were 356 police officers (256 men and 100 women) enrolled in the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress Study from 2004 to 2009. A mean stress rating score and mean frequency of stressors occurring in the past month were computed for each participant from the Spielberger Police Stress Survey data. Sleep quality was assessed using the global score derived from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index survey. Linear associations of the stress rating score and frequency of stressors with sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index global score) were tested. Age, sex, race/ethnicity, and smoking status were selected as potential confounders. Results: The stress rating score was positively and independently associated with poor sleep quality (${\beta}=0.17$, p = 0.002). Only workload significantly modified this association (${\beta}=0.23$, p = 0.001 for high workload group; p-interaction = 0.109). The frequency of stressors was positively and independently associated with poor sleep quality (${\beta}=0.13$, p = 0.025). Only police rank significantly modified the association (${\beta}=0.007$, p = 0.004 for detectives/other executives; p-interaction = 0.076). Conclusion: Both police officers' perception of stress severity and the frequency of stressors are associated with poor sleep quality. Stress coping or sleep promotion regimens may be more beneficial among police officers reporting high workloads.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.29
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• pp.11.1-11.7
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• 2014

Objectives South Korea's air quality standards are insufficient in terms of establishing a procedure for their management. The current system lacks a proper decision-making process and prior evidence is not considered. The purpose of this study is to propose a measure for establishing atmospheric environmental standards in South Korea that will take into consideration the health of its residents. Methods In this paper, the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) of the US was examined in order to suggest ways, which consider health effects, to establish air quality standards in South Korea. Up-to-date research on the health effects of air pollution was then reviewed, and tools were proposed to utilize the key results. This was done in an effort to ensure the reliability of the standards with regard to public health. Results This study showed that scientific research on the health effects of air pollution and the methodology used in the research have contributed significantly to establishing air quality standards. However, as the standards are legally binding, the procedure should take into account the effects on other sectors. Realistically speaking, it is impossible to establish standards that protect an entire population from air pollution. Instead, it is necessary to find a balance between what should be done and what can be done. Conclusions Therefore, establishing air quality standards should be done as part of an evidence-based policy that identifies the health effects of air pollution and takes into consideration political, economic, and social contexts.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.55-61
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was to investigate the effects of health education on health knowledge and health promoting behaviors in elementary school students. Methods: 17 sessions of health education were provided to the fifth graders in two elementary schools in Gyunggi Province and data were collected from 268 students. The data of 250 students who had responded both pretest and posttest were analyzed using SPSS program. Results: The scores of health knowledge for mental health, social health, sex and health were lower than other domain. The scores of knowledge for drug abuse/smoking and disease prevention/management were higher than other domain. Overall health knowledge was improved significantly from 0.60 at pretest to 0.81 at posttest (t=15.98, p<.001). The score of health promoting behaviors at post test was higher than score at pre test but this change was not significant (t=-0.91, p<.365). Conclusion: Health education had significant effects on health knowledge and we need to maintain and activate health education in elementary schools. Health education did not have significant effects on health promoting behaviors, we need to do further research for understanding why and how we improve health promoting behaviors.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.932-947
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to suggest directions for developing a Health Promotion Program for the elderly in Korea for the future. For this, twenty previously developed & implemented health promotion programs were reviewed and analyzed in terms of target population of the program, components of the program, measurement variables for effects of program, the effects of the program. The results were as follows. 1. Most of the target populations were older adults living independently in the community. 2. Components of the program were health education, health assessment and counseling and exercise program. - Health education was done in most of programs. The topics of health education that were often included in the programs were life style changes, medical knowledge, independent living, the concept of health promotion and changes related to aging. - In health assessment and counseling, health professionals discovered their health problems through health assessment or health risk appraisal. Then they developed health recommendations on each health problem and encouraged the elderly to implement the recommendations. 3. Variables measuring the direct effects of the program were health behavior, knowledge, attitude, skill, use of medical/health reference book. Variables measuring the indirect effects, biometric outcome, health status, functional status, medical service utilization, medical cost and wellbeing. 4. The analysis showed that health education was effective for changing health behaviors, improving knowledge, skill and attitude in the elderly. Those results were suggested to be used as guidelines for developing a health promotion program for the elderly in Korea for the future.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8645-8652
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• 2016

Background: Consumption of tobacco in the form of a water pipe has recently increased, especially among young people. This study aimed to develop a scale which would be used in order to detect perceptions about the effects of water pipe smoking on health and to test its validity and reliability. Our scale named "a scale of perception about the effects of water pipe smoking on health" was developed in order to detect factors effecting the perception of adolescents about the effects of water pipe smoking on health. Materials and Methods: The sample consisted of 150 voluntary students in scale development and 750 voluntary students in the study group. Data were collected via a questionnaire prepared by researchers themselves and 5-pont Likert scale for "a scale of perception about the effects of water pipe smoking on health" which was prepared through the literature. Data evaluation was carried out on a computer with SPSS. Results: The findings of the study showed that "a scale of perception about the effects of water pipe smoking on health" was valid and reliable. Total score average of the adolescents participated in the study was $58.5{\pm}1.25$. The mean score of the ones who did not smoke water pipe ($60.1{\pm}11.7$) was higher than the mean score of the ones who smoked water pipe ($51.6{\pm}13.8$), the difference being statistically significant. Conclusions: It is established that "a scale of perception about the effects of water pipe smoking on health" was a reliable and valid measurement tool. It is also found out that individuals who smoked a water pipe had a lower level of perception of water pipe smoking effects on health than their counterparts who did not smoke a water pipe.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.323-331
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• 2019

Background: The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of impartiality in providing public health services on subjective health happiness and the mediated effects of public health service quality. Based on this, this study intends to present policy implications to improve public health services. Methods: The research method is multiple linear regression analysis. The analysis of the mediating effects is performed by Baron & Kenny's test, Sobel-Goodman's test, and Bootstrap. Results: The impartiality of public health services and the quality of public health services are shown to have a statistically significant effect on subjective health happiness. Quality of public health service appears to be mediating the relationship between impartiality in providing public health care and subjective health happiness. Conclusion: To promote people's subjective health happiness, it is necessary to secure impartiality in providing public health services in the first place and improve the quality of public health services.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.15-26
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• 2013

Objectives: To present the bases for health education on electronic cigarettes, we analyze the present state of electronic cigarettes. Methods: We applied descriptive study, reviewing the literature from domestic and foreign electronic databases such as National Discovery for Science Leaders and PubMed. Results: Electronic cigarette has been the subject of much controversy but very little study. I reviewed and summed up the definitions, device safety, health risk, smoking cessation effects, addiction, second hand smoke, and regulations of electronic cigarettes. Conclusion: Finally,I presented the evidence-based contents and desirable direction for health education about electronic cigarettes. The results suggested that the health educators focus on the potential addiction to electronic cigarettes, instead of the cessation effects.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.273-284
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• 2019

Objective: This study was performed to estimate the number of those who used humidifier disinfectants (HDs) and experienced health effects from exposure to HDs in Korea between 1994 and 2011. Methods: A nationwide interview survey was conducted for the representative sample to identify the proportion of those who used HDs among the general population (n=3,001). Another online survey was conducted for those exposed to HDs to find the proportion of those who experienced health effects among those who were exposed to HDs (n=3,993). Statistics for population size by region and year (1994-2011) were used to estimate the cumulative number of those exposed to HDs and those who experienced health effects. In terms of the proportion of those exposed to HDs, those less than 30 years of age were excluded due to an issue related to information bias. Various approaches for estimation included the capture-recapture method for estimation of those who experienced health effects. Results: The cumulative proportion of those exposed to HDs was 6.7% among the general population, and the proportion of those who experienced health effects among those who were exposed to HDs was 13.9%. Based on these factors, it was estimated that 3.5 to 4.0 million people were exposed to HDs and 350 to 400 thousand experienced health effects at least requiring visiting a hospital. Conclusion: It is suggested that a nationwide representative sample may be essential for population size estimation of those exposed to environmental risk factors and of those who experienced health effects.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.294-302
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• 1999

The influence of source term release parameters on offsite health effects was examined for the YGN 3&4 nuclear power plants. The release parameters considered in this study are release height, heat content, and release time. The effects of core inventory change as a function of fuel burnup was also examined. The health effects by the change of release parameters are early fatalities, cancer fatalities, and early fatality distance. The results showed that early fatalities and early fatality distance decrease as release height increases, although it does not have significant influence on cancer fatalities. The values of both early and late health effects decrease as heat content increases. As release time increases, health consequence shows maximum value in 2 hours of release time and then decreases rapidly. As fuel burnup increases, early fatalities decrease rapidly, while cancer fatalities increase rapidly. Both cases show little variation afterward. Early fatality distance is almost same in all fuel turnup history. The information obtained through this research is very useful in developing strategies for reducing offsite consequences when combined with the influence of weather conditions on offsite risks.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.50-67
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• 2007

This study investigated income elasticity of household health expenditures and differences by income level from 1998 through 2003. Data from Korean Labor and Income Panel Study was used for empirical analyses. To estimate the income effects on health expenditure, the two-part model was employed: a logistic regression for any health expenditure-first part-and a Ordinary Least Square regression for health expenditure conditional on any spending-second part. To estimate income elasticity, both health expenditure and income were log transformed in the second part. In addition, the random effects(RE) model was used for a longitudinal panel which was continuously followed from 1998 through 2003 to estimate income effects on health expenditures controlling for within and between unobservable household characteristics. Furthermore, difference in income effects on health expenditure across income level was investigated. Although income slightly increased odds of any health expenditure, there was not no table differences across income level. Income significantly increased health expenditures during study period(overall income elasticity: about 0.2) and the highest 20% income group presented higher income elasticity than the lowest 20% income group.