• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.129-135
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• 2014

Tobacco use is the most important preventable risk factor for premature death. The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first international public health treaty, came into force in 2005. This paper reviews the present status of tobacco control policies in Korea according to the WHO FCTC recommendations. In Korea, cigarette use is high among adult males (48.2% in 2010), and cigarette prices are the lowest among the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries with no tax increases since 2004. Smoke-free policies have shown incremental progress since 1995, but smoking is still permitted in many indoor public places. More than 30% of non-smoking adults and adolescents are exposed to second-hand smoke. Public education on the harmful effects of tobacco is currently insufficient and the current policies have not been adequately evaluated. There is no comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, or sponsorship in Korea. Cigarette packages have text health warnings on only 30% of the main packaging area, and misleading terms such as "mild" and "light" are permitted. There are nationwide smoking cessation clinics and a Quitline service, but cessation services are not covered by public insurance schemes and there are no national treatment guidelines. The sale of tobacco to minors is prohibited by law, but is poorly enforced. The socioeconomic inequality of smoking prevalence has widened, although the government considers inequality reduction to be a national goal. The tobacco control policies in Korea have faltered recently and priority should be given to the development of comprehensive tobacco control policies.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.346-354
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in the association between caregiver's activities and caregiving burden according to gender and family relationship of caregivers of older people with dementia. This study used data from the Caregivers of Alzheimer's Disease Research survey (n=476). The association between caregiving activities and care burden was analyzed by multiple regression. In this study, the caregivers were predominantly spouses, followed by daughters. The care burden, especially personal burden, and depression were significantly higher in women than men. The spouses (either male or female), compared with the sons and daughters, spent significantly more time providing care. Care time and depression of caregivers and physical disability of the patient were significantly correlated with care burden. Among the caregiving activities, using transportation, dressing, eating, looking after appearance, and supervising were significantly associated with care burden. The daughters and daughters-in-law presented more care burden with higher number of care days, and the female spouse who were younger tended to experience higher care burden. Daughters who provided longer time looking after appearance exhibited higher care burden. For female spouse, eating time was significantly associated with care burden. The association between caregiving activities and care burden of caregivers of people with dementia differed by gender and family relationship with the patient. This study was characterized by analyzing the effect of caregiving activities on caregiving burden by gender and family relationship of caregivers.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.65-76
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• 2013

Objectives : Aim of this study is to contribute to establishment of the Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) policies in the future. Final assessment for 12 of the forecasting projects was carried out on the TKM policies that deduced by professionals in 1996 whether or not to realize in 2013. Methods : We investigated governmental and private research projects, reports and papers, and laws and systems on the forecasting projects. We reviewed them through the Traditional Korean Medicine Information Portal OASIS (http://oasis.kiom.re.kr), Korean studies Information Service System (KISS) (http://kiss.kstudy.com/) and DBpia (http://www.dbpia.co.kr/), Akomnews(http://www.akomnews.com/), THE MINJOK MEDICINE NEWS(http://www.mjmedi.com/), Ministry of Government Legislation(http://www.law.go.kr/). Results : Of the 12 forecasting projects, five were judged as 'realization', four were as 'partial realization' and three were as 'un-realization', The realization rate was 75.0%. Three un-realized projects included the TKM insurance coverage for various herbal medicines, leadership secure on medical technicians and commercialization of the TKM managing system on senior medicare policy. Realization of the future forecasting TKM policy projects was decided depending on conditions such as the importance, domestic capability levels, principal agents, methods and restrains. Conclusions : Continuous studies and new developed forecasting projects for the TKM policies will be required to realize the projects in the future.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.99-108
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• 2016

Hospice palliative care (HPC) in Korea has developed steadily since its introduction in 1965. Currently, HPC in Korea is targeted only towards terminal cancer patients and their families, and the national health insurance scheme covers only inpatient hospice care for said patients. In recent years, healthcare professionals and policy makers began to recognize the need for HPC services in diverse settings including outside hospital boundaries, and for all terminally-ill patients. A law on HPC passed in January 2016 allows terminally-ill patients to refuse life-sustaining treatments, and will likely facilitate further development of HPC services. It is critical for the government and all interested parties in the medical, academic and social sectors to collaborate to ensure its success once it takes effect in 2017. This article will briefly review the half-century history of HPC in Korea, and discuss how to prepare for and cope with death and, thereby, improve the quality of death.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.345-349
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• 2003

The quantity, process and kinetics of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) migration in the 30/70 and 40/60 poly(vinylchloride) (PVC)/DEHP blends were investigated using gas chromatograph. A thin and flexible PVC sheet was soaked in surrounding medium (SM) of water/ethanol mixture and acetonitrile with constant stirring to release DEHP. By observed concentration of DEHP in the SM, it is found that acetonitrile is more intense in DEHP migration than water/ethanol mixture. In addition the amount of extracted DEHP is proportional to the leaching temperature and added ratio of DEHP. The behavior of DEHP migration from flexible PVC sheets was described by the Ficks's law with $2.72-10.1\;{times}\;10^{-10}$ cm²/s of the diffusion coefficients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2012

The need for evidence-based decision making in immunization programs has increased due to the presence of multiple health priorities, limited human resources, expensive vaccines, and limited funds. Countries should establish a group of national experts to advise their Ministries of Health. So far, many nations have formed their own National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs). In the Republic of Korea, the Korea Expert Committee on Immunization Practices (KECIP), established by law in the early 1990s, has made many important technical recommendations to contribute to the decline in vaccine preventable diseases and currently functions as a NITAG. It includes 13 core members and 2 non-core members, including a chairperson. Core members usually come from affiliated organizations in internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, microbiology, preventive medicine, nursing and a representative from a consumer group, all of whom serve two year terms. Non-core members comprise two government officials belonging to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and the Korea Food and Drug Administration. Meetings are held as needed, but at least twice a year, and sub-committees are formed as a resource for gathering, analyzing, and preparing information for the KECIP meetings. Once the sub-committees or the KCDC review the available data, the KECIP members discuss each issue in depth and develop recommendations, usually by a consensus in the meeting. The KECIP publishes national guidelines and immunization schedules that are updated regularly. KECIP's role is essentially consultative and the implementation of their recommendations may depend on the budget or current laws.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.222-228
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• 2017

Background: On June 18, 2017, Korea's first commercial nuclear reactor, the Kori Nuclear Power Plant No. 1, was permanently suspended, and the capacity of nuclear power generation facilities will be adjusted according to the governments denuclearization policy. In these circumstances, it is necessary to assess the quality of radiation safety management in nuclear power plants in Korea by evaluating the radiation dose associated with them. Materials and Methods: The average annual radiation dose per unit, the annual radiation dose per person, and the annual dose distribution were analyzed using the radiation dose database of nuclear reactors for the last 5 years. The results of our analysis were compared to the specifications of the Nuclear Safety Act and Medical Law in Korea. Results and Discussion: The annual average per unit radiation dose of global major nuclear power generation was 720 man-mSv, while that of Korea's nuclear power plants was 374 manmSv. No workers exceeded 50 mSv per year or 100 mSv in 5 years. The individual radiation dose according to occupational exposure was 0.59 mSv for nuclear workers, 1.77 mSv for non-destructive workers, and 0.8 mSv for diagnostic radiologists. Conclusion: The radiation safety management of nuclear power plants in Korea has achieved the best outcomes worldwide, which is considered to be the result of the as-low-as-reasonably-achievable (ALARA) approach and strict radiation safety management. Moreover, the occupational exposures were also very low.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.137-149
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• 2010

In recent decades, as the utilization of complementary and alternative medicine in the United State have been growing rapidly, regulatory controls surrounding complementary and alternative medicine(CAM) aims to ensure patient protection against unproven practices and to provide safe and effective treatments. Regulation and policy method on licensing CAM practitioners varies across the states. Over 85% of the states have the licensing system for acupuncturists, chiropractors, and naturopaths. For acupuncture, although the requirements for formal education are various across the states, a unified written examination has been adopted by almost entire states which have acupuncturist licensing law. Medicare, the public medical insurance, does not cover CAM practices except chiropractic and biofeedback. In some states, however, Medicaid programs cover some CAM therapies including acupuncture, naturopathy, and massage therapy. 67% of Health Maintenance Organizations, the private health plans, provide at least one modality of CAM services. In conclusion, government policies have been strengthened to ensure patient protection, and will continue to integrate CAM practices that are proven to be safe and effective into mainstream health care system.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.100-104
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• 2011

Genetic testing has been generalized for the diagnosis of diseases and is an important method of research with advances in the life sciences. In particular, we should give better attention to the genetic test for a fetus. Because the fetus has no autonomy, ethical and social issues can arise. Therefore, appropriate genetic counseling is needed for parents to be informed with the characteristics, natural progress, and possible treatment of a genetic disease, prior to the prenatal genetic test. Physicians should also inform parents how a particular genetic risk factor relates with the likelihood of a disease, in order to assist the parents in making the best decision. Furthermore, the current law for prenatal genetic testing should be approached rationally.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.29-37
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to introduce the historical material documents 'Kumgo'("檢考"), 'Haeyeongkumandenglok'("海營檢案謄錄"), 'Wanyeong-kumjedenglok'("完營檢題謄錄冊") which were possessed by C.V. Starr East Asian Library, University Of California Berkeley. These documents are a kinds of the coroner's inquest reports that were made out by the provincial magistrate of the Chos$\u{o}$n dynasty in the nineteenth century. The important contents of these documents consist of the murder cases include the trial records of the persons who connected with the case and the reports of the corpse, etc. Especially, 'Kumgo'("檢考") is the investigator's guide book, the outline of this book is how to investigate the murder's case and how to make out the reports. The 'Haeyeong-kumandenglok'("海營檢案謄錄") is an old book of the transcribe from the many kinds of the murder case's reports which were occurred in Whanghae province("黃海道"), 1882-1884. The book of the 'Wanyeong-kumjedenglok ("完營檢題謄錄冊") is transcribe from the text of the murder's case decisions by the provincial magistrate, in Jeonra province("全羅道"), 1837-1839. The result of this study is as follows ; These documents have the valuable material factors especially in the fields of korean old law, social, woman history. and it seems that these documents will be used in the variety fields of the human scientific researches.