• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.17
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• pp.7343-7350
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• 2014

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Thailand as well as other countries. Evidences from studies in Asia show that alcohol consumption has been linked to an increased risk for various types of cancer. In the qualitative participatory action research presented here, the possibilities of a volunteer women's movement to reduce harmful alcohol consumption by facilitating the creation of emancipatory knowledge in the Thai-Isaan community was explored. During in-depth interviews with 10 female volunteer participants, the following themes emerged: merit making, developing a sense of personal empowerment, and the experience of participating in an action plan that utilized various strategies. The project activities empowered participants to create and share knowledge which was then applied toward action for change. Adoption of this type of program by local health care providers to reduce health problems and risks related to alcohol misuse in similar contexts and cultures is recommended.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.155-165
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• 2012

Reflecting the current international trends toward proactive risk assessment and control at work with practical procedures, participatory action-oriented approaches are gaining importance in various sectors. The roles of these approaches in promoting the safety and health at work are discussed based on their recent experiences in preventing work-related risks and improving the quality of work life, particularly in small-scale workplaces. The emphasis placed on the primary prevention at the initiative of workers and managers is commonly notable. Participatory steps, built on local good practices, can lead to many workplace improvements when the focus is on locally feasible low-cost options in multiple aspects. The design and use of locally adjusted action toolkits play a key role in facilitating these improvements in each local situation. The effectiveness of participatory approaches relying on these toolkits is demonstrated by their spread to many sectors and by various intervention studies. In the local context, networks of trainers are essential in sustaining the improvement activities. With the adequate support of networks of trainers trained in the use of these toolkits, participatory approaches will continue to be the key factor for proactive risk management in various work settings.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.459-466
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• 2018

This study investigated a systematic literature review on local and international literatures focusing on Participatory Action Research(PAR), Community Based Participatory Research(CBPR) in workplace and community. Eighty percent of the 10 studies reviewed included research involving health professionals, community networks, workers, and university researchers. Health promotion programs varied from health and safety awareness, smoking cessation, diabetes management, physical activity, self-efficacy enhancement, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders and mental health. PAR, CBPR are required to participate actively in research through community collaboration to promote health. We can solve problems at the community level. And identified sustainable effects when developing and implementing a health promotion program. PAR and CBPR are expected to continuously pursue change by adjusting the scope of individuals, organizations, communities, and institutional dimensions. They are also expected to be implemented for workers in the various workplace.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.51-63
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• 2009

In the field of ergonomics, it is evident that participatory action research methodology could contribute to reduce risk factors of work related musculoskeletal disorders(WMSDs). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a participatory ergonomics in reducing the incidence rate and severity of WMSDs in the tire manufacturing company. In this study, an action committee comprising 13 members was organized in the tire manufacturing company. The action group participated at every research process, education and training, assessment and intervention of risk factors, and early detection and management of WMSDs during the 3 years(2004-2006). The prevention programs contributed to an overall reduction in incidence rate by approximately 37.2%, and lost workdays and workers' compensation costs by approximately 55.1%. But, the incidence rate increased 29.0%, and compensation costs increased 59.0% in the first-year setting programs, and both the incidence rate and compensation costs decreased after the second-year managing programs. And, the reduction rates(63.2%) of insurance cases is higher than that(9.7%) of non-insurance cases. The results showed that participatory ergonomics programs may be effective in reducing the incidence and severity rate of WMSDs.

• Korean Journal of Family Social Work
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• no.62
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• pp.103-139
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to explore the social workers' reflections developed during the participatory action research seeking practice methods in the community welfare center single parent self-help groups. Nine social workers and researchers sharing difficulties in the community welfare center single parent self-help group practice were involved in the participatory action research. We performed a circulatory research repeating 'plan-action-reflection-replan' cycles through ten sessions of research meetings including peer supervision in parallel with 4 self-help group practices. Multiple practice methods were derived as the result among which change in the social workers' perception was the key. We focused on the result that the social workers' perception was changed by reflections from participatory action research and the contents of the reflections were qualitatively analyzed using materials acquired during the study. As a result the following 5 themes were derived; 'recognition and worry on the lack of appropriate practice for the self-help group', 'specification of the social workers' role based on the changed perspective on the member-social worker relation', 'confirmation of the possibility of the concerned person initiated practice', 'detailed understanding of the single parent self-help group in the community welfare center', and 'renewed recognition of the development of the single parent self-help group in the community welfare center'. Based on these results, empowerment and reflection/reflective practice for single parent self-help group in the community welfare center were discussed.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.77-87
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• 2015

Objectives: This study aims to explain the process of photovoice, to review relevant research cases, and to discuss the issues in photovoice applications for community health promotion. Methods: Literature review is performed on photovoice manuals, systematic review literature on international photovoice research, and Korean photovoice studies. The review was based on 8 research papers and 6 practice manuals. Results: Photovoice so far has specified its orientation to participatory research. Its implementation includes photovoice training, photo taking and sharing, interviews and discussions, photo exhibit, and social action planning for policy change. SHOWeD questions and the like guide photovoice discussions while they face some challenges in application. Social action planning for policy change part of the photovoice needs attention in implementation and evaluation. Conclusions: Adherence to the participatory principles and action research orientation in photovoice requires persistent efforts. Process and impact evaluation with development of photovoice research infrastructure will enhance photovoice application.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.125-133
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• 2012

Objectives: We used participatory mapping as a tool for empowerment training for promoting health and safety of farmers. We would like to introduce the application of participatory mapping method and report our experiences in a rural community in Korea. Methods: A one-day workshop was offered in six rural villages which were designated as 'safe farm zones'. Each workshop started with an orientation session, followed by a village rounding, presentations of best cases, a group exercise to draw and present a healthy village map. Participants were requested to express their ideas and experiences about healthy and safe residential and working environments on their map. Results: A total of 206 farmers(100 male, 106 female) participated in the workshops. In each workshop, an average of 34.3 farmers participated, and their mean age was 59 years. In the six workshops, the participants proposed a total of 137 action plans. The action plans included improvement of co-working condition, building facilities for recreation, improving traffic safety measures, and improving residential environment. Conclusions: Participatory mapping was successfully developed and applied as a tool for empowering Korean farmers. The participants were able to express their ideas and thoughts about healthy and safe village and action plans on the map. Moreover, some of the actions in the action plans were carried out immediately after workshop.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.141-158
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• 2009

Community-Based Participatory Research(CBPR) has gained attention as a public health approach to develop community health interventions to address health disparities in recognition of the community relevance of specific health issues associated with social determinants of health. It emphasizes community involvement in equal partnership with researchers and public health professionals to address community-identified needs. The characteristics and principles of CBPR discussed in this paper highlight participatory nature, capacity development, partnership building, and process-orientation of CBPR. A 6-step process model for community empowerment is then introduced as a CBPR operationalization strategy. Mixed methods research approaches are valuable in CBPR as well as process evaluation. For the application of CBPR in Korean contexts, the Diffusion of Innovation theory is suggested as a theoretical framework for implementation. Building public health partnerships between public and private sectors to create partnership synergy is a necessary condition for successful CBPR for health promotion in Korea. Accompanying critical factors for the CBPR application include: common understanding of CBPR and its values, establishment of the definition of 'community,' 'community-based' and 'participation' in community health, development of accommodating research infrastructure for CBPR, recognition of the importance of program evaluation (particularly process evaluation), and training CBPR specialists.

• Journal of Digital Policy
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.79-87
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• 2022

This study is a participatory action research conducted to develop a program to prevent musculoskeletal disorders among kitchen workers in a general hospital. This study was conducted from March to December 2018 with 15 kitchen workers, 3 nutritionists, 2 nurses, and 1 physical therapist working at C general hospital located in G city. Based on the conceptual model of participatory practice research, quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed comprehensively. As a result of developing a program for preventing musculoskeletal disorders and applying it 13 times, the satisfaction level was high in the composition, operation time, and expertise of the program, and it was found that they wanted to operate the program continuously in the future. Therefore, based on the results of this study, it is necessary to develop and apply a musculoskeletal disease prevention program that considers the characteristics of the work department and work targeting other workers through participatory action research.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.143-145
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• 2015

Three occupational safety and health (OSH) activities, one international and two national workshops, were documented as part of OSH activities conducted under the International Labor Organization/Korea Partnership Program in the year 2011-2012. This study aimed to provide information on what the three OSH activities were implemented and how they contributed to the improvement of OSH in Asian countries. The international workshop was useful for the participants to understand a variety of information on OSH as well as participatory action-oriented training (PAOT) approaches at the regional and global levels. The two national workshops were practical for participants to strengthen their knowledge and skills on the PAOT at the enterprise and national levels. The study shows that the three OSH activities contributed to the understanding of the participants on OSH and PAOT, and that the activities promoted the improvement of OSH across countries in Asia.