• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.29-46
• /
• 2006

Purpose: Since 1994, Asian Health Services, the Korean American Community Advisory Board, and the Center for Family and Community Health (University of California at Berkeley) have conducted periodic, population-based surveys on Korean American community health in Alameda County, California. The present study examines changes in health care access and utilization between 1994 and 2002 among Korean American adults in Alameda County, California. Method: We reanalyzed data from the 1994 and 2002 Korean Health Surveys. The primary variables of interest, health care access and utilization, were operationalized in terms of health insurance coverage, routine check-ups, a usual source of health care and reported barriers to health care. The frequency distribution of each indicator was calculated and its standard error was estimated using SUDAAN. The differences between 1994 and 2002 were examined with chi-square test. Results: Compared to 1994, Korean Americans in Alameda County were more likely to have health insurance coverage in 2002 (74.0% vs. 82.7%). Korean Americans in Alameda County were more likely to have received a recent (prior two years) routine health checkup in 2002 (50.4% vs. 57.2%). Health checkups increased over time for males, for adults with more than 12 years of education, and for employed adults. Also, compared to 1994, employed adults were more likely to have a usual source of health care in 2002 (66.5% vs. 78.4%). In both 1994 and 2002, high cost (58.0% vs. 47.8%) was the most commonly cited barrier to health care, and the next most frequently cited barriers were language (29.2% vs. 27.7%) and no time (29.2% vs. 30.3%). Conclusion: To improve health care utilization and health conditions, it is important to investigate factors related to health care and to monitor changing trends. Ongoing surveillance of health-related factors can contribute to the development of health education programs to reduce morbidity and mortality due to chronic disease, and thereby lead to improvements in health status among Korean Americans.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2007

Objectives: This study was performed to provide the fundamental data available in the field of the elderly health of the low-income bracket by researching and comparing related factors for the assessment of the degree of depression and cognitive function between elderly welfare recipients and non-elderly welfare recipients. Methods: The study subjects, 402 elderly person over 65-year-old in Daejeon were interviewed, during the two-month from May to June 2006, about their general characteristics, depression and cognitive function. Results: elderly welfare recipients was higher than non-elderly welfare recipients in degree of depression on the other hand, in cognitive function is lower. Also, the depression and cognitive function were related with not only socio-demographic characteristics like the age, the degree of education, the presence of spouse or not and the health status but also health behavior characteristics like the sleeping time, the drinking and the exercise. Conclusions: The project of health promotion and programs that can improve the related factors to the depression and cognitive function for elderly welfare recipients should be developed and practiced.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.67-75
• /
• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the current management status and the policy issues of visiting nursing programs at public health center in urban area. Method: A questionnaire surveys was conducted on all public health nurses in 25 health centers in Seoul. Result: The major results were as follows: The characteristics of the visiting nurse showed that the average age was 41.1 years, and total nursing experience was 122 months. Their visiting nursing experience was only 30 months. The recipients of visiting nursing services consisted of 60.1% females, and 32.5% of the recipients were over 65 years. The major health problems of the recipients were hypertension, diabetes mellitus, arthritis and psychiatric problems. The visiting frequency was an average of 5.4 times per day, and 357 families were managed per visiting nurse. The major problems of visiting nursing programs were the shortages of visiting nurse manpower. The most important related policy issue was being in charge of a workload, which was not related to the visiting nursing services. Conclusion: By analyzing work for visiting nurses and identifying weak points, this research can present recommendations to be practically used as baseline data for establishing policy in relation to vitalizing visiting nursing programs.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.183-191
• /
• 2013

Objectives: In Korea, the proportion of deaths due to alcohol is estimated at 8.9%, far exceeding the global estimate of 3.8%. Therefore, this study was performed to examine the factors associated with low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk drinking patterns in Korean adults and to identify target populations for prevention and control of alcohol-related diseases and deaths. Methods: We analyzed data from 230 715 Korean adults aged 19 years and older who participated in the 2009 Korean Community Health Survey. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations between socio-demographic and health-related factors and patterns of alcohol use. Results: A substantially larger proportion of men than women engaged in high risk (21.2% vs. 3.4%) and moderate-risk alcohol use (15.5% vs. 8.2%). In both sexes, moderate- and high-risk uses were associated with younger age, higher income, being currently employed, smoking, being overweight/obese, and good self-rated health. Conclusions: Given the large proportion of the population that is engaging in moderate- and high-risk drinking and given the social norms that support this behavior, public health policies and campaigns to reduce alcohol consumption targeting the entire population are indicated.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.30 no.4 s.59
• /
• pp.870-883
• /
• 1997

The health center has to play an important role in promoting community health and satisfying a variety of community health needs and demands in the decentralized Korea. The nearly enacted Community Health Act compels every health center to make its own health plans which intend to deal with local health problems and plan its future health care. This obligation is obviously a big burden to most health centers. They do not have experiences in and abilities of making local health care plans. In order to establish a systematic community health plan, health centers have to concentrate their efforts on enhancing the ability of making health care plan through gathering and analysing the local health informations. However, it is very difficult in reality. This is simply because it will take long time to accomplish these activities. It seems natural that various professionals and researchers participate in carrying out the process of making community health plan in the initial stage. No standardized methodology and analysing framework exist even in the health professional society. Nonetheless, it is common to introduce survey research methodologies in analysing consumer's health care utilization and cost, and in identifying factors influencing health behaviors. Many researchers and professionals have applied social survey methodologies in obtaining information on providers and health policy makers as well. The authors have found that few studies have ever utilized local health data stored at the self-employed medical insurance society as the data source of planning activities. The purpose of this study is to illustrate the usefulness of the data stored at the Sung-Dong Gu Self-employed Medical Insurance Society in establishing the community health plan. The major contents of this study are as follows ; 1. frequency of utilization by age, area, sex, type of medical care institutions, and some major diseases 2. Medical treatment by type of medical care institutions, by classification of 21 diseases, by frequency of three-character categories 3. Medical treatment of major neoplasm and some chronic diseases by age, sex, and area. The conclusion of this study is that it is of great potentiality to find out the local health problems and to use them in blueprinting the community health plan through comparing the frequency of medical utilization analyzed by a variety of variables with NHI health data or the health data from survey research.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.593-602
• /
• 2010

This study was carried out to examine the effects of nutrition education program developed by Jincheon Public Health Center on preschool children's nutrition knowledge and dietary habits and the parents' dietary attitudes. The subjects of this study were five- and six-year-old children as well as their parents. A 5-week nutrition education program was implemented to 104 children in five day care centers, and 107 children in three day care centers were investigated as a control group. Activity tools designed for each lesson such as puzzles, food magnets, story, songs, Pierrot costume, and balls were used. Nutrition knowledge and dietary habits of children and dietary attitudes of parents were evaluated before and after education. Mean nutrition knowledge score in the education group was significantly higher than that in the control group after education (p < 0.001). Mean dietary habit score of three questions (three meals a day, eating at fixed time, eating breakfast) in the education group was also significantly higher than that in the control group after education (p < 0.01). In addition, parents in the education group showed significantly higher mean dietary attitude score than those in the control group even though they did not receive education (p < 0.001). Our nutrition education program was found to be effective in improving nutrition knowledge and dietary habits in preschool children as well as improving dietary attitudes in their parents.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2015

Objectives: This study evaluated the effects and relevant factors of community-based education and advocacy intervention on stroke awareness among the general population. Methods: The study enrolled 505 community-dwelling adults aged 19 years or older who completed a survey before and after a community-based intervention held between May 2014 and December 2014. Trained staff collected data about knowledge of five stroke warning signs, emergency response, golden window of time (${\leq}3h$), and demographics. Results: After the intervention, public awareness of all five stroke warning signs increased significantly from 26.5% to 33.9% (p=0.011). Public awareness of the golden window of time also increased significantly from 70.1% in April 2014 to 75.8% in December 2014 (p=0.040). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, older age, higher education level, and exposure to stroke-related public service announcements or educational materials were significant predictors of knowledge of all five warning signs for stroke. Conclusions: Comprehensive community-based intervention is effective for improving public awareness of the warning signs of stroke and the golden window of time.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.135-148
• /
• 2007

This paper reviews the past of community-based health promotion program through public health center to suggest the direction of future. The Minister of Health and Welfare has implemented health promotion demonstration programs at 18 public health centers in September 1998. Health promotion programs were spread nationwide in 2005. Now, 251 public health centers have performed health promotion programs. Health promotion includes both actions towards changing determinants, within the more immediate control of individuals, including individual health behavior, and those factors largely outside the control of individuals, including social, economic and environmental conditions. Direction of health promotion programs in public health is divided into two categories: creating environment for healthy lifestyle and health promotion services. The result of this paper will be able to act as a guide for future operation plan in health center.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.175-192
• /
• 1998

This study was performed investigate the opinion of civil servants in Health center about Rural Health Service Improvement Project The survey by mail was carried out for 447 servants of 25 health centers in Kyungsangbuk-do and the data were collected through self-administered questionnaires to servants about need, participation, concern, and comprehension for the project and satisfied with current facility and equipment of health center. The results were as follows. Generally considered, 48.2% of the improved health center servants was satisfied with health center building and 14.0% or 24.1% of the improving or unimproved center was. About the location of health center, 37.7% of the improved health center servants was satisfied, 25.9% of the unimproved center was. Of the improved health center servants, 43% was satisfied with the medical equipment but in unimproved place, the dissatisfaction was appeared higher than any other place. 49.7% of respondents was participated in making out the Rural Health Service Improvement Project. 50.6% was interested in this project. In the improved area. 65.5% of health center servants replied that the mayor's or county executive's concern about this project was high and 46.5% in councilors but in the unimproved area. their concern was low. About the contents of the project. 24,6% of the servants in the improved center, only 15.2% in unimproved center replied that they had known well. After making out the plan, 13.6% of respondents was unsatisfied with this plan and 17.1% replied that the estimating method of selecting the project area was not good. After the improvement of institution and equipment, 86.1% of health center servants answered that the medical service provided by health center would increase but 59.2% replied that the residents' utilization rate of private medical facility would decrease. The servants of the improved health center replied that the recognition about the developing will of health service(91.2%), the efficiency(91.2%), the quality of health and medical service(93.0%), the amount of health project(91.2%) were improved. In health center which had already improved the institution and equipment, 88.5% of servants replied that the residents' utilization for health center was increased. So, this project should be continuously carried out for health center and health center must develope new project to fit region condition.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2002.10a
• /
• pp.495-496
• /
• 2002