• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.135-151
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to examine the work environments of dental hygienists, to find out about what problems there were with their work environments and ultimately to help improve their work environments. It's basically intended to pave the way for furthering the welfare and interests of dental hygienists. The subjects in this study were dental hygienists who were selected by random sampling from among the members of Korean Dental Hygienists Association. Approximately 20 percent of the members each were selected from every region across the nation, and their work environments were investigated in consideration of the kind of their workplaces, service area, career and field of duties. As for the demographic characteristics of the dental hygienists investigated, there were differences between those who worked in the field of health care and the clinical workers. More of the former were older and married, and the former was ahead of the latter in career and education as well. Regarding working hours and leave of absence by kind of workplace, the number of regular average holidays was different according to their place of employment. Dental hospitals(6.66 days) and dental clinics(6.81 days) gave their employees less days off on the whole, whereas public dental clinics(19.29 days) granted the dental hygienists the longest leave of absence. Also, there was a broad gap in the number of regular average holidays among different regions in the nation. The dental hygienists who worked in Gangweon province enjoyed the longest holidays(10.88 days), while those on Jeju Island took the shortest vacation(4.46 days). Concerning monthly mean pay by place of employment, those who worked in public dental clinics were paid the best, and the dental hospital employees received the smallest pay. Their monthly mean pay significantly varied with the kind of their workplaces. As to connections between service area and pay level in the event of the dental hygienists with a four-year career, those who served in Seoul were paid the best(1,820,800 won), followed by Gyeonggi province(1,795,800 won), Gyeongsang province(1,604,200 won), metropolitan cities(1,424,800), Gangweon province(1,300,000 won) and Jeolla province(1,016,700 won). In regard to the starting pay in the different areas, the starting pay was largest in Seoul(1,501,800 won) and smallest in Jeolla province(904,000 won). Concerning work environments by place of employment, the dental hygienists in public dental clinics, general hospitals and university hospitals were far older than the others, and the career of the former was much larger than that of the latter. As to the number of regular leave of absence, public dental clinics, general hospitals and university hospitals were different from dental hospitals and clinics in that regard as well. Concerning monthly pay, public dental clinics paid their employees the best, and dental hospitals and clinics were ahead in terms of pay raise. But the reason seemed that public dental clinics and general hospitals increased the pay of their employees based on a fixed wage system and according to a fixed rate at the same time. As for relations between career and work environments, the pay of the dental hygienists differed with their career. The amount and rate of pay raise were largest for those whose career was between four years and less than six years, and smallest for those whose career was between seven years and less than nine years. The above-mentioned findings of the study suggested that in order to give dental hygienists better treatment, pay and welfare benefits should urgently be improved, and that it's required to take actions to boost their job satisfaction. Besides, they should be given more chances to receive education or to take training courses in pursuit of self-development, and how to narrow gaps in work environments among different regions or fields should carefully be considered.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.28-38
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• 2009

In this study, a remote air quality monitoring system for underground spaces was developed by using NDIR-based CO$_2$ sensor. And the remote monitoring system based on wireless sensor networks was installed practically on the subway station platform. More than 6.5 million citizens commutate everyday by the Seoul subway transportation that is the most typical public transportation. They concern about air quality with increasing interest on public health or many workers in subway stations or underground shopping centers. Recently, the Korean Ministry of Environment has operated the air quality monitoring system in some subway stations for testing phase. However, it showed many defects which are large-scale, high-cost and maintenance of precision sensors imported from abroad. Therefore this research includes the reliability test and a theoretical study about the inexpensive commercialized CO$_2$ sensor for reliable measurement of air quality which changes rapidly by the surrounding environments. And then we develop the wireless sensor nodes and the gateway applied for remote air quality monitoring. In addition, web server program was realized to manage air quality in the subway platform. This result will be valuable for a basic research for air quality management in underground spaces for future study.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.1 s.56
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• pp.77-101
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• 1997

In September 1994, residents of Gozan-dong, Incheon City, made a petition to the government about their health problems which might be caused by previous glass fibre landfill nearby 'H' company. In february 1995, at regular academic meeting of occupational and environmental medicine, a research team of 'D' University presented that they had found glass fibres in groundwater of the area through their survey. They were suspicious of probable association between ingestion of groundwater contaminated with glass fibres and skin tumors among residents. A joint research team was formed and carried out the survey of environment concerning groundwater and its glass fibre existence, and health assessment of residents in the area and industrial workers of 'H' company during May to November, 1995. Analysis of groundwater flow system indicates that the flow lines from the glass fibre landfill pass through or terminate at the 6 houses around the landfill. This means that the groundwater of the 6 houses around the glass fibre landfill could be affected by some possible contaminants from the landfill, but the groundwater quality of the other houses was irrelevant to the landfill. The qualitative and qualitative analyses for glass fibres in 54 groundwater samples including those from the nearby 6 houses, were carried out using SEM equipped with EDS, resulting in no evidence for the presence of glass fibres in the waters. Major precipitates, formed in waters while boiling, were identified as calcium carbonates, in particulary, aragonites in needle form. The results of health assessments of 889 residents in Gozan-dong, participated in this study, showed statistically significant differences in past medical histories of skin tumor and respiratory disease between the exposed group (31 persons who inhabited in 6 houses around the landfill) and the control group, but no significant differences in past medical histories of other diseases, such as cancer mortality, current gastroscopic findings, current skin diseases and respiratory diseases, etc. Also, we could not prove any glass fibres in excised specimens of 9 skin tumors in both groups and there were no health problems possibly associated with glass fibres in employees of the 'H' company. After all, we could not authenticate the association, raised by prior investigators, between groundwater streams, assumedly contaminated with glass fibres or not, and specific disease morbidities or common disease/symptom prevalences. That is, we could not find any glass fibres in groundwater as the only exposure factor of this study hypothesis, and there were not enough certain evidences such as increasing disease prevalences, for examples, skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases etc, possibly related to glass fibre exposure, in exposed group. As a matter of course, the conditions for confirming causal association, for example, strength of the association, consistency of the association, specificity of the association, temporality of the association and dose-response relationship etc, have not been satisfied. In conclusion, we were not able to certify the hypothesis that contamination of groundwater with glass fibres might cause any hazardous health effects in residents who used it for drinking.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.225-233
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• 2015

This study was conducted in an attempt to determine the factors that cause excessive daytime sleepiness among 927 subway station employees located in Seoul. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire through the web site and were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 statistical software. Results showed that marital status made a statistically significant difference in general characteristics, and hobby/leisure activities made a statistically significant difference in health-related characteristics. Workplace and satisfaction with the organization made a significant difference in job-related characteristics, and physical environment, job demand, job autonomy, relationship conflicts, organizational system, inappropriate compensation, and organizational culture made a statistically significant difference in job stress factors. Factors that affect excessive daytime sleepiness were hobby and leisure activities, satisfaction with the organization, physical environment, job demand, job autonomy, organizational system and organizational culture, showing a 20.5% explanatory power. This study proposes the operation of programs that can improve the physical environment, change the organizational system and increase satisfaction with the organizational culture among station employees in order that they can enjoy their hobby/leisure life and relieve job stress so that they can avoid excessive daytime sleepiness.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.184-192
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• 2017

This study was a pilot test of serious educational game content(named Roly Poly 160) designed to enhance self-care by elderly diabetics. Roly Poly 160 was developed in eight steps (literature review, demand survey and consultation, extraction of serious content using games, development of Roly Poly 160, pretest for users, workshop for health care workers, final completion of Roly Poly 160 and user satisfaction survey of Roly Poly 160). Roly Poly 160 is intuitively structured in three modules (self-management, card games, and quiz games) that can be self-managed by the elderly and is designed based on six principles. First, we constructed an intuitive interface considering the age of users. Second, the menu was selected as the main menu for Koreans and calorie learning was made at the same time. Third, the calories and nutrients (carbohydrate, fat, protein, calcium, sodium) of selected foods are analyzed, and all test data recorded in the questionnaire chart are graphically displayed by year, month and week so that the change trends can be grasped at a glance. Fourth, necessary data were saved and output and used as educational data. Fifth, user data are made compatible and aggregated and up to 100 million members can be registered. Sixth, it is designed to be developed as a mobile app if necessary. Using Roly Poly 160, 119 diabetic patients were diagnosed with diabetes, and the satisfaction score was 4.26 out of 5. These findings indicate that Roly Poly 160 is appropriate as a diabetes self-care tool and suggests that there is a possibility to use it as a program to educate people about diabetes in public health centers, hospitals and clinics.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.31 no.2 s.61
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• pp.285-292
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• 1998

To investigate the effect of smoking on the hearing threshold, 1,887 adult male workers who visited health care center during the period 1 January 1996 - 31 July 1997 were selected. Air-conduction hearing threshold level, diastolic blood pressure(DBP), total cholesterol, fasting blood sugar(FBS), hematocrit and obesity were measured. The data on age, occupation, and smoking were collected. Air-conduction hearing threshold in smoker was significantly higher than non-smoker in categories of 250, 500, 1000 and 4000 Hz(p<0.05). Mean values of PTA-low, PTA-mid, and PTA-high in smoker were also significantly higher than non-smoker(p<0.05). In multiple regression analysis, smoking is likely to play a significant role after controlling age, occupation, DBP, FBS, total cholesterol, hematocrit, and obesity(p<0.05). The hearing threshold was significantly increased with increasing age(p<0.05), the manufacturing worker may have higher hearing threshold(p<0.05). The higher hematocrit and the more obese, the higher hearing threshold(p<0.05). However, DBP, total cholesterol and FBS were not significantly related with hearing threshold level. In conclusion, smoking was significantly related with the hearing threshold level in adult men.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.80-85
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• 1977

The Korean family planning program began in 1962, originating both in a concern for family well-being and in a concern over a high population growth rate which was cancelling advances in economic capacity. The new program was frank and vigorous in its advocacy of birth control. In recent years, voluntary sterilization as a family planning method has many attributes that cause users of contraceptives to regard it as an ideal method in Korea. A point of these view, author performed a follow-up study on effects of vasectomy and tubal ligation on sociomedical aspects of total 136 men sterilized and 96 women sterilized in Sunsan Gun, Kyungpook Province as of July, 1977. The results were summerized as follows: An average age of vasectomized men was 37.0 and that of tubal ligated women, 34.9. The average duration of marital life was 13.9 years in men sterilized and 14.6 years in women sterilized. An average number of living children at the time of sterilization was 3.6 in men sterilized and that of living children, 3.7 in women sterilized. The most predominant reason for the sterilization was birth control in both (91% in men, 52% in women) and the most common motivating socilitator was family planning field workers (71% in men, 48% in women). About 51 percent of men sterilized and 50 percent of women sterilized were used contraceptive methods before the operation. Experience of induced abortion is reported in 65 percent of wives of men sterilized and 64 percent of women sterilized. In sexual feeling after sterilization, respondents shelved increasing coital frequency 21 percent in men sterilized and 10 percent in women sterilized. Sixty-five percent in men sterilized and 64 percent in women sterilized would recommend the operation to others.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.111-116
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• 1981

Economic development of Korea brought rapid progress and expansion of her industries. Accordingly, number of workers who have been exposed to hazardous metals are increasing. For better understanding the significance of on the job human metal pollution, a total of 22 solderers among autoworkers and 28 controls among medical students was purposively selected as samples of the study. From their blood, concentrations of cadmium and lead were measured with atomic absorption spectrophotometer, and to compare with statistical indices of controls those of solderers were sumarized as follows. 1. Each frequency distribution of cadmium and lead concentration in blood of solderers was more positively skewed showing non-Gausian distribution. 2. Interindividual variation of lead concentration in blood of solderers was markedly revealed. 3. Each mean of cadmium and lead concentration in blood of solderers was higher than that of controls(Cd;p<0.01, Pb;p<0.01). 4. Relative ratio of cadmium concentration in blood of solderers to that of controls was 1.36 by arithmatic mean and 1.39 by geometric mean. Relative ratio of lead concentration in blood of solderers to that of controls was 1.53 by arithmatic mean and 1.30 by geometric mean. 5. It was shown that concentration of lead is slightly correlated with that of cadmium both in solderers and controls(solderers; p<0.1, controls;p<0.1).

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.123-144
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• 2009

Recently, a long strike by hospital labor union emerged as a serious social issue. During the Worldcup Games in June, 2002, labor strikes broke up at 'C', 'K' and other hospitals, and in 2007, 'Y' hospital suffered much from a strike. Such series of extreme labor disputes have awakened people of importance of a more stable labor-management relationship for the medical institutions responsible for people's health than any other business organization. The purpose of this study was to examine the labor-management disputes at 'Y' hospital in 2007 and 'C' and 'K' hospitals in 2002. The results of this study can be summarized as follows; First, requests of the labor union such as pay raise, reemployment of the irregular workers as regular employees and participation of the labor union in personnel affairs are the long-held or core issues suffered by the medical institutions. Such issues are not independent from each other but complicated with each other surrounding the pay raise. Accordingly, it is not easy to determine the genuine bone of issue for labor-management disputes. Second, the model type of disputes between labor and management at medical institutions may be strike. However, it is conceived that the type of disputes would be subject to change as the essential medical service area system began to be operated since 2008. Third, the common characteristic of the labor strike among the 3 sample hospitals was occupation of the hospital lobby for a sit-in strike to maximize the negative effects of strike. Article 42 (Prohibition of Violence) of Labor Union and Labor Relation Coordination Act prohibits occupation of production or other important business facilities. In addition, since Ministry of Labor interprets that the hospital lobby belongs to the important business facilities enumerated by Article 42 of the above act, occupation of the hospital lobby for a sit-in strike may be too controversial to be admitted as a fair act of labor dispute when its legitimacy should be judged. Fourth, the counter-measures taken by the hospitals against the strike were observance of the principle 'no labor no pay,' closure, legal action, accusation, claim for recovery of damage, provisional seizure, disciplinary punishment, etc., but the principle of 'no labor, no pay' was not applied in a fair manner by 'C' and 'K' hospitals. However, 'Y' hospital applied this principle thoroughly to the strike; the hospital conduced to correction of the wrong labor-management relationship by refusing inclusion in the labor collective agreement of a provision about payment of wage during the period of strike or labor union's request to that effect during a strike. In addition, 'Y' hospital took an effective measure to end the strike earlier by notifying the labor union of cancellation of the collective agreement and banning the unionists from entering the hospital.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.465-474
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• 2019

Purpose: This study examined the association between the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and the cognitive functions in Korean elderly. Methods: The subjects were 393 adults aged 60 years or older who participated in the Yangpyeong cohort between July 2009 and August 2010. The subjects were classified into deficiency, insufficiency, or adequacy groups according to the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration diagnostic criteria suggested by the US Institute of Medicine (IOM). The cognitive function was assessed based on the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-KC). The dietary intake was assessed using the quantitative food frequency questionnaire with 106 food items. Results: The proportions of deficiency, insufficiency, or adequacy in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D were 6.6%, 44.5%, and 48.9%, respectively. The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was significantly higher in men than in women and in outdoor workers than in other occupations. The adequacy group had higher MMSE-KC scores than the other two groups, but not to a significant degree. The proportion of cognitive impairment tended to decrease with increasing serum vitamin D concentration to deficiency, insufficiency, and adequacy (p for trend = 0.029). The deficiency group had a 2.28 times higher risk of cognitive impairment than the adequacy group, but the difference was not statistically significant (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 0.18 ~ 1.07, p for trend = 0.119). Conclusion: The serum vitamin D concentration tended to be associated with the cognitive function in elderly Koreans living in rural areas. To confirm the associations, further longitudinal studies with large samples were required.