• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.87-100
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• 2022

People who spend more time alone tend to report higher levels of loneliness. However, whether people experience loneliness in solitude can differ The current research investigated the role of a sense of power as a predictor of loneliness among people who lack social interaction. investigated factors predicting loneliness in people with little social time large-scale survey data. As a result of discriminant analysis, a sense of power was verified as a factor that lonely non-lonely groups. a sense of power As a result, a causal relationship between a sense of power and social loneliness was confirmed. When people feel alone, a high sense of power can work as a buffer against loss of belongingness and the experience of social loneliness. This research focused on psychological rather than situational factors to alleviate loneliness in the current situation where social encounters are limited due to the increase of single-person households and the 19 pandemic.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.309-320
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• 2023

This study examined the determinants of healthy food purchases before and after COVID-19 in Korea. Binomial and multinomial logistic regression models were applied to Korea Rural Economic Institute's Food Consumer Behavior Survey data from 2019 to 2021. The analysis revealed a significant decrease in the non-intake of healthy food in 2021 compared to 2019, suggesting the impact of COVID-19 on healthy food consumption. Consumption patterns also changed, with a decrease in direct purchases and an increase in gift-based purchases. Several variables showed significant effects on healthy food intake. Single-person households exhibited a higher probability of eating healthy food after COVID-19. The group perceiving themselves as healthy had a lower likelihood of consuming healthy food pre-COVID-19, but this changed after the pandemic. Online food purchases, eco-friendly food purchases, and nut consumption showed a gradual decrease in the probability of non-intake over time. Gender and age also influenced healthy food intake. The probability of eating healthy food increased in the older age group compared to the younger group, and the probability increased significantly after COVID-19. The probability of buying gifts was significantly higher in those in their 60s, indicating that the path to obtaining healthy food differed by age.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.242-244
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• 2022

In recent years, the number of single-person households is increasing with the aging of the population and the number of the elderly living alone is increasing rapidly with the aging of the population. Therefore, the lonely death of the elderly living alone has become a social issue. In many cases, the body is discovered several days after death. In particular, lonely death of the elderly living alone is being taken more seriously in society, as there is no one to arrange funerals, organize and dispose of their belongings. Since the body is usually found after a few days, the decomposition of the body is often severe. Therefore, this paper proposes an indoor monitoring system using a temperature and humidity sensor and a human body sensor to prevent and respond to lonely deaths in the elderly living alone.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.153-163
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• 2022

Objectives: This study divided the factors that affect participation in health screenings into individual, household, and regional levels and conducted a multi-level analysis to identify the factors related to participation in health screenings. Methods: Participants from the 2017 Community Health Survey were classified into 2 groups (under 40 and 40 or older). A multi-level logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors that affected participation in health screenings. Results: The screening rate of the participants was 69.7%, and it was higher among participants aged 40 and older (80.3%) than it was among participants younger than 40 (49.8%). At the individual level, the factors that influenced participation in health screenings included age, economic activity, smoking status, physician-diagnosed hypertension, and a moderate or high physical activity level. At the household level, the odds ratio of participation in health screenings was high for participants who lived in single-person households, lived with a spouse, earned a high monthly household income, and were not beneficiaries of national basic livelihood security. At the regional level, the odds ratio at the 95% confidence interval level of participation in health screenings was high for participants who had trust in the local community and lived in an area with a proportionally high social welfare budget. Conclusions: This study analyzed nationalwide data and confirmed that individual, household, and regional characteristics affected participation in health screenings. Therefore, policies that prioritize the improvement of regional level factors and especially household level factors are likely to be the most effective for improving the screening rate.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.159-187
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• 2010

The main purpose of this paper is to attempt an alternative measurement and analysis of poverty considering income as well as time in order to present an effective antipoverty policy. Based on Korea Welfare Panel Study (2005), the income poverty, time poverty, and double poverty of household in which householders were under 60 years were measured. Moreover this paper found that households experiencing the time poverty might be faced with additional income poverty because of the necessity to purchase care services in the market to compensate for the time. As a result of the analysis, income poverty rate is 9.5%, time poverty rate is 15.7%, and time-adjusted income poverty rate is 10.8%. And low-educated single parents with young children are more likely to experienced income as well as time poverty. Therefore, this paper proved that the 'welfare to work' policy without considering situations in household could be faced with the limit. Furthermore, this paper suggests that social welfare policy should aim at minimizing the tradeoffs among different works and activities, and then support to improve the quality of life.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2022.10a
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• pp.496-498
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• 2022

With the prolonged spread of the new coronavirus infection worldwide and the entry of the super-aged society, smart health care, which combines IT technology for senior health care and the health care industry, is emerging as a solution to the aging problem. The development of non-face-to-face care services using Ai is on a global trend, not in some countries, and the form of care services for the elderly using AI artificial intelligence technology is changing rapidly. The convenience of AI-based care services for the elderly is expected to be highlighted, and the technology and market are expected to develop significantly. As the number of single-person households is increasing, the shortage of welfare workers for the elderly is emerging as a social issue. It is presented as a vision to solve long-term social problems such as the labor shortage of elderly care workers as well as the advantages of convenient care services using IT technology. Therefore, we would like to propose the development direction of care services for the elderly as a case study of care services for the elderly and a countermeasure against the super-aging age.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.112-124
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• 2024

This study investigated the factors associated with HINT-8 (Korean health-related quality of life instrument with eight items), including health habits, hand grip strength, chronic disease, chewing function, mental health, and nutrient intake. In this study, the health-related quality of life (HRQoL; HINT-8) was assessed using the data from the 2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VIII) among Koreans aged over 65, with HINT-8 being evaluated based on the general characteristics. Of the participants from KNHANES VIII, 1,455 subjects were analyzed using SPSS statistics complex samples (Windows ver. 27.0). The HINT-8 score was significantly lower in females and in those aged 75 years or older, lowest educational level, lowest income level, and single households. Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for the general characteristics, revealed a significant association between a lower HINT-8 group and various factors: low aerobic physical activity (OR=1.71, 95% CI=1.25~2.35), low hand grip strength (OR=1.34, 95% CI=1.02~1.78), chewing difficulties (OR=2.17, 95% CI=1.62~2.92), poor self-rated health status (OR=6.11, 95% CI=4.42~8.45), stressful mental status (OR=3.57, 95% CI=2.27~5.63) and poor calcium status (OR=1.45, 95% CI=1.11~1.88). On the other hand, this study could not reveal a significant association between a lower HINT-8 group and factors such as smoking, drinking, chronic disease, and nutrient intake status, except for calcium intake. This study suggests that HINT-8 is associated with aerobic physical activity, hand grip strength, chewing function, mental health, and calcium intake, but not with smoking, drinking, chronic disease, and nutrient intake.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.51-64
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• 2024

Objectives: This study examined the association between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and chronic diseases in elderly Koreans. Methods: Data from the 2019-2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. Dietary intake and UPF consumption were assessed using the NOVA food classification based on 24-hour recall data from 3,790 participants (aged 65+ years). Participants were divided into 4 groups based on the quartile of energy intake from UPFs. Regions were classified as urban or rural. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) after controlling for potential confounders. Results: Among the participants, 71.3% resided in urban and 28.7% in rural areas. Compared to the urban elderly, rural participants tended to be older, have lower education and income levels, be more likely to live in single-person households, and have a higher smoking rate (P < 0.05). Urban elderly consumed more UPFs daily (146.1 g) compared to rural residents (126.6 g; P < 0.05). "Sugar-sweetened beverages" were the most consumed category in both regions. "Sweetened milk and its products" and "traditional sauces" were prominent in urban areas, while rural elderly consumed more "traditional sauces" and "distilled alcoholic beverages." Rural areas also had a higher carbohydrate-to-calorie ratio than urban areas. Compared to the lowest quartile of UPF intake, the highest quartile was significantly associated with impaired fasting glucose only in rural areas (AOR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.00-2.19; P for trend = 0.0014). No significant associations were observed for diabetes in either urban or rural areas. Conclusions: This study suggests that high intake of UPFs is associated with increased odds of impaired fasting glucose in rural elderly. Further research is needed to elucidate the specific negative health effects of UPFs in different populations, and targeted efforts should promote healthy diets in both urban and rural areas.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.363-373
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• 2023

Numerous studies have established a correlation between sociodemographic characteristics and water usage, identifying population as a primary independent variable in mid- to long-term demand forecasting. Recent dramatic sociodemographic changes, including urban concentration-rural depopulation, low birth rates-aging population, and the rise in single-person households, are expected to impact water demand and supply patterns. This underscores the necessity for operational and managerial changes in existing water supply systems. While sociodemographic characteristics are regularly surveyed, the conducted surveys use aggregate units that do not align with the actual system. Consequently, many water demand forecasts have been conducted at the administrative district level without adequately considering the water supply system. This study presents an upward water demand forecasting model that accurately reflects real water facilities and consumers. The model comprises three key steps. Firstly, Statistics Korea's SGIS (Statistical Geological Information System) data was reorganized at the DMA level. Secondly, DMAs were classified using the SOM (Self-Organizing Map) algorithm to consider differences in water facilities and consumer characteristics. Lastly, water demand forecasting employed the PCR (Principal Component Regression) method to address multicollinearity and overfitting issues. The performance evaluation of this model was conducted for DMAs classified as rural areas due to the insufficient number of DMAs. The estimation results indicate that the correlation coefficients exceeded 0.9, and the MAPE remained within approximately 10% for the test dataset. This method is expected to be useful for reorganization plans, such as the expansion and contraction of existing facilities.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.369-378
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• 2024

The aim of this study is to conduct a comparative study on the sustainability of the public pension. While the mainstream view on the sustainability of the public pension presupposes financial sustainability, the original purpose of guaranteeing retirement income has been overlooked. The sustainability of the public pension needs to consider not only financial sustainability, but also various factors such as demographic structure, labor productivity, industrial structure, life cycle of working households, government spending on public pensions, economic growth, and social consensus. With this awareness of the problem, this study conducted a fuzzy set qualitative comparative study in 44 countries, including Korea. As a result of the analysis, it was found that Korea had high financial sustainability for a single year, but relatively low integration related to social consultation and public pension operation, and adequacy such as the degree of guarantee and linkage with other pension systems was also relatively low. The sustainability of the broader public pension should be emphasized not only for financial sustainability, but also for adequacy and integration.