• Health Policy and Management
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.226-232
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• 2016

Background: This study was conducted to analyze the influence of socioeconomic characteristics of community on the food insecurity under the control of personal socioeconomic factors which may be influence to the food security. Methods: Food insecurity and individual socioeconomic characteristics were obtained from 2012 community health survey. Socioeconomic characteristics of communities were extracted from the data of Statistics Korea and local governments. Personal socioeconomic factors were sex, age, educational status, job, and monthly family income. Socioeconomic characteristics of communities were administrative district (urban vs. rural), senior population rate, degree of financial self reliance, degree of financial independence, portion of welfare budget, number of welfare facilities, and unemployment rate. We analysed the relationships between the food insecurity and socioeconomic characteristics of community using multi-level analysis under the control of personal characteristics. Results: On personal level age, sex, education status, and monthly family income were related with food insecurity. On community level administrative district (urban vs. rural), degree of financial independence, unemployment rate, and proportion of welfare budget among local general government accounts were related to individual food insecurity. Rural area, district with low levels of financial independence, low portion of welfare budget, and greater unemployment rate showed a higher level of food insecurity. Conclusion: To reduce the level of food insecurity in a community it is necessary to decrease the unemployment rate, in addition to providing support from the central government by increasing the proportion of the welfare budget so that both factors contribute to raising the degree of financial independence.

• Journal of Korean Society for Geospatial Information Science
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.27-35
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• 2013

This study intends to analyze the accessibility to the evacuation shelters according to pedestrian characteristics for Shinpo-district and Haewoon district, Masan Happo-gu, Changwon, designated as Disaster Risk Districts(Typhoon and Storm Surge Risk Zones) due to the typhoon and surge disasters of the past such as Typhoon RUSA or MAEMI. Evacuation speed was analyzed by dividing the types of evacuees into children, general adults, and the aged people by considering physical conditions. In the case of Haewoon district, currently designated evacuation shelters appeared to be appropriate. But in the case of Sinpo district, over 50% of designated Disaster Risk Districts appeared to be evacuation-vulnerable zones in the case of the aged. Therefore, three additional shelters were designated to complement these problems. The results reveal that the problems about the evacuation-vulnerable zones in the case of the existing designated shelters, appeared to be improved. It is expected that the results, obtained in this study will be utilized to establish the complementary measures to analyze the evacuation risk and solve the problems.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.545-550
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• 2021

Background and objective: With increasing land use intensity in urban areas, apartment buildings have been recognized as a typical type of urban residence. In this study, the impacts of different views through a window on health-related responses were investigated using psychological and physiological parameters. Methods: Photos of three different types of views taken on low (2-12 m), middle (28-35 m), and high (over 54 m) floors of dense apartment building areas were used as visual stimuli. Twenty-two healthy adults participated in the indoor experiment. Semantic differential methods and profile of mood states were used as psychological tools. Autonomic nervous activity was evaluated using blood pressures, pulse rate and heart rate variability (HRV). Results: Analytic data showed different characteristics of psychological and physiological outcomes in three different apartment views. In the analysis of psychological parameters, significantly negative responses to the views on middle floors were found in the subscales of tension-anxiety and anger-hostility, compared to low floors. Significantly positive scores in the subscale of vigor were found on low floors with abundance of vegetation and high floors with a view of the sky. A significantly increased value of HF was found on low floors (2,294.96 ± 169.79), compared to the middle(1,553.45 ± 84.66) and high (1,523.02 ± 70.49) floors. Despite the high scores in openness and vigor, high floor views showed significantly higher LF/HF values (1.83 ± 0.09), the indicator of the sympathetic nervous system, than low (1.30 ± 0.07) and middle floor views (1.34 ± 0.06), which might be related to the unconscious fear of heights. Conclusion: Views from different heights in an apartment building can affect the psychological states of residents. Green space through the window may have a positive health outcome by reducing physiological stress.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.353-361
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• 2023

Background: Noise has been linked to an increased risk of various health issues, including stress, anxiety, insomnia, and cardiovascular disorders. However, research on the relationship between residential traffic noise and mental health in South Korea is limited. Objectives: This study aims to examine the correlation between regional traffic noise levels and mental health using an ecological study design. Methods: In this ecological study, all data were collected from the Korean Statistical Information Service. Traffic noise data in residential areas and the prevalence of mental health indices in 44 cities with noise monitoring stations were obtained. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the relationship between regional traffic noise levels and mental health indices. Results: Daytime traffic noise levels were found to have a positive correlation with stress perception (r=0.428, p=0.004) and showed a borderline positive correlation with depressive symptom prevalence (r=0.273, p=0.073). In cities with airports, significant correlations was observed between 24-hour average noise levels and depressive symptoms (r=0.604, p=0.010), whereas this relationship was not observed in cities without airports (r=0.048, p=0.813). Multiple regression analysis, which adjusted for factors such as age, gender ratio, smoking, obesity, unemployment, urban size, and the presence of an airport, confirmed the relationship between 24-hour average noise levels and stress perception (beta=0.287, p=0.024). Conclusions: This study identified correlations between regional traffic noise levels and depressive symptoms or stress perception in adults, with a more pronounced effect in areas with airports. These findings suggest a potential impact of residential traffic noise on mental health, highlighting the importance of preventive measures like noise management in urban planning to promote mental well-being.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.413-421
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• 2023

Objectives: This study explored the effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on psychosocial stress in prime working-age individuals in Korea, focusing on gender inequalities. We hypothesized that the impact of COVID-19 on mental health would differ by age and gender, with younger women potentially demonstrating heightened vulnerability relative to men. Methods: The study involved data from the Korea Community Health Survey and included 319 592 adults aged 30 years to 49 years. We employed log-binomial regression analysis, controlling for variables including age, education, employment status, marital status, and the presence of children. The study period included 3 phases: the period prior to the COVID-19 outbreak (pre-COVID-19), the early pandemic, and the period following the introduction of vaccinations (post-vaccination). Results: The findings indicated that women were at a heightened risk of psychosocial stress during the early pandemic (relative risk [RR], 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98 to 1.05) and post-vaccination period (RR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.10) compared to men. This pattern was prominent in urban women aged 30-34 years (pre-COVID-19: RR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.10; early pandemic: RR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.25; post-vaccination period, RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.31). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted unequal impacts on psychosocial stress among prime working-age individuals in Korea, with women, particularly those in urban areas, experiencing a heightened risk. The findings highlight the importance of addressing gender-specific needs and implementing appropriate interventions to mitigate the psychosocial consequences of the pandemic.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.325-332
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• 2008

The human population is mainly exposed to dioxins through the diet. The purpose of this study was to estimate the daily dietary intake of PCDDs and PCDFs in Korean adults residing in different regions. Subjects were recruited and divided into three groups according to the districts where they lived: rural (n=213), coastal (n=193), and urban district (n=187). Subjects were interviewed using a general questionnaire and 24-hour recall for dietary intake. The daily intake of dioxins was estimated through the use of the database of dioxins contents in 35 Korean foods. The average age of the subjects were 61.5 years for coastal district, 57.6 years for rural district, and 49.4 years for urban district. Daily energy intake was 1707.7 kcal for rural district, 1596.5 kcal for urban district, and 1493.8 kcal for coastal district. There was no significant difference in total food intake by regions. The intakes from fishes of coastal district, those from cereals, vegetables, meats, and seasonings of rural district, and those from sugars, pulses, eggs, seaweeds, milks, oils of urban area were higher than those of the other two districts. The daily dioxins intake of coastal district (0.70 pgTEQ/kg/day) was significantly higher than those of rural district (0.32 pgTEQ/kg/day) and urban district (0.46 pgTEQ/kg/day). The dioxins intake from cereals, pulses, vegetables, fishes of coastal district and those from eggs and milks of urban area were the highest among the districts. The daily dioxins intake was positively correlated with the intakes of meats, eggs, fishes, oils, and seasonings. Therefore, it could be concluded that the daily dioxins intake of coastal district is higher than that in other districts and the fish is one of the main sources in dioxin intakes. However, daily dioxins intakes of the three regions were below the level of tolerable daily intake (TDI).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.705-712
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• 2013

Epidemiologic research has suggested that frequent eating out may be associated with poor dietary habits, including high-calorie and inadequate nutrient intakes. Limited studies, however, have evaluated dietary behaviors with patterns of eating out in South Korea. The aims of this study were to examine the associations between nutrient intakes, adherence to dietary guidelines, and frequencies of eating out among Korean adults. Data were analyzed from adult (30 to 64 years old) participants of the 2007~2009 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n=10,223). Nutrient intake levels were assessed by the 24-hour recall method. The dietary score (DS-ADGK) was calculated based on the adherence to dietary guidelines for Koreans. Subjects who frequently consumed meals outside the home tended to be younger, male, urban-dwelling, highly educated, and receiving a higher income. The frequency of eating out was positively associated with the higher intake of most nutrients, except carbohydrates and crude fiber. Regular breakfast habits seem to be associated with the frequency of meals outside the home for women; younger women who frequently eat out tended to have irregular breakfast eating habits, but this association is attenuated with increasing age. The mean DS-ADGK differed by sex, age, and the frequency of eating out; older participants scored higher than the younger ones, women had higher scores than men, and those who frequently eat out had lower scores than their counterparts. In addition, the adherence score for each component of the dietary guidelines was also significantly different by age and sex. The consideration of demographic characteristics related to frequent eating out and other barriers to healthful eating, as well as essential and practical interventions, are needed to promote positive dietary behavioral changes in Korea.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.38 no.10
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• pp.827-835
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation among mineral intakes, blood pressure, and blood lipids for health management of Korean adults over 20 years old. Subjects were recruited from the district where they lived, which included rural (Yoju, n = 137) , coastal (Taean, n = 100) , and urban district (Suwon, n : 117) . hnthropornekical measurement, blood pressure measurement, dietary intake assessment using 24-hour recall method, and blood collection and analysis of blood lipids were conducted. The average age, height, weight, and BMI were 54.1 years, 168.5 cm, 67.3 kg, and 24.5 kg/$m^{2}$ for men and 53.9 years,153.8 cm,59.2 kg, and 25.0 kg/$m^{2}$ for women, respectively. The mean daily intakes of total food and energy were 1219.1 g and 1740.9 kcal for men and 1071.3 g and 1432.6 kcal for women. The mineral intakes of men and women were 448.5 mg and 400.4 mg for calcium,955.3 mg and 803.7 mg for phosphorus, 13.3 mg and 11.1 mg for iron, 4302.8 mg and 3393.3 mg for sodium,2588.0 mg and 2264.9 mg for potassium, and 8.9 mg and 7.3 mg for zinc. The daily intakes of energy, calcium, zinc, vitamin $B_{2}$, and vitamin I were $76.1\%$, $60.1\%$, $73.1\%$, $68.6\%$, and $80.4\%$ of RDAs, respectively. The intakes of energy, calcium, zinc, vitamin $B_{2}$ and I were not meet Korean RDAs. Especially, calcium, zinc, and vitamin $B_{2}$ were less than $75\%$ of RDAs. Blood pressure of the subjects was 128.3/75.5 mmHg for men and 124.1/73.7 mmHg for women. Serum lipids of men and women were 180.2 mg/dL and 184.9 mg/dL for total cholesterol, 160.8 mg/dL and 137.6 mg/dL for triglyceride,41.5 mg/dL and 44.7 mg/dL for HDL-cholesterol,106.6 mg/dL and 112.7 mg/dL for LDL-cholesterol, and 3.5 and 3.3 for atherogenic index. While serum triglyceride and AI of men was significantly higher, HDL-cholesterol was lower than those of women. In the relation among mineral intakes, blood pressure, and serum lipids, we found a significantly negative correlation of intakes of calcium, calcium/phosphorus, calcium density with systolic blood pressure. There were significantly negative correlation between intake of calcium/phosphorus and serum cholesterol, calcium density and serum cholesterol, sodium intake and serum HDL-cholesterol. Based on these results, we concluded that high intakes of calcium, calcium/phosphorus and low sodium intake were associated with favorable blood pressure and serum lipid profiles in adult men and women. (Korean J Nutrition 38(10): 827$\sim$835,2005)

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.1189-1208
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors related to social participation of Korean young-old adults residing in urban area with a focus on the effects of various motivations. In addition, this study examined gender differences in the relationships between social participation and motivations of social participation. Self-oriented motivation, network-oriented motivation, and society-oriented motivation were considered as motivations of social participation. The study subjects were 836 men and 877 women aged 50-69. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires in 2009. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between motivations and the level of social participation using the SAS program. Main results were as follows: 1) The network-oriented motivation and society-oriented motivations were significantly related to the level of social participation; 2) Although men and women significantly differed in the patterns of social participation, gender differences were not found in the relationships between the social participation and motivations. These findings imply that network-oriented motivation and society-oriented motivation are important for facilitating the social participation of Korean young elderly. Further implications were discussed.

• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.529-546
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• 2009

Depression in old age not only is prevalent but also causes a considerable amount of burden in physical, psychosocial, and economic terms. Intervention, however, is often delayed due to the understanding that considers depressive symptoms as a normal process of aging or signs of physical illnesses. Since the recognition of symptoms often initiate one's help seeking process, a correct identification of symptoms can contribute to early detection and intervention to depression in oneself as well as in others. This study interviewed 104 older adults living in an urban area, and explored their ability to correctly identify depressive symptoms and factors related to identification. The study results show that respondents who were able to correctly identify symptoms of depression were only 14%, and the rest defined the symptoms as social, economic, and other psychological issues. Of the factors in the logistic regression model, age being 75 and over and mass media as source of mental health information affected negatively their ability to correctly identify symptoms; mental health education programs affected positively their ability. Based on these results, it is suggested that such strategies as employing a face-to-face provision of concrete information and counseling can be more effective than delivering information via large-scale lectures. Additionally, a future research deems necessary to conduct an in-depth examination of mental health/illness-related contents on mass media.