• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.184-193
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• 2017

People spend the majority of their time in indoor environments. Maintaining adequate indoor temperature and humidity is necessary to support health and improve quality of life. However, people with low incomes can be vulnerable because they may not be able to use effective cooling and heating systems in their homes. In this study, the indoor temperature and humidity in low-income residences over a year in Seoul, Korea was characterized. Indoor temperature and humidity were measured in three types of homes (12 rooftop residences, 16 basement residences, and 18 public rental apartments) occupied by low-income residents. Both differed significantly among the three types of residence, particularly during the summer and winter seasons. A regression model between indoor and outdoor temperature detected a heating threshold at $3.9^{\circ}C$ for rooftop residences, $9.9^{\circ}C$ for basement residences, and $17.1^{\circ}C$ for public rental apartments. During tropical nights and cold-wave advisory days, rooftop residences showed the most extreme indoor temperatures. This study demonstrates that people living in rooftop residences could be at risk from extreme hot and cold conditions.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.2377-2398
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• 2023

In our daily lives, we engage in a variety of tasks that rely on our senses, such as seeing. Blindness is the absence of the sense of vision. According to the World Health Organization, 2.2 billion people worldwide suffer from various forms of vision impairment. Unfortunately, blind people face a variety of indoor and outdoor challenges on a daily basis, limiting their mobility and preventing them from engaging in other activities. Blind people are very vulnerable to a variety of hazards, including falls. Various barriers, such as stairs, can cause a fall. The Internet of Things (IoT) is used to track falls and send a warning message to the blind caretakers. One of the gaps in the previous works is that they were unable to differentiate between falls true and false. Treating false falls as true falls results in many false alarms being sent to the blind caretakers and thus, they may reject the IoT system. As a means of bridging this chasm, this paper proposes an intelligent shoe that is able to precisely distinguish between false and true falls based on three sensors, namely, the load scale sensor, the light sensor, and the Flex sensor. The proposed IoT system is tested in an indoor environment for various scenarios of falls using four models of machine learning. The results from our system showed an accuracy of 0.96%. Compared to the state-of-the-art, our system is simpler and more accurate since it avoids sending false alarms to the blind caretakers.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2023

This study examines the housing-related characteristics of unmarried youth using occupational history data from the 10th-14th (2016-2020) youth panel (YP2007) of the Korea Employment Information Service, and the characteristics of housing and employment. Their effect on marriage intention was empirically analyzed. The results of the analysis show that highly educated people, high-wage workers, household heads or economically independent young people, and young people in good financial conditions have a high willingness to marry. Their economic conditions are very important factors. Among the young employed who have become economically independent from their parents, full-time permanent workers, workers at large corporations, and highly waged youth showed a strong desire to get married. On the contrary, young people who are insecure temporary/daily workers, workers at small firms, and low-wage workers show a low willingness to marry. In conclusion, the results imply that young people who are in a vulnerable state in the labor market are giving up or delaying their marriage. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance policies to provide better employment opportunities for youth and, simultaneously, revamp the policy measures to enhance housing conditions.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.587-597
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• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to estimate the demand and supply of visiting nursing services provided by health centers in urban area, aiming at strengthening infrastructure, which may improved the quality of life and health status of vulnerable population in the community. Methods: This study was conducted through nominal group discussion, focus group study. The demand and supply of visiting nursing were estimated by health economists based on the secondary analysis data from 25 health centers in Seoul. Result: Primary targets for the visiting nursing must be people who are homebound in the community. They can be classified into: a group of Level I: chronic patients who need visiting nursing care at least once a week: and a group of Level II: vulnerable families that need management periodically e. g. twice a month. Based on the estimation of demand for visiting nursing services in the community, the estimated supply required was $651{\sim}770$ visiting nurses including home health nurses in visiting nursing programs based on health centers in Seoul. Conclusions: The estimated demand and supply of visiting nursing are expected to provide basic data for establishing alternative policies on visiting nursing infrastructure that might be accomplished through demand-based visiting nursing programs by districts.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.201-207
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• 2007

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the subjects' health status according to the needs of visiting health and the function of the family in home care nursing. Sample and Method. The data collection period was from 07/01/04 to 10/31/04 and the subjects were 488 of those above 60 years of age staying at home or living alone who registered at a visiting health service of public health center at an urban area in Korea. This survey was carried out by visiting health nurses and participation was agreed on by the elderly people. Results. The extent of the subjects' total health status to the general characteristics had differences according to the age, sex, monthly income, perceived health status, known functional disorder, and yes-or-no for disease. At all health status domains, visiting health need care in the group I was very lower than one in II, III, or IV groups. Also the severe dysfunctional family was lower than lightly dysfunctional family and normal functional family in all health status domains. Conclusion. Nurses must provide their characteristics considered nursing intervention for the elderly who have high visiting health needs and severe dysfunctional family with vulnerable health care.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.43-52
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• 2016

In the 21st century, Korea had radical economic development with accelerating urban sprawl, and following declination with social polarization. City declination makes socially vulnerable people unstable and increase homelessness. The projects revitalizing decayed area utilize local idle spaces to build new facility with creative supportive programs. The purpose of this study is to analyze inclusive characteristics of a supportive housing 'The Brook'. A field visit walk through observation and in-depth interview were utilized as research methods. The information of a representative supportive housing field will promote understanding the concept, and create base for further research. As results, state and knowhow of information concerning housing first policy, active government investment, space planning, management, social integration, service providing, architecture and so on offered to facilitate inclusive insights. In conclusion, the characteristics of supportive housing were realistically analyzed through a field research. This research is significant to introduce initially the effective supportive housing which has been practiced for 30 years in USA to that needs alternatives for the socially vulnerable in Korea.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.313-321
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• 2014

Agriculture is a vulnerable sector to climate change because it is a primary industry directly exposed to climate. At the same time, it is a sector emitting greenhouse gases during agricultural activities, thereby affecting climate change. However, agriculture is a nascent subject under the UNFCCC. The agriculture sector needs both adaptation and mitigation. Currently, co-benefit of adaptation and mitigation is emphasized during climate change negotiation. Developing country parties are in a position to focus on adaptation rather than mitigation. As a result, mitigation is not being addressed enough during climate negotiation. Agriculture has been addressed through Nairobi Work Programme and NAPA. Since current efforts for greenhouse gas reduction are not sufficient for stabilizing the atmospheric system of the Earth to prevent climate change, the agriculture sector should also be considered for greenhouse gas reduction. For this, MRV for small farmers in developing countries and incentives for their mitigation efforts should be developed in agriculture sector. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen international cooperation for developing capacities for vulnerable countries and people to climate change.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.37-42
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• 2023

Purpose: Compared to cities, rural areas are in a medical blind spot and face difficulties in accessing medical services due to inconvenient transportation facilities, lack of medical facilities, and the heavy burden of medical expenses. This study was carried out to identify the problems relating to the musculoskeletal system of the elderly in rural and fishing villages, which are medically vulnerable areas, and sought to present a regionally differentiated healthcare model. Methods: The study was conducted in 80 elderly people in two rural villages and two fishing villages after seeking inputs regarding medically vulnerable groups in the Gyeongnam Province. Postural balance and muscle flexibility were assessed and postural evaluation was conducted to identify musculoskeletal problems and gait stability. Strength and range of motion for each body segment were assessed for evaluating functional motion. Results: The elderly in both rural areas showed forward head posture characteristics. The strength level of the elderly in both rural areas was higher than the average, but their flexibility and balance ability were lower than the average. Conclusion: The musculoskeletal problems of the elderly in rural and fishing villages in this study did not show regional characteristics according to the area of residence. However, overall flexibility and balance ability appeared to be reduced. Therefore, a new management model connecting the region and the university is necessary in preparation for the coming era of community care.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.66-74
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• 2024

Purpose: This study evaluates the effectiveness of providing frailty prevention services by living support workers through a case of community resource connection centered on living support workers to revitalize frailty prevention programs for vulnerable elderly people. Methods: This is a research study using secondary data from a neighborhood health-sharing project among the integrated health promotion projects of one public health center in Daegu Metropolitan City. To assess frailty effects pre-assessments were conducted in August, and post-assessments were conducted in November. Frailty was measured using a 20-item frailty instrument used in home healthcare projects. Data were analyzed using the chi-square, independent t-test, and paired t-test. Results: Preliminary measurements showed that older elderly had higher frailty scores than younger elderly. However, among the elderly aged 75 or older the total frailty score decreased statistically significantly from 5.97 points to 5.30 points (t=3.03, p=.003). Conclusion: The older elderly showed greater effect of frailty prevention than the younger elderly.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.62-70
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• 2000

Nutrition education should be an important component of ongoing health promotion for older adults and their caregivers. This is because prevention through sound nutrition and food hygiene practices and regular excercise is the most cost-effective way to reduce risks for and deal with their major health problems. nutritions education services should effectively promote optimum intake and successful self-care. Unfortunately, however relative to other vulnerable groups, nutrition education for older adults has not been systematically developed or evaluated. Usually oder adults care a lot about their health, so this should be a relatively easy group to teach - but their increasing numbers, longevity and great diversity with respect to health, physical, and economic status and educational level present challenges. Some older adults may not perceive they would benefit from nutrition education, so interesting and motivating them is a challenge. The food and nutrition knowledge of older people has been acquired through a lifetime of experience. For most older adults in the Asian region, their sources are restricted by their restricted education, so that their major sources of information have been informal sources, such as television, radio, friends, family, and perhaps newspapers and magazines if they are literature. Nonetheless, dietary advice for older people should build on their existing knowledge and ingrained values. It should provide information useful in daily food selection, and focus on food, not nutrients - the same foods and groups considered appropriate for younger people, with consistent messages as given throughout the population. Attention must also be paid to discovering learning styles in older people. When we teach in schools, the young students are a captive audience resigned to their learning role. Learning by an older adult, however, reflects an effort to meet his or her perceived needs. Therefore, nutrition education should be a positive experience in a non-threatening environment, relaxed and non-competitive, and perhaps even social environment. The messages also need to be practical and achievable. A needs assessment is essential, because our ability to provide the most effective nutrition education will depend on our success in matching the needs, both perceived and unperceived. of this vulnerable group. Therefore, go to the potential older learners to assess their interest and preferences. Nutrition education activities for older adults are widespread, but few have been evaluated. Evaluation is therefore also recommended, particularly when new methods are used. Tips from other countries for giving successful nutrition education will be given, including some examples of applications as attempted in Hong Kong. Research needs will also be described. In conclusion, successful nutrition education for older adults depends on positive needs-based messages. This is may be hard to do, as few good examples are available to illustrate these principles.