• Human Ecology Research
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.473-482
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• 2014

Focusing on the holistic concept of health, which embraces both physical and mental health, we investigated the effects of parenting and community factors on the health of 1,248 first- and second-year middle school students, on the basis of the data of the Korean Survey on the Activities and Culture of Youth and Children in 2009. The latent class analysis revealed three types of holistic health groups from the data, named as follows: (1) the healthy group, (2) moderate group, and, (3) fragile group. Then, we analyzed the effects of parenting factors and community safety on these health types according to the students' year in school and their mother' s status of employment. The results showed that the first-year students had consistent parenting effects on their own type of health, while the safety of the community only partly contributed to the probability of affiliation to healthier types. However, in the case of the second-year students, a neglectful parenting style and community safety consistently had significant effects on the students' type of health, while parental concern about an adolescent's health did not contribute to the probability of affiliation to healthier types when only the mother was unemployed. The discussion considers how these results provide basic resources for formulating policies and creating intervention programs for addressing the health problems of adolescents.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.345-354
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• 2008

Objectives : Our objective is to review and summarize the previous studies on the health effects of exposure to oil spills in order to make suggestions for mid- and long-term study plans regarding the health effects of the Hebei Spirit oil spill occured in Korea. Methods : We searched PubMed to systemically retrieve reports on the human health effects related to oil spill accidents. The papers' reference lists and reviews on the topic were searched as well. Results : We found 24 articles that examined seven oil spill accidents worldwide over the period from 1989 to August 2008, including the Exxon Valdes, Braer, Sea Empress, Erika, Nakhodka, Prestige and Tasman Spirit oil spills. Most of the studies applied cross-sectional and short-term follow-up study designs. The exposure level was measured by assessing the place of residence, using a questionnaire and environmental and personal monitoring. Studies on the acute or immediate health effects mainly focused on the subjective physical symptoms related to clean-up work or residential exposure. Late or mid-term follow-up studies were performed to investigate a range of health effects such as pulmonary function and endocrine, immunologic and genetic toxicity. The economic and social impact of the accidents resulted in the socio-psychological exposure and the psychosocial health effects. Conclusions : Studies of the health effects of exposure to oil spills should consider a range of health outcomes, including the physical and psychological effects, and the studies should be extended for a considerable period of time to study the long-term chronic health effects.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.65-80
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• 2005

This study examines the effects of supplemental insurance on health care utilization and expenditures among cancer patients, who were hospitalized in a general hospital in Korea 2003. We find that those who purchase the supplemental insurance in addition to the social health insurance use more health care services and pay more than those who do not, suggesting insurance effects. This paper, however, cannot distinguish the moral effects of the health insurance from the selection effects due to adverse selection.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.93-104
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aims to understand the mediating effects of self-efficacy on the effects of social support on mental health and career preparation behavior of academic high school students. Methods: A survey was conducted targeting total 297 respondents from May 27 to May 30th 2019. The collected data was analyzed by using the PASW Statistics Ver. 18.0. Results: When the school life satisfaction was lower, and when the personality was more introverted, the students with lower school grade showed significantly low scores of mental health and career preparation behavior. In the effects of social support on mental health, the self-efficacy showed mediating roles. In the effects of social support on career preparation behavior, the self-efficacy showed mediating roles. Conclusion: If the education for strengthening social support is preferentially performed, the self-efficacy could be increased, which would have more positive effects on mental health and career preparation behavior. Regarding the subjects of education, t would be more effective to provide selective and concentrative education to the group with significantly low scores of mental health and career preparation behavior.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.69-78
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• 2019

Purpose: This study tries to test mediating effects of hope and therapeutic relationship in the relation between general social functions and mental health recovery of community people with mental illness. Methods: This study was carried out in a cross-sectional research design. The participants included 217 people with mental illnesses who were enrolled at eight Mental Health Welfare Centers in the Gyeonggi Province. Data were collected from February to May, 2018. The collected data were analyzed using a regression analysis, and SPSS PROCESS macro was used to test the mediating effects. Results: This study analyzed the direct effects of general social functions on the hope, therapeutic relationship and mental health recovery. And general social functions had indirect effects on their mental health recovery via hope and therapeutic relationship. Both hope and therapeutic relationship had dual mediating effects in the influence of general social functions on mental health recovery. Conclusion: The role of hope and therapeutic relationship in the mental health recovery of community people with mental illness is important, and it is confirmed that hope is a powerful factor influencing mental health recovery.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.159-173
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• 2015

The hand coordinate systems for measuring vibration exposures and biodynamic responses have been standardized, but they are not actually used in many studies. This contradicts the purpose of the standardization. The objectives of this study were to identify the major sources of this problem, and to help define or identify better coordinate systems for the standardization. This study systematically reviewed the principles and definition methods, and evaluated typical hand coordinate systems. This study confirms that, as accelerometers remain the major technology for vibration measurement, it is reasonable to standardize two types of coordinate systems: a tool-based basicentric (BC) system and an anatomically based biodynamic (BD) system. However, these coordinate systems are not well defined in the current standard. Definition of the standard BC system is confusing, and it can be interpreted differently; as a result, it has been inconsistently applied in various standards and studies. The standard hand BD system is defined using the orientation of the third metacarpal bone. It is neither convenient nor defined based on important biological or biodynamic features. This explains why it is rarely used in practice. To resolve these inconsistencies and deficiencies, we proposed a revised method for defining the realistic handle BC system and an alternative method for defining the hand BD system. A fingertip-based BD system for measuring the principal grip force is also proposed based on an important feature of the grip force confirmed in this study.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.519-528
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to test the relationship between health status and bathing. Method: The population of this study consisted of females, above age 20 in urban areas in order to control the effects of extraneous variables, resident areas, gender, and age. Four hundred and twenty-eight (428) women were interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF)-36 Health Survey assessed individual health status. Bathingbehavior and attitudes toward bath have been measured with questionnaires designed by the authors. Result: The most popular bathing type was shower (46.8%). The preferred type of bath was related to health status. A common purpose of the tub-bath was relieving fatigue and hygiene, but the other purposes were different on the subjects health status. Persons with low health status took frequently tub-baths for health. Attitudes toward bath were related to health status. Women with low scores in physical health recognized more physical effects of bath than psychological effects or hygenic effects. Conclusion: Bathing included physical and psychological dimensions and was related to health status.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.111-119
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• 2016

Background: Shift work and/or sleep quality may affect health. We investigated whether shift work and sleep quality, separately and jointly, were associated with abnormal levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol (TC), and low-and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in 360 police officers (27.5% women). Methods: Triglycerides, TC, and high-density lipoprotein were analyzed on the Abbott Architect; low-density lipoprotein was calculated. Shift work was assessed using City of Buffalo payroll work history records. Sleep quality (good, ${\leq}5$; intermediate, 6-8; poor, ${\geq}9$) was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire. A shift work + sleep quality variable was created: day plus good sleep; day plus poor sleep; afternoon/night plus good; and poor sleep quality. Mean values of lipid biomarkers were compared across categories of the exposures using analysis of variance/analysis of covariance. Results: Shift work was not significantly associated with lipids. However, as sleep quality worsened, mean levels of triglycerides and TC gradually increased but only among female officers (age- and race-adjusted p = 0.013 and 0.030, respectively). Age significantly modified the association between sleep quality and TC. Among officers ${\geq}40$ years old, those reporting poor sleep quality had a significantly higher mean level of TC ($202.9{\pm}3.7mg/dL$) compared with those reporting good sleep quality ($190.6{\pm}4.0mg/dL$) (gender- and race-adjusted p = 0.010). Female officers who worked the day shift and also reported good sleep quality had the lowest mean level of TC compared with women in the other three categories (p = 0.014). Conclusion: Sleep quality and its combined influence with shift work may play a role in the alteration of some lipid measures.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.129-133
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• 2023

Background: With the rise in global mobility, aircraft indoor air quality has become a significant public health concern. This study focuses on the health implications of increased travel and bleed air-air drawn from aircraft engines for cabin pressurization and air conditioning. Objectives: This research aims to review the potential health effects related to exposure to aircraft cabin air, particularly the effects of bleed air during fume events. Methods: We conducted a literature review of existing studies on aircraft cabin air quality. We focused on both the immediate and health effects of exposure to cabin air, particularly those related to bleed air contaminants. Results: The review found a possible link between exposure to aircraft cabin air and certain health issues, especially in cabin crew and frequent flyers. There was an increased incidence of respiratory and neurological symptoms related to bleed air exposure. However, the cumulative health effects of frequent air travel remain inconclusive due to limited data. Conclusions: This study highlights the need for improving air quality in aircraft to protect public health. While further research is needed to understand the cumulative effects of frequent air travel, the reduction of exposure to bleed air contaminants should be a priority. These findings underline the need for regulatory changes and technological improvements in aircraft cabin air quality.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.17-30
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• 2023

The human reproductive system can be affected by occupational exposure to many physical and chemical risk factors. This study was carried out to review the studies conducted on the issue of the pathophysiological effects of occupational physical and chemical risk factors on the reproductive system of females and males. In this systematic review, the databases such as "Google Scholar," "Pub-Med," "Scopus," and "Web of Science" were used. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020), the studies included in our study were published between 2000 and 2021. In order to extract the required data, all sections of the articles were reviewed. Out of 57 articles we reviewed, 34 articles were related to field studies and 23 articles to clinical studies. Among them, 43 studies dealt with the pathophysiological effects of chemical agents, six studies dealt with the pathophysiological effects of physical factors, and 8 studies dealt with the pathophysiological effects of physicochemical factors on the human reproductive system. Physical (noise, heat, and radiofrequency radiation) and chemical (such as carbamate and organophosphate pesticides, benzene, toluene, xylene, formaldehyde, NO2, CS2, manganese, lead, nickel, and n-hexane) risk factors had pathophysiological effects on the human reproductive system. The presence of these risk factors in the workplace caused damage to the human reproductive system. The rate of these negative pathophysiological effects can be reduced by performing appropriate managerial, technical, and engineering measures in work environments.