No abstract available.
Korea* ; Social Class*

No abstract available.
Korea* ; Social Class*

The investigation was conducted in one rural commune. Information was gathered about socio-economic status (SES) and food consumption from 544 households with 3 categories of SES. The results showed that the energy intake of household increased with increase of socio-economic conditions. Rice, fat/oil, nut and sesame were most consumed in households of the average socio-economic status. The consumption of meat, fish, eggs and fruits tend to increase with better higher SES. Vegetable consumption was low at all studied households
Social Class ; Rural Health

No abstract available.
Asthma* ; Social Class*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the sources, extent and related factors in South Korean doctors. METHODS: The study subjects were 934 doctors in Taegu, Kyungpook Province, Korea(540 independent practitioners, 105 employed at hospitals and 289 residents in training). Information concerning job stress was obtained using a 9-item questionnaire. Information regarding related factors such as demographic characteristics(age, sex, marital status), perceptions on the socioeconomic status of doctors and working conditions(work time, on-call days per week) was also obtained by self-administered questionnaire during April and May, 2000. RESULTS: Major sources of job stress included clnical responsibility/judgement factor, patient factor and work loading factor. The job stress score of residents was the highest among three groups. The score was lower in older doctors. The score was low among those who thought doctors socioeconomic status was not good. The longer the work time, the higher the job stress score was. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to control for the mutual influence of independent variables. In regression analysis, the score of residents was higher than practitioners. Work time and socioeconomic status perception had negative effects on job stress score. CONCLUSION: The average job stress score of the doctors was high. Age, work type, working conditions and perceptions of socioeconomic status were found to besignificantly related to job stress score. Although the job stress of doctors is somewhat inevitable due to the nature of the doctor's job, control of work time, development of coping tools and other intervention methods are needed to reduce job stress of doctors. Further studies are required to understand the characteristics of job stress and reduce the job stress of doctors.
Daegu ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Questionnaires ; Social Class

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted in order to investigate professional job perception, job stress and job satisfaction in doctors. METHOD: The authors conducted a survey using a self-administered questionnaire, conducted between August and September, 2001. The study subjects were 457 doctors practicing at local clinics in Daegu City. RESULTS: For the professionalism scale, the score for 'sense of calling to field' and 'feeling of autonomy' were relatively high. Age, working hours per day, and perception of socioeconomic status significantly influenced the professionalism scale scores (p< 0.01). For the job stress scale, the scores for 'clinical responsibility/ decision' factor were the highest of all the surveyed factors. Working hours per day significantly influenced the job stress scores (p< 0.01). To investigate the overall relationship between the variables, the authors conducted a linear structural equation model analysis. The equation was statistically appropriate and a good fit. The job stress, and the professionalism factors, respectively influenced job satisfaction negatively and positively (T> 2.0). The working hours per day and status perception also influenced their job satisfaction (T> 2.0). CONCLUSION: To promote the job satisfaction of doctors, the development of coping tools and other intervention methods are needed to increase doctor's professional job perception and reduce their job stress. Further studies are required to understand the characteristics of job satisfaction and for its promotion with doctors.
Daegu* ; Job Satisfaction* ; Methods ; Professionalism ; Social Class

There have been several studies supporting a possible relationship between high suicide rate and high altitude. However socioeconomic status may confound this association because low socioeconomic status, which is known to be related to a high suicide rate, is also associated with living at high altitude. This study aims to explore whether the relationship between high altitude and high suicide rate remains after adjusting for socioeconomic status in South Korea. We collected demographic data of completed suicides, the mean altitude of the district where each suicide took place, and the mean income of each district. We analyzed the data using regression analysis before and after adjustment for mean income. We found that there is a positive correlation between altitude and suicide rate, even after adjustment for mean income. Thus, altitude appears to be an independent risk factor for suicide.
Altitude* ; Korea ; Risk Factors ; Social Class* ; Suicide*

Empathy ; Humans ; Policy Making ; Singapore ; Social Class ; Social Justice ; Social Responsibility

Physicians for ordinary people in Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) do not need to pass national medical licensing examination. They had done their job after enough period of apprenticeship. Only physician officers were licensed as technical civil servants. These physician officers were middle class, located socially between the nobility and the commoner. They had to pass a national licensing examination to be considered for high-ranking physician officers, that is, those at the rank above the 6th level out of a total of 9 ranks, where the first rank was highest. Royal physicians also had to pass this examination before accepting responsibility for the King's healthcare. This article aims to describe the world of Physician officers during the Joseon Dynasty. Physician officers enjoyed considerable social status because they dealt with matters of life and death. Owing to the professional nature of their fields and a strong sense of group identity they came to compose a distinct social class. The physician officers' world was marked by strong group allegiances based on shared professional knowledge; the use of marriage to gain and maintain social status; and the establishment of hereditary technical posts within the medical profession that were handed down from one generation to the next. The medical licensing examination persisted until 1894 when the civil service examination agency, of which it was part, was abolished. Until that time, the testing agency, the number of candidates who were accepted, two-step test procedures, and the method of test item selection were maintained and enforced. These aspects of the test could be considered characteristic of the medical licensing examination.
Delivery of Health Care ; Hand ; Korea ; Licensure* ; Marriage ; Social Class

PURPOSE: This study is to see how much proportion of the patients receiving radiation therapy drop out during radiation therapy and to analyze the reason for the incomplete treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The base population of this study was 1,100 patients with registration numbers 901 through 2,000 at Department of Radiation Oncology, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. Authors investigated the incidence of incomplete radiation therapy, which was defined as less than 95% of initially planned radiation dose, and the reasons for incomplete radiation therapy. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty eight patients (12%) did not complete the planned radiation therapy. The performance status of the incompletely treated patients was generally poorer than that of the base population, and the aim of radiation therapy was more commonly palliative. The most common reason for not completing the planned treatment was the patients' refusal of further radiation therapy because of the distrust of radiation therapy and/or the poor economic status. CONCLUSION: Careful case selection for radiation therapy with consideration of the socioeconomic status of the patients in addition to the clinical indication would be necessary for the reduction of incomplete treatment, especially in the palliative setting.
Disulfiram ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Radiation Oncology ; Seoul ; Social Class