The Purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of breastfeeding using a phenomenological research methodology. The sample consisted of 9 primiparous mothers who had breastfed their babies at least for 3 consecutive months. Data were collected from January 10 to February 28, 1998 through interviewing. The research question was "What was the meaning of breastfeeding to breastfeeding mothers?" Responses to non-structured open-ended question was audio-recorded during the interview. Data were analyzed using the phenomenological method of Colazzi. From the protocols, significant statements about meaning of breastfeeding were clustered into 8 themes. Mothers perceived meaning of breastfeeding as feeling of unification through tie, expression of love, gift, nutritional supplement, duty as a mother, nurturing, mystery, and identity. From the results of this study, breastfeeding mothers perceived breastfeeding positively, so nurses need to encourage mothers to breastfeed her baby and develop program which can promote successful breastfeeding.
Breast Feeding* ; Humans ; Love ; Mothers* ; Research Design

PURPOSE: This study was done to develop a sexual health education program for unmarried mothers that were intended to provide the correct sexual knowledge, to help them establish positive sexual perception and to improve sexual health. The program was applied and its effect was evaluated. METHOD: One group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental research design was applied to evaluate the effect of a sexual health education program unmarried mothers. The research team developed a 34 hour program of 16 units, where the basic schemes were human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society & culture. We applied the program to 32 unmarried mothers in the Institute for unmarried mothers in Gangwon-do, Korea from April 19, 2004 to June 14, 2004. RESULT: After the application of an 8 week sexual health education program, the subjects significantly showed a better perception of self-efficiency, self-esteem, sexual knowledge and sexual behavior than before the program. CONCLUSION: The sexual health education program for unmarried mother in this study was effective on improving sexual perception and promoting sexual health behavior.
Education* ; Gangwon-do ; Health Education ; Human Development ; Humans ; Illegitimacy* ; Korea ; Reproductive Health* ; Research Design ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexuality ; Single Person*

PURPOSE: This study was to investigate the types and seriousness of pregnancy-related physical and psychological symptoms among pregnant couples. METHOD: Subjects consisted of 77 pregnant couples at one hospital in Seoul, Korea. The pregnant couples had not been diagnosed with any medical complications. Data were analyzed by the SPSS WIN program. RESULT: In the degree of physical and psychological symptoms of pregnancy experienced by subjects, the mean score of perceived physical symptoms (2.40, 1.86) was higher than the mean score of psychological symptoms (2.13, 1.83) for both pregnant women and their spouses. In the couple's difference of physical and psychological symptoms of pregnancy experienced by subjects, there were not statistically significant differences in the physical symptoms: "I have hemorrhoids" (t=1.91, p=.06), "My body weight decreased" (t=1.78, p=.08), "I have colds more often" (t=1.77, p=.08), and "I became more active than ordinary times" (t=1.99, p=.05) or in the psychological symptoms: "I am more elated than ordinary times" (t=.83, p=.41), and "I feel inferior" (t=1.62, p=.11). Therefore, these symptoms are coincidental between couples. In the difference of physical and psychological symptoms of pregnancy experienced by subjects according to general characteristics, there were not significant differences. In the relationship between physical and psychological symptoms experienced by subjects, there were statistically significant correlations between subject's physical symptoms and psychological symptoms (r=.54, p< .001; r=.78, p< .001). CONCLUSION: Physical and psychological symptoms of pregnancy experienced by pregnant couples are an issue for nurses who perform an important role in the care of pregnant women and their spouses
Body Weight ; Family Characteristics* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Seoul ; Spouses

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of a physical exercise program using elastic bands in rural area women. METHOD: This study adopted a pre-post test design. The subjects were 89 rural area women who were selected from four community health care centers. The physical exercise program was executed 30 times for 10 weeks (3 times a week) from August 23 to October 31, 2003. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in the attitude of physical exercise (t=-5.517, p=.000). In the degree of joint pain, there were significant differences in the flextion and extension of the shoulder joint (t=2.557, p=.020; t=5.625, p=.000), and there was a significant difference in the flextion of the knee joint (t=4.747, 0=.000) but there was no significant difference in the extension of the knee joint (t=1.795, p=.083). CONCLUSION: Physical exercise programs need to be implemented and spread continuously.
Arthralgia* ; Community Health Services ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Exercise* ; Female ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; Shoulder Joint

A study was done to identify the differences of women's perception of fatigue according to the period of pregnancy. Questionnaires were collected from 510 normal pregnant women in 3 University Hospitals in Korea from April to November of 1999. The questionnaires used to measure pregnant women's fatigue were the "Subjective Symptoms of Fatigue Test" designed by the Research Committee of Industrial Fatigue in Hygienic Association of Japanese Industry. The collected data was analyzed by SPSS-Win. The results revealed that there was a significant difference according to the periods of pregnancy: The degree of fatigue was the highest in the first trimester and then third and second trimester in decreasing order (F=89.53, p=0.000). The degree of fatigue was also compared with the respect to the general characteristics of women: There were statistically significant differences according to number of pregnancy (t=6.41, p=0.000), expectation of pregnancy (t=-291, p=0.004) and weight change (F=8.07, p=0.000). Therefore, variable nursing intervention should be provided to alleviate the fatigue according to the each trimester of pregnant period. Especially the nursing intervention program to alleviate the physical fatigue in the first trimester is necessary.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Fatigue* ; Female ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Korea ; Nursing ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was done to develop and evaluate multilingual education materials to promote health and adaptation to pregnancy for immigrant women in Korea. METHODS: This study had three procedures: First, contents of the education materials were developed according to pregnant women's needs, literature reviews, and group discussion. Details in contents were constructed based on Roy's adaptation model; Second, validity verification and translation of education materials were accomplished; Third, evaluation of the education materials was done through a survey of immigrant women. RESULTS: The education materials were developed in six languages (Korean, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Cambodian). The title is "Healthy mother, happy family: eight-step guide to a healthy pregnancy". It was composed of an eight-step guide to healthy pregnancy, self-examination check list, websites for childbirth education and information, and guidelines on education materials in a brochure. In the evaluation, the average response score for the questionnaire items was high (3.23 on a four-point Likert scale). The average score for Cambodian immigrants was the highest of all immigrant women. CONCLUSION: Multilingual education materials developed in this research will help community health nurses to manage pregnancies for immigrant women and will be useful for health education for these women.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Education* ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Female ; Health Education ; Humans ; Korea ; Mothers ; Multilingualism ; Nurses, Community Health ; Pamphlets ; Pregnancy* ; Prenatal Education ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Self-Examination

Purpose: With Korea’s recent rapid change into a multicultural society, cultural competence is being emphasized as a core nursing competency. This study investigated the effects of a cultural nursing course that aimed to enhance the cultural competence of nursing students in Korea. Methods: This was a single-group pre- and post-comparison study. The subjects were 69 nursing students at Dongyang University who attended a cultural nursing course in 2015, of whom 62 students responded to the survey. The 13-week cultural nursing course was held for 2 hours a week. The methods of the course included small group activities, discussions and presentations, experiential learning, reflective activities, and lectures. Nursing students’ cultural competence was measured pre- and post-course with the Cultural Competence Scale for Korean Nurses, which contains 33 items scored on a 7-point Likert scale. Results: After completing the cultural nursing course, students’ total cultural competence scores increased, as did their scores in each category (cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and cultural skills) (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in cultural competence by gender (P<0.001). Conclusion This cultural nursing course was found to be effective in enhancing the cultural competence of nursing students. Therefore, the educational program developed in this study can be extended to other university-level nursing programs in Korea.

No abstract available.

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptional difference of sexual image and sexual role between male and female students at the university level.. Questionnaires were collected from 418 students of H University in Kangwon-do, Korea from September to December 1999. The research tools were Sexual Image(Joo,1996, Cronbach's aloha=.83) and Sexual Role (Chang,1989, Cronbach's aloha=.93). Data were analyzed by SPSS-PC. The results of this study were as follows: According to factors of sexual image, the average score of sexual attitude was 3.06, that of sexual evaluation was 2.41, and that of sexual curiosity was 2.18, therefore university students had a high degree of curiosity but also had a relatively more exclusive image related to sexuality; there was a significant difference in sexual image between male and female students (t=10.99, p=0.010), male students were perceived to have a higher sexual curiosity and more positive sexual image than female students; the average score of sexual role was 2.21, that appeared to be a moderately progressive tendency; there was a significant difference in sexual role between male and female students (t=260.46, p=0.000), female students were apt to be more progressive in sexual role than male students. According to the above results, curriculum development and the application of at university would be necessary to develop and apply some liberal courses and workshop programs so that students and professors could prepare to identify ideal sexual roles and sexual images.
Curriculum ; Education ; Exploratory Behavior ; Female* ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sexuality

The purpose of this study was to analyze and identify the higher-grade primary school children's needs for sexual education. We got the data with open question from 481 children from March to July 1999. We analyzed them according to the framework suggested by the Sex Information and Education Council of USA. The framework involves the six domains such as human development, relationship, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society & culture. In the analysis of need for sexual education according to domain, need for human development was highest (79.2 %), after that followed society & culture (8.3 %), sexual health (5.8%), sexual behavior (3.6%), and relationships (3.1%). There was no need for personal skills. By topics, there were needs for puberty (38.0%), reproduction (32.5%), gender roles (6.0%), body image (4.9%), sexual abuse (2.4%) and reproductive health (2.4%). Girls and boys all mostly wanted to know human development 41.0 % and 38.2 % each. Society & culture (3.4 %), sexual behaviour (2.7%), sexual health (2.6%), relationship (2.4%) were domains selected by boys. Girls wanted to know society & culture (4.9%) and 'sexual health (3.2%). Comparing by grade, fourth, fifth and sixth grade children are commonly interested in development, society & culture. Fourth grade children scarcely show attention on the relationship, sexual behaviour and sexual health; meanwhile sixth grade children would like to know sexual behaviour and sexual health. When their grade became higher, they would like to know more precise, concrete and deep information. We suggest that the textbook/guidebook for sexual health for the higher-grade primary school children should be developed considering the sex and grade.
Adolescent ; Body Image ; Child* ; Education* ; Female ; Gender Identity ; Human Development ; Humans ; Puberty ; Reproduction ; Reproductive Health ; Sex Offenses ; Sexual Behavior ; Child Health