PURPOSE: The present study was conducted to examine the effects of a health counseling program by occupational health nurses on the unemployed visiting the Employment Welfare Plus Center. METHODS: The one-group pretest-posttest design was used. The study presented a secondary analysis of the data collected in a health counseling program run by occupational health nurses for the unemployed visiting the Employment Welfare Plus Center. Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Shapiro-Wilk test, χ² test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to analyze 158 data collected between October 5, 2015 and January 5, 2016. RESULTS: After the intervention, the participants showed a significant decrease in the level of stress index (uBioMacpa), stress (discomfort), musculoskeletal pain and depression. In addition, the participants showed a significant increase in self-rated general health, exercise and regular eating behavior. CONCLUSION: The health counseling program offered by occupational health nurses is an effective intervention to improve the physical and mental health of the unemployed individuals visiting the Employment Welfare Plus Center.
Counseling* ; Depression ; Employment* ; Feeding Behavior ; Mental Health ; Musculoskeletal Pain ; Occupational Health* ; Unemployment

This study aimed to suggest a 1300 scale of a middle school foodservice facility floor plan which was compliant to the principle of HACCP, as well as ensuring food and work safety, and the flow of personnel and food materials. which consisted of 46 nutrition teachers and 6 experts, responded with a questionnaire on the relationship of functional area and space. Using their opinions, key principles for the design of the facility were single direction movement of food materials, customers and workers; minimization of the cross-contamination through the separation of functional space; and securement of customer-focused efficiency; staff-centered convenience and efficiency; and work and food safety. After the completion of an adjacency diagram, bubble diagram and program statement, the functional areas of a 1300 scale middle school food-service facility were allocated as follows: 9.9 m2 for the receiving area, 56.1 m2 for the pre-preparation area, 10.5 m2 for the food storage area, 6.0 m2 for the supplies storage area, 97.8 m2 for the cooking area, 33.6 m2 for the service area, 52.5 m2 for dish washing area, cafeteria 410.5 m2, 4.5 m2 for the front room, for a total of 725.8 m2. Expert groups have pointed to limitations within this model as there are no windows in the office for the influx of fresh outside air and a need for the straight line installation of steam-jacket and frying kettles on the sides of windows. This study can be useful as the guidelines for estimating the investment cost of the facility and placing the placement of functional areas and equipment in the renovation of the facility. It can be also useful data for a methodology of foodservice facility design.
Cooking ; Equipment and Supplies ; Facility Design and Construction ; Floors and Floorcoverings ; Food Safety ; Food Storage ; Humans ; Investments ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of a Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on stress response and power in psychiatric inpatients in a closed ward. METHODS: For this study a quasi-experiment design was used to examine the effects of the intervention. The MBSR program conducted in this study was a six-session program, in which participants were asked to meditate for 45 minutes twice a week for 3 weeks. Homogeneity between the experimental and control group was assessed using χ² test, t-test, and Fisher's exact test. The results of the assessment showed that the variances of the two groups were equal. Demographic variables of the study participants were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study hypotheses were verified using t-test. Cronbach's α was measured to assess the reliability of each test. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, patients in the experimental group showed significant improvement in scores for stress response (t=3.62, p=.001) and power (t=-3.42, p=.001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the mindfulness meditation program can be used as a psychosocial rehabilitation intervention for psychiatric inpatients by capitalizing on its positive effects on emotional reactivity and behavioral regulation.
Humans ; Inpatients* ; Meditation ; Mindfulness ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Purpose: This descriptive research study was conducted to investigate the factors influencing self-care agency of disabled persons with chronic diseases. Methods: The participants were 124 disabled persons with chronic diseases who were using a welfare center for the disabled in Seoul. Using a structured-questionnaire, the data was collected from April 15, to October 8, 2021. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, scheff tests, pearson correlation coefficients and hierarchical multiple regression with the IBM SPSS/WIN 21.0 program. Results: Self-care agency was positively correlated with the health literacy (r=.27, p=.002), social support (r=.38, p<.001) and perceived involvement in care (r=.28, p=.002). Factors influencing self-care agency were education (β=0.21, p=.014), social support (β=0.24, p=.006) and perceived involvement in care (β=0.17, p=.037). The input variables explained .241 of self-care agency. Conclusion The results of the study indicated that approaches focusing on enhancing perceived involvement in care and social support could potentially improve self-care agency of disabled persons with chronic diseases.

BACKGROUND: Health illiteracy is a problem often unrecognized by health care providers. It influences medical costs and the health status of adults. The purposes of this study were to determine the level of health literacy in community-dwelling adults and to identify the factors influencing it. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Chungcheong province. A total of 420 adults aged 18 or older were interviewed by trained nursing students between November 1 to December 30, 2011. Health literacy was measured using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Data were analyzed using the PASW 18.0 program. RESULTS: The mean score of health literacy was 50.64+/-19.18. In the multiple linear regression analysis, health literacy was significantly associated with education (beta=0.17, P=0.001), alcohol use (beta=-0.12, P=0.010), and perceived health status (beta=0.11, P=0.029). These factors accounted for about 7% of health literacy. CONCLUSIONS: Health literacy is a very important public health issue. Our findings showed that educational level, alcohol use and perceived health status should be considered when assessing this issue in patients. Furthermore, the development of a standardized Korean assessment tool for health literacy and specified interventions for enhancing health literacy are needed to improve health outcomes.
Adult* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education ; Gyeonggi-do ; Health Literacy* ; Health Personnel ; Health Status ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Literacy ; Primary Prevention ; Public Health ; Seoul ; Students, Nursing

A 44-year-old man presented with a history of chronic epiphora, discharge from the right eye, and a palpable mass in the medial canthal area. Irrigation of the lacrimal system revealed bloody discharge. Orbital magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a well-defined heterogeneous enhanced mass filling the lacrimal sac and upper nasolacrimal duct (NLD). A wide excision and surgical biopsy were performed. Histopathology showed the tumor to be an exophytic Schneiderian papilloma with moderate to severe dysplasia. Three months later, the mass was found to be invading the nasal cavity through the NLD. Endoscopic histopathological evaluation confirmed that it was identical to the originally identified papilloma.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Endoscopy ; Eye Neoplasms/*pathology/surgery ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lacrimal Apparatus/*pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Nasal Mucosa/*pathology ; Neoplasm Invasiveness/*pathology ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/*pathology/surgery ; Nose Neoplasms/*pathology/surgery ; Papilloma/*pathology/surgery

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the effects of individual counseling for bus-drivers on cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease prevention. METHODS: The one-group pretest-posttest design was used. This study presents a secondary analysis of data collected in 'contents of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease prevention program for bus-drivers in one workplace in Seoul, Korea. The data were collected from 56 bus drivers, using questionnaires from September 10th to November 20th, 2014. The analysis was conducted with chi2 test and paired samples t-test using SPSS/Win 21.0. RESULTS: After the intervention, the participants showed a significant decrease in the level of systolic blood pressure (p=.003) and a significant increase in the total cholesterol level (p=.030). The distribution of cardiovascular risk groups changed after the intervention: 5.3% decreased in the high risk group, 16.1% decreased in the medium risk group, and 3.5% decreased in the low risk group, while 25.0% increased in the normal group. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive individual counseling including simple screening, tailored education and counseling is effective to manage their lifestyle risk factors, resulting in better maintenance of their health as well as preventing cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease.
Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Cholesterol ; Counseling* ; Education ; Korea ; Life Style ; Mass Screening ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Statistics as Topic*

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a teaching program on patients with myocardial infarction. Forty-five patients were randomly selected 22 were assigned to a teaching group and 23 to a control group. An individualized teaching program was delivered to the teaching group during the hospitalization period. It covered aspects such as: the characteristics of heart disease, the anatomy and physiology of the heart, risk factors of atherosclerosis, medication and diet and exercise therapy. When these subjects were discharged to their homes, they received regular supportive care via telephone or mail for 12 weeks. Atherosclerotic risk factors, including, smoking, exercise, blood lipid profile and BMI were measured before and after the teaching program. Post-testing revealed that the numbers of those who exercised and the number of non-smokers were significantly higher in the teaching group than in the control group. Increased HDL cholesterol (High-Density Lipoprotein cholesterol) was significantly greater in the teaching group than in the control group. The above findings suggest that this individualized teaching program might be helpful at reducing the risk factors of atherosclerosis in myocardial infarction patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Arteriosclerosis/etiology/*prevention & control ; Comparative Study ; Exercise ; Female ; Human ; Lipids/blood ; Male ; Middle Age ; Myocardial Infarction/*prevention & control ; *Patient Education ; Risk Factors ; Smoking

Food irradiation has been steadily increased in many countries concomitantly with increasing international trades and concerns about naturally occurring harmful contaminants of food. Although, irradiation provides an excellent safeguard for the consumer by destroying harmful bacteria, it would be necessary to investigate nutritional adequacy of irradiated foods with a special emphasis on such foods as red pepper powders, cold-water fishes (mackerel), sesame seeds that are widely consumed in Korea. These food items are of special concern due to the fact that most of them are imported and that several nutrients contained in them are sensitively reacting to irradiation. We observed changes in the antioxidant nutrients contents, such as vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin C and total phenol, and also vitamin B1 in the foods that were irradiated at different dose levels. The nutrients contents in red pepper were respectively 98.6% and 92.3% for total phenol, and 97.8% and 94.5% for beta-carotene, right after irradiation at the dose of 10 and 20 kGy. The vitamin C contents decreased with irradiation doses up to 76.4% (10 kGy) and 68.5% (20 kGy) and B1 contents decreased to 54.9% and 80.7% of non irradiated red pepper. When the mackerel was irradiated at the applied dose of 3 and 7 kGy, total phenol concentration of the irradiated fish was respectively 91.3% and 94.2% of non irradiated fish. The amounts of vitamin A were 82.6% (3 kGy) and 78.0% (7 kGy) of unirradiated sample and vitamin B1 contents reduced to 30.5% and 51.5%. alpha-Tocopherol content was 33.9% of the non-irradiated one when it was irradiated at 7 kGy. Vitamin A and gamma-tocopherol contents in sesame seeds linearly decreased with the applied doses (5 and 10 kGy). Vitamin A contents decreased up to 87.8% (5 kGy) and 82.9% (10 kGy) and that of gamma-tocopherol were 72.4% and 66.5% of the unirradiated sample.
alpha-Tocopherol ; Ascorbic Acid ; Bacteria ; beta Carotene ; Capsicum ; Fishes ; Food Irradiation* ; gamma-Tocopherol ; Korea* ; Perciformes ; Phenol ; Powders ; Sesamum ; Thiamine* ; Vitamin A ; Vitamins*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the retrieval rate and accuracy of ultrasound (US)-guided 14-G semi-automated core needle biopsy (CNB) for microcalcifications in the breast. MATERIALS AND METHODS: US-guided 14-G semi-automated CNB procedures and specimen radiography were performed for 33 cases of suspicious microcalcifications apparent on sonography. The accuracy of 14-G semi-automated CNB and radiology-pathology concordance were analyzed and the microcalcification characteristics between groups with successful and failed retrieval were compared. RESULTS: Thirty lesions were successfully retrieved and the microcalcification retrieval rate was 90.9% (30/33). Thirty lesions were successfully retrieved. Twenty five were finally diagnosed as malignant (10 invasive ductal carcinoma, 15 ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS]) and five as benign. After surgery and mammographic follow-up, the 25 malignant lesions comprised 12 invasive ductal carcinoma and 13 DCIS. Three lesions in the failed retrieval group (one DCIS and two benign) were finally diagnosed as two DCIS and one benign after surgery. The accuracy of 14-G semi-automated CNB was 90.9% (30/33) because of two DCIS underestimates and one false-negative diagnosis. The discordance rate was significantly higher in the failed retrieval group than in the successful retrieval group (66.7% vs. 6.7%; p < 0.05). Punctate calcifications were significantly more common in the failed retrieval group than in the successful retrieval group (66.7% vs. 3.7%; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: US-guided 14-G semi-automated CNB could be a useful procedure for suspicious microcalcifications in the breast those are apparent on sonography.
Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle/*methods/standards ; Breast/*pathology ; Breast Diseases/pathology/radiography ; Breast Neoplasms/*pathology/surgery/ultrasonography ; Calcinosis/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating/*pathology/radiography ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; *Ultrasonography, Interventional/standards ; Young Adult