OBJECTIVES: We identified factors associated with any participation and with "good participation" (as assessed by frequency of attendance) in health promotion programs at a public health center in Korea. METHODS: The subjects included 199 women who attended a baseline examination of health promotion programs during the first half of 2009. We collected data by structured interviews and physical examinations. Participation status was quantified by the frequency of attendance to the program. We classified the subjects as non-participants (0) and participants (1+ times), and as poor participants (0-29 times) and good participants (30+ times). RESULTS: Of the 199 subjects, there were 57 (28.6%) non-participants, while 56 (28.1%) were classified as good participants. The factors that significantly affected participation status, as identified by univariate analysis, were personal factors (age, educational level, marital status, religion, living with someone, monthly income), environmental factors (method of access, accessibility of other facilities), body mass index, hypertension, perceived barriers to health, emotional salience, affectionate domain of social support, and depression. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that method of access was the most significant factor affecting participation in the health promotion program, and that the factors most highly associated with good participation were emotional salience, hypertension and body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that specific factors determine and enhance participation in health promotion programs offered by public health centers. These factors should be considered during the design and evaluation of health promotion programs that are offered by public health centers.
Body Mass Index ; Depression ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Marital Status ; Physical Examination ; Public Health

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the effects of organizational culture for the infection control and self-efficacy on compliance with standard precautions of emergency room nurses. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from 1st July to 3rd August, 2017. The participants were 200 nurses working in emergency rooms. The data was collected using structured self-report questionnaires. RESULTS: The average scores for the organizational culture for infection control, self-efficacy and compliance with standard precautions were 5.54, 3.65, and 4.31, respectively. The organizational culture for infection control (r=.59, p<.001) and self-efficacy (r=.28, p<.001) were found to have a positive, meaningful correlation with compliance with the standard precautions. Multiple regression analysis showed that compliance with standard precautions was significantly affected by the organizational culture for infection control (β=0.55, p<.001) and self-efficacy (β=0.13, p=.033). CONCLUSION: The results for this study indicate that the organizational culture for infection control and self-efficacy were highly influential factors affecting compliance with standard precautions of emergency room nurses. Therefore, in order to improve the nurses' use of the standard precautions, it was necessary to develop and evaluate a program that considers the environmental factors and self-efficacy.
Compliance ; Emergencies ; Emergency Nursing ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Infection Control ; Organizational Culture

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify trends in intervention studies on childhood obesity in Korea. METHODS: From 1996, when the first research paper on childhood obesity intervention was published, to 2015, 192 published papers were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The number of studies increased sharply between 1996 and 2007, but declined slightly from then. The majority of studies involved only children as intervention participants. Most were elementary students, and overweight and obese children. Exercise therapy was the most common type of intervention. Parental participation was found in 35 studies, while teacher's participation was found in only one study. In many studies physiological indicators were used as measurement variables, but follow-up was done in only 10 studies. Finally, only a few studies applied a conceptual framework, while a quasi-experimental research design was used for most studies. CONCLUSION: Examination of trends in intervention studies on childhood obesity in Korea, shows there has been a quantitative increase but not enough improvement in terms of the quality of interventions. Findings in the present study suggest that it is necessary to seek diversity in terms of study participants, interventions and evaluation method along with quality improvement in research methodology.
Child ; Exercise Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea* ; Methods ; Only Child ; Overweight ; Parents ; Pediatric Obesity* ; Quality Improvement ; Research Design

BACKGROUND: Construction painters have not been studied well in terms of their hazards exposure. The objective of this study was to evaluate the exposure levels of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) for painters in the construction industry. METHODS: Activity-specific personal air samplings were carried out in three waterproofing activities [polyurethane (PU), asphalt, and cement mortar] and three painting activities (epoxy, oil based, and water based) by using organic-vapor-monitor passive-sampling devices. Gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector could be used for identifying and quantifying individual organic chemicals. The levels of TVOCs, by summing up 15 targeted substances, were expressed in exposure-index (EI) values. RESULTS: As arithmetic means in the order of concentration levels, the EIs of TVOCs in waterproofing works were 10.77, 2.42, 1.78, 1.68, 0.47, 0.07, and none detected (ND) for indoor PU-primer task, outdoor PU-primer task, outdoor PU-resin task, indoor PU-resin task, asphalt-primer task, asphalt-adhesive task, and cement-mortar task, respectively. The highest EI for painting works was 5.61 for indoor epoxy-primer task, followed by indoor epoxy-resin task (2.03), outdoor oil-based-spray-paint task (1.65), outdoor water-based-paint task (0.66), and indoor oil-based-paint task (0.15). Assuming that the operations were carried out continuously for 8 hours without breaks and by using the arithmetic means of EIs for each of the 12 tasks in this study, 58.3% (7 out of 12) exceeded the exposure limit of 100% (EI > 1.0), while 8.3% (1 out of 12) was in 50-100% of exposure limit (0.5 > EI > 1.0), and 4 tasks out of 12 were located in less than 50% of the limit range (EI < 0.5). CONCLUSION: From this study, we recognized that construction painters are exposed to various solvents, including carcinogens and reproductive toxins, and the levels of TVOC concentration in many of the painting tasks exceeded the exposure limits. Construction workers need to be protected from chemical agents during their painting works by using personal protective devices and/or work practice measures. Additional studies should focus on the exposure assessment of other hazards for construction workers, in order to identify high-risk tasks and to improve hazardous work environments.
Carcinogens ; Construction Industry ; Flame Ionization ; Humans ; Organic Chemicals ; Paint ; Paintings ; Protective Devices ; Solvents* ; Volatile Organic Compounds ; Water

PURPOSE: Elevated circulating oxidized low density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) levels are associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis, which may be due to high plasma homocysteine (Hcy) and low intakes of antioxidants. We investigated the contribution of dietary intakes of antioxidants to Hcy-induced LDL oxidation in atherosclerotic patients (AP) and controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male AP (n = 101) who were confirmed by coronary angiography and 91 controls were evaluated by blood biochemistry and dietary intakes. To determine whether homocysteine is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis, subjects were divided into three groups; low- (< or = 6.9 uM/L), normal- (7 uM-12 uM/L) and high- (> or = 12.1 uM/L) Hcy. RESULTS: Plasm levels of homocysteine and LDL were higher, but plasma apo A-I in HDL and folate were lower in the AP group. The odds ratio (OR) for the risk of atherosclerosis was 3.002 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.27-7.09] for patients in the highest tertile with homocysteine > or = 12.1 uM/L. AP having high homocysteine levels had low intakes of vitamin A, beta-carotene and vitamin C. By logistic regression analysis, age, body mass index (BMI), plasma LDL, plasma folate, and low intakes of vitamin A and beta-carotene were found to be risk factors for atherosclerosis in patients with high-Hcy, but dietary B vitamins including folate were not. CONCLUSION: A high-Hcy level was a risk factor for atherosclerosis in patients with high Ox-LDL levels. High intakes of antioxidants appeared to be a protective factor for atherosclerosis, perhaps exerting a pro-oxidative effect on LDL when combined with high levels of Hcy and LDL. However, more evidence for the benefits of B vitamins as a homocysteine-lowering therapy is needed.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to investigate the distribution patterns and exposure concentrations of bioaerosols in industries suspected to have high levels of bioaerosol exposure. METHODS: We selected 11 plants including 3 livestock feed plants (LF industry), 3 metal working fluids handling plants (MWFs industry), and 5 sawmills and measured total airborne bacteria, fungi, endotoxins, as well as dust. Airborne bacteria and fungi were measured with one stage impactor, six stage cascade impactor, and gelatin filters. Endotoxins were measured with polycarbonate filters. RESULTS: The geometric means (GM) of the airborne concentrations of bacteria, fungi, and endotoxins were 1,864, 2,252 CFU/m3, and 31.5 EU/m3, respectively at the sawmills, followed by the LF industry (535, 585 CFU/m3, and 22.0 EU/m3) and MWFs industry (258, 331 CFU/m3, and 8.7 EU/m3). These concentrations by industry type were significantly statistically different (p < 0.01). The ratio of indoor to outdoor concentration was 6.2, 1.9, 3.2, and 3.2 for bacteria, fungi, endotoxins, and dust in the LF industry, 5.0, 0.9, 2.3, and 12.5 in the MWFs industry, and 3.7, 4.1, 3.3, and 9.7 in sawmills. The respiratory fractions of bioaerosols were differentiated by bioaerosol types and industry types: the respiratory fraction of bacteria in the LF industry, MWF industry, and sawmills was 59.4%, 72.0%, and 57.7%, respectively, and that of fungi was 77.3%, 89.5%, and 83.7% in the same order. CONCLUSION: We found that bioaerosol concentration was the highest in sawmills, followed by LF industry facilities and MWFs industry facilities. The indoor/outdoor ratio of microorganisms was larger than 1 and respiratory fraction of microorganisms was more than 50% of the total microorganism concentrations which might penetrate respiratory tract easily. All these findings suggest that bioaerosol in the surveyed industries should be controlled to prevent worker respiratory diseases.
Bacteria ; Biological Agents ; Dust ; Endotoxins ; Fungi ; Gelatin ; Handling (Psychology) ; Livestock ; Polycarboxylate Cement ; Respiratory System

Pseudomonas infections can occur from inadequate chemical treatment of water, prolonged exposure to the water source and excessive numbers of bathers in the pool or hot tub. Therefore, pseudomonas folliculitis is also called 'hot tub folliculitis'. We report a 3-year-old boy with Pseudomonas aeruginosa folliculitis suggestively caused by water from the bathing tub of a Hotel. According to the sanitary code of the United States of America, pool staff should regularly check both chlorine and pH levels to prevent swimmers from recreational water infection. However, in Korea, there is no definite regulation regarding chlorine or pH level of recreational water. Thus, we report this issue with a review of the literature.
Americas ; Baths ; Chlorine ; Folliculitis ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Korea ; Preschool Child ; Pseudomonas ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Pseudomonas Infections ; United States ; Water

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study is to develop a general population job-exposure matrix (GPJEM) on asbestos to estimate occupational asbestos exposure levels in the Republic of Korea. METHODS: Three Korean domestic quantitative exposure datasets collected from 1984 to 2008 were used to build the GPJEM. Exposure groups in collected data were reclassified based on the current Korean Standard Industrial Classification (9th edition) and the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations code (6th edition) that is in accordance to international standards. All of the exposure levels were expressed by weighted arithmetic mean (WAM) and minimum and maximum concentrations. RESULTS: Based on the established GPJEM, the 112 exposure groups could be reclassified into 86 industries and 74 occupations. In the 1980s, the highest exposure levels were estimated in “knitting and weaving machine operators” with a WAM concentration of 7.48 fibers/mL (f/mL); in the 1990s, “plastic products production machine operators” with 5.12 f/mL, and in the 2000s “detergents production machine operators” handling talc containing asbestos with 2.45 f/mL. Of the 112 exposure groups, 44 groups had higher WAM concentrations than the Korean occupational exposure limit of 0.1 f/mL. CONCLUSION: The newly constructed GPJEM which is generated from actual domestic quantitative exposure data could be useful in evaluating historical exposure levels to asbestos and could contribute to improved prediction of asbestos-related diseases among Koreans.
Asbestos* ; Classification ; Dataset ; Mesothelioma ; Occupational Exposure ; Occupations* ; Republic of Korea* ; Talc

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to evaluate exposure levels of various chemicals used in wafer fabrication product lines in the semiconductor industry where work-related leukemia has occurred. METHODS: The research focused on 9 representative wafer fabrication bays among a total of 25 bays in a semiconductor product line. We monitored the chemical substances categorized as human carcinogens with respect to leukemia as well as harmful chemicals used in the bays and substances with hematologic and reproductive toxicities to evaluate the overall health effect for semiconductor industry workers. With respect to monitoring, active and passive sampling techniques were introduced. Eight-hour long-term and 15-minute short-term sampling was conducted for the area as well as on personal samples. RESULTS: The results of the measurements for each substance showed that benzene, toluene, xylene, n-butyl acetate, 2-methoxyethanol, 2-heptanone, ethylene glycol, sulfuric acid, and phosphoric acid were non-detectable (ND) in all samples. Arsine was either "ND" or it existed only in trace form in the bay air. The maximum exposure concentration of fluorides was approximately 0.17% of the Korea occupational exposure limits, with hydrofluoric acid at about 0.2%, hydrochloric acid 0.06%, nitric acid 0.05%, isopropyl alcohol 0.4%, and phosphine at about 2%. The maximum exposure concentration of propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PGMEA) was 0.0870 ppm, representing only 0.1% or less than the American Industrial Hygiene Association recommended standard (100 ppm). CONCLUSION: Benzene, a known human carcinogen for leukemia, and arsine, a hematologic toxin, were not detected in wafer fabrication sites in this study. Among reproductive toxic substances, n-butyl acetate was not detected, but fluorides and PGMEA existed in small amounts in the air. This investigation was focused on the air-borne chemical concentrations only in regular working conditions. Unconditional exposures during spills and/or maintenance tasks and by-product chemicals were not included. Supplementary studies might be required.
2-Propanol ; Arsenicals ; Bays ; Benzene ; Carcinogens ; Ether, Ethyl ; Ethylene Glycol ; Ethylene Glycols ; Ethylenes ; Fluorides ; Humans ; Hydrochloric Acid ; Hydrofluoric Acid ; Ketones ; Korea ; Leukemia ; Nitric Acid ; Occupational Exposure ; Occupational Health ; Phosphines ; Phosphoric Acids ; Propylene Glycol ; Propylene Glycols ; Semiconductors ; Sulfur ; Sulfuric Acids ; Toluene ; Xylenes

Lupus pernio is the most characteristic cutaneous lesion of sarciodosis and this presents as an indurated red to blue-purple, swollen, shiny lesion that is often localized on the nose, cheeks, lips or ears of middle-aged female adults. It is a chronic malady that rarely shows spontaneous remission, and it sometimes causes deformity. It generally occurs as cutaneous lesions of sarcoidosis patients with a long duration of disease, and not as early cutaneous lesions of sarcoidosis. This case concerns a 43-year-old woman who presented with a 1 year history of firm erythematous and violaceous plaque with multiple erythematous and violaceous papules on the collumella and right nasal cavity. Skin biopsy showed noncaseasting granuloma. Herein, we report on a typical case of lupus pernio as the early cutaneous presentation of sarcoidosis, which has rarely been reported in the Korean literature. We suggest that early diagnosis and treatment is necessary to prevent deformity.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Cheek ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Ear ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Lip ; Nasal Cavity ; Nose ; Remission, Spontaneous ; Sarcoidosis ; Skin