This study investigated the changes in the health-related behaviors of adult women in Korea during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Data from the eighth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019- 2020) were analyzed. The participants were 4,848 women aged 19 to 64 years in 2019 and 2020. Data analysis using the complex sampling design was performed using SPSS 20.1. Results: Positive changes during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic in Korean adult women were found for improved subjective oral health perceptions (odds ratio [OR], 1.77; p<.001), increased moderate-intensity exercise in work and leisure activities (OR, 1.75; p<.001 and OR; 1.29, p=.004), and a decrease in secondhand smoke exposure at the workplace and in public places (OR, 0.64; p=.004 and OR, 0.60; p<.001). However, the following negative health behavior changes were found: decreased frequency of walking 5 days a week (OR, 0.81; p=.011) and an increase in unhealthy daytime sleep durations (OR, 1.40; p=006). Conclusion: Compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, Korean adult women perceived their subjective dental health more positively during the COVID-19 pandemic, decreased their exposure to secondhand smoke at work and in public places, decreased walking, and increased sleep duration during the week. Since this study only compared data between 1 year before and after the start of the pandemic, it is necessary to investigate a longer period of time in the future. A future study should attempt to identify the factors related to changes in health behaviors caused by the pandemic.

PURPOSE: To describe nursing students' experience of sexual harassment during clinical practicum. METHODS: An interpretive phenomenological qualitative approach was used to understand contextual experiences of participants. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted to collect data from thirteen nursing students who experienced sexual harassment during clinical practice in general hospitals at D metropolitan city. All interviews were recorded and transcribed into Korean and English. Transcripts were analyzed using the data analysis method described by Diekelmann, Allen, and Tanner. RESULTS: The following 12 themes emerged from the data: ‘unprepared to respond’, ‘lack of education’, ‘unsure about when behavior crosses the line’, ‘power differential for nursing students’, ‘balancing self-preservation with obligations to patients’, ‘shame’, ‘feeling responsible for not being able to prevent the harassment’, ‘impact on patient care’, ‘fear of what might have happened’, ‘fear of repercussions’, ‘long term impact’, and ‘peer support’. CONCLUSION: Participants in this study described feeling an obligation to care for their patients. However, they seemed to be unable to balance this while feeling vulnerable to sexual harassment with strong negative feelings. Helping students recognize and effectively deal with sexual harassment is a critical element to assure quality learning for participants and maintain quality of care during clinical practice.
Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Learning ; Methods ; Nursing* ; Preceptorship* ; Qualitative Research ; Sexual Harassment* ; Statistics as Topic ; Students, Nursing

PURPOSE: This study was to explore the effects of breast cancer education for college students on their mother's breast cancer screening promotion. METHODS: This study used a one-group pretest and posttest design. Data were collected from September to November, 2007 from a sample of 80 college students and their mothers using a survey questionnaire, which asked about demographic variables, concerns over health and breast cancer, communication, stage of change and attitude (pros and cons) related to breast cancer, and confidence in breast self-examination. The college students received education about breast cancer for 50 minutes and then they educated their mothers about breast cancer. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and paired t-test. RESULTS: The mean age of the college students was 22.0 years, and that of their mothers 49.4 years with a range from 43 to 58 years. After receiving education on breast cancer, there were significant changes in the mean scores of concerns about health and breast cancer, communication, pros in mammography, and confidence in practicing breast self-examination. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that education on breast cancer to mothers through their college-age daughters is effective and can be utilized to promote breast cancer screening for women.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast Self-Examination ; Breast* ; Education ; Female ; Health Education* ; Humans ; Mammography ; Mass Screening* ; Mothers ; Nuclear Family ; Students, Nursing ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was to identify health behavior, health service use, and health related quality of life of adult women in one-person and multi-person households. METHODS: It was used data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VII-2017). Subjects were 2,522 women with age of 19 to 64 years in 2017. Complex sampling design and data analysis were performed using SPSS 20.1. RESULTS: Women in one-person households had higher rates of alcohol drinking (χ²=13.77, p=.003), smoking (χ²=16.07, p=.001), unmet medical care (χ²=8.77, p=.004) and non-practice of cancer screening (χ²=13.77, p=.003) compared to women in multi-person households. Health-related quality of life was also lower for women in one-person households (t=−2.46, p=.015). Factors affecting health-related quality of life in one-person households were household income, job status, and unmet dental care, having 32.4% explanatory power. One-person household women with low incomes, no jobs, and unmet dental care showed low health-related quality of life. In comparison, factors affecting health-related quality of life of women in multi-person household women were age, education level, unmet medical care, and unmet dental care, having 10.4% explaining power. Women in multi-person households with age of 60–64, low education level, unmet medical care, and unmet dental care showed low health-related quality of life. CONCLUSION: Health promotion strategies should be developed based on unique understanding of social, economic, and health of adult women in one-person and multi-person households.
Adult ; Alcohol Drinking ; Dental Care ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Health Promotion ; Health Services ; Humans ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Quality of Life ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Statistics as Topic

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify unmet healthcare needs among male and female one-person households and to explore related factors by gender. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The final sample consisted of 820 one-person households. The statistical analysis, conducted in SPSS version 20.1, included complex sampling analysis; descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and logistic regression. Results: The demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of women in one-person households were significantly different from those of men in one-person households. Women in single-person households were mainly in their 70s or older and married, and they tended to have a low education level, low income, and no formal occupation. Unmet healthcare needs were experienced by 17.3% of women in one-person households and 13.5% of men in one-person households, which was not a statistically significant difference (χ2=2.17, p=.139). Factors related to unmet healthcare needs were subjective health status and unmet dental care needs in single-person-household men. By contrast, having experienced impairment within the past year, stress, and unmet dental care needs were factors related to unmet healthcare needs in single-person-household women. Conclusion As one-person households become increasingly common, more attention needs to be paid to them and our understanding of them needs to be improved. Women in one-person households, in particular, are especially vulnerable, as they experience more unmet healthcare needs.

Purpose: This study examined health behaviors, use of health services, and depression among women who perform daytime and shift work in South Korea, as well as factors related to depression. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis using data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2018. Data on women, 1,493 regular daytime workers and 322 shift workers, were analyzed. Results: Shift workers were younger (χ2=43.97, p<.001), had a lower education level (χ2=45.56, p<.001), and lower personal income (χ2=16.85, p=.030) than daytime workers. A higher proportion of shift workers were unmarried (χ2=37.47, p<.001) and they typically worked fewer than 40 hours per week (χ2=69.94, p<.001). The depression score of shift workers was higher than that of daytime workers (t=2.85, p=.005). A higher proportion of shift workers also drank alcohol (χ2=6.49, p=.032) and smoked (χ2=30.79, p<.001). Over 8% of shift workers typically slept fewer than 5 hours per night (χ2=14.17, p=.024). It was confirmed that depression in women shift workers was affected by age, personal income, marital status, health status, and smoking status, in addition to cancer screening participation, unmet medical care needs, and unmet dental care needs. Conclusion More attention should be given to the health needs of women working shifts. Health promotion programs specific for women shift workers are needed to improve their physical and mental health, encourage use of medical care services, and improve public health policies and systems.

Purpose: This study examined health behaviors, use of health services, and depression among women who perform daytime and shift work in South Korea, as well as factors related to depression. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis using data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2018. Data on women, 1,493 regular daytime workers and 322 shift workers, were analyzed. Results: Shift workers were younger (χ2=43.97, p<.001), had a lower education level (χ2=45.56, p<.001), and lower personal income (χ2=16.85, p=.030) than daytime workers. A higher proportion of shift workers were unmarried (χ2=37.47, p<.001) and they typically worked fewer than 40 hours per week (χ2=69.94, p<.001). The depression score of shift workers was higher than that of daytime workers (t=2.85, p=.005). A higher proportion of shift workers also drank alcohol (χ2=6.49, p=.032) and smoked (χ2=30.79, p<.001). Over 8% of shift workers typically slept fewer than 5 hours per night (χ2=14.17, p=.024). It was confirmed that depression in women shift workers was affected by age, personal income, marital status, health status, and smoking status, in addition to cancer screening participation, unmet medical care needs, and unmet dental care needs. Conclusion More attention should be given to the health needs of women working shifts. Health promotion programs specific for women shift workers are needed to improve their physical and mental health, encourage use of medical care services, and improve public health policies and systems.

PURPOSE: Maternal Fetal Intensive Care Unit (MFICU), which provides intensive care to high-risk mothers with increasing maternal age and high-risk newborns, has become a new field of nursing work in South Korea. The present study was conducted to identify the educational needs and self-assessing clinical competence of nurses in MFICU. METHODS: The education needs and competencies of MFICU nurses were measured through prepared questionnaires by researchers based on the previous studies on job analysis of nurses in MFICU. Data were collected from January 2019 to March 2019. The study involved 168 nurses working in MFICUs at 12 hospitals nationwide as study subjects. The data were analyzed using the SPSS WIN 23.0 program. RESULTS: The education needs of nurses in MFICU had an average of 4.21 points (±0.50) and their nursing competence was average 3.38 points (±0.60). The items reported as high education needs but low competency by nurses in MFICU were as following: ‘postpartum hemorrhage and shock,’ ‘cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for neonate,’ ‘CPR during pregnancy,’ ‘disseminated intravascular coagulation,’ ‘sepsis,’ and ‘mechanical ventilation during pregnancy.’ CONCLUSION: Based on these results, it is proposed that a comprehensive education program for nurses in MFICU should be developed by considering low capabilities among MFICU nurses as a priority factor.
Clinical Competence ; Critical Care ; Education ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Maternal Age ; Mental Competency ; Mothers ; Nursing ; Resuscitation ; Ventilation