With the motto ‘Equity from the Start for a Healthy Future’, the Seoul Healthy First Step Project (SHFSP) was launched in 2013 in an attempt to support women with young children, to improve the health and development of babies, and eventually to close the gap in child development. The SHFSP contains both universal components (universal risk assessment of mothers and universal home visitation after birth) and selective components (prenatal and postnatal sustained home visits, mothers' groups, and community service linkage), thereby taking a proportionate universality approach. For sustained home visits, the SHFSP introduced the Maternal and Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH) program from Australia, which has been proven to be effective in improving maternal and childhood outcomes. Between 2013~2017, the SHFSP has paid 58,327 visits to roughly 38 thousand families with babies. In 2017, the SHFSP covered 19.6% of families with newborn babies in Seoul. The SHFSP conducted internal satisfaction surveys of universal and sustained visitation service recipients, in which an overwhelming majority of mothers provided positive feedback. A performance assessment conducted in 2016 by an external organization showed that 93% of SHFSP service recipients were satisfied with the home visitations. Considering the popular support for the program from mothers and families in Seoul (the most affluent area in Korea) and the lack of a national home visiting program to promote early childhood health and development, this program should be expanded nationally in the near future.
Australia ; Child ; Child Development ; Female ; Home Health Nursing ; House Calls ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Maternal-Child Health Services ; Mothers ; Risk Assessment ; Seoul ; Social Welfare

PURPOSE: Mothers' postpartum depression is a worldwide health concern that produces compromising effects on their infants. This study was conducted to compare the infants' temperament and health problems according to the presence of maternal postpartum depression. METHODS: Data were collected from May to October in 2009. The sample was 137 mothers at one month postpartum. The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to assess depressive symptoms. RESULTS: At one month postpartum, 22.6% of mothers were classified as having postpartum depression. Infants of depressed mothers were more frequently classified as difficult temperament infants. They showed lower scores on the amenability, rhythmicity and persistency and higher scores on activity in temperament. Also, infants of depressed mothers reported more infant health problems at one months. Maternal depression showed significant negative correlations with family functioning, social support and marital satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Study findings show that postpartum maternal depression is associated with infants' temperament and health, and thus screening and early interventions for postpartum depression would promote the health of both the mother and infant.
Adult ; Depression, Postpartum/diagnosis/*psychology ; Family Relations ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Behavior/*psychology ; Infant Welfare ; Male ; Maternal Behavior/psychology ; Mother-Child Relations ; Mothers/*psychology ; Postpartum Period ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; Questionnaires ; Social Support ; *Temperament ; Time Factors

Numerous challenges arise when diabetes develops in young children and adolescents. Beginning self-management at the earliest stages of diabetes diagnosis is critical in dealing with the many issues related to diabetes and physical growth, psychological development, and social integration. The primary goal of diabetes self-management for diabetic children and adolescents is to maintain good physical and mental health, both of which require strong family support, social acceptance, and a nurturing environment. Diabetes educators must first encourage public understanding of the psycho-social needs of diabetic children and adolescents, and then individualize treatment using a patient/family-centered approach to diabetes education. The national support system and private social welfare resources can support children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus by providing accessible information and connections between patients and financial sponsors, and by promoting a campaign to change social attitudes toward diabetes mellitus. With supportive programs, the integration of diabetic children and adolescents into society as healthy contributors to family and school is possible.
Adolescent* ; Child* ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Self Care ; Social Distance ; Social Welfare ; Social Workers*

OBJECTIVES: Based on individual and environmental characteristics of low-income children, we developed a nutrition education program for school-aged children from low-income families according to effective use in social welfare centers. METHODS: We conducted in-depth group interviews to assess program needs in 28 participants, 10 low-income school-aged children and 9 of their care givers, 9 social workers and 9 care-givers. Theoretical backgrounds of our program were heath belief model and social cognitive theory considering motivation, action and environment characteristics. RESULTS: Based on the findings of this qualitative study, we developed major program themes and contents. Five selected key themes were 'balanced diet', 'processed food', 'food hygiene and safety', 'Korean healthy traditional diet', and 'family cooking' to induce changes in dietary behaviors. Main findings of in-depth group interviews included 'child's active participation', 'simple and easy to understand messages', and 'environmental constraints' such as a lack of child care at home, limited budget of social welfare centers, and less qualified educators for nutrition and health. Each lesson was constructed as a 1-hour program particularly emphasizing activity-based programs, including cooking and teamwork exercises. Program contents in each session consisted of activities that could induce outcome and value expectations, self-efficacy, perceived benefits, and barriers and cues to actions regarding diet behavior. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a nutrition education programthat is rarely available for low-income children in Korea, considering theoretical bases. Further studies are needed to validate our program.
Budgets ; Caregivers ; Child Care ; Child* ; Cooking ; Cues ; Diet ; Education* ; Exercise ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Interviews as Topic ; Korea ; Motivation ; Qualitative Research ; Social Welfare ; Social Workers

No abstract available.
Abortion, Induced ; Child Welfare* ; Family Planning* ; Female ; Human ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Male ; Maternal Age ; Maternal Mortality ; Maternal Welfare* ; Pregnancy

In Korea, concerns over child sexual abuse have been rising recently because of the fatal consequences for victims and the fact that the incidence has continued to increase even after the government's efforts to intensify the punishment of perpetrators. While the angry and painful responses of many Koreans to recent incidents of child sexual abuse, such as the Jo Doo Soon case, are intense enough to lead to the government's urgent reactions to resolve it, few systematic, comprehensive approaches to coping with and preventing sexual abuse of children and adolescents have been developed. To establish efficient systems for coping with and preventing child sexual abuse, well trained experts such as physicians, psychologists, and social workers, and social service systems to train these professionals as well as institutions to provide appropriate medical and welfare services are essential. However, the current systems supporting victims of child sexual abuse, such as the Sunflower Children's Center, One-stop Center, and other counseling centers, are not well coordinated and lack knowledgeable professionals. Furthermore, since there is no responsible government department to integrate the social welfare and legal systems for child sexual abuse, services are inefficient and decentralized. Thus to cope with and prevent child sexual abuse in Korea, we need to establish good, efficient social service systems to train experts, to coordinate each organizations, to integrate child sexual abuse treatment and prevention into the general child welfare system, and to establish enough service centers to provide all legal, medical, welfare, and other services required.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child Abuse, Sexual ; Child Welfare ; Counseling ; Helianthus ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Phosphatidylethanolamines ; Punishment ; Sex Offenses ; Social Welfare ; Social Workers

To examine the current state and social ramifications of disability evaluation in Japan, public data from Annual Reports on Health and Welfare 1998-1999 were investigated. All data were analyzed based on the classification of disabilities and the effects of age-appropriate welfare services, which have been developed through a half-century of legislative efforts to support disability evaluation. These data suggest that disability evaluation, while essentially affected by age and impairment factors at a minimum, was impacted more by the assistive environment for disabilities. The assistive environment was found to be closely linked with the welfare support system related to a global assessment in the field of community-based rehabilitation.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Community Health Services/economics ; *Disability Evaluation ; Disabled Persons/classification/rehabilitation ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Japan ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Social Support ; Social Welfare

A survey for finding out rural health care was done in Ichon-Gun, Kyonggi-Do during October, 1973. Of the 29,132 inhabitants, 974 persons were interviewed for the basic household survey, maternal and child health, family planning and medical care for illness. The survey included 201 households of total of 4,121. In addition to the survey, an evaluation was done of a two-year old rural health nursing service provided by the Korean Rural Medical Service (KRMS). KRMS was organized with Korean nurses who returned from West Germany and sponsored by the Bread for the World. Following results were obtained: 1. Population structure showed that the age group between 20-30 years old represented 9.4% of all males and 8.5% of all females. 84.6% of interviewees were farmers and 43.5% of the householders were primary school graduates. 2. More than 55% of all the houses had straw-roofing and water supply was dependent upon pumpwells (42.4%). 88% of the latrines were traditional and of insanitary construction. 3. Average marriage age for female respondents was 21.2 years, and average number of pregnancies was 4.9. About 12% of the housewives experienced natural abortions, and 8% were pregnant at the time of the survey. 4. More than 90% of total deliveries were cared for at home and only 8.5% of those received prenatal and post-partum care. Of those wives having home deliveries, 85% wanted to have them at home, and 9% would have preferred hospital delivery. 5. In the month preceding the survey, 72.5% of 947 interviewees had been sick 29.9% from respiratory illness, 12.5% with indigestion, 8.5% with headache and dizziness. Mostly, these patients got treatment through drugstores (20.8%), health subcenters (12.5 %), clinks or hospitals (9.7%). The average patient spent about 1,760 won ($ 4.40) for each illness. Patients missed medical treatment because of economic reasons (6.2%), and carelessness for health and illness (15.9%). 6. Seventy eight percent of total interviewees acknowledged recognition of the activities of Korean Rural Medical Service and 20.5% of the total householders received their health service through medical care (53.5%), immunization (34.5%), and health education (24%). More than half (51.5%) of clients who received health services commented that KRMS work was satisfactory, and 1.5% complained of it being unkind or insufficient. About 10% of total households desired a more closely located health subcenter.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Education ; Female ; Human ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Male ; Maternal Welfare ; Middle Age ; Pregnancy ; Rural Health* ; Statistics ; Vaccination

OBJECTIVE: Child abuse is not an uncommon occurrence in Korea. Despite the significant progression the child abuse study suffers from methodological difficultes including that child abuse has never been adequately or reliably defined. Therefore, authors surveyed the attitudes toward child abuse and defined the concept of child abuse more reliably. METHODS: We used the survey questionnaire with the vignette based on clinical cases. The survey included 405 persons in general population living in Seoul and 125 professional personnel engaged in child welfare business. The survey was done by trained university students of social welfare. Questionnaire composed of 14 vignettes(6 physical abuse cases ; 3 neglect cases ; five emotional abuse cases). Each vignette contained 3 items composed of decisiveness and permissiveness of child abuse and the rationale about the determination of the abuse. RESULTS: First, the irrational rationale for parental behavior or very serious inflictions and injury on child were usually considered as abusive behavior. However, parents or teacher may be often allowed to inflict abuse upon the children for the correction or discipline. Second, neglect in considered as an unaccepatable serious child abuse at a high rate. Third, the most important factor determining the criteria of the abuse, was the motivation for discipline. At that times procedure or injury can be ignored. Fourth, some vignettes were considered as abusive but permissible. This discrepancy between concept and acceptance were not unpredicted but notable. Professional group had higher rates of abuse, but was more permissive than general population group. Both of general population and professional groups showed similar patterns in other parts. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the definiuon of child abuse should include the neglect and emotional abuse as well as physical abuse or battering(or corporal punishment) despite of the methodological difficulties. Several factors including the motivation for discipline should be considered in the definition, and the discrepancy between concept and acceptance of child abuse also need to be considered.
Child ; Child Abuse* ; Child Welfare ; Child* ; Commerce ; Humans ; Korea* ; Motivation ; Parents ; Permissiveness ; Population Groups ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul ; Social Welfare

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate factors related to the periodontal health of 12-year-old children.METHODS: In 2015, the Korean Children's Oral Health Survey from the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare conducted a nationwide representative sample comprised of 23,702 12-year-old children. The calibration-trained dentists examined the gingivitis and dental calculus of the children taking into consideration of the Löe and Silness gingival index to diagnose gingivitis with a modified gingivitis scale. We used questionnaires to collect data from the children on dental treatments, the experience of dental pain and gingival bleeding, self-perceived oral health, and oral health behaviors. Data were analyzed using a complex samples Chi-square test, general linear model, and logistic regression. Significance was determined at P < 0.05.RESULTS: The prevalence of gingivitis was higher among males (OR 1.57), among children with poor perception (OR 1.19), dental calculus (OR 3.68), or gingival bleeding experience (OR 2.00), and among children not using dental floss (OR 1.69) or tongue cleaner (OR 1.90). The prevalence of dental calculus was higher among children with gingivitis (OR 3.82) and among children who had not visited a dental clinic in the preceding year (OR 1.31). However, dental calculus was lower among children with a higher frequency of daily toothbrushing (OR 0.75), intake of cariogenic foods (OR 0.90), or a higher DMFT index (OR 0.91).CONCLUSIONS: Children with dental calculus and gingival bleeding who did not visit a dental clinic in the preceding year also had a higher prevalence of gingivitis and dental calculus. The prevalence of children's dental calculus was lower among children with a high frequency of daily toothbrushing.
Child ; Dental Calculus ; Dental Clinics ; Dental Devices, Home Care ; Dentists ; Gingivitis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Oral Health ; Periodontal Index ; Prevalence ; Social Welfare ; Tongue ; Toothbrushing