PURPOSE: The pollen calendar is the simplest forecasting method for pollen concentrations. As pollen concentrations are liable to seasonal variations due to alterations in climate and land-use, it is necessary to update the pollen calendar using recent data. To attenuate the impact of considerable temporal and spatial variability in pollen concentrations on the pollen calendar, it is essential to employ a new methodology for its creation.METHODS: A pollen calendar was produced in Korea using data from recent observations, and a new method for creating the calendar was proposed, considering both risk levels and temporal resolution of pollen concentrations. A probability distribution was used for smoothing concentrations and determining risk levels. Airborne pollen grains were collected between 2007 and 2017 at 8 stations; 13 allergenic pollens, including those of alder, Japanese cedar, birch, hazelnut, oak, elm, pine, ginkgo, chestnut, grasses, ragweed, mugwort and Japanese hop, were identified from the collected grains.RESULTS: The concentrations of each pollen depend on locations and seasons due to large variability in species distribution and their environmental condition. In the descending order of concentration, pine, oak and Japanese hop pollens were found to be the most common in Korea. The pollen concentrations were high in spring and autumn, and those of oak and Japanese hop were probably the most common cause of allergy symptoms in spring and autumn, respectively. High Japanese cedar pollen counts were observed in Jeju, while moderate concentrations were in Jeonju, Gwangju and Busan.CONCLUSIONS: A new methodology for the creation of a pollen calendar was developed to attenuate the impact of large temporal and spatial variability in pollen concentrations. This revised calendar should be available to the public and allergic patients to prevent aggravation of pollen allergy.
Alnus ; Ambrosia ; Artemisia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Betula ; Busan ; Climate ; Corylus ; Cryptomeria ; Forecasting ; Ginkgo biloba ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Jeollabuk-do ; Korea ; Methods ; Poaceae ; Pollen ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal ; Seasons

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors related to physical health monitoring of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder. METHODS: A total of 172 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder registered in mental health welfare centers and rehabilitation facilities in Gwangju were recruited. Physical health monitoring was defined by two health behaviors; fasting blood tests within recent 2 years in all participants and routine medical check-ups covered by national insurance within recent 5 years in participants aged 40 years or older. Demographic and clinical characteristics including overweight, metabolic syndrome and knowledge about physical illness were compared according to physical health monitoring. RESULTS: Prevalence of overweight and metabolic syndrome were 62.8% and 40.1%, respectively. The rates of fasting blood tests and routine medical check-ups were 34.9% and 67.9%, respectively. The rates of fasting blood tests were significantly higher in general hospital and university hospital compared to mental hospital or private clinic. Rates of routine medical check-ups were significantly lower in individuals using daily rehabilitation service and smokers. Knowledge about cancer and chronic illness were significantly better in individuals receiving routine medical check-ups compared with those not receiving it. CONCLUSION: Education about physical health should be integrated to mental health service in community mental health center.
Chronic Disease ; Education ; Fasting ; Gwangju ; Health Behavior ; Hematologic Tests ; Hospitals, General ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Insurance ; Mental Health ; Mental Health Services ; Overweight ; Prevalence ; Rehabilitation ; Schizophrenia ; Smoking

OBJECTIVES: Serious mental illnesses and substance use disorder have a high level of early mortality. This study aimed to identify the causes of their deaths among patients who had been under the care of community mental health and welfare centers and addiction management centers.METHODS: We collected information on deceased individuals, whose mortality was attributable to various causes of death, from 10 Community Mental Health Centers and Addiction Centers in Gwangju Metropolitan City. The primary variables collected included psychiatric diagnosis, cause of death, smoking habits, admission history, and several socio-demographic factors.RESULTS: A total of 214 deaths among service users were studies. In Community Mental Health Centers, 109 deaths were identified, with causes that may be itemized as follows : 27 suicides(24.8%), 56 physical illnesses( 51.4%), 14 accidents(12.8%), and 12 unknown causes(11.0%). Among the physical illnesses reported, cardiovascular illness and cancer were the most common causes of death. A history of frequent admission was common among those that had died by suicide(88.9%), compared with that observed among general service users(62.0%). In Addiction Centers, 105 deaths were identified, with causes that may be itemized as follows : 7 suicides(6.7%), 71 physical illnesses(68.3%), 7 accidents(6.7%), and 20 unknown causes(19.0%). Among the physical illnesses reported, sudden death, hepatic disorder, cancer, and cardiovascular disorder were the most common causes of death.CONCLUSION: Case managers should give due consideration to and carefully manage the physical health of individuals accessing mental health services via community mental health centers and addiction centers.
Case Management ; Cause of Death ; Community Mental Health Centers ; Death, Sudden ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; Mental Health Services ; Mental Health ; Mortality ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Substance-Related Disorders ; Suicide

In recent years, the taeniasis has been rarely reported in the Republic of Korea (Korea). But in this study, we intend to report 4 taeniasis cases caused by Taenia saginata during a 5-month period (February to June 2018) at a unversity hospital in Gwangju, Korea. Worm samples (proglottids) discharged from all cases were identified by phenotypic and molecular diagnostics. Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences showed 99.4–99.9% identity with T. saginata but, differed by 4% from T. asiatica and by 7% from T. multiceps, respectively. We found that tapeworms in 2 cases (Cases 2 and 3) yielded exactly the same sequences between them, which differed from those in Cases 1 and 4, suggesting intra-species variation in tapeworms. These taeniasis cases by T. saginata infection in this study, which occurred within a limited time period and region, suggest the possibility of a mini-outbreak. This study highlights the need for further epidemiological investigation of potentially overlooked cases of T. saginata infection in Korea.
Cestoda ; Electron Transport Complex IV ; Gwangju ; Korea ; Pathology, Molecular ; Republic of Korea ; Taenia saginata ; Taeniasis

Suicide is the fifth-leading cause of death in Korea, accounting for 4.4% of all deaths. Therefore, suicide is a serious medical problem, as well as a social problem. In this paper, we provide a social psychiatric perspective on suicide and recommend suicide prevention strategies based on programs with roots in the Gwangju mental health pilot project and an analysis of suicide patterns in Seoul. First, early intervention and active case management are mandatory to prevent suicide among individuals with mental illnesses such as depression, schizophrenia, and alcohol use disorder. To this end, mental health and welfare centers, addiction management centers, suicide prevention centers, and care program after a suicide attempt in the emergency department of general hospitals should collaborate via a multidisciplinary approach. Second, crisis intervention should be provided in collaboration with the police, government officials, and mental health agencies to people who are at immediate risk of suicide. Additionally, case management services should be expanded for individuals who are treated at hospitals for psychiatric illness. Third, social welfare services should be offered to low-income individuals at risk of suicide. Fourth, the mass media should restrict reporting about suicide and follow the relevant reporting guidelines. Finally, access to methods of committing suicide, such as charcoal for burning and agrichemical poisoning, should be regulated by the government. Proactive psychosocial strategies implemented with government support will prevent suicide-related deaths and decrease the suicide rate in Korea.
Burns ; Case Management ; Cause of Death ; Charcoal ; Cooperative Behavior ; Crisis Intervention ; Depression ; Early Intervention (Education) ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Gwangju ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Korea ; Mass Media ; Mental Health ; Occupational Groups ; Pilot Projects ; Poisoning ; Police ; Schizophrenia ; Seoul ; Social Problems ; Social Welfare ; Suicide

OBJECTIVES: This study conducted to investigate work-related factors in relation to smoking among women working in call centers in Gwangju, South Korea. METHODS: From 56 call centers (7320 employees), we selected 10 and conducted a survey using a structured questionnaire by randomly selecting 10% of workers from each center. A total of 387 subjects participated in this survey We analyzed for 375 respondents, after excluding men and those with missing responses. We analyzed the relationships of work-related factors such as emotional labor, workplace violence, employment type, annual salary, working hours, employment period with smoking, using multiple logistic regression analysis. Emotional labor and workplace violence were measured using the Korean Emotional Labor Scale (K-ELS) and Korean Workplace Violence Scale (K-WVS). RESULTS: The prevalence of current smoking among call center female workers was 13.6%. Univariate analysis showed that “Emotional disharmony and hurt”, “Experience of psychological and sexual violence from supervisors and co-workers” among items of K-ELS and K-WVS, working hours, annual salary correlated with smoking. After adjusting for emotional labor, workplace violence, employment type, annual salary, working hours, employment period, and age, only working hours show a significant association with smoking. Women who worked 40–49 h had 3.50 times (95% CI = 1.04–11.80) and worked more than 50 h had 8.68 times (95% CI = 1.89–39.78) greater odds of smoking as compared with women who worked less than 40 h. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking was associated with working hours among female workers in call center. However, emotional labor and workplace violence did not show significant relationships with smoking.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Employment ; Female ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Prevalence ; Salaries and Fringe Benefits ; Sex Offenses ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Workplace Violence

BACKGROUND: As of July 2015, per diem payment was changed from fee for service Therefore, this study aims to analyse changes in medical charges and medical services before and after enforcement of the palliative care, targeting palliative care wards in a general hospital, and provide basic data needed for development of per diem payment. METHODS: The subjects of the study were a total of 610 cases consisting of 351 patients of service fee who left hospital (died) from July 2014 to June 2016 and 259 ones of per diem payment at Chosun University Hospital in Gwangju Metropolitan City. RESULTS: The results are summarized as follows. First, after the palliative care system was applied, benefit medical service charges and insurance increased significantly (p<0.001). As benefit medical service charges increased, benefit private insurance payment increased significantly (p<0.001). Second, after the per diem payment was applied, total private insurance payment to medical institutes decreased significantly (p=0.050) and non-benefit also decreased significantly (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: It is suggested that additional rewards in the obligatory palliative care items should be continuously remedied and monitored to provide good quality hospice palliative care.
Academies and Institutes ; Fee-for-Service Plans ; Fees and Charges ; Gwangju ; Hospices ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Insurance ; Palliative Care ; Reward

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to determine the radiation safety status of dental care institutions and to contribute to the development of guidelines for radiation protection in dental clinics in order to improve the work environment and reduce the radiation hazard for practitioners. METHODS: The subjects were selected using a convenience sampling. A total of 300 subjects participated in this study, including 150 dental hygienists from dental clinics in Gwangju Metropolitan City with radiation-related work experience and 150 dental hygienists who had participated in a seminar hosted by the Korean Dental Insurance Manager Association held on January 17, 2016. For the survey, self-entry questionnaires were used, and the collected data were analyzed by performing a frequency analysis using cross tabulation (χ2-test) and t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The awareness on radiation protection among dental hygienists showed 4.4 out of 5 points, which was high, but the practice of radiation protection was overall poor. For the necessity of developing radiation protection guidelines, 91.9% answered “Yes, it is necessary.”. CONCLUSIONS: The level of radiation protection practiced at dental healthcare centers was much lower than the awareness of it and showed that the requirement of guidelines for radiation protection was high. Therefore, institutional devices require the development and utilization of various types of radiation protection guidelines in order to mitigate radiation risks and improve the work environment.
Delivery of Health Care ; Dental Care ; Dental Clinics ; Dental Hygienists ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Insurance, Dental ; Radiation Protection

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the inflow and outflow patterns of emergency department patients with si-gun-gu in the Gwangju, Jeonbuk, and Jeonnam areas. METHODS: Data from the Gwangju, Jeonbuk, and Jeonnam were extracted from the National Emergency Department Information System in 2016. The extracted data (on 42 areas in Gwangju, Jeonbuk, and Jeonnam) using the variables of the patient's address (zip code) and the emergency medical institution code (emergency medical institution address) were used to calculate the relevance index and commitment index. The calculated indices were classified into the regional types by applying NbClust and cluster analysis (K-means) of the R package. RESULTS: The relevance indices ranged from 12.5% to 90.4%, and the commitment indices ranged from 9.2% to 90.3%. The results of cluster analysis with the relevance indices and commitment indices revealed three types for 39 areas. In cluster 1, the relevance indices ranged from 43.5% to 61.6%, and the commitment indices ranged from 9.2% to 49.5%. Three out of the thirty-nine areas were classified as the inflow type. In cluster 2, the relevance indices ranged from 12.5% to 56.0% and the commitment indices ranged from 62.5% to 90.3%; 12 areas were classified as the outflow type. The areas in cluster 3 were classified as the self-sufficient type, with relevance indices ranging from 60.1% to 90.4% and commitment indices ranging from 59.0% to 89.7% for 24 areas. CONCLUSION: Three area types and 11 out of 12 areas classified as outflow types were found to be emergency medical vulnerable areas. The results of this study can be used to establish local emergency medical policies.
Cluster Analysis ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Jeollabuk-do ; Jeollanam-do

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the association between sodium excretion and obesity for healthy adults in the Gwangju area. METHODS: The participants included 80 healthy adults aged 19 to 69 years in Gwangju. The dietary intake and sodium excretion were obtained using the 24-hour recall method and 24 hour urine collection. The participants were classified into two groups according to the amount of urinary sodium excretion: (≤ 141.75 mmol/dL, > 141.75 mmol/dL). RESULTS: After adjusting for sex, age, smoking history, and income, the high excretion of sodium group was significantly higher for weight, body mass index, body fat mass, percent body fat, visceral fat area (VFA), waist circumference, hip circumference, and WHR. The energy and nutrients intake were significant after adjusting for sex, age, smoking history, and income. The LSE group had a significantly higher fat intake and Na/K intake ratio. The HSE group had significantly higher fiber intake, and K intake. As the amount of urinary sodium excretion increased, the risk of obesity before correction was 3.57 (95% CI: 1.13–11.25) times greater, and the risk of obesity of T3 increased significantly by 3.33 times (95% CI: 1.05–10.59). After correcting for sex and age, the obesity risk of T2 increased significantly by 4.23 times (95% CI: 1.11–16.06), and after correcting for sex, age, smoking history, and income, the obesity risk of T2 increased significantly by 6.81 times (95% CI: 1.44–32.19) the risk of obesity. CONCLUSIONS: An association exists between sodium excretion and obesity in Korean adults. In this study, the high excretion of sodium group was obese and the risk of obesity was higher than the low excretion of sodium group.
Adipose Tissue ; Adult ; Body Weight ; Gwangju ; Hip ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Methods ; Obesity ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Sodium ; Urine Specimen Collection ; Waist Circumference