This study aimed to establish a foundation for future collaborations aimed at preparing for and responding to infectious diseases by examining the vaccine injury compensation programs (VICPs) of East Asian countries. We reviewed the current status of VICPs in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan by searching national government websites and reviewing relevant literature. Additionally, we conducted email inquiries targeting experts from Japan and Taiwan.Through the comprehensive analysis of VICPs in these 3 countries covered various aspects,we identified several similarities and differences in the VICPs across these countries. Whilethe governments of the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan play a central role in supporting investigations into vaccine injuries and managing compensation procedures based on legalstatutes, they differ in terms of financial resources for compensation, the range of vaccinescovered, and the criteria for assessing causality. In the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan,compensation is typically paid in a lump sum, although the specific benefits available vary bycountry. This study on VICPs in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan provides valuable insights for the further development and management of domestic systems.

This study aimed to establish a foundation for future collaborations aimed at preparing for and responding to infectious diseases by examining the vaccine injury compensation programs (VICPs) of East Asian countries. We reviewed the current status of VICPs in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan by searching national government websites and reviewing relevant literature. Additionally, we conducted email inquiries targeting experts from Japan and Taiwan.Through the comprehensive analysis of VICPs in these 3 countries covered various aspects,we identified several similarities and differences in the VICPs across these countries. Whilethe governments of the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan play a central role in supporting investigations into vaccine injuries and managing compensation procedures based on legalstatutes, they differ in terms of financial resources for compensation, the range of vaccinescovered, and the criteria for assessing causality. In the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan,compensation is typically paid in a lump sum, although the specific benefits available vary bycountry. This study on VICPs in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan provides valuable insights for the further development and management of domestic systems.

This study aimed to establish a foundation for future collaborations aimed at preparing for and responding to infectious diseases by examining the vaccine injury compensation programs (VICPs) of East Asian countries. We reviewed the current status of VICPs in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan by searching national government websites and reviewing relevant literature. Additionally, we conducted email inquiries targeting experts from Japan and Taiwan.Through the comprehensive analysis of VICPs in these 3 countries covered various aspects,we identified several similarities and differences in the VICPs across these countries. Whilethe governments of the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan play a central role in supporting investigations into vaccine injuries and managing compensation procedures based on legalstatutes, they differ in terms of financial resources for compensation, the range of vaccinescovered, and the criteria for assessing causality. In the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan,compensation is typically paid in a lump sum, although the specific benefits available vary bycountry. This study on VICPs in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan provides valuable insights for the further development and management of domestic systems.

This study aimed to establish a foundation for future collaborations aimed at preparing for and responding to infectious diseases by examining the vaccine injury compensation programs (VICPs) of East Asian countries. We reviewed the current status of VICPs in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan by searching national government websites and reviewing relevant literature. Additionally, we conducted email inquiries targeting experts from Japan and Taiwan.Through the comprehensive analysis of VICPs in these 3 countries covered various aspects,we identified several similarities and differences in the VICPs across these countries. Whilethe governments of the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan play a central role in supporting investigations into vaccine injuries and managing compensation procedures based on legalstatutes, they differ in terms of financial resources for compensation, the range of vaccinescovered, and the criteria for assessing causality. In the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan,compensation is typically paid in a lump sum, although the specific benefits available vary bycountry. This study on VICPs in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan provides valuable insights for the further development and management of domestic systems.

This study aimed to establish a foundation for future collaborations aimed at preparing for and responding to infectious diseases by examining the vaccine injury compensation programs (VICPs) of East Asian countries. We reviewed the current status of VICPs in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan by searching national government websites and reviewing relevant literature. Additionally, we conducted email inquiries targeting experts from Japan and Taiwan.Through the comprehensive analysis of VICPs in these 3 countries covered various aspects,we identified several similarities and differences in the VICPs across these countries. Whilethe governments of the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan play a central role in supporting investigations into vaccine injuries and managing compensation procedures based on legalstatutes, they differ in terms of financial resources for compensation, the range of vaccinescovered, and the criteria for assessing causality. In the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan,compensation is typically paid in a lump sum, although the specific benefits available vary bycountry. This study on VICPs in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan provides valuable insights for the further development and management of domestic systems.

Background: With the epidemiological transition, sociodemographic changes and differential lifetime experiences of women, women’s health research improves knowledge of diverse health issues and the impact of policies. To explore the initiatives of women’s health research in Korea, the present study examined the trends and topics of research on women’s health funded by the government. Methods: We searched all research projects on women’s health funded by the government between 2012 and 2020 in Korea using the National Science & Technology Information Service database. We reviewed all the titles and abstract of the projects and examined the research trends by year. Content analysis was performed using both deductive and inductive approaches. Text network analysis and visualization by topic were conducted for keywords with a minimum of 10 occurrences in the title and abstract. Results: Total number and funding amount of research projects on women’s health in 2020 increased by 2.4 and 2.2 times over 2012 levels, respectively. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety funded 20.9% of all projects. The majority of the topics (59.8%) addressed breast and gynecological cancers. Those on sexual and reproductive health accounted for 16.7%, with steep growth in the number (6.1 times) and funding (11.1 times) over 2012 levels. The topic analysis presented a more complex keyword network in 2020 than in 2012; however, the keywords frequently used in 2020 were similar to those of 2012. Conclusion Women’s health research projects have been growing in number and funding, with limited diversity in topics. Diversifying the topics and focusing on issues beyond the breast and pregnancy would be needed to reflect the complete life course of women.Institutionalization of diverse communication channels with various interest groups for women’s health would be needed to better understand women’s health needs from a public health perspective.

Background: We aimed to assess the risk of maternal severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and early abortive outcomes after the association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination during the preconceptional period and preclinical pregnancy, which are likely to be inadvertent vaccination. Methods: We used data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency-COVID19-National Health Insurance Service cohort from December 2020 to December 2021. The vaccinated pregnant women were matched to unvaccinated pregnant controls at a 1:4 ratio.The risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection and intensive care unit (ICU) admission within 14 days of infection were analyzed to assess its effectiveness. For safety measures, the adjusted relative risks (aRRs) of early abortive outcomes for the first COVID-19 vaccination during the preconceptional and preclinical periods were calculated considering covariates. We compared the risk of early abortion between mRNA and viral vector vaccines. Results: The overall COVID-19 vaccination rates during the preconceptional period and preclinical pregnancy were 3.1% (6,662/215,211) and 2.6% (5,702/215,211), respectively.The cumulative incidence of ICU admission within 14 days of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 6/100,000 in the unvaccinated group, whereas there were no ICU admissions in the vaccinated groups. The risks of early abortive outcomes were not significantly different between the preconceptional vaccination group and the unvaccinated group (aRR, 1.04; 95% confidence interval [CI],0.99–1.10) or between preclinical pregnancy vaccination and their matched controls (1.02; 95% CI, 0.96–1.08). mRNA and viral vector vaccines have shown similar risks for early abortive outcomes and miscarriages. Conclusion Our findings have provided compelling evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccination prior to and during early pregnancy. Further research is required to extend the safety and efficacy profiles of COVID-19 vaccines to pregnant women and their babies.

Background: Some working conditions may pose a higher physical or psychological demand to pregnant women leading to increased risks of pregnancy complications. Objectives: We assessed the association of woman's employment status and the industrial classification with obstetric complications. Methods: We conducted a national population study using the National Health Information Service database of Republic of Korea. Our analysis encompassed 1,316,310 women who experienced first-order live births in 2010–2019. We collected data on the employment status and the industrial classification of women, as well as their diagnoses of preeclampsia (PE) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) classified as A1 (well controlled by diet) or A2 (requiring medication). We calculated odds ratios (aORs) of complications per employment, and each industrial classification was adjusted for individual risk factors. Results: Most (64.7%) were in employment during pregnancy. Manufacturing (16.4%) and the health and social (16.2%) work represented the most prevalent industries. The health and social work exhibited a higher risk of PE (aOR = 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03–1.21), while the manufacturing industry demonstrated a higher risk of class A2 GDM (1.20, 95% CI: 1.03–1.41) than financial intermediation. When analyzing both classes of GDM, women who worked in public administration and defense/social security showed higher risk of class A1 GDM (1.04, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.07). When comparing high-risk industries with nonemployment, the health and social work showed a comparable risk of PE (1.02, 95% CI: 0.97, 1.07). Conclusion Employment was associated with overall lower risks of obstetric complications. Health and social service work can counteract the healthy worker effect in relation to PE. This highlights the importance of further elucidating specific occupational risk factors within the high-risk industries.

OBJECTIVES: Limited evidence is available regarding the impact of paternal occupation and its combined effect with maternal occupation on preterm birth. Therefore, we assessed the association of maternal and paternal occupations with preterm birth. METHODS: We used the national birth data of Korea between 2010 and 2020. Parental occupations were divided into 5 categories: (1) managers; (2) professionals, technicians, and related workers; (3) clerks and support workers; (4) service and sales workers; and (5) manual workers. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of extremely, very, and moderate-to-late preterm births per occupational category considering individual risk factors. RESULTS: For the 4,004,976 singleton births, 40.2% of mothers and 95.5% of fathers were employed. Compared to non-employment, employment was associated with a lower risk of preterm birth. Among employed mothers, service and sales occupations were associated with a higher risk of preterm birth than managerial occupations (aOR, 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01 to 1.10 for moderate-to-late preterm births). The father’s manual occupation was associated with a higher risk of preterm birth (aOR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.13 for moderate-to-late preterm) than managerial occupations. When both parents had high-risk occupations, the risk of preterm birth was higher than in cases where only the mother or neither of the parents had a high-risk occupation. CONCLUSIONS Paternal occupation was associated with preterm birth regardless of maternal employment and occupation and modified the effect of maternal occupation. Detailed occupational environment data are needed to identify the paternal exposures that increase the risk.

Purpose: This study investigated recent trends in the topics of women's health research in the United States (US), Canada, Japan, and the European Union where various research projects related to women and gender have been conducted. Methods: To explore recent international women's health research, we selected research projects conducted between 2012 and 2022 from the US National Institute of Health, Canada's Research Information System, Japan's Health, Labor and Welfare Science Research Performance Database, and the European Union's CORDIS website. We categorized the identified research into three main areas; common or serious diseases and conditions affecting women, diseases, and conditions specific to women, and factors influencing women's health. Results: The focus of health research expanded beyond traditional views of women, gender, and gender differences. Projects addressed the health needs of vulnerable groups, including refugees, migrants, incarcerated women, trans individuals, and pregnant women with autism. They also explored the connections between gender and racial differences in women's health. This inclusive approach considered the gaps and intersections within women's health. Conclusion Future women's health research in Korea will need to consider the intersectionality of gender, aging, and immigration. Environment-based approach in the research of drug addiction, mental health, nursing, and care would be important.