Purpose: This study was conducted with a focus group interview that drew out experiences, limitations, and difficulties in the workplace according to the employment conditions of visiting nurses in the public health centers. Methods: A total of 12 visiting nurses are those working in the public sector in Seoul and Gyeonggi province who were willing to participate in the interview. Analysis categories and coding were divided into three categories: compensation system, occupational status, and opinions to improve their treatment. Using the content analysis method, the current working status and compensation system of visiting nurses were described. Results: The main themes derived from the significant statements of visiting nurses were ‘Ten years of frozen salary system’, ‘Full-time workers of their own league’, ‘Excluded from performance benefits’, ‘Every visiting nurses are virtually precarious’, ‘Experience of exclusion and discrimination’, and ‘Reasons and barriers to be a full-time worker’. All of the visiting nurses working in the community insisted on having equal treatment for work of equal value. Visiting nurses in the public health sector wanted to be set to the same payment system and the fair allowance system as well. It is necessary to continuously seek solutions to the problems left in insisting on the civil service of visiting nurses. Conclusion Visiting nurses who were working in a precarious job position felt job insecurity, and experienced discrimination, alienation, and exclusion. Legal and institutional reform is needed to improve the treatment of visiting nurses.

Purpose: This study investigated the occupational status and job stress of visiting nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants were 151 visiting nurses working in the public health services in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The study was conducted using a structured online questionnaire. Results: The average age of the visiting nurses was 49.5 years. A occupational period was 38.4% of the participants had worked for a period of 6-10 years and 34.5% of them had worked for a period of 11 years or more. In terms of employment type, 74.8% had permanent contracts and 13.9% had fixed terms. 93.4% of nurses were working on COVID-19-related work; and 57.6% of them were working more than 50% of their work. Each visiting nurse provided health services for a total of 436.4 cases on average and the per day count was 14.3 cases. The service was provided through home visits or phone consultations. The results of the job stress were relationship conflict (60.92±20.72), job demand (59.05±14.10), job autonomy (57.83±14.63), job instability (45.25±27.37), organizational system (44.97±17.21), workplace culture (42.71±18.00), and inadequate compensation (35.29±18.14). There was a significant difference in job stress according to the proportion of COVID-19 work was ‘workplace culture’ (p=.023), Job autonomy (p=.053) and Inappropriate compensation(p=.054). Conclusion In order to provide a stable working environment for visiting nurses and effective public visiting health services during unexpected circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to promote progressive policies and systemic improvements.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to analyze health status of women working in traditional marketplace and their needs for public healthcare services. METHODS: A descriptive survey of 500 women working at three traditional marketplaces was conducted. RESULTS: street vendors' health status were much poorer than store merchants'. Furthermore, psychosocial factors like job stress and depression were increased in street venders. Thus, the public healthcare programs required by them included exercise programs (28.2%) and health checkup (26.8%). In addition, 31.2% of the participants reported that they needed visiting nursing care services. The rate of occupational health and safety or employment insurances was as low as 10.8%. CONCLUSION: Effective interventions including psychosocial factors for women workers at traditional marketplaces need to be developed based on these results. Also, it is recommended that public health care services such as outreach services and visiting nursing care services for women working at traditional marketplaces be provided. Furthermore, institutional provisions such as insurances for protecting these vulnerable groups' health are needed.
Delivery of Health Care ; Depression ; Employment ; Female ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Needs Assessment ; Nursing Care ; Occupational Health ; Occupational Health Nursing ; Psychology ; Public Health* ; Women's Health*

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to examine the effects of home visit healthcare using a complex program on community-dwelling frail elders' physical strength, frailty, and depression and to compare the effects among three regions. METHODS: This study was conducted as a quasi-experimental study using one-group pretest-posttest design. A total of 86 subjects were sampled from three regions (metropolis, small city, and rural area). The program was applied for 14 weeks. This program consisted of disease management by a visiting nurse, exercise with a visiting nurse, self exercise, telephone monitoring, health education, counseling, providing handbook, and incentive. Physical strength was measured by balance, upper-limb, and lower-limb muscle strength. Frailty was measured by the Korean Frail Scale and depression was measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale. Paired t-test and ANCOVA were used to analyze the effects. RESULTS: Physical strength, frailty, and depression were significantly improved after applying the complex program. There were not differences among the regions. CONCLUSION: Home visit healthcare using a complex program was effective in improving frail elders' physical strength, frailty, and depression. There were not differences among the regions. Therefore, home visit healthcare using a complex program needs to be expanded to other regions.
Aged ; Counseling ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Depression* ; Disease Management ; Frail Elderly ; Health Education ; House Calls* ; Humans ; Motivation ; Motor Activity ; Muscle Strength ; Nurses, Community Health ; Program Evaluation ; Telephone

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the intervention model development of health promotion for women workers working in the traditional marketplace, using community capacity building framework. METHODS: Need assessment of the target population, work-related environment investigation, social network group building, and setting health management in the marketplace were performed. Then the interventions including cardiovascular health, musculoskeletal health, and psychological health were conducted. The results were evaluated using NCEP-ATP III(National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III), OWAS, and CES-D. RESULTS: It was found that the intervention program for the vulnerable group in marketplace was appropriate, promoting the improvement of metabolic syndrome and the reduction of pain complaints. Therefore, the intervention framework for health promotion of women workers in the marketplace was developed. Work-related environment assessment also was included in the framework development. Several community capacity building strategies, including developing community resources and promoting partnership, making small social network group, and promoting program participation. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that occupational health nurses and professionals consider the appropriateness of intervention framework development after identifying the needs of women workers' work-related environmental problems.
Adult ; Capacity Building ; Cholesterol ; Community-Based Participatory Research ; Education ; Female ; Health Promotion* ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Health Services Research* ; Humans ; Occupational Health

PURPOSE: This study was performed to identify job competencies and needs for job education perceived by new community health practitioners. METHODS: This study used a qualitative research design. Eight new community health practitioners participated in this study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Five job competencies were identified in this study, including primary care, public health management, interpersonal relationship, teaching and counseling, and leadership. The contents of job education that they needed were management of major symptoms and chronic diseases, understanding and prescription of medications, emergency responses and care, management of endemic diseases, planning and management of public health programs, writing official documentsand computer works, and leadership training. The learning methods they preferred were connecting theory and practice, situation- or case-based learning, skill- or practice-based learning, and increased opportunities of clinical practice. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study provided the direction of job education for new community health practitioners. Job education for new community health practitioners needs to consider the job competencies and educational needs identified in this study.
Chronic Disease ; Counseling ; Education ; Emergencies ; Endemic Diseases ; Leadership ; Learning ; Needs Assessment ; Prescriptions ; Primary Health Care ; Professional Competence ; Public Health ; Qualitative Research ; Writing

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the association between emotional labor and job stress in bus drivers, as well as to propose management strategies for job stress. METHODS: The study was conducted in February 2013 and involved 182 bus drivers working in the Gyeonggi area. RESULTS: emotional labor was 9.5+/-2.34 on average, and job stress was higher than the median of the same indicator among Korea's workers in the areas of physical environment, job autonomy, and relationship conflicts. Factors that affected job stress was lower if the subjects' Higher values for emotional labor indicated a higher level of job stress. CONCLUSION: To reduce among drivers, the following measures are necessary: increase the comfort of the driver's seat within the vehicle, provide adequate rest between bus headways, provide comfortable in-house rest facilities, and establish physical training spaces to reduce musculoskeletal disorders as well as programs for reducing back pain. In addition, relationship conflicts may be relieved by increasing job autonomy as much as possible, by granting autonomous control of working hours and bus headways, as well as by banning long work hours. Moreover, various club activities, exercise programs, and counseling programs that workers can be involved in together may be beneficial. This study is significant in that it identified the relationship of the bus drivers' emotional labor and job stress, which has previously been ignored as a research topic. Through its results, this study provides baseline data for the preparation of management strategies that can address the job stress of bus drivers.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the association between emotional labor and job stress in bus drivers, as well as to propose management strategies for job stress. METHODS: The study was conducted in February 2013 and involved 182 bus drivers working in the Gyeonggi area. RESULTS: emotional labor was 9.5+/-2.34 on average, and job stress was higher than the median of the same indicator among Korea's workers in the areas of physical environment, job autonomy, and relationship conflicts. Factors that affected job stress was lower if the subjects' Higher values for emotional labor indicated a higher level of job stress. CONCLUSION: To reduce among drivers, the following measures are necessary: increase the comfort of the driver's seat within the vehicle, provide adequate rest between bus headways, provide comfortable in-house rest facilities, and establish physical training spaces to reduce musculoskeletal disorders as well as programs for reducing back pain. In addition, relationship conflicts may be relieved by increasing job autonomy as much as possible, by granting autonomous control of working hours and bus headways, as well as by banning long work hours. Moreover, various club activities, exercise programs, and counseling programs that workers can be involved in together may be beneficial. This study is significant in that it identified the relationship of the bus drivers' emotional labor and job stress, which has previously been ignored as a research topic. Through its results, this study provides baseline data for the preparation of management strategies that can address the job stress of bus drivers.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate effects of a health education program based on social cognitive theory on university students with risk factors for metabolic syndrome. METHODS: A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Participants were 88 students who had at least 2 risk factors for Metabolic Syndrome (47 students for the experimental and 41 for the control group). The health education program consisted of thirteen sessions. Knowledge regarding smoking and alcohol drinking, self-efficacy and self-esteem were evaluated. t-test, chi2-test, Fisher's exact test, and paired t-test were conducted to analyze the data. SPSS/WIN 19.0 Statistics program was used. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant increase in self-efficacy in the experimental group compared to the control group. No significant changes in knowledge and self-esteem were found. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the health education program for university students was partially effective. Further work is required to develop more effective health education programs.
Alcohol Drinking ; Health Education* ; Health Promotion* ; Humans ; Metabolic Syndrome X ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking

PURPOSE: In order to lower the infection rate and the reinfection rate of Clonorchiasis in high-risk areas, we performed and analyzed a case management on people with chlonorchisis. METHODS: The data was collected from April 2010 to March 2011. A community health practitioner was selected as a case manager based on our training program. The intervention group had 58 participants with three months of case management and the control group had 144 participants handled with traditional methods. RESULTS: The pre and post-test in the intervention group and the control group showed us improved knowledge of Clonorchiasis, attitudes and behavior toward eating freshwater fish. The results of post-test between the intervention group and the control group showed statistically significant differences in all categories, except a hand-washing category. However, one year after a case management, there was no significant difference in the failure rate of treatment. CONCLUSION: The case management was effective for people infected with Clornorchiasis near riverside areas; however, in order to lower the rates of reinfection and treatment failure, it is necessary to perform continuous monitoring and regular evaluations.
Case Management ; Clonorchiasis ; Eating ; Fresh Water ; Parasites ; Treatment Failure