School Novice Health Teachers’ Perception of Job Performance Difficulties and Job Satisfaction

Purpose@#This study aimed to determine the correlation between job performance difficulties and job satisfaction that novice health teachers experienced in a new school environment, and provide the basic data necessary for policy development. @*Methods@#Data were collected from 196 novice health teachers without in-service training program for the qualification of 1st grade and with less than four years of work experience in Korea. The self-report questionnaire consisted of general characteristics, perception of difficulties in job performance, and job satisfaction. The data were analyzed using the x 2 test, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. @*Results@#Novice health teachers had the most difficulty in health education during their job performance, whereas teachers without hospital clinical experience encountered difficulties in health management. Those with less than two years of teaching experience or no experience of being contract health teachers had higher job performance difficulties. The results revealed that the lack of experience in performance at a school site had a considerable influence on the difficulty in job performance. In terms of job satisfaction, novice health teachers had the highest satisfaction with status recognition and the lowest satisfaction with their tasks in charge. Additionally, as the difficulty in job performance increased, job satisfaction decreased. @*Conclusion@#The study results indicated the need for training to provide novice health teachers with sufficient experience in job performance before being placed in a school. The provision of support to respond to difficulties in job performance will improve job satisfaction and contribute not only to the development of novice health teachers, but also to the improvement of the quality of school health.

Experiences of nurses at a general hospital in Seoul which is temporarily closed due to COVID-19 / 한국간호교육학회지

Purpose@#This study is aimed at preparing basic data to increase professionalism in nursing and effective counter-strategies against future infectious diseases. For that purpose, this study investigated the experiences of nurses in a general hospital with an 800-bed size, temporarily closed after a confirmed case of COVID-19. @*Methods@#This study was a qualitative study using individual in-depth interviews, and data were collected from 10 nurses in a university hospital temporarily closed from May 1 to June 13, 2020. @*Results@#As a result of this study, the subjects were classified into ‘COVID-19 and nursing’, ‘nursing work and vocation’ and ‘life changed with COVID-19’. @*Conclusion@#In conclusion, there is a need for education that nurtures the ability of nurses to screen patients with infectious diseases well and to skillfully wear and remove protective clothing. In addition, in order to cultivate the expertise of nurses and respond efficiently to infectious diseases, a separate compensation, such as a risk allowance, is required along with the establishment of an infrastructure that fully supports personnel and supplies. A mental health program to relieve stress is also required.

Prevalence of sexual experience among Korean adolescent: age-period-cohort analysis / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES@#Since exposure to sexual content and early sexual initiation among adolescents have become serious social issues in Korea, an in-depth analysis of trends in the prevalence of sexual experience among Korean adolescents is necessary to project the trends and policies required for the next 10 years. The objective of this study was to identify the contributions of age, period, and birth cohort effects on the prevalence of sexual experience in Korean adolescents. @*METHODS@#We analyzed age-specific, period-specific, and birth cohort–specific trends in the prevalence of sexual experience among 911,502 adolescents (469,593 boys, 51.5%; 441,909 girls, 48.5%) aged 12 years to 17 years from the 2006 to 2017 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. Joinpoint regression analysis was conducted to examine significant changes in the prevalence of sexual experience and to find the optimal number and location of places where trends changed. @*RESULTS@#The prevalence of sexual experience generally increased with age in all periods in both boys and girls. In boys, the prevalence of sexual experience increased in recent periods, especially in the age group of 12-13 years, while the prevalence of sexual experience decreased in the age group of 16-17 years. In girls, the age group of 12-13 years showed an increased prevalence of sexual experience in recent periods. However, the prevalence showed a decreasing trend in the age group of 16-17 years. @*CONCLUSIONS@#In boys and girls, sexual experience increased with age, although this tendency has slowed in recent cohorts. Therefore, early sex education is needed.

Experiences of nurses at a general hospital in Seoul which is temporarily closed due to COVID-19 / 한국간호교육학회지

Purpose@#This study is aimed at preparing basic data to increase professionalism in nursing and effective counter-strategies against future infectious diseases. For that purpose, this study investigated the experiences of nurses in a general hospital with an 800-bed size, temporarily closed after a confirmed case of COVID-19. @*Methods@#This study was a qualitative study using individual in-depth interviews, and data were collected from 10 nurses in a university hospital temporarily closed from May 1 to June 13, 2020. @*Results@#As a result of this study, the subjects were classified into ‘COVID-19 and nursing’, ‘nursing work and vocation’ and ‘life changed with COVID-19’. @*Conclusion@#In conclusion, there is a need for education that nurtures the ability of nurses to screen patients with infectious diseases well and to skillfully wear and remove protective clothing. In addition, in order to cultivate the expertise of nurses and respond efficiently to infectious diseases, a separate compensation, such as a risk allowance, is required along with the establishment of an infrastructure that fully supports personnel and supplies. A mental health program to relieve stress is also required.

Prevalence of sexual experience among Korean adolescent: age-period-cohort analysis / 한국역학회지

OBJECTIVES@#Since exposure to sexual content and early sexual initiation among adolescents have become serious social issues in Korea, an in-depth analysis of trends in the prevalence of sexual experience among Korean adolescents is necessary to project the trends and policies required for the next 10 years. The objective of this study was to identify the contributions of age, period, and birth cohort effects on the prevalence of sexual experience in Korean adolescents. @*METHODS@#We analyzed age-specific, period-specific, and birth cohort–specific trends in the prevalence of sexual experience among 911,502 adolescents (469,593 boys, 51.5%; 441,909 girls, 48.5%) aged 12 years to 17 years from the 2006 to 2017 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. Joinpoint regression analysis was conducted to examine significant changes in the prevalence of sexual experience and to find the optimal number and location of places where trends changed. @*RESULTS@#The prevalence of sexual experience generally increased with age in all periods in both boys and girls. In boys, the prevalence of sexual experience increased in recent periods, especially in the age group of 12-13 years, while the prevalence of sexual experience decreased in the age group of 16-17 years. In girls, the age group of 12-13 years showed an increased prevalence of sexual experience in recent periods. However, the prevalence showed a decreasing trend in the age group of 16-17 years. @*CONCLUSIONS@#In boys and girls, sexual experience increased with age, although this tendency has slowed in recent cohorts. Therefore, early sex education is needed.

Elementary, Middle, and High School Health Teachers' Countermeasures Against an Outbreak of Pandemic Diseases, Including MERS

PURPOSE: This study aims to examine how elementary, middle and high school health teachers in Gyeonggi province react to infectious disease like MERS. METHODS: This is a descriptive study using a convenience sample of 1,267 school health teachers. RESULTS: When MERS was an epidemic, school health teachers who took the ‘leading’ role were 92.4%. A school heath teacher's countermeasures against infectious diseases showed a high score during MERS outbreak (3.81) compared to regular days (3.59). CONCLUSION: Based on such results, it has been determined that schools need to keep two types of procedures manual, such as ‘countermeasures on a regular basis’ and ‘countermeasures in the event of a pandemic disease outbreak’ manual in the staff offices so that anyone can view them at any time. It is necessary to prepare regulations to strengthen their authority so that school health teachers can take the role of control tower, in a professional capacity, when communicable disease is spreading. In order to prevent any confusion and chaos, there should be a unitary reporting system at each school when dealing with an epidemic. School health teachers need to get continuous training to reinforce their abilities to react to communicable diseases.

Differences in Factors Associated with Depressive Symptoms between Urban and Rural Female Adolescents in Korea

PURPOSE: To examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and differentiate factors associated with them in urban and rural areas by applying the Ecological Models of Health Behavior. METHODS: We employed a cross-sectional design and convenience sample of 460 female adolescents. The instruments included the Adolescent Mental-Health Problem-Behavior Questionnaire (AMPQ-II) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: Depressive symptoms were confirmed in 15.7% of urban adolescents and 22.9% of rural adolescents (p < .05). In the urban group, perception of health and stress associated with school performance were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. In the rural group, academic/internet related problems and rule violations were significantly associated with depressive symptoms (p < .05). General life happiness, worry/anxiety, and mood/suicidal ideation were common factors in both urban and rural areas (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Multiple factors were associated with depressive symptoms, and those significant factors differed between urban and rural female youths. Accordingly, tailored approaches are required considering urban and rural differences. The approaches should include intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational levels of interventions.

Factors Affecting Underweight and Obesity Among Elementary School Children in South Korea

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to determine factors associated with underweight and obesity in elementary school children in Korea. METHODS: Study participants included 4,895 children attending 59 elementary schools across Korea. Children were grouped into underweight [ or = 85% BMI-for age). The questionnaire included demographic characteristics, health status, and diet and exercise behavior of children, and environmental characteristics of schools. RESULTS: Twelve percent of the children were overweight or obese. The results showed that demographic (age and gender), health status (atopic dermatitis and poor subjective health), and the characteristics of diet and exercise (unbalanced diet and diet experiences) were associated with underweight (p < .05), while demographic (age and gender), health status (poor subjective health), behavioral characteristics (fast food consumption and diet experiences), and school environmental characteristics (rural area) were associated with overweight/obesity (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Programs and interventions to reduce underweight and overweight/obesity in Korean elementary schools must consider behavioral and environmental characteristics of children.