Unmet Health Needs in Early Childhood in South Korea.

This study aimed to evaluate child health needs in South Korea and the country's healthcare system capacities to meet them. A comprehensive needs assessment was performed by reviewing child health programs in Korea, followed by focus group discussions and individual interviews with multiple health experts and practitioners. Analysis of the meeting and interview transcripts were identified seven major domains of child health needs and healthcare system capacities. Comparison of child health needs and healthcare system capacities revealed that a much-needed linkage system between child health resources and preventive healthcare services is lacking. A new government policy to integrate current child health programs with high-quality preventive care is required.

Design Optimization of Bulk Piezoelectric Acceleration Sensor for Enhanced Performance.

While seeking to achieve high performances of a bulk piezoelectric acceleration sensor, we investigated the behavior of the design variables of the sensor components and optimized the sensor design using a numerical simulation based on piezoelectric analysis and metamodeling. The optimized results demonstrated that there was an exponential dependency in the trade-off relation between two performance indicators, the electric voltage and the resonant frequency, as induced by the design characteristics of the sensor. Among the design variables, a decrease in the base height and epoxy thickness and an increase in the piezo element's inner diameter had a positive effect on two performances, while the head dimensions (diameter and height) exhibited the opposite effect on them. The optimal sensor designs are proposed within the valid range of resonant frequency (25-47.5 kHz). Our redesign of a commercial reference sensor improved the resonant frequency by 13.2% and the electric voltage by 46.1%.

[Factors affecting breastfeeding rate and duration].

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to examine the factors affecting the rate and duration of breastfeeding. METHODS: We analyzed the data from the year 2000 Korea National Fertility Survey that was collected through direct interviews. In particular, the mothers who delivered their last child and the child was under 1 year of age from January 1998 to June 2000 (N=1,066) were analyzed via a logistic model to assess the factors affecting the breastfeeding rate. Among the study subjects, those who had initiated breastfeeding (N=740) were analyzed through Cox's proportional hazard model to evaluate the factors affecting the duration of breastfeeding. RESULTS: The multivariate logistic model showed that the delivery type and the baby's birth-weight have a statistically significant influence on the breastfeeding rate. Women who delivered their babies through Cesarean section were less likely than others to breastfeed. In contrast, the women whose babies weighed 2.5 Kg or more were more likely than others to breastfeed. The results obtained from the survival analysis are as follows : the higher the mother's education level, the shorter is the breastfeeding duration. The mother's work status played a significant role in the early termination of breastfeeding. Women aged 35 or older showed a longer breastfeeding duration than the younger age groups, whereas the maternal age was not a significant factor in affecting whether or not a mother would breastfeed. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing the cases of operative delivery (Cesarean section) and low weight births, enlightening young and highly educated women on breastfeeding and improving the environment for breastfeeding on the job are important strategies to encourage women to breastfeed.