COVID-19 Pandemic In South Korea Research Articles

Changes in Social Media Big Data on Healing Forests: A Time-Series Analysis on the Use Behavior of Healing Forests before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea

This study aimed to identify changes in visitor behavior and visitor interest in healing forests before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used text mining analysis techniques to identify changes in visitation behavior over time, divided into three periods, as follows: pre-COVID-19 (1 January to 31 December 2019), during the COVID-19 pandemic (1 November 2020 to 31 October 2022), and post-COVID-19 (1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023). After the COVID-19 outbreak, healing forest use behavior did not revert to pre-COVID-19 patterns. Moreover, the keywords “tourism” and “hiking” stood out as the main drivers of this change in behavior. Therefore, the Korea Forest Service and related authorities must examine the scalability of the functions, services, and programs of healing forests from a general healing space to a space for leisure and tourism. These findings will contribute to the development of future marketing strategies and programs for healing forests.

Infant-rearing experiences of parents during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea: a mixed-methods approach.

This study aimed to identify the infant-rearing experiences of parents during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and provide foundational data for the development of infant-rearing support programs during pandemic situations. Convergent mixed methods were used to better understand the research outcomes by converging both quantitative and qualitative data. A total of 149 parents with infant-rearing experiences during the pandemic responded to a self-report survey, and 10 parents participated in the interviews. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's method, descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, the Scheffé test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and hierarchical regression. Analysis of qualitative data yielded the following three categories: five theme clusters, ten themes, and thirty-nine sub-themes. The factors influencing infant-rearing behavior were nuclear family (β=.34, p<.001) and rearing stress (β=-.39, p<.001). The explanatory power of the regression equation was 26.6%. Infectious disease disasters, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can quickly alter infant-rearing conditions, causing heightened parental anxiety. This may affect infant-rearing behaviors and hinder healthy infant development. Future research should develop a comprehensive tool to measure holistic health-related parenting behaviors across the different stages of child development. Additionally, pediatric nurse practitioners can play an active role in educating parents, supporting parenting, and promoting healthy infant development in their communities, making pediatric nurse practitioners a highly relevant and necessary healthcare profession during infectious disease disasters. Thus, there is a need to improve institutions and build infrastructure at the national level to support them.

The experience and reflections of GC labs as an independent clinical laboratory to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea

BackgroundAmid the COVID-19 pandemic, extensive testing was undertaken by independent clinical laboratories (ICLs), yet limited research exists on this matter. Drawing from Green Cross Laboratories (GC Labs)' pandemic response experience, this study seeks to offer insights for preparation for the next pandemic.MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed the outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (SARS-CoV-2 rRT PCR) tests administered by GC Labs for COVID-19 diagnosis, upon request by different organizations, between February 2020 and April 2022. The distribution of institutions that requested the tests, the type of tests, and the positive rate were analyzed. We investigated resource allocation details.ResultsICLs were responsible for conducting 85.6% of all tests carried out under South Korea’s COVID-19 testing policy during the pandemic. The availability of free testing regardless of symptoms led to a significant increase in the use of pooled tests, which accounted for more than 80% of all tests conducted after August 2021. The gender and age distribution of COVID-19 cases nationwide and GC Labs’ positive cases were similar. When we analyzed the positive rate by requesting organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite an overall nationwide positivity rate of 35%, high-risk facilities exhibited a positivity rate of less than 5% by maintaining preemptive testing. The most notable increase in resources during the pandemic was seen in human resource input.ConclusionsSouth Korea's ICLs were able to conduct large volumes of testing during the COVID-19 pandemic because of their logistics and computer systems, scalable testing space, and trained testing personnel. They also had the flexibility to bring in additional resources to expand testing capacity because they are specialized testing organizations. Hence, ICLs could execute the pooled test that the government had introduced for extensive general population screening. The preemptive periodic testing of high-risk populations kept the positive rate much lower than in the general population. This study's findings will aid in refining mass testing-based policies for the next pandemic.

Ischaemic stroke in patients with diabetes requiring urgent procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea: a retrospective, nationwide, population-based cohort study using data from the National Emergency Department Information System

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 pandemic resulted in suboptimal care for ischaemic stroke. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), a high-risk group for stroke, had compromised routine care during the pandemic, which increases the...

National trends in the prevalence of hepatitis B and C in South Korea, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2007-2021) - a nationwide representative study.

Due to the various changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, some infectious diseases showed different epidemiology and prevalence during the pandemic. However, there is a lack of comprehensive studies on trends in the prevalence of hepatitis B and C related to the pandemic. Thus, we compared the prevalence of hepatitis B and C before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. We conducted a comprehensive trend analysis with a nationwide serial cross-sectional survey from 2007 to 2021 (n=86,931) using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). The changes in the prevalence of hepatitis B and C were evaluated using a weighted regression model to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2007 to 2021, 86,931 Korean adults aged 19 or older were included in the KNHANES data. The prevalence of hepatitis B showed a declining trend until the onset of the pandemic (1.80% in 2007-2009; 1.08% in 2016-2019; and 1.01% in 2020), at which point this trend reversed (1.39% in 2021). The prevalence of hepatitis C remained stable (0.14% in 2007-2009 and 0.18% in 2016-2019), with no particular surge related to the COVID-19 pandemic (βdiff, -0.002; 95% CI, -0.761 to 0.756). For hepatitis B, old age was identified as a pandemic-related vulnerable factor (ratio of odds ratio, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.05-2.70). In this study, unlike other infectious diseases, hepatitis B and C did not show a decreasing trend during the pandemic. In particular, hepatitis B showed a rebound trend during the pandemic, which was noticeable in those aged 60 or older. Further studies are needed to support these findings.

Excess Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea

This study examines excess mortality in South Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic. I analyze age-specific mortality rates and present an international comparison. First, Korean excess mortality remained low until the end of 2021 but significantly increased in early 2022. Second, this excess mortality was concentrated among older people. For example, cumulative excess mortality among the population aged 85+ years until the 30th week of 2022 was approximately 1-2 percent, that is, an additional 1-2 percent of this age group died compared with what we would have expected in the absence of COVID-19. Third, the international comparison demonstrates that excess mortality in South Korea was relatively low. The country experienced one of the lowest excess mortality rates among countries under study until the end of 2021, but excess mortality rapidly increased in early 2022. However, it returned to being comparatively low by mid-2022. This comparison shows cross-national variation in excess mortality, which may be associated with policy responses and public health infrastructure. Finally, I discuss implications and opportunities for future research.

Perceptions of registered nurses on facilitators and barriers of implementing the AI-IoT-based healthcare pilot project for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea.

This study explored the perceptions of registered nurses on the facilitators and barriers to implementing an AI/IoT (Artificial Intelligence/Internet of Things)-based healthcare pilot project, designed to prevent frailty and improve health behaviors by providing Bluetooth-enabled smart devices (including blood pressure and blood glucose meters) for the older adults aged over 65 years and above in South Korea. Using a qualitative descriptive methodology, interviews and qualitative surveys were conducted with 15 registered nurses from 11 public health centers. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The study found that the AI·IoT-based healthcare pilot project was well received by participants, leading to increased client satisfaction and improved health behaviors. Government support and funding were crucial facilitators of project implementation. However, technical challenges and disparities in digital literacy among older adults pose significant barriers. The findings highlight the potential of AI·IoT technologies in improving the healthcare of older adults. Efforts to address technological challenges and enhance digital literacy among vulnerable populations are necessary for successfully implementing such interventions. Government support and ongoing training for healthcare professionals can help optimize the AI·IoT-based healthcare services for older adults.

Obesity and COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea: rapid review and a post-hoc analysis

Obesity and COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea: rapid review and a post-hoc analysis

How has COVID-19 affected the work environment of delivery workers?: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a rapid worldwide increase in the utilization of delivery services. This study delves into the experiences of delivery workers as one of the activley developed industries during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea and sheds light on the effects of the pandemic on their working conditions. Through in-depth interviews with 10 Korean delivery workers, data analysis employed the hermeneutic phenomenology research method developed by Van Manen. The findings indicate a substantial rise in income levels and a positive societal perception of delivery labor post-COVID-19. The pandemic also attracted many new workers to the industry due to low entry barriers and work flexibility. However, challenges persisted as delivery workers grappled with an uncertain legal status and sometimes jeopardized their safety to boost earnings in shorter time frames. The pivotal role played by delivery workers in enhancing communal quality of life and connectivity during the pandemic cannot be overlooked. As we step into a post-COVID-19 era, comprehensive efforts are needed to enhance the working environment for delivery workers globally. Notably, clarifying the relationship between delivery workers and companies within the novel digital labor landscape is essential, alongside establishing institutional frameworks to safeguard workers' basic rights, including health and safety provisions.

Impact of air pollution on mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea and Japan

Impact of air pollution on mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea and Japan

The incidence and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea: a multicenter registry study (Preprint)

The incidence and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea: a multicenter registry study (Preprint)

Intergenerational solidarity and digital communication during the Covid-19 pandemic in South Korea: Implications for dyadic well-being.

Previous research has not considered how digital communication fits with the established intergenerational solidarity paradigm, although the paradigm has undergone other refinements over time. Consequently, less is known about how the use of digital communication creates new types of intergenerational solidarity between parents and adult children, and how they are associated with their well-being. With this foundation, we aimed to identify new dyadic patterns of intergenerational solidarity between parents and adult children during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, with an emphasis on digital communication (texting, video call, and social media interaction), its intersection with other dimensions of solidarity, and its association with parents' and children's well-being (depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and life satisfaction). Using an online survey method, we collected data from 407 parent-adult child dyads between April and June 2022 from the Seoul Metropolitan area in South Korea. Three-step latent class analysis was used for data analysis. We identified four classes describing intergenerational solidarity between parents and adult children (tight-knit, distant-but-digitally-connected, conflictual, and independent). We found that among dyads of parents and adult children who had tight-knit and distant-but-digitally-connected relationships with each other, parents reported better well-being on all three outcomes, and children reported better life satisfaction compared to dyads who had conflictual relationships. Our findings suggest that incorporating digital communication into the intergenerational solidarity paradigm is useful to better understand the multidimensional characteristics of intergenerational relationships between older parents and their adult children.

Regional Disparity in the Educational Impact of COVID-19: A Spatial Difference-in-Difference Approach

The transmission of COVID-19 suddenly shifted most school classes to online lectures, and these unexpected changes often exacerbated existing imbalances by region and school. Our study used land price data as a proxy for regional wealth and empirically examined the inflation of education inequality between the areas with high and low land prices during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. The gaps in the average high school Math and English scores between 2019 and 2020 (Y1 effect) and 2019 and 2021 (Y2 effect) are used as the main educational outcomes. We utilized the spatial difference-in-difference (DID) method to reflect the spatial autocorrelation on the school-level distribution of the score changes. The impact of the online class conversion on student performances was found to be significantly different between the regions with low and high land price and was more noticeable for the Math score during the first year of the pandemic. During the second year of the pandemic (2021), the scores increased in both regions, but the regional gap remained persistent. Evidence-based policies should be implemented to enhance regional educational conditions and resources, which, in turn, should prevent educational inequality across the regions stemming from the conversion to online classes.

Tightened social distancing measures and increased violence during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea.

In 2020, the South Korean government introduced social distancing measures, varied by region, to address the pandemic. We captured variations in social distancing measures among regions in South Korea and investigated the association between the stringency of measures and the increased incidence of violence. Incidence reports from calls to violence hotlines, including school and domestic violence and sexual harassment, from 2016 to 2021 were retrieved. The regional per capita incidence rates for each violence hotlines were calculated. Difference-in-difference design with fixed effects was used to elucidate different trends in the incidence rate of violence between regions with stringent social distancing measures and regions with looser measures. Social distancing measures led to a decreased incidence rate of school violence and an increased incidence rate of domestic violence and sexual harassment. Different trends in the incidence of violence were noted between regions with strict social distancing measures and regions with more lenient measures. Tightened measures caused surges in domestic violence and sexual harassment. Social distancing measures have been an inevitable mitigation strategy against virus transmission throughout the pandemic. However, women residing in tightened social distancing measures, in particular urban areas, need more support against domestic violence.

Effects of Screen Time on Problematic Behavior in Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a decrease in face-to-face classes worldwide, affecting the mental health of children and their parents. The global pandemic has increased children's overall use of electronic media. This study analyzed the effect of children's screen time on problematic behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 186 parents from Suwon, South Korea, were recruited to participate in an online survey. The mean age of the children was 10.14 years old, and 44.1% were females. The questionnaire included questions on children's screen time, problematic behaviors, and parental stress. Children's behavioral problems were evaluated using the Behavior Problem Index, whereas the Parental Stress Scale was used to estimate parental stress. The mean smartphone usage frequency of the children was 5.35 days per week, and the mean smartphone screen time was 3.52 hours per day. Smartphone screen time (Z=4.49, p <0.001) and usage frequency (Z=2.75, p=0.006) were significantly correlated with children's behavioral problem scores. The indirect effect of parental stress on this relationship was also statistically significant (p=0.049, p=0.045, respectively). This study suggests that children's smartphone screen time has affected problematic behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, parental stress is related to the relationship between children's screen time and problematic behaviors.

Subnational variations in births and marriages during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea

Subnational variations in births and marriages during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea

Telecommuting-related health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea: a national population-based cross-sectional study

BackgroundTelecommuting has expanded greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the advent of remote working from home, there has been an ongoing controversy about the positive or negative health-related impact of telecommuting. This study aimed to investigate change in the occupational health risk in South Korean workers involved in telecommuting during the pandemic period compared to daily commuters.MethodsA population-based cross-sectional study of South Korean workers using the secondary data from the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey (2020–2021) was designed. A total of 12,354 white-collar wage employees were selected as the study sample. Telecommuting, depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, headache-eye strain, absenteeism, and presenteeism were measured by self-reported data. Multiple logistic regression models, including gender stratification analysis, were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for the health outcomes of telecommuters.ResultsAmong the study population, 338 males and 318 females were reported to be telecommuters. The entirely adjusted regression model showed a positive association between telecommuting and anxiety (AOR = 2.82; 95% CI, 1.93–4.10), insomnia (AOR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.27–2.92), fatigue (AOR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.30–2.37), musculoskeletal pain (AOR = 1,76; 95% CI, 1.33–2.32), headache-eye strain (AOR = 1.94; 95% CI, 1.48–2.54), presenteeism (AOR = 1.66; 95% CI, 1.20–2.28) respectively. Gender difference was identified in that only female telecommuters had a higher risk of depression (AOR = 1.62; 95% CI, 1.04–2.53) and insomnia (AOR = 2.07; 95% CI, 1.26–3.41) than daily commuters in the adjusted model.ConclusionTelecommuting was significantly associated with an increased risk of various health problems among South Korean workers and females were identified as a more vulnerable group. Although further research is required to ascertain the causal relationship, public health intervention should be considered to prevent the negative effects of telecommuting.

Analysis of Issues in Fitness Centers through News Articles before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea: Applying Big Data Analysis

This study aimed to identify major topics and trends of media reports in news articles related to fitness centers before and after COVID-19 using big data analysis and to suggest future improvements. We collected 20,528 news articles from 2018 to 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and 20,264 news articles from 2020 to 2021 (post-COVID-19) and conducted frequency analysis, topic modeling, and sentiment analysis. The top keywords related to fitness centers were fitness, health, healthcare, and center both before and after COVID-19, but after the outbreak of COVID-19, new keywords emerged, such as digital, COVID-19, indoor, confirmed, platform, and mobile. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, four topics were extracted: COVID-19 and Exercise, Digital Smart Health Care, Health and Beauty, and Indoor Sports Facilities and Quarantine. Sentiment analysis showed that the frequency of negative words increased by approximately three times since the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to COVID-19, the top keywords of the negative data in order were infection, virus, disease, and limit. Based on the identified major issues and trends related to the fitness industry, these results can be used as foundational data for the future planning and policy development of the fitness industry.

Gender Gap in Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea: A Decomposition Analysis.

The economic and social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been widespread but unevenly distributed among genders. The pandemic may have also affected men's and women's mental health differently. This study examined whether the pandemic had stronger adverse effects on women's mental health than on that of men given that the decline of the labor market was greater for women than for men. Using data from South Korea (June/September/December 2020, N = 3000), we investigated the gender gap in mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and its association with gender differences in labor market experiences. We employ the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method for this analysis. Although depression and anxiety increased among employed women and men during COVID-19, women showed lower levels of mental health than men. A significant portion of this gender gap is explained by women experiencing greater job loss, income reduction, and prohibition of remote work than men. We also find that women in their 30s experienced greater mental health problems than men of the same age even after controlling for other conditions. Overall, our findings show that a greater proportion of employed women than men experienced poor labor market conditions and increased family burdens during the COVID-19 pandemic, which contributed to women reporting worse mental health than men.

Etiology and Risk Factors of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Hospitalized Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea

Etiology and Risk Factors of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Hospitalized Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea