Earticle

Purpose: Human Papillomavirus(HPV) vaccination is the best prevention for cervical cancer. Therefore, this study was to examine the best predictors of HPV vaccination status in female nursing university students. Methods: Five hundred and forty junior and senior female nursing students from Seoul and provinces of Kyunggi, Chungcheong and Gyungsang completed paper and pencil questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, x2 test, t- test, and multiple logistic regression with dummy variables were conducted using SAS 9.2. Results: Of the total students, 56.8% were vaccinated. As a result of the analysis of the bivariate relationships, family economic status, school type, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefit and perceived barriers (cost, time, distance from hospital and side effects) were significantly related to vaccination status. After controlling for the general characteristics and the HPV related knowledge score, higher family economic status (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 3.78, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.21~11.76), private university (AOR: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.14~2.53), higher perceived benefit (AOR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.47~2.20), lower perceived barrier (cost) (AOR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.74~0.99), lower perceived barrier (time) (AOR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.61~0.84), and lower perceived barrier (side effects) (AOR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.72~0.94) were significantly related to HPV vaccination. Perceived benefit, perceived barrier (time) and perceived barrier (side effects) were the top 3 predictors of HPV vaccination status. Conclusion: This study suggests that vaccinated female nursing students were more likely to be from higher family economic status and private universities and have a higher perception of benefit and a lower perception of barriers (cost, time, and side effects). Thus, efforts to increase HPV vaccination rates of female nursing students should focus on improving their perception of benefit while lowering their perception of barriers, particularly cost, time and side effects.

Purpose: In this study, we analyzed the correlation between high-caffeine energy drink intake and mental health in high school students. Methods: Analyses were conducted using the data of 27,097 responses from the 2015 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey of general high school students. Data were analyzed by logistic regression based on a complex sample design. Results: High-caffeine energy drink intake was positively correlated with the rates of smoking, alcohol consumption, violence, depression, and suicidal thoughts and negatively correlated with the sense of happiness. Conclusion: High-caffeine energy drink intake has a significant impact on the mental health of high school students. Therefore, in-depth research and policies on high-caffeine energy drink intake and the mental health of young individuals are required.

Purpose: This review aims to provide an understanding of the UN recommendations regarding school disaster safety in the context of Korea’s school safety system. Methods: Relevant literature and reports on the UN’s school disaster safety were investigated. On basis of the analysis, this review closely examined how the UN school disaster safety had been developed and what it had proposed. Results: Major findings from this review regarding the UN school disaster safety were to: 1) utilize “all-hazards approach”; 2) focus on “community-based approach”; 3) explore “education for sustainable development”; and 4) emphasize “informal disaster safety education.” Conclusion: This review on the UN school disaster safety may give a critical implication to Korea’s school safety education.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of cell phone addiction on communication skills and the interpersonal relationship ability of adolescents. Methods: The researcher recruited 751 high school students to assess their general characteristics, communication skills, cell phone addiction and interpersonal relationship ability. Data were collected from June 30 to July 14 in 2014 using copies of a structured self report questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and linear multiple regression using the SPSS/WIN 21.0 IBM program. Results: Of the students, 3.5% reported they were addicted users, and 7.6% reported they were heavy users. Results from multiple regression analysis showed that cell phone addiction did not have any influence on communication skills of the adolescents. However, cell phone addiction mostly affected the interpersonal relationship ability of the adolescents (β= .24, p<.001). Poor school performance (β= .17, p<.001) and low socioeconomic status (β= .12, p<.05) were also related to the interpersonal skills of the adolescents. These variables explained 8.3% of the variance in the interpersonal skills of the adolescents. Conclusion: These results suggest that cell phone addiction has a negative influence on the development of the interpersonal relationship ability of adolescents. The findings of this study are expected to provide basic data about the influence of cell phone addiction on the interpersonal relationship ability of adolescents. Therefore, cell phone addiction treatment programs for adolescents need to include contents related to interpersonal relationship ability.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to synthesize related studies and identify the predictors of school adjustment among multicultural children. Methods: The author searched Google Scholar, RISS, KISS, Naver Academic, NDSL, and the National Assembly Library databases from August 1 to August 8, 2016. Keywords included multicultural, adolescents, school life, and school adjustment. Results: Twenty two studies, from 3,645 screened references, were included and finally analyzed. All studies were prospective studies and used regression analysis. The predictors of school adjustment among multicultural children were children’s personal factors and social factors. Children’s personal factors consisted of general factors, psychosocial factors, and situational factors. Social factors consisted of parental factors, family factors, teacher factors, and peer factors. Conclusion: The findings suggest that consideration of social factors as well as personal factors of multicultural children, their family, teacher, and peers is needed to improve school adjustment of multicultural children.

Purpose: This study was performed to analyze the job of school health teachers working at high schools in Seoul, using DACUM (Developing a curriculum), a method for analyzing job-focused competency. Methods: A DACUM workshop was held to define school health teachers' role and identify their duties and tasks. For the workshop, a committee was organized, consisting of 5 school health teachers. Finally, the developed contents, after validation, were made into a survey asking about school health teacher’s duties and tasks and the survey was carried out on 37 school health teachers. Results: 14 duties and 90 tasks were identified on the DACUM chart. The importance, difficulty, and frequency of the tasks were represented with ⍺bet A, B, and C, with A being the highest degree. The duty with the biggest determinant coefficient (DC) was ‘management of emergency patients’ (DC=7.95), while the lowest was ‘management of health clinic supplies’ (DC=4.33). In terms of tasks, the one with the biggest DC was ‘conducting physical assessment for emergency patients’ (DC=7.8), followed by ‘conducting health classes’ (DC=7.79). ‘Supervising school lunch’ (DC=2.02) and ‘supervising self-study’ (DC=2.42) were the tasks with the smallest and the second smallest DC. Conclusion: The results of the study show that school health teachers‘job expanded to include preventive activities such as health education, health counseling, and health promotion activities. The results of this study can serve as basic data for developing training programs for school health teachers as well as an evaluation-scale to measure school health teachers’ job performance.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the correlation between the motivations to use social media and self-control among female middle school students. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional descriptive study. To collect the data, 300 female students of S and E middle school in S city responded to a self-administered questionnaire asking about their motivation for social media use and self-control. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one way ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation, and stepwise multiple regression, using the SPSS/WIN 21.0 program. Results: The average time spent on social media was 3.70 hours. The mean scores of social media usage motivation and self-control were 48.15 and 58.47, respectively. The more average time spent on social media, the higher was the motivation to use social media. The scores of motivation to use social media were higher in students with low satisfaction of their school and family life. Students with low satisfaction of their school life had higher scores in some subcategories of self-control; preference to simple task, egocentrism, and stroppiness. Motivations to use social media showed a significant positive correlation with self-control. Self-control was affected by motivations to use social media and this variable explained 11.6% of self-control among female middle school students. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that we should develop programs which help improve students’ self-control and prevent the side effects of social media use among female middle school students.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine the factors that influence Korean adolescents’ depression and suicidal ideation from individual, social and environmental perspectives by gender. The study used the date of the 2015 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey and the subjects were 68,043 middle and high school students. The levels of depression and suicidal ideation were the dependent variables and the factors influencing the dependent variables included 11 individual factors, 3 social factors and 7 environmental factors. The data were analyzed using odds ratios (OR) from multi-variable logistic regression analysis. As a result, the most significant individual factors that influenced both depression and suicidal ideation were stress and subjective happiness both in boy and girls, the most significant social factor was participation in violence treatment programs, and the most significant environmental factors were economic status, father’s educational level, and whether or not they lived with their family. Therefore, programs and policies to improve adolescents’ mental health should be developed considering individual, social, and environmental factors.

Purpose: This study was designed to examine the factors related to school adjustment of upper graders in elementary school. Methods: Data was collected through a questionnaire survey of 304 fifth and sixth grade students from October to November, 2014. The collected data was analyzed statistically through frequency, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis, using the SPSS/WIN 22.0 program. Results: First, subjective school record and subjective health status showed significant differences in school adjustment. Second, social support and ego-resilience were positively correlated, while bullying was negatively correlated with school adjustment. Third, significant factors related to school adjustment were social support, ego-resilience, subjective school record. These variables explained 56.4% of the students’ school adjustment. Bullying was negatively correlated with school adjustment, but the correlation disappeared in the multiple regression analysis, where protective factors such as social support, ego-resilience were controlled for. Conclusion: School nurses should develop plans to enhance social support (teacher support, parents support, friends support) as well as programs to improve the ego-resilience of upper elementary students to help them adjust to school and to prevent and manage bullying. Also family, school and the community should be connected cooperatively with each other.

Purpose: This study was to examine the changes in knowledge, attitudes, and preventive behaviors among elementary school students after providing them with tuberculosis prevention education. Methods: A total of 235 students from D elementary school in G city were selected. After completing tuberculosis prevention education, the subjects were surveyed five times for 16 weeks. 1,087 samples were included in the final analysis. One-way ANOVA, Scheffé's test, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression analysis were performed to examine the changes in tuberculosis-related knowledge, attitudes and preventive behaviors over time. Results: After 16 weeks from the education, the scores of preventive behaviors did not show any significant difference compared to the time right after the education. However, the scores of knowledge and attitudes tended to improve. In particular, 1st~2nd graders had high scores in both knowledge and attitude, and the scores of knowledge and attitude gradually increased over time. The correlation between knowledge, attitude, and preventive behavior regarding tuberculosis had a positive significance during the entire time of the survey. Conclusion: Positive associations between knowledge and attitude and between attitude and preventive behavior sustained for 16 weeks after tuberculosis education among elementary school students. This study suggests that tuberculosis prevention education conducted early on from lower grades can produce more educational effects and that it could be a foundation not only for developing knowledge of tuberculosis but also for cultivating adequate attitudes and forming active tuberculosis preventive behaviors.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting energy drinks consumption among adolescents in South Korea. Methods: The study is a secondary analysis. Using statistics from the 11th (2015) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, any variations among the subjects were presented as percentages and analyzed by x2 test and logistic regression analysis. The study sample comprised 68,043 middle and high school students in South Korea. Results: In Model 1 including general characteristics, the significant factors of energy drinks consumption were gender, weekly allowance, cohabitation with family. and economic status. In the final model where health-related characteristics were added, the significant factors were gender, school type, weekly allowance, cohabitation with family, stress level, sadness, drinking, smoking and walking days. Conclusion: The result suggests that intensified education on energy drinks consumption is needed not only at schools, but in the whole community. Also, adolescents’ awareness of potential health effects of energy drinks, in particular when mixed in alcoholic beverages, should be increased through health education.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors predicting internet game addiction in higher grade elementary schoolers according to gender. Methods: The participants were 898 elementary school students who were in 5th and 6th grade. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire from October 1 to November 20 2012 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, x2 test and logistic regression with the SPSS/WIN 23.0 program. Results: The prevalence rate of internet game addiction group was 8.8% (boys 7.1%, girls 1.7%). In terms of gender difference, it was found that girls’ stress coping behaviors were more passive than male students (t=-3.27, p=.001). In boys, variables that predicted internet game addiction were aggressive coping, active coping, internet gaming hours per day and academic achievements. In girls, variables that predicted internet game addiction were aggressive coping, close friends and academic achievements. Conclusion: The findings from this study indicate there is a need to develop positive stress-coping behaviors programs and prevent internet game addiction in higher grade elementary school students.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors effecting the psychological well-being of adolescents who attend a community child center. Methods: The survey was conducted on 143 children attending a community child center in P city with a structured self-report questionnaire from August 20 to September 20, 2016. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression, using SPSS/WIN version 18.0. Results: There were significant differences in psychological well-being according to grade, one of the general characteristics of the subjects. There was a significant positive correlation between ego-resilience, social support, subjective well-being, and psychological well-being. From the multiple regression analysis, the most significant factors affecting psychological well-being were subjective well-being (β=.56) and grade division (β=.19). These variables explained 38.0% of the total variance in psychological well-being. Conclusion: Considering the results of this study, it is desirable to develop measures to increase adolescents’ subjective well-being and provide support according to grade in order to improve the psychological well-being of the adolescents attending community children centers.

Purpose: This study was aimed to examine the effects of smartphone overuse and individual factors including age, relationship with friends, satisfaction with school life, and time of smartphone usage on perceived cognitive functions, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness among college students. Methods: Three-hundred college students were recruited after confirming the absence of major depressive symptoms. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple regression. Results: Smartphone overuse commonly explained the variance in perceived cognitive functions, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness, after controlling for individual factors. In addition, satisfaction with school life was significantly related with better effectiveness of cognitive functions while being male, having good relationships with friends and satisfaction with school life were relatively associated with a lower level of fatigue. Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that the overuse of smartphone can serve as a psycho-cognitive burden leading to ineffective functioning in daily living. Students who are female and have issues regarding school life and friendship may be a high risk group for experiencing psycho-cognitive dysfunction associated with smartphone overuse. Further investigation is needed to develop effective interventions to improve psycho-cognitive health associated with the excessive use of smartphone in young adults.

Purpose: This study was to compare and to examine the factors related to risk behaviors of adolescents living in small and medium-sized cities and in rural areas. Methods: The subjects were 545 adolescents (295 from small and medium-sized cities and 250 from rural areas). The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, Pearson corelation coefficients, and multiple regression with IBM SPSS 19.0 program. Results: The factors influencing the risk behaviors of adolescents in small- medium cities were school, peer risk factors and community risk factors, self- control among protective factors, positive communication with parents, positive peer associations, these variables explained 42.0%. The most important variable explaining the risk behaviors of adolescents in small- medium cities was positive communication with parents, followed by community risk factors, peer risk factors, positive peer relationships, school and self-control. The factors affecting the risk behaviors of rural adolescents were school, personal risk factor, peer risk factor, self- control factor, which explained 38.5% of the risk behaviors of adolescents in rural areas. Among them, the most important variable explaining risk behaviors was personal risk factors, followed by peer risk factors, school, and self-control. Conclusion: These finding suggest a need to develop a strategy to improve positive communication with parents for adolescents living in small- medium cities and a strategy to reduce personal risk factors and peer risk factors for rural adolescents.

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the factors of suicidal ideation in middle school students by gender, and to announce the necessity of gaining upon a socio-cultural comprehension-based approach. Methods: Three middle schools were randomly selected from a pool of 21 middle schools in S City, and were stratified by school and grade. A total of 878 students were included in the analysis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors that affect suicidal ideation by gender. Results: Suicidal ideation and depression scores of the female students were over twofold higher than those of the male students. The factor that was found to affect suicidal ideation in the male students was depression while for the female students the factors were visiting suicide-related websites, having friends who attempted to commit suicide, depression, and poor communication with one’s parents. Conclusion: The findings in this study support gender differences in suicidal ideation, and suggest that building socio-cultural environments are needed to abate their negative emotions and to help youth find out their reasons to live.

Purpose: This study investigated the rate of attempts to quit smoking and related factors in Korean adolescent smokers. Methods: The findings of this study were based on the data obtained from the ‘2015 11th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey’. The number of subjects was 5,123. Results: 71.7% of adolescent smokers in our study group had made previous attempts to quit smoking. Logistic regression analysis showed that the following significant factors were related to attempts to quit smoking: smoking amount (OR=1.78, 95% CI=1.42~ 2.23), experience of secondhand smoking in family (OR=1.16, 95% CI=1.02~1.32), experience of smoking cessation education in school (OR=2.05, 95% CI=1.79~2.35) anti-smoking publicity (OR=1.34, 95% CI=1.17~1.55), and close friend’s smoking (OR=1.63, 95% CI=1.24~2.17). Conclusion: Smoking cessation policies and programs, especially those targeting adolescent smokers, should consider the factors mentioned above when designing new interventions or campaigns.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify the effects of community mapping based on volunteered Geographic Information System on smoking prevention among female middle school students. Methods: This study used a triangulation method which integrated quantitative data from a “pre-post” study on a nonequivalent control group and qualitative data from focus group interviews. Data was collected from 4 August 2015 to 10 January 2016. The experimental group (n=24) participated in community mapping along with education on smoking prevention and the control group (n=28) participated only in routine education. Both groups were measured on their knowledge and attitude related to smoking prevention through self-report questionnaires. The quantitative data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, x2 analysis, and t-test using SPSS 23.0. The qualitative data was collected through focus group interviews to investigate the social-environmental effect of smoking prevention. Results: Knowledge related to smoking prevention was significantly higher (t=2.591, p=.013) in the experimental group than the control group. But attitude related to smoking prevention did not show significant differences between the two groups. When asked about their experiences of the community mapping program, it turned out to be a process where they could learn practical knowledge related to smoking prevention and experience their individual practices manifested as collective intelligence while working together with community members. The study found that community mapping had an effect on smoking prevention from a social and environmental aspect. Conclusion: To be more effective, school education on smoking prevention should be provided in connection with the community. It is also desirable to provide an opportunity where adolescents can experience discovering and solving practical problems along with their own community.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between sexual intercourse and experience of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs use among adolescents in South Korea. Methods: This study used the data of the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey from 2010 through 2014. The subjects of this study were 367,562 students (Male 187,610, Female 179,952). The subjects’ general characteristics and their sexual experiences according to their general characteristics were analyzed using frequency analysis. The relationship between sexual intercourse and the use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs was analyzed through multiple logistic regression. The analyses were conducted using SPSS 18.0. Results: According to the study, the significant predictors of sexual intercourse were gender, grade, parents’ educational level, residence type, economic status, and substance abuse. Adolescents who had used alcohol, tobacco, and drugs were more likely to have had sexual intercourse than their peers who hadn’t use the substances. Conclusion: The results suggest that factors that increase the risk of having premature sex should be managed and prevented systematically. Among the factors, in particular, drinking, smoking, and drug use require intensive management.

Purpose: This descriptive research was carried out to identify how high school students' attitude to death and their meaning of life were affected by hospice volunteering and death education. Methods: This study is based on a structured questionnaire designed for 180 high school students who were given death education while doing volunteer work at non-profit hospice hospitals and another 288 high school students not doing any hospice volunteer work. The collected data was processed by the SPSS 20.0 program and then analyzed by x2 test, t-test and ANOVA test. Results: High school students' attitude to death and their meaning of life showed significant differences depending on whether or not they had volunteered at hospice hospitals. The group with hospice volunteering experience tended to be more negative about death and have a higher meaning of life compared to those without hospice volunteering experience. Students with proper hospice recognition made up 52.4%, those who expressed hopes to receive hospice-care themselves if necessary accounted for 70.5%, and those who said they would like to take care of their family members either at home or at a hospice center if any of them got incurably sick comprised 59.0%. Those who thought dignified death is to be with one's family or any other meaningful person were 47.6% and 18.5% of the students thought that 'thinking they had led a meaningful life' was the core of a dignified death. Conclusion: Given the above results, it became clear that hospice volunteering and death education can affect high school students' meaning of life and their attitudes toward death.