BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to describe breastfeeding policies and practices among hospitals in South Korea and the degree to which the hospitals are implementing the WHO/UNICEF Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative.
METHODS
A cross-sectional survey of 34 hospitals was used to collect data. Quantitative and qualitative information and insights into current breastfeeding policies and practices were derived from responses of maternal and child health personnel at each hospital. One questionnaire per hospital was completed with personnel from all sections of maternity services, labor and delivery, nursery, and postpartum, contributing information needed to create a composite picture of the hospital's breastfeeding policies and practices.
RESULTS
Most hospitals were classified as either high or moderately high implementers on four of the Ten Steps: printed information distributed to breastfeeding mothers, oral breastfeeding instruction given to mothers, infant supplementation, and infant feeding schedules. The remaining steps, including key practices like staff instruction, breastfeeding initiation, rooming-in, and hospital postpartum support are being partially implemented by the majority of hospitals in this study.
CONCLUSIONS
Areas identified as needing the greatest attention by hospitals were health care staff training, breastfeeding initiation, supplementation, rooming-in, breastfeeding policy, and postpartum support for the breastfeeding mother.

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of 7-week comprehensive health promotion program for RA patients (CHPPRA) on changes in pain and depression. In addition, it was also examined that this effect was generated by changes in patients' health promoting strategies (positive self-image, positive thinking, problem solving, communication, pain management, stress management, exercise, and knowledge about RA) learned through CHPPRA. Twenty-eight out-patients of RA clinic in a university hospital participated for this study. The results are as followers. Changes in exercise, self-concept, positive thinking, problem solving, depression, and pain management were significant predictors to explain relieving pain level. Since all of these variables had positive standardized beta weights (betas), it can be interpreted that increasing level of these health promoting strategies may induce pain improvement. Changes in positive thinking, communication skill, exercise, self-concept, pain management, and knowledge about the disease were significant predictors to explain positive change in depression. Since all of the significant variables except the change in knowledge about the disease had positive standardized beta weights (betas), it can be interpreted that increasing level of these health promoting strategies may induce improving depression level. However, our results showed that the higher level of the knowledge about the disease was, the worse depression was.