The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of Yakson therapy as a pain management tool on the physiologic and behavioral reponses of infants with a painful heelstick procedure.

Infants were randomly assigned to a group that underwent a series of Yakson therapy and a control that received nothingbefore a heelstick. Heart rate, oxygen saturation, and NIPS were compared between the experimental (n=16) and control (n=16) infants during an undisturbed baseline and after a standard heelstick procedure. Yakson therapy consisted of laying a hand on the back, and caressing the abdomen by hand for 5 minutes.

The pain scores of the Yakson group were lower than the control group. Foroxygen saturation, there were statistically significant differences between groups. For heart rate, there were no statistically significant differences between groups.

This data suggests that Yakson therapy had a pain relief effect in behavior responses and SaO₂. Accordingly, Yakson therapy should be used as a nursing intervention for simple pain management for a heel prick.

The purpose of this study was to analyze and assess the current situation of Korea's school health education program and to establish measures to efficiently carry out school health education in Korea.

The survey was conducted through the internet with the health educators of elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide to assess the current condition of school health education programs, and 2,459 samples were collected which accounted for 23.4% of the total respondents.

According to school health educators on the enforcement of health education, the higher the education became, the less the health education was enforced. The enforcement rate was 96.9% in elementary schools, 76.7% in middle schools, and 67.3% in high schools. The major reasons were found as difficulty in securing class time (54.5%) and other excessive workloads (20.9%). As a result of the health education awareness survey, over 99% answered that health education is needed, over 80% answered that the education requires independent health textbooks, and over 95% answered that health educators are suitable for the person in charge of the education.

This study will be a useful in establishing a detailed policy on enhancing school health education in the future.

This study is aimed to confirm the effects of Yakson therapy on the growth and physical response of preterm infants, and maternal attachment to them compared with GHT therapy.

The design of this study is nonequivalent control group with repeated measuring by quasi experimental study. The subjects are preterm infants in 26 - 34 gestational age hospitalized in the NICU of 4 university hospitals with an experimental group of 15 and a control group of 14. Yakson therapy consists of three phases: laying a hand, caressing by hand, and laying a hand again taking 5 minutes for each phase.

As a result of administering Yakson therapy to preterm infants; the average weight gain of the Yakson group was higher than that of the GHT group, but there is no significant difference between groups. The oxygen saturation and maternal attachment difference between the Yakson and the GHT group were not significant. Significant differences in the average daily increase of oral intake and apical pulse rate were observed between the Yakson group and GHT group.

These data suggested that Yakson therapy may be an effective nursing intervention which can facilitate growth and physical response of preterm infants.

This cross-sectional study was designed to identify anger-expression types in late school-age children and investigate the relation between the identified anger-expression types and their health status.

One thousand twenty seven children in elementary school fifth and sixth grades were recruited from November to December, 2004. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, 2-test, ANOVA, Duncan's multiple comparison test, and Wilcoxon rank sum test.

Three anger-expression types in late school-age children were found; Anger-out/in, Anger-control, and Low anger-expression types. Children frequently using the anger-out/in type among the three types and with a higher state anger reported higher psychosomatic symptoms and depression. Children from a divorced or separated family reported higher state anger.

This study suggests that a specific anger management program needs to be developed for late school-age children with high state anger and frequently using the anger out/in expression type. For understanding the anger level and the anger expression types of Korean school-age children, further research needs to be done with large samples using a randomized sampling method.

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of obesity and management behaviors of obese adolescents and their families in Korea.

Nine adolescents with moderate-degree obesity and of four their mothers of them were investigated using semi-structured interviews.

The perceptions of obesity was classified into four domains and obesity management behaviors was classified into three domains. The domains regarding the perceptions of obesity include definitions of obesity(a danger signal of health status, deviation status, symbols of growth), causes of obesity(out of balance), opinions about their obesity(contempt, negative preconception, superiority) and changes on thought and attitudes owing to obesity(shrinkage, repulsion, sustaining losses, decreased activity, decreased self-confidence, defensive behaviors). The domains regarding obesity management behaviors include attitude about the management of obesity(not having priority, optimistic view, ardent wish), management behaviors for correcting obesity(encouraging physical activity, control of diet, gathering information, trial of diet control), attitudes about performing the management behaviors for correcting obesity(inconsistency, non-autonomy, conflict).

This study helps to enhance the understanding of the perception of obesity and management behaviors of obese adolescents and their families. Futhermore, based on this understanding, effective and appropriate heath management programs can be planned and conducted.