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Purpose: This study aimed to explore the significance and insights derived from the experiences of pregnant women in Korea who participated in online prenatal education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study employed the hermeneutic phenomenology framework developed by Colaizzi. It involved 12 pregnant women who participated in online prenatal education provided by public health centers in Chuncheon, Korea. Data collection was achieved through in-depth interviews conducted in Korea from October 2021 to April 2022. Results: In total, 51 significant statements were extracted from the interview data and then categorized into 10 themes. Finally, three categories were formed by merging similar themes. The three basic categories of participants' experiences of online prenatal education were "feeling of safety and comfort in body and mind," "frustrated by a lack of interaction," and "digital education being a double- edged sword." Pregnant women expressed ambivalence regarding the benefits and drawbacks of the online educational experience. They desired more interactive and practical learning opportunities, even as they appreciated the comfort of learning remotely. Conclusion: This study revealed the phenomenon of online prenatal education as an advanced form of distance-based prenatal education instead of the traditional in-person classroom. To maximize the educational effectiveness of this new format, public health center policies must address the digital literacy gap and enhance accessibility by leveraging the immersive multimedia experiences that online education offers to pregnant women. We recommend that maternal healthcare providers adopt this innovative approach to prenatal education, utilizing distance education technology to improve participation and promote immersion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the experiential meaning of child-rearing for marriage immigrant women in Korea in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Using the hermeneutic descriptive phenomenology framework developed by Colaizzi, 10 marriage immigrant women rearing preschool and school-age children were invited through purposive and snowball sampling from two multicultural support centers in Korea. The participants were rearing one or two children, and their original nationalities were Vietnamese, Japanese, Cambodian, and Chinese. Individual in-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted from September 1 to November 30, 2021. We extracted significant statements from the transcripts, transformed these into abstract formulations, and organized them into theme clusters and themes to authentically capture the essence of the participants' subjective experiences. Results: Four theme clusters with 14 themes were derived. The four theme clusters identified were "navigating child healthcare alone," "guilt for not providing a social experience," "worry about media- dependent parenting," and "feelings of incompleteness and exclusion." This study explored the perspectives of mothers raising children as marriage migrant women who experienced physical and emotional health crises due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The findings underscore that marriage immigrant women encountered heightened challenges in managing their children's health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic due to linguistic and cultural barriers limiting access to healthcare and information. Additionally, these women experienced considerable emotional stress from perceived inadequacies in providing a holistic social and developmental environment for their children under extensive social restrictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of anxiety, depression, social support, and physical health status on the health-related quality of life of Korean pregnant women using Spilker's quality of life model. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a correlational design. The participants included 166 pregnant women who were recruited via convenience sampling at two healthcare centers in South Korea. Questionnaires were collected from April 22 to May 29, 2023, in two cities in South Korea. The EuroQol-5D-3L, General Anxiety Disorder-7, Patient Health Questionnaire-2, Perceived Social Support through Others Scale-8, and EuroQol visual analog scale were used to assess the study variables. The t-test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression tests were conducted using IBM SPSS ver. 26.0. Results Statistically significant correlations were identified between the health-related quality of life of pregnant women and anxiety (r=.29, p<.001), depression (r=.31, p<.001), social support (r=-.34, p<.001), and physical health status (r=-.44, p<. 001). Physical health status (β=-.31, p<.001) and social support (β=-.21, p=.003) had the greatest effect on health-related quality of life (F=15.50, p<.001), with an explanatory power of 26.0%. Conclusion The health-related quality of life of pregnant women was affected by social support and physical health status. This study demonstrated that physical health and social support promotion can improve the health-related quality of life of pregnant women. Healthcare providers should consider integrating physical health into social support interventions for pregnant women in the post-pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This scoping review investigated the content and quality of YouTube videos on women's health. Methods: A literature search of the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC, and RISS databases was performed using the keywords "('youtube'/exp OR youtube OR 'social media'/ exp OR 'social media' OR (('social'/exp OR social) AND ('media'/exp OR media))) AND ('female health care' OR (('female'/exp OR female) AND ('health'/exp OR health) AND ('care'/exp OR care)))" from February 21 to 27, 2023. Peer-reviewed analytic studies in English or Korean that focused on women's health using YouTube were included. Results: The review identified 21 articles that covered various themes related to women's health, such as breast cancer, urinary disease, sexual health, pelvic organ prolapse, the human papillomavi-rus vaccine, Papanikolaou smears, contraception, women's health information during the coronavi-rus disease 2019 pandemic, obstetric epidural anesthesia, and placenta accreta. However, the overall quality of the content was low, inaccurate, unreliable, and misleading. Conclusion: This scoping review demonstrated that YouTube videos on women's health covered diverse topics, but the quality of the content needed improvement. More reliable and high-quality videos produced by academic institutes and healthcare professionals specializing in women's health are needed for social media to be usable as a reliable source of women's health information. The high number of views and shares received by the videos underscores the importance of providing accurate and reliable information on women's health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to develop the following scales on women's environmental health and to examine their validity and reliability: severity, susceptibility, response efficacy, self-efficacy, benefit, barrier, personal health behavior, and community health behavior scales. Methods: The item pool was generated based on related scales, a wide literature review, and indepth interviews on women's environmental health according to the revised Rogers' protection motivation theory model. Content validity was verified by three nursing professionals. Exploratory factor analysis, convergent validity, and internal consistency reliability were examined. Results: The scales included 10 items on severity, 11 on susceptibility, 10 on response efficacy, 14 on self-efficacy, 8 on benefits, 10 on barriers, 17 on personal health behavior, and 16 on community health behavior. Convergent validity with the environmental behavior scale for female adolescents was supported. The Cronbach's α values for internal consistency were good for all scales: severity, . 84; susceptibility, .92; response efficacy, .88; self-efficacy, .90; benefits, .91; barriers, .85; personal health behavior, .90; and community health behavior, .91. Conclusion: The evaluation of the psychometric properties shows that these scales are valid and reliable measures of women's environmental health awareness and behaviors. These scales may be helpful for assessing women's environmental health behaviors, thereby contributing to efforts to promote environmental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to review recent findings from birth cohort studies on maternal and child environmental health. Methods: Birth cohort studies regarding environmental health outcomes for mothers and their children were investigated through a systematic review A literature search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library Embase, and RISS to identify published studies using the keywords using a combination of the following keywords: maternal exposure, environmental exposure, health, cohort, and birth cohort. Articles were searched and a quality appraisal using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort studies was done. Results A review of the 14 selected studies revealed that prenatal and early life exposure to environmental pollutants had negative impacts on physical, cognitive, and behavioral development among mothers and children up to 12 years later. Environmental pollutants included endocrine disruptors, air pollution (e.g., particulate matter), and heavy metals. Conclusion This systematic review demonstrated that exposure to environmental pollutants negatively influences maternal and children's environmental health outcomes from pregnancy to the early years of life. Therefore, maternal health care professionals should take steps to reduce mothers' and children's exposure to environmental pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the factors that affect suicidal ideation among middle-aged Korean women in an urban-rural province. Methods: This study used a convenience sample consisting of 196 middle-aged Korean women who live in Gyeonggi Province. Data were collected between November 2013 and January 2014. Results: There were significant correlations among social relationships (r = -.18, p = .013), previous experiences of violence (r = .15, p = .032), subjective happiness (r = -.36, p < .001), depression (r = .44, p < .001), and suicidal ideation. Economic status, subjective happiness, and depression were found to have an effect on suicidal ideation (R² = .26). Conclusions: The study's results demonstrate that there needs to be greater focus on middle-aged women when considering mental health interventions in rural areas of Korea. The results may also contribute to the development of improved interventions for psychological health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

“QUality Of care Through the patients' Eyes” (QUOTE) instruments for measuring care quality were classified in terms of procedures, structures, and content. The content and structures of each instrument were found to include (a) participation of the client in the tool development process, (b) evaluation of the importance and performance of care based on the client's needs, and (c) reflection of multidimensional care in diverse settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examined the impact factors of cesarean section based on the ecological approach in Korea. Methods: Population-based data (Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs) were used from 2,849 delivery cases during 2003~2009. Data were analyzed using geographic statistics with STATA 10.0 and hierarchical logistic regression with SPSS/WIN 12.0. Results: The range of cesarean section rate was 28.8~44.7% with geographic distribution. The proportion of mother's problem was increasing in choice of cesarean section. According to the ecological model, age of mother (OR=1.08), time of birth (OR=0.79), delivery in hospital (OR=1.83), delivery in clinic (OR=1.46), and education of mother (OR=2.61) had significant impact on cesarean section. Conclusion: This study contributes to provide the impact factors of the high cesarean rate in Korea ecologically. Policy maker and health care provider can consider these results to reduce cesarean section rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]