Prevalence of and coping patterns for allergic diseases in preschool and school-age children in Nam-gu, Ulsan

Objectives: The epidemiologic understanding of allergies, including prevalence and risk factors, is needed for allergy management. This study identified the prevalence of and coping patterns for various types of allergies, such as asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic conjunctivitis (AC), food allergy (FA), and drug allergy (DA), in Nam-gu, Ulsan, one of the most industrialized districts in Korea. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using a self-report multiple choice questionnaire. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) and other measures were reviewed to develop the questionnaire. Data was collected from May 9th to November 30th of 2018. Descriptive and frequency analyses were performed to apprehend the prevalence of symptoms, diagnostic rates, diagnosis dates, treatment history, and so forth. Results: By randomized sampling, 9,102 children from 25 nurseries, 25 kindergartens, and 15 elementary schools participated in the study. The prevalence of asthma, AR, AD, AC, FA, and DA were 11.1%, 48.7%, 15.5%, 17.6%, 15.1%, and 2.0%, respectively. The respective rate of ever being diagnosed with asthma, AR, AD, AC, FA, and DA were 4.2%, 38.4%, 25.5%, 23.3%, 9.7%, and 1.1%. Last year’s allergy related school absenteeism rates were 10.8%, 4.1%, and 1.3% for asthma, AR, and AD. Lastly, 59.2% of the participants considered air pollution as the most challenging factor in allergy management. Conclusion: This study comprehensively investigated the current state of various allergies in Nam-gu, Ulsan. The study’s findings are expected to be applied to strategies for decreasing the socioeconomic burden due to allergic diseases. Keywords: Allergy, Allergy prevalence, Allergy treatment, Emergency room visi

Medical students’ and medical school professors’ experiences of medical education curriculum : a qualitative study

Objectives: The experiences of medical students and professors regarding the medical education process were examined from various angles and compared with each other to obtain implications for the reorganization of medical education, such as the method of education and evaluation. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using online non-face-to-face focus group discussions (FGDs) to evaluate the experiences and perceptions of medical students and medical school professors regarding the medical education process. The results of five FGDs with 24 medical students and three FGDs with 14 medical professors were analyzed using the conventional content analysis method. Results: Medical students sympathize with the need for various educational contents, but strongly complained about the enormous amount of study. In addition, the medical students emphasized the need for basic medical education courses, including humanities and social studies classes. Professors also recognized the absence of a student-centered curriculum as a problem. In addition, it was emphasized that professors are in an environment where it is difficult for them to work hard in class. Professors agreed on the need for improvement in the medical school curriculum, but had varying levels of expectations. Both students and professors needed an evaluation standard suitable for the educational method, and the students insisted that the standard and method should be unified. Conclusion: It is expected that this study will contribute as evidence for the change and development of medical education necessary for the present era