Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) education for schoolchildren is emphasized, as bystander CPR is a vital key to increasing the survival rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) victims. This study was conducted to verify the effect of CPR education on knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and confidence of Korean elementary school students in performing CPR. Data were collected through structured questionnaires before and after CPR education and analyzed using descriptive statistics, T-tests, and hierarchical regression. Significant improvements in CPR knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and confidence in performing CPR were found after CPR education, with the greatest increase observed in confidence (p = 0.000). The influencing factors on confidence in performing CPR were school grade, attitude, and self-efficacy. Although a significant increase in schoolchildren’s CPR knowledge after education was shown, knowledge did not affect confidence in performing CPR. Therefore, early CPR education which focuses on improving confidence in performing CPR is recommended. CPR education might raise attitude and self-efficacy leading to increased confidence in performing bystander CPR. In conclusion, early and regular CPR education for elementary school students is crucial and should be conducted repeatedly.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine how an exercise program focusing on muscular strength could aid firefighters with chronic lower back pain. [Subjects] The research subjects were randomly assigned to two groups, the experimental group (n=8) and the control (n=8). [Methods] The experimental group performed two types of exercise programs four times per week for 8 weeks under supervision. Tests were performed before and after the 8 weeks of exercise in accordance with the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency's program. [Results] At the end of the 8 weeks of the rehabilitation program, abdominal muscular strength were significantly increased in the experimental group, and this indicates that the exercise therapy was effective for improvement of muscular strength. [Conclusion] We found that exercise therapy is an effective intervention that can reduce the pain of patients with chronic lower back pain. The firefighters with chronic lower back pain who participated in this study exhibited enhanced lower back muscular strength and obtained some additional benefits. They need regular exercise.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of exercise therapy on glucose, TNF-α and IL-6 blood levels in middle-aged women. [Subjects] A total of 46 participants were assigned to four groups: Type D personality+Exercise (n=12), Type D+no-Exercise (n=12), not-Type D+Exercise (n=12), and not-Type D+no-Exercise (n=10). [Methods] Blood glucose was measured by the hexokinase method. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the circulating plasma levels of TNF-α and IL-6 (Quantikine HS, R&D Systems, Minneapolis, USA). An aerobic exercise program and meditation were conducted in parallel by the Exercise groups for 10 months. Stretching was performed for 10 min as a warm-up, and then walking and running on a treadmill at 60 to 70% of HRmax were performed for 40 min three times a week. Blood samples were processed according to standard laboratory procedures. [Results] Fasting glucose showed a significant interaction effect among groups, group×time, and post-test. TNF-α showed a significant difference among groups, and was lower in the not-Type D personality+Exercise group than in the other three groups. IL-6 showed a significant difference among the groups. [Conclusion] In conclusion, personality may affect the established effect of exercise on cytokine activity. Type D personality was independently associated with significant immune activation, and increase in TNF-α activity was observed among Type D participants.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine according to gender and body mass index the number of steps taken by the sedentary workers as measured by a pedometer. [Subjects] Thirty-six sedentary workers in their twenties in Ulsan city were enrolled in for this study and their step counts were investigated. [Methods] Step counts at the workplace between 9 am and 6 pm everyday for 2 weeks were measured by a pedometer. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 to compare step count according to gender and BMI on different days of the week. [Results] Females showed a higher step count than males on every day of the week except Fridays and Sundays. The step count was higher among the low weight group than overweight group on every day of the week. [Conclusion] Future studies should examine ways of helping sedentary workers to increase their step count. Also, more effort should be made to find practical ways of improving the number of steps taken in the workplace to keep workers in good health, as additional benefit would accrue, such as improved work efficiency.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess variations in chest compression depth among Korean elementary school students based on grade, physical characteristics, and strength.Methods: The study involved 140 children in the third to sixth grades from elementary schools. Before providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) education, we assessed height, weight, BMI, grip strength, and back strength. Subsequently, CPR education was administered, followed by individual measurements of compression depth. The factors related to compression depths was analyzed using t-test, ANOVA and multivariable regression.Results: The mean compression depth was consistently lower than the guideline standard across all grades, indicating grade-dependent differences (p = 0.000). Moreover, height, weight, BMI, grip strength and back strength increased, exhibited significant increases with grade (p = 0.000). In multivariable regression analysis, it was observed that as grade increased, chest compression depth increased by 0.701 cm (p = 0.000).Conclusion: School grade significantly influenced achieving the proper chest compressions depth, no notable correlation found for physical factors. Thus, a strategy emphasizing the importance of sufficient chest compressions during CPR education, particularly targeting elementary school students, seems necessary to encourage greater effort.