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Analyzing survey data on the issue of genetically modified foods in South Korea, this study explores the role of news media in facilitating informed issue evaluation. Respondents who read a newspaper more often were more knowledgeable about the issue. Also, heavy newspaper readers were more able than light readers to hold consistent views on different aspects of the issue. When it comes to television news, heavy viewers held stronger opinions than light viewers on the key issue attributes. News media use seems to allow the audience to engage in greater cognitive elaboration, helping them to make an informed and deliberate issue evaluation.

Personal exposure to particulate matter of aerodynamic diameters less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) can be affected by various factors. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of activity pattern and the contribution of each microenvironment to personal PM2.5 exposure. Technicians carried a nephelometer for PM2.5 while engaging in scripted time location activities. The scripted activities of 10 different population groups were based on time activity patterns of the Seoul population in Korea. A total of 58 daily PM2.5 personal exposures were available for analysis. The average PM2.5 personal exposure was 19.8 ± 15.3 μg m−3. The average personal exposure of each population group ranged from 9.8 to 43.1 μg m−3. High peak and average concentrations were observed in restaurants and bars; such high concentrations were due to secondhand smoke and cooking with charcoal on tables. The residential indoor level of the nine microenvironments was the largest contributor to personal exposure. The contributions from residential indoor, non-residential indoor, transportation, and outdoor levels were 36.2%, 53.4%, 6.7%, and 3.7%, respectively. The contributions of microenvironments varied among population groups; these variations suggest that the impact of activity pattern on personal exposure is significant.

Weather watch/warning systems have been established for human health outcomes. Our study aims to develop and demonstrate a weather watch/warning system for asthma and stroke within the whole of South Korea, using a stratified regression approach. We converted claim-based health insurance data covering almost all medical claims for the only health insurance system in Korea for asthma and stroke from 1996-2003 into personalized disease episode data, and combined them with meteorological data. We utilized a step-wise regression method using factors extracted from the meteorological data to develop stratified models for six (stroke) and nine (asthma) regional and day-of-week strata. Validation studies showed that the actual number of hospitalizations in 2003 increased according to the three-leveled predictions (levels I, II, and III) from the model based on the 1996-2002 data. This system is accessible via the internet (http://industry.kma.go.kr/APP/sub_APP15_H01.htm) at the Korean Meteorological Administration website.