• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.230-237
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• 2021

Objectives: This study explored changes in individuals' behavior in response to social distancing (SD) levels and the "no gatherings of more than 5 people" (NGM5) rule in Korea during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Using survey data from the COVID-19 Behavior Tracker, exploratory factor analysis extracted 3 preventive factors: maintenance of personal hygiene, avoiding going out, and avoiding meeting people. Each factor was used as a dependent variable. The chisquare test was used to compare differences in distributions between categorical variables, while binary logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with high compliance with measures to prevent transmission. Results: In men, all 3 factors were significantly associated with lower compliance. Younger age groups were associated with lower compliance with maintenance of personal hygiene and avoiding meeting people. Employment status was significantly associated with avoiding going out and avoiding meeting people. Residence in the capital area was significantly associated with higher compliance with personal hygiene and avoiding venturing out. Increasing SD levels were associated with personal hygiene, avoiding going out, and avoiding meeting people. The NGM5 policy was not significantly associated with compliance. Conclusions: SD levels, gender, age, employment status, and region had explanatory power for compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). Strengthening social campaigns to inspire voluntary compliance with NPIs, especially focused on men, younger people, full-time workers, and residents of the capital area is recommended. Simultaneously, efforts need to be made to segment SD measures into substrategies with detailed guidance at each level.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.47-65
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• 2017

Objectives: This paper aims to identify depressive or stress related symptoms and its associated risk and protective factors among marriage immigrant women in Korea. Methods: The study participants were 490 immigrant wives from '2012 Survey of Foreign Residents in Korea'. The participants completed self-administered questionnaires on socio-demographics, health status, family members' related factors, and other environmental factors. Results: Difficulties on child nursing, finance, family conflict, and experience of physical or verbal violence were significant risk variables to the depressive stress related symptoms. Family life satisfaction, discussion about troubles with Koreans, healthy status, social trust, and discussion about troubles with people from home country were the significant protective variables to mental health. However economic activities were not protective factors but risk factors. Conclusions: Mental Health promotion programs for marriage immigrant women and their family members need to consider the family and community related protective mental health factors and develop supportive system with pre-existing programs and policy modification.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.175-187
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the potential risk factors - children's factors, parental factors, and familial-environmental factors - with respect to overweight and obesity in Korean preschool children. Methods: This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design and involved 264 pairs of mothers and preschool children aged 3-5 years (121 boys, 143 girls) attending daycare centers in C city. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to identify significant risk factors for overweight and obesity in preschool children. Results: According to the multivariate logistic regression, family history of diabetes mellitus as children's factors, overweight or obesity of both parents as parental factors were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of overweight and obesity in preschool children. In addition, lack of community space for physical activity as familial-environmental factors was significantly associated with increased likelihood of overweight and obesity. Conclusions: Health care providers should concerned with the risk of overweight and obesity in children with high risk familial factors, such as family history of obesity and diabetes mellitus. Moreover, policies should be set in place to make sure communities include space that foster physical activity in young children.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.644-654
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the related factors to nutritional supplements intake of elementary school student aged 7 to 12 years in Incheon area. The subjects were 631 mothers of elementary school students and cross-sectional study was conducted by a self-administered questionnaire. In view of the relation with general circumstances, taking nutritional supplements was shown to be significantly associated with general and socio-demographic factors such as father's job, mothers concern about children's academic record, family's monthly income and food cost, and the experience of other family members' taking nutritional supplement. In view of the relation with anthropometric and health-related factors, taking nutritional supplement was associated with elementary school student' weight obesity index, mothers evaluation of children's height and weight mother's concern about health and growth of children, and ,disease of children. In view of the dietary behavior-related factors, taking nutritional supplements was associated with skipping breakfast, food habits, and mothers beliefs and attitude about nutrition and nutritional supplements. However, it was shown that mothers nutritional knowledge did not affect taking nutritional supplements. Therefore, it may be suggested that general and socio-demographic factors, anthropometric and health-related factors, dietary behavior-related factors, and mother's nutritional beliefs and attitude are important determinants in children's taking nutritional supplements.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.107-120
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• 2009

Background : To estimate fall incidence rate and associated factors in inpatients from a general hospital. Method : The data were collected from 104 fall incident reports developed by the patient safety committee in a general hospital in Seoul from 01 January 2007 to 31 December 2008. Information included general characteristics of patients, factors related to fall, types, places, circumstances and outcomes of fall. Result : The incidence rate of fall, which was 4.4 per 1,000 total discharged patients and 0.5 per 1,000 patient-days, was much lower than that of several hospitals in the United States. The difference may reflect the different incidence reporting system of each hospital. Fall-prone patients were, in general, $$\geq_-$$65 years of age, had an alert mental status, were ambulatory with some assistance, and were dependent on and ambulatory device. High incidence of falls was associated with patients with circulatory disease. The majority of fall events usually occurred in bed or at the bedside in the patient's room, and occurred more often during the night than during the day or evening. Risk factors of fall were use of drugs (antihypertensive or neuropsychiatric drugs) and environmental factors (e.g., overly high bed height, surrounding objects, inadequate fitness shoes and slippery floor). Physical injury occurred in 43.3% of fall events, which typically required diagnosis of injury and treatment such as suturing. Risk factors for repeated falls were use of a neuropsychiatric drug (odds ratio=13.9) and gait disturbance (odds ratio=91.2). Risk factors for fall-related injury were alert mental status (odds ratio=3.3 times more likely to fall than those who were drowsy or in a stupor) and general weakness(odds ratio=3.3 times more likely to fall than those who were not generally weak). Conclusion : Medical and nursing staff should be aware of the fall risk factors of hospitalized patients and should intensively pursue preventative strategies. Development of fall prevention education based on these results is recommended.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.184-194
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• 2019

Background: The extent of coverage rate of the public health insurance is still insufficient to meet healthcare needs. Private health insurance (PHI) plays a role to supplement coverage level of national health insurance in Korea. It is expected that reduce unmet need healthcare. This study was aimed to identify relationship between PHI type and the unmet healthcare need and its associated factors. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2014 Korea Health Panel Survey using nationally representative sample was analyzed. Respondents were 8,667 who were adults over 20 years covered by PHI but have not changed their contract. According to the enrollment form, PHI was classified into three types: fixed-benefit, indemnity, and mixed-type. To identify factors associated with unmet needs, multiple logistic regression conducted using the Andersen model factors, which are predisposing factors, enabling factors, and need factors. Results: Our analysis found that subjects who had PHI with mixed-type were less likely to experience unmet health care needs compared than those who did not have it (odds ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.66-0.98). As a result of analyzing what affected their unmet healthcare needs, the significant factors associated with unmet medical need were gender, marital status, residence in a metropolitan area, low household income, economic activity participation, self-employed insured, physically disabled, low subjective health status, and health-risk factors such as current smoking and drinking. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that having PHI may reduce experience of unmet healthcare needs. Findings unmet healthcare needs factors according to various subjects may be useful in consideration of setting policies for improving accessibility to healthcare in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.66 no.2
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• pp.190-198
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• 2023

Objective : Low back pain (LBP) is a global health problem that affects the productivity of the patients. Several factors such as individual, occupational, and psychosocial factors increase the risk of LBP. However, only a few studies investigated those factors, especially in middle adulthood in Indonesia. Indonesia is a country with a young population that has been rapidly developing in recent years. This study was conducted to find out the factors associated with LBP in middle adulthood. Methods : This study is a cross-sectional observational analytic study using a convenience sampling method with a total sample of 3005 respondents. Data were collected using a questionnaire which was then analyzed using the chi-square test, Kolmogorov-smirnov, Spearman's Rank, and logistic regression test. Results : From the result of this study, it was found that the 12-month prevalence of LBP in middle-aged adults was 44,29%. Female (odds ratio [OR], 1.3; 95% confidence interval [Cl], 1.098-1.545; p=0.002), lack of physical exercises (OR, 0.87; 95% Cl, 0.794-0.959; p=0.005), high body mass index (OR, 1.09; 95% Cl, 1.009-1.187; p=0.002), stress level (OR, 1.26; 95% Cl, 1.088-1.458; p=0.002), and years of work experience (OR, 1.1; 95% Cl, 1.001-1.225; p=0.047) were determined as risk factors that significantly associated with LBP. Conclusion : LBP is quite common among middle-aged adults in Indonesia. Female gender, higher body mass index, lack of physical activity, stress level, and years of work experience were all potential risk factors for LBP in middle-aged adults. Middle-aged adults in Indonesia should be aware of LBP and avoid disabilities by identifying risk factors that may worsen LBP in the future.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.501-506
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• 2013

Objective : Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an effective means of treatment of chronic neuropathic pain from failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). Because the success of trial stimulation is an essential part of SCS, we investigated factors associated with success of trial stimulation. Methods : Successful trial stimulation was possible in 26 of 44 patients (63.6%) who underwent insertion of electrodes for the treatment of chronic pain from FBSS. To investigate factors associated with successful trial stimulation, patients were classified into two groups (success and failure in trial). We investigated the following factors : age, sex, predominant pain areas (axial, limb, axial combined with limbs), number of operations, duration of preoperative pain, type of electrode (cylindrical/paddle), predominant type of pain (nociceptive, neuropathic, mixed), degree of sensory loss in painful areas, presence of motor weakness, and preoperative Visual Analogue Scale. Results : There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, degree of pain, number of operations, and duration of pain (p>0.05). Univariate analysis revealed that the type of electrode and presence of severe sensory deficits were significantly associated with the success of trial stimulation (p<0.05). However, the remaining variable, sex, type of pain, main location of pain, degree of pain duration, degree of sensory loss, and presence of motor weakness, were not associated with the trial success of SCS for FBSS. Conclusion : Trial stimulation with paddle leads was more successful. If severe sensory deficits occur in the painful dermatomes in FBSS, trial stimulation were less effective.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.3301-3307
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• 2016

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death in Korea. To prevent cancer, it is essential to facilitate and promote appropriate cancer screening behavior in the adult population. The aim of this study was to examine health beliefs related to cancer screening intentions using the Health Belief Model (HBM). Materials and Methods: The research participants comprised 275 male health and safety managers at commercial companies in Korea. The self-administered survey explored demographic characteristics, cancer-related factors, beliefs about cancer/cancer screening (BCCS) (vulnerability to cancer, severity of cancer, benefits of screening, and barriers to screening), and cancer screening intention. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with an intention to be screened for cancer. Results: Perceived health status and need for cancer prevention education were major factors associated with BCCS. Poorer health status was associated with greater perceived vulnerability, a perception of fewer benefits, and more barriers (p<0.05). A perceived greater need for cancer prevention education was associated with a higher perceived severity of cancer and more perceived barriers to screening (p<0.05). Marital status, cancer screening experience, and perceived vulnerability to cancer were significant influences on the cancer screening intention (p<0.05). Participants who had undergone cancer screening in the past 2 years were more likely to intend to be screened for cancer than were those who had not been screened; this was true across all degrees of intention and all types of cancer (p<0.01). Hesitant people considered themselves less vulnerable to gastric, lung, and liver cancer than did the poeple who intended to undergo cancer screening (p<0.05). Conclusions: Based on our findings, we recommend that workplace cancer prevention programs attempt to increase awareness about vulnerability to cancer among workers who hesitate to undergo cancer screening.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2014

Objective : Panic disorders are frequently accompanied by major depressive disorder (MDD). There is insufficient information about which clinical factors in panic disorder are associated with comorbid MDD. The aim of this study is to identify clinical factors related with comorbid MDD in patients with panic disorder. Methods : Two experienced psychiatrists diagnosed panic disorder based on DSM-IV criteria. This diagnosis in the 275 subjects was confirmed again by Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Lifetime comorbid psychiatric diagnoses were examined by MINI. The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) and Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) were used to assess the severity of depressive, anxiety and panic symptoms. Results : The result of MINI showed that 95 patients (34%) with panic disorder satisfied the diagnosis of MDD. Multivariate logistic regression model showed that comorbid generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and the symptom of "fear of losing control or going crazy" were associated with MDD in patients with panic disorder. In female patients, the "chills or hot flushes" symptom was also associated with comorbid MDD. Conclusion : These results showed that coexisting GAD and certain symptoms of panic are associated with comorbid MDD.