• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.172-178
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• 2018

Objectives : This study aimed to describe the use of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and to identify predictors for their use in the elderly living alone. Methods : This is a cross-sectional study that enrolled 1,099 subjects. Data regarding socio-demographic status, medical condition, cognition, mood disorder and use of OTC drugs were collected using self-administered questionnaire and from a specific semi-structured interview by a trained nurse. Data regarding use of OTC drugs were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Logistic regression analysis was applied to examine factors associated with the use of OTC drugs. Results : The use of OTC drugs were reported by 35.4% of the subjects. Analgesics (13.6%) was the most frequent drugs. Depression (OR=1.10, 95% CI=1.10-1.87) and comorbidities measured by cumulative illness rating scale (CIRS) (OR=1.08, 95% CI=1.03-1.12) were significantly associated with the use of OTC drugs in the elderly living alone. Conclusions : Depression and severity of underlying medical conditions could be a predictor of the use of OTC drugs in the elderly living alone. The clinicians should be vigilant regarding the potential use of nonprescription medications in the elderly.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.22-32
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• 2021

Purpose: Discrimination experienced in the early stages of life among ethnic minority adolescents is known to affect depression and also adversely affect health throughout adulthood and old age. The purpose of this study was to identify whether discrimination experienced by ethnic minority adolescents and their mothers and depression among mothers affect depression in ethnic minority adolescents according to gender. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using the data of 2018 National Multicultural Family Survey in Korea. The study sample comprised 2,446 ethnic minority adolescents aged 11~18 and their mothers. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, pearson correlation analysis, and ordinal logistic regression with SPSS/WIN 25.0 and STATA IC 16. Results: 18.4% of the adolescents (boys: 15.1%, girls: 20.5 %) felt sad or frustrated sometimes or more often for at least two weeks during the past year. Also, 8.3% of the adolescents and 29.6% of their mothers experienced discrimination during the past year. Boys were influenced more than girls by bullying at school (OR=5.17, 95% CI: 2.85~9.38), academic performance (very bad's OR=5.79, 95% CI: 1.54~21.63) and mother's depression (often's OR=2.31, 95% CI: 1.14~4.64). Girls were influenced more than boys by experience of discrimination (OR=2.72, 95% CI: 1.69~4.39). Conclusion: The findings showed that discrimination experienced by ethnic minority adolescents and their mothers in Korean society increases depression in ethnic minority adolescents and has different effects by gender. Therefore, a gender-specific and mother-inclusive intervention is recommended to prevent depression in ethnic minority adolescents.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.601-610
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• 2022

Although the number of people insured by private health insurance in Korea is steadily increasing, the household burden or the status of multiple purchasing for private health insurance has not been addressed. In this study, data of the 2011-2018 Korea Health Panel Survey was used to examine the purchasing trend of Korean households' private health insurance. Households with more than three private health insurance per household member were defined as the 'poly-purchases'. The logit model was applied to analyze factors associated with poly-purchase of private health insurance using 2018 cross-sectional data. From 2011 to 2018, the number of insurances purchased by Korean households increased (4.0 to 4.6), the number of insurances per capita increased (1.3 to 1.6), and the proportion of the poly-purchasing households increased (5.2% to 10.8%). As a result of logit analysis, the probability of poly-purchasing was increased when the household head was a woman, with a high level of education and income, and when the job of the household head was a service or sales. Poly-purchasing was less likely when the family was subsidized with Medical Aids and suffered with more chronic diseases. The results of this study serve basic evidence for establishing policies regarding private health insurance, such as establishing the relationship between public and private insurance.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.671-684
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• 2022

This study verified the stability of a high-strength combined buried pile retaining wall and its applicability in the field. A cast-in-place (C.I.P) retaining wall and the high-strength combined embedded pile retaining wall were compared and analyzed numerically. The numerical analysis assessed the ground behavior and stability (and thus field applicability) of a high-strength combined buried pile retaining wall using data measured in the field. The experimental results showed that the cross-sectional force and displacement of the high-strength bonded pile retaining wall were reduced by 13.6~19.7%, the shear force increased by 0.7~4.7%, and the bending moment increased by 4.5~8.8% relative to the values for the C.I.P retaining wall. Examination of the amount of subsidence in the ground around the excavation showed that the maximum settlement of the C.I.P retaining wall was 46.89 mm and that at the high-strength combined buried pile retaining wall was 39.37 mm. Overall, designing a high-strength combined embedded pile retaining wall by applying the maximum bending moment and shear force calculated using the elastic beam method to the site ground was shown to achieve the safety of all members, as member forces were generated within the elastic region.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.23-34
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• 2012

As the quality of life grows, the role of cultural facilities in urban areas is becoming more important. However, due to various reasons, the location of these facilities shows the geographical imbalance between urban regions. Even though provision of road network can improve this kind of urban problem, in many countries, the provision of urban infrastructure plays a role which is magnifies the cultural gap between regions and socio-economic classes. The findings of this study are as follows. First of all, the inequality of accessibility to cultural facilities is shown over the period. Cross-sectional data shows that the higher the income of a region, the higher the accessibility index(AI) of the zone to cultural facilities at any time. Next, the provision of road network contributes the improvement of AI of high income region. Finally the provision of new facilities has a tendency that these kind of facilities are located to make AI of high income zone better. It means that the decision making by city government intensifies the geographical inequality. This result would be very useful in the decision making process for determining the number and the location of cultural facilities and other similar urban infrastructure as well. Also it will be helpful for the selection of optimal location which considered not only physical distances but also social equalities.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8107-8112
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• 2016

Background and Aims: Colorectal cancer is the second most frequent cancer in Malaysia. We aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Malaysian Chinese version of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Questionnaire core (QLQ-C30) in patients with colorectal cancer. Materials and Methods: Translated versions of the QLQ-C30 were obtained from the EORTC. A cross sectional study design was used to obtain data from patients receiving treatment at two teaching hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Malaysian Chinese version of QLQ-C30 was self-administered in 96 patients while the Karnofsky Performance Scales (KPS) was generated by attending surgeons. Statistical analysis included reliability, convergent, discriminate validity, and known-groups comparisons. Statistical significance was based on p value ${\leq}0.05$. Results: The internal consistencies of the Malaysian Chinese version were acceptable [Cronbach's alpha (${\alpha}{\geq}0.70$)] in the global health status/overall quality of life (GHS/QOL), functioning scales except cognitive scale (${\alpha}{\leq}0.32$) in all levels of analysis, and social/family functioning scale (${\alpha}=0.63$) in patients without a stoma. All questionnaire items fulfilled the criteria for convergent and discriminant validity except question number 5, with correlation with role (r = 0.62) and social/family (r = 0.41) functioning higher than with physical functioning scales (r = 0.34). The test-retest coefficients in the GHS/QOL, functioning scales and in most of the symptoms scales were moderate to high (r = 0.58 to 1.00). Patients with a stoma reported statistically significant lower physical functioning (p=0.015), social/family functioning (p=0.013), and higher constipation (p=0.010) and financial difficulty (p=0.037) compared to patients without stoma. There was no significant difference between patients with high and low KPS scores. Conclusions: Malaysian Chinese version of the QLQ-C30 is a valid and reliable measure of HRQOL in patients with colorectal cancer.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.331-336
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• 2009

Objectives : The objectives of this study were to determine the relationship between lifestyle-implementation and metabolic syndrome in an electronics research and development company, and to provide a foundation for health providers of health management programs for setting priorities. Methods : From July 1 to July 16, 2008 we carried out a descriptive cross-sectional survey. Consecutive workers of one R & D company in Seoul, Korea (N=2,079) were enrolled in study. A checklist for lifestyle (from the National Health Insurance Corporation) consisted of questions regarding diet, drinking, smoking and exercise. After the survey, researchers obtained data from health profiles for metabolic syndrome(waist-circumference, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure and fasting blood sugar level). Lifestyle was recorded as good or not good. Statistical analysis of metabolic syndrome and the lifestyle of subjects was done using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results : The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in our study gropu was 13.3% (N=277). After adjustment for age, the adjusted odds ratios (odds ratio, 95% confidence intervals) for metabolic syndrome increased in proportion to the number of bad habits: two (1.72, 1.23-2.44), three (2.47, 1.73-3.56), and four (3.63, 2.03-6.34). Relative to subjects eating both vegetables and meat', the OR for 'meat' eaters was 1.66 (1.18-2.31). Compared with 'nonsmokers and ever-smoker', the OR for 'current-smoker' was 1.62 (1.25-2.10). Compared with 'Healthy drinker', the OR for 'unhealthy drinker' was 1.38 (1.05-1.83). Conclusions : Poor lifestyle was associated with an increased likelihood of metabolic syndrome. These findings suggest that lifestyle-based occupational health interventions for young employees should include a specific diet, smoking cessation, and healthy-drinking programs.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.59-68
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• 2018

This study was a cross-sectional descriptive study of the effects of emotional happiness on aging preparation for 45-60 year olds. Participants of this study were 312 volunteers and data was collected online, the collection period was from May 15, 2018 to May 31, 2018. The tools used in the research were the emotional happiness developed by Watson et al (1988) et al., the aging preparation developed by JH Lee (2009). Analysis was done using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and regression by SPSS 18.0. As a result of the analysis, 84.0% of participants felt physically healthy and 89.8% felt mental health. The spouses of participants were physically 83.4% healthy and mentally 82.7% healthy. The correlation between emotional happiness, health cognition and aging preparation showed that physical health had a correlation with mental health (r = .482, p <0.01) and emotional happiness (r = .369, p <0.01), economic aging preparation (r = .411, p <0.01), social aging preparation (r = .119, p <0.01). Mental health was correlated with emotional happiness (r = .491, p <0.01), economic aging preparation (r = .411, p <0.01) and social aging preparation. Difference between emotional happiness and retirement preparation according to presence or absence of disease, emotional happiness (t = -4.503, p <0.01) and economic aging preparation (t = -4.960, p <0.01) were statistically significant. Emotional happiness affects the preparation of old age, emotional happiness affects to physical aging preparation under statistical significance (F=25.191, p<0.01), economic aging preparation (F=1131.783, p<0.01), and social aging preparation (F=147.672, p<0.01) which were sub components of aging preparation. Emotional happiness showed a 7.5% effect on the preparation of physical aging, 78.4% on economic aging preparation and 32.3% on social aging preparation. Based on the above results, it can be concluded that physical health and mental health are related to emotional happiness, economic aging preparation, and social aging preparation. And also these results can be inferred that the illness causes emotional less feeling of happiness and economic difficulty. Based on the results of this study, emotional well - being influences the retirement preparation significantly at statistical significance. Therefore, if the concept of emotional happiness is introduced to the old-age preparation program, it will be more client centered program.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup3
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• pp.263-268
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• 2016

Cervical cancer is the fourth common cancer among women worldwide. Pap smear screening has resulted in deceasing incidence of cervical cancer in developed countries but low uptake of Pap smear screening among women in developing countries is still a public health challenge. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess the relationship between self-efficacy and timely uptake of Pap smear among Iranian women. A total of 580 married women referred to primary health care centers covered administratively by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran were administered a questionnaire by trained staff. Data were analyzed with SPSS (version 16) software, using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The mean age for participants was $33.1{\pm}8.8years$. There was a significant association between self-efficacy and Pap smear screening (P<0.01). There was also a positive correlation between duration of marriage and husband's education with Pap smear uptake (P<0.01). In univariate analysis, there was a significant association between Pap smear uptake and level of selfefficacy (OR = 15.3 for intermediate and OR=7.4 for good level), duration of marriage (OR = 5.7 for 5-14 years and OR=10.4 for more than 15), age (OR =2.7 for 27-34 years and OR=7.4 for more than 35 years) and husband education level (OR=2.3 for more than 12 years of education). In multivariate analysis, significant associations persisted between Pap smear uptake and self-efficacy (OR = 23.8; 95% CI: 8.7, 65.5), duration of marriage (OR = 5.9; 95% CI: 2.8, 12.2), age (OR = 3.9; 95% CI: 1.2, 12.9) and husband's education (OR = 2.5; 95% CI: 2.0, 10.3). Efforts are needed to increase women's knowledge about cervical cancer and improve their self-efficacy and perceptions of the Pap smear screening in order to reduce cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5111-5116
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• 2013

Background: Early in the 21st century, cancers are the second cause of death worldwide. Colon cancer is third most common cancer and one of the few amenable to early diagnosis and treatment. Evaluation of factors affecting this cancer is important to increase survival time. Some of these factors affecting all diseases including cancer are social determinants of health. According to the importance of this disease and relation with these factors, this study was conducted to assess the relationship between social determinants of health and colon cancer survival. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study for patients with colon cancer registered in the Cancer Research Center of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, from April 2005 to November 2006, performed using questionnaires filled by telephone interview with patients (if patients had died, with family members). Data was analyzed with SPSS software (version 19) for descriptive analysis and STATA software for survival analysis including log rank test and three step Cox Proportional Hazard regression. Results: Five hundred fifty nine patients with ages ranging from 23 to 88 years with mean${\pm}$standard deviation of $63{\pm}11.8$ years were included in the study. The five year survival was 68.3%( 387 patients were alive and 172 patients were dead by the end of the study). The Cox proportional hazard regression showed 5-year survival was related to age (HR=0.53, p=0.042 for>50 years versus<50 years old) in first step, gender (HR=0.60, p=0.006 for female versus male) in second step, job (HR=1.7, p=0.001 for manual versus non manual jobs), region of residency (HR=3.49, p=0.018 for west versus south regions), parents in childhood (HR=2.87, p=0.012 for having both parents versus not having), anatomical cancer location (HR=2.16, p<0.033 for colon versus rectal cancer) and complete treatment (HR=5.96, p<0.001 for incomplete versus complete treatment). Conclusions: Social determinants of health such as job, city region residency and having parents during childhood have significant effects in 5-year survival of colon cancer and it may be better to consider these factors in addition to developing cancer treatment and to focus on these determinants of health in long-time planning.