• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.16
• /
• pp.6913-6917
• /
• 2015

Background: Due to the rapid progress of industrialization, the expansion of the nuclear family, and an increase in women's social activities, the burden of care of cancer patients has increased, so that all family members are now involved in care. We compared the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) between members of families of cancer patients (hereafter, cancer families) and members of cancer-free families (non-cancer families). Materials and Methods: The data were from the Community Health Survey (2012). The study population included respondents at least 30 years of age. Data were adjusted for the following covariates: sex, age, education, marital status, household income, economic activity, household type, chronic disease, and perceived health status. Frequency analysis, analyses of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis were performed. Results: Among 163,495 respondents, 3,406 (2.1%) were part of a cancer family and 160,089 (97.9%) were part of a non-cancer family. Cancer families had lower EQ-5D scores than non-cancer families. However, by subgroup, the scores had significant association between cancer and non-cancer families only for females and for those who worked. Conclusions: There was a significant relationship between HRQOL scores and being a family member of a cancer patient. This indicates that the responsibility for care has been extended to the entire family, not only the primary caregiver.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.61-68
• /
• 2015

Purpose: In this study, we performed a comparative analysis on the quality of life (QoL) in male and female chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients based on the 4th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IV) from 2007 to 2010. Methods: We extracted the socio-demographic and clinical data of 1,218 COPD patients including 874 men and 344 women from the KNHANES IV database. Descriptive statistics and correlation test were used to analyze the data. In order to find factors associated with QoL of COPD patients, we conducted multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: Infrequency analysis, the educational level and income were lower in the female COPD patients than in the male ones. The QoL indexes including mobility, self-care, activities of daily living, discomfort, anxiety, and depression were significantly worse in the female of COPD patients than in the male ones (p<.01).Conclusion: Our study indicates that QoL of female COPD patients should be improved on the educational, economic, and healthcare aspects.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.45-53
• /
• 2016

Objectives : The number of people in Mibyeong state that complain of physical and mental discomfort but without a clear medical diagnosis has rapidly increased, but the conventional medical system is insufficient to care for these people. By establishing an evaluation instrument for Mibyeong state, it will be possible to provide a research base for Mibyeong management system and expand the clinical area of integrative medicine. Methods : Mibyeong Index was designed to measure inconvenience and resilience of subject's complains including four physical symptoms (fatigue, pain, low sleep quality, indigestion) and mental distress include anxiety, anger, depression. A 21-item quality of healthy measure was developed and tested. We used results of a nation-wide stratified sampled adult data in Korea. Results and Conclusions : Mibyeong index had adequate internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha was 0.88 in general population(N=1,110). The correlation between establised quality of life questionnaires (including SF-12 and EQ-D5 VAS) and the Mibyeong index were from 0.468 to 0.493. The national promotion of advanced health for an aging society and original Mibyeong care technology based on traditional Korean medicine can be developed by a self-care system that enhancing health before suffering illness. We expect that this instrument could be contribute to health management of people in Mibyeong state.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.80 no.3
• /
• pp.304-310
• /
• 2017

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is a chronic inflammatory disorder. We evaluated whether white blood cell (WBC) count, is associated with the severity of COPD, independent of other inflammatory conditions, such as metabolic syndrome. Methods: The WBC counts were compared between 1227 COPD patients and 8679 non-COPD adults older than 40. The relationships between the WBC count, lung function, and symptoms score in COPD patients, were determined, using general linear regression analyses. Results: The WBC count was negatively associated with forced vital capacity (FVC, L), FVC (% predicted), forced expiry volume in one second ($FEV_1$, L), and $FEV_1$ (% predicted) in COPD patients. Additionally, the WBC count was independently associated with the quality of life measure, by EQ5D-index score. However, this relationship between WBC count, and disease severity, was not significant in current smokers, because of the confounding effect of smoking, on the WBC count. Conclusion: The WBC count is associated with current smoking status and COPD severity, and a risk factor for poor lung function, and quality of life, especially in non-currently smoking COPD patients. The WBC count can be used, as an easily measurable COPD biomarker.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.117-124
• /
• 2017

Objectives Collaboration medicine means cooperate with western medicine and traditional korean medicine to treat the one disease. In Korea, Interest in collaboration medicine is increasing, But the number of studies is scare. Therefore we will conduct collaboration medicine study for the low back pain. Methods This study composes prospective cohort registry study. If the patients who need collaboration medicine by doctor come, we will ask regist this study. And patient select collaboration treatment group and single treatment group. Total 120 patients will recruit from collaboration pilot project hospitals. Each group patient will observed 4 weeks. Telephone research will conducted after 1 month from the last follow up. During the treatment, patients are treated usual treatment type of each medicine. Primary outcome is NRS and secondary outcomes are EQ-5D and ODI. We will analyze difference of 1 week and 4 week outcome result. Conclusions This study is the first large sample size study effect of collaboration medicine in Korea for low back pain. We check present collaboration system and improve collaboration system. Aim of this study is to find the effectiveness collaboration medicine for low back pain in the real condition. And we expect this pilot study will provide the clinical collaboration information and basis.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.63-76
• /
• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to verify the clinical effects of herbal medicines on patients with depressive disorder. Methods: A prospective observational study on patients with depressive disorder was conducted. The patients were treated with herbal medicines for eight weeks. The Korean Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (K-HDRS) was evaluated as the primary outcome and the Korean Beck's Depression Inventory (K-BDI), Instrument on Pattern Identification for Depression, Korean Symptom Checklist-95 (KSCL-95), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Korean State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-K), Korean State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-K), EuroQol five-dimensional Questionnaire (EQ-5D), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), Heart Rate Variability (HRV) were measured as the secondary outcome. Adverse events were assessed for safety. Results: A total of 35 participants were observed for 12 weeks. The K-HDRS improved significantly in four, eight, and 12 weeks and the K-BDI showed significant differences in four, and eight weeks. There were no significant improvements in other evaluation scales. Gyejibongnyeong-hwan was the most frequently and continuously prescribed, showing significant improvements of K-HDRS after eight weeks of treatment. Conclusions: In our observational study, herbal medicine was effective for relieving the depression of patients with depressive disorder and Gyejibongnyeong-hwan showed the most significant effectiveness.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.104-109
• /
• 2016

In the current study, we investigated the longitudinal association between dietary acid load and the risk of insulin resistance (IR) in the Tehranian adult population. This longitudinal study was conducted on 925 participants, aged 22~80 years old, in the framework of the third (2006~2008) and fourth (2009~2011) phases of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. At baseline, the dietary intake of subjects was assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and the potential renal acid load (PRAL) and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) scores were calculated at baseline. Fasting serum insulin and glucose were measured at baseline and again after a 3-year of follow-up; IR was defined according to optimal cut-off values. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the risk of IR according to the PRAL and NEAP quartile categories. Mean age and body mass index of the participants were 40.3 years old of $26.4kg/m^2$, respectively. Mean PRAL and NEAP scores were -11.2 and 35.6 mEq/d, respectively. After adjustment for potential confounders, compared to the lowest quartile of PRAL and NEAP, the highest quartile was accompanied with increased risk of IR [odds ratio (OR)=2.81, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.32~5.97 and OR=2.18, 95% CI=1.03~4.61, respectively]. Our findings suggest that higher acidic dietary acid-base load, defined by higher PRAL and NEAP scores, may be a risk factor for the development of IR and related metabolic disorders.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.353-362
• /
• 2013

Objectives: This study is conducted to identify the effects of the activity program for preventing dementia against depression, cognitive function, and quality of life for the elderly. Methods: A non-equivalent control group with pretest-posttest design was used on 50 elderly who were assigned to the experimental and control group (25 for each group). Results: Cognitive function was significantly different between the two groups of the pretest and posttest (Z=4.217, p<.001). There were significant differences between the two groups of the pretest and posttest (Z=-2.324, p=.020) for the quality of life on the EQ-5D index. Conclusions: These findings confirmed that the activity program for preventing dementia was effective for improving cognitive functions and quality of life for the elderly. Therefore, it is further encouraged to perform the activity programs for preventing dementia within other community health posts and community centers. It is necessary to study the emotional supports from community health posts in the future.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.372-380
• /
• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to seek ways to improve the quality of life of workers by separating workers into the low fatigue group and the severe fatigue group depending on the level of fatigue level, and analyzing and understanding the difference between quality of life and job stress according to the fatigue level. Methods: For the 'Development of Mibyeong management system which was a consumer-directed health care service', the data of job stress, fatigue and quality of life was collected from 115 workers who visited the oriental hospitals located in J city and C city from Jul, 2012 to Dec, 2012. Results: The severe fatigue group showed significantly higher job stress than the low fatigue group in physical environment (p=.004), job demand (p<.001), interpersonal conflict (p=.012), lack of reward (p=.062). The severe fatigue group showed lower degrees both in physical component summary (PCS) (p<.001) and mental component summary (MCS) (p<.001) measured by SF-12 and the quality of life (p<.001) measured by EQ5D than the lower fatigue group. A relatively strong negative correlation was found in the item of mental component summary (MCS) measured by SF-12. Conclusion: Considering our results that high fatigue level show negative impact on quality of life and job stress, we suggest to provide a variety of health promotion strategies to improve the quality of life through the prevention and relief of fatigue for workers.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.42-53
• /
• 2020

The relationship of abdominal obesity ("AO") with co-morbidity and mortality is well established. This study assessed the factors associated with AO, which was defined as a waist circumference ≥90 cm for men and ≥85 cm for women, in the group aged over 65 years. A total of 1,435 subjects were analyzed among the participants of the 2014 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Statistical methods for a complex sample were applied by using a SPSS program (ver. 25.0). AO was more frequently found in females. The results of the logistic regression analysis showed that heavy drinking (OR: 1.53), no weight training (OR: 0.68), stressful mental status (OR: 0.61), bad health-related quality of life (by EQ_5D, OR: 1.45), hypertension (OR: 2.18), prediabetes (OR: 1.94), diabetes (OR: 1.63), low HDL-cholesterol (OR: 1.86), anemia (OR: 0.55), and heavy energy intake (OR: 1.41) were significantly related with the prevalence of AO after adjustment for gender. Heavy drinking (OR: 1.89), bad self-rating of health status (OR: 1.72), low HDL-cholesterol (OR: 1.85), heavy energy intake (OR: 1.79), low intake of riboflavin (OR: 1.60) were still significantly related with the prevalence of AO after adjustment for gender and body mass index (BMI), this study suggests that certain characteristics of health habits, mental health status, and chronic diseases may be associated with AO. This study did not establish the existence of relationship between nutrient intakes, except for riboflavin, and risk of AO, but this study suggests that prospective research is needed to establish causal connections among those factors.