• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4025-4032
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• 2013

Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer for all US populations including Asian Americans. CRC screening has considerable benefits to prevent CRC and reduce mortality. The purpose of this article was to review the published literature on rates of colorectal cancer screening and factors associated with colorectal cancer screening practice among Asian Americans. Methods: Through searching electronic reference databases from 2000 to 2013, 30 articles were found on Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese Americans. Findings: Asian Americans had significantly low ratesfor CRC screening; Korean Americans reported the lowest rates, while higher screening rates were found among Japanese Americans. Older age, longer length of stay in the US, and having a physician's recommendation were the most common facilitators to receiving screening. The common inhibiting factors were financial issues, employment status, and worries/fears about the procedure. Conclusions: Despite a number of Asian Americans being vulnerable to CRC, individual Asian subgroups were underserved with CRC screening and intervention. Further studies should focus on each individual Asian subgroup and culturally proficient CRC screening intervention programs should be developed for each.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.20
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• pp.113-148
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• 2010

This paper examines the American role in shaping South Korean nation-building during the early Cold War by considering how the United States attempted to form South Korea's education and how Koreans responded to these efforts. It looks at education as an arena where "American" ideas such as democracy and liberalism were received, transformed, and utilized by Koreans. This study pays particular attention to the gap between American intentions and Korean expectations, as well as to the competition between American and Japanese systems, which explains the contradictory role America played in South Korean nation-building. In order to better assess the role of the United States in shaping South Korean education, this article considers the complex dynamics between the Japanese legacies, American influence, and Korean actors. Americans had exerted a great effect on Korean education since the beginning of their relationship. American missionaries, U.S. military government, and educational mission teams had all contributed to the expansion of educational opportunities for Koreans. Through the educational institutions that they established or helped establish, Americans tried to spread "their" ideas. In this process, Americans had to struggle with two obstacles: Korean nationalism and the legacies of Japanese colonialism. Many Koreans used American missionary schools for their own purposes and resisted U.S. military government's policies which ignored their desire for self-determination. American education missions had limited effect on Korean education due to the heterogeneous Japanese system that was still influencing South Korea even after liberation. The ways in which Americans have influenced the democratization of South Korea have not been simple. Although "American" democratic ideas reached Koreans through various routes, Koreans understood the "American" idea within their own historical context and in a way that fit their existing socio-political relations. Oftentimes suspicious of "American" democracy, Koreans developed their own concept of democracy. The overall American influence on Korean democratization, as well as on Korean education, was important but limited. While Americans helped Koreans build educational infrastructure and tried to transfer democratic ideas through it, Koreans actors and Japanese colonial legacies limited its impact.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.52-59
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was conducted to provide basic data for developing education and health promotion programs for the prevention of cancer by identifying the relation between optimistic bias about cancer and cancer preventive behavior in Korean, Chinese, American, and Japanese residents in Korea. Methods: Using a questionnaire administered by the researcher, data were collected from a convenience sample of 600, 19 to 64-yr-old male and female Korean, Chinese, American, and Japanese residents in Korea. Data was collected between February 6 and 28, 2009. Results: Scores for optimistic bias about cancer by nationality were: Koreans, -1.03; Chinese, -0.43; Americans, -0.23; and Japanese, 0.05. The cancer preventive behavior scores were: Koreans, 43.17; Chinese, 71.84; Americans, 71.71; and Japanese, 73.97. Optimistic bias about cancer and cancer preventive behavior showed a significantly positive correlation in all participants: Koreans (r=.223, p=.006); Chinese (r=.178, p=.029); Americans (r=.225, p=.006); and Japanese (r=.402, p<.001). Conclusion: The greater the optimistic bias about cancer is, the lower the cancer preventive behavior. The findings suggest that nursing interventions are needed to reduce optimistic bias about cancer and to form a positive attitude towards cancer prevention because an optimistic bias about cancer adversely affects cancer preventive behavior.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.89-96
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the importance and satisfaction with Korean food for foreigners living in Busan with consideration for nationalities, for the sake of improving satisfaction with Korean food. The research was performed using questionnaires and conducted from August 14 to September 30, 2011 for 376 foreigners in Busan. Total mean scores for the importance (4.01/5.00) and satisfaction (3.59/5.00) of Korean food attributes were significantly different (p<0.01). The gaps of the importance score and satisfaction score were -0.91 for cleanliness of food, -0.74 for taste, -0.70 for quality, and -0.68 for smell. Mean scores of satisfaction for Americans and Europeans (3.69) and Southeast Asians (3.78) were significantly (p<0.01) higher than those of Japanese (3.44) and Chinese (3.43) descent. Notably high importance and low satisfaction attributes of Korean food broken down by nationality were cleanliness for Americans/Europeans; quality and cleanliness for Japanese; texture and price for Chinese; and taste, smell, and price for Southeast Asians. Attributes rated with high importance and satisfaction were health benefits, nutrition, and quality for Americans/Europeans, Chinese, and Southeast Asians; taste and price for Americans/Europeans and Japanese; and cleanliness for Chinese and Southeast Asians.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.93-104
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• 2009

Objectives: Although Asian immigrants have lower rates of smoking and binge drinking than other ethnics in the US, Korean Americans have the highest rate of Asian immigrants. This study, therefore, compared with the rates and examined the predictors of smoking and binge drinking by gender and ethnicity among Asian immigrants in California. Methods: In 2001 and 2003, California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) were conducted in English and their original languages with Asian immigrants residing in 58 Counties and 3 Cities, California. We performed analysis to find out the differences of smoking and binge drinking rates using the secondary data, CHIS 2001 and 2003. Multiple logistic regression analysis for survey data identified predictors of smoking and binge drinking behaviors by gender and ethnicity. Results: Korean American males (35.4%) and Japanese American females (15.4%) had higher rates of smoking prevalence compared with other Asian immigrants in California. In binge drinking, 26.5% of male and 8.1% of female among Korean Americans were binge drinker, and the rates were the top with Asian Americans who had lived in California. It showed the remarkable gap between gender of smoking and binge drinking among Vietnamese immigrants, whereas not the striking difference among Japanese Americans. In multiple regression models, age, educational level, occupation, marital status, English proficiency, and health insurance coverage remained significant for smoking and binge drinking behaviors(P<0.05). Even though the time in the US was not significant, it seemed to be related to educational level and English proficiency. In particular among female, smoking and binge drinking behaviors were associated with acculturation. Conclusion: Although Asian Americans had shared with American culture since they had immigrated in the US, they had significantly different prevalence rates of smoking and binge drinking based on gender and ethnicity. Therefore, future efforts should be focused on understanding differences by ethnicity and target at high-risk subgroups. To achieve this, it needs to develop the educational materials in Korean and their original languages.

• Diabetes and Metabolism Journal
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.488-495
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• 2018

Background: Skeletal muscle plays a major role in glucose metabolism. We investigated the association between thigh muscle mass, insulin resistance, and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk. In addition, we examined the role of body mass index (BMI) as a potential effect modifier in this association. Methods: This prospective study included 399 Japanese Americans without diabetes (mean age 51.6 years) who at baseline had an estimation of thigh muscle mass by computed tomography and at baseline and after 10 years of follow-up a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test and determination of homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). We fit regression models to examine the association between thigh muscle area and incidence of T2DM and change in HOMA-IR, both measured over 10 years. Results: Thigh muscle area was inversely associated with future HOMA-IR after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, HOMA-IR, fasting plasma glucose, total abdominal fat area, and thigh subcutaneous fat area at baseline (P=0.033). The 10-year cumulative incidence of T2DM was 22.1%. A statistically significant interaction between thigh muscle area and BMI was observed, i.e., greater thigh muscle area was associated with lower risk of incident T2DM for subjects at lower levels of BMI, but this association diminished at higher BMI levels. Conclusion: Thigh muscle mass area was inversely associated with future insulin resistance. Greater thigh muscle area predicts a lower risk of incident T2DM for leaner Japanese Americans.

• IE interfaces
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.199-208
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• 2002

This study was performed to measure the various dimensions of the head and face for Korean adults. Three hundred and eighteen males and two hundred and sixty females, age ranged 18 to 60, participated for this study. Thirty-six dimensions were selected to measure. Subjects were divided into three age groups - 18 to 29, 30 to 39, and 40 to 60 - for each sex. The data were analyzed ta see the differences between the age groups and sex using SAS program. Also, the results of this study were compared to the data of Japanese and US. army. The results showed that the 'ear length', 'bigonial breadth' and 'bitragion submandibular arc' increased as the age increased(p<0.01). However, not much of differences were shown between the age groups in most of other dimensions. Males were significantly bigger than females in every dimensions. The comparison between Korea and Japanese showed significant differences in many dimensions. Due to this reason, it is considered that more caution has to be exercised in using Japanese data for the Korean. The Americans showed to be significantly bigger than Korean in most dimensions. It showed that Koreans have more roundish face and wider nose ridge than Americans. The results of this study can be used to design the products that related to the head and face.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.57 no.10
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• pp.74-86
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• 2007

An empirical study was conducted on fashion cultural products, targeting foreigners from diverse cultures. Its purpose was to identify foreigners' attitudes toward fashion cultural products of which design sources were derived from the Korean culture. The quantitative research using questionnaires was targeted at Americans, Chinese and Japanese who visited Korea. The questionnaires were back-translated into different languages for completion by the test subjects. Out of a total of 424 surveys returned, 393 were deemed usable. As a result of data analyses using SPSS 12.0 and AMOS 5.0, we found that: First, two attitude factors, the authenticity and aesthetic elements, exerted a significant effect on the intent to purchase. However, the last attitude factor, care and carriage convenience, did not significantly influence the purchase intention. Second, there was no significant difference in the attributes regarded as important when purchasing fashion cultural product between people from the U.S. and Japan. However, people from China showed differences in the attributes compared to the U.S. and Japan. Third, we found that attitudes toward fashion cultural products were different among respondents of three countries. It was revealed that the Chinese liked Korea's fashion cultural products the most, followed by Americans and Japanese. This research is significant because investigating foreigners' attitudes toward fashion cultural products for reaching out to a broader market abroad would contribute to help building an market entry planning.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2847-2852
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• 2016

Background: Although the breast cancer incidence rate in Japan is lower than in western countries, the age-specific rates have markedly increased in recent years, along with the problems of declining birth rate and an aging population. Materials and Methods: We examined past trends of age-specific breast cancer incidence using data from the Osaka Cancer Registry from 1976 to 2010, and estimated future trends until 2025 based on the changes observed and population dynamics using a log linear regression model. Results: The age-specific breast cancer incidence rate has increased consistently from the 1970s, and the rates have caught up with those of Japanese-Americans in the US. Assuming the increasing tendency of age-specific breast cancer incidence to be constant, the average annual incidence of breast cancer will increase 1.7-fold from 2006-2010 to 2021-2025. Furthermore, the number of patients aged 80 years should increase 3.4-fold. Conclusions: The medical demand for breast cancer care in Japan may increase explosively in the future, particularly among the elderly. We need to prepare for such a future increase in demand for care, although careful monitoring is needed to confirm these results.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.479-484
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• 2013

Given the CYP3A4 and CYP3A5's impact on the efficacy of drugs, the genetic backgrounds of individuals and populations are regarded as an important factor to be considered in the prescription of personalized medicine. However, genetic studies with Korean population are relatively scarce compared to those with other populations. In this study, we aimed to identify CYP3A4/5 polymorphisms and compare the genotype distributions among five ethnicities. To identify CYP3A4/5 SNPs, we first performed direct sequencing with 288 DNA samples which consisted of 96 Koreans, 48 European-Americans, 48 African-Americans, 48 Han Chinese, and 48 Japanese. The direct sequencing identified 15 novel SNPs, as well as 42 known polymorphisms. We defined the genotype distributions, and compared the allele frequencies among five ethnicities. The results showed that minor allele frequencies of Korean population were similar with those of the Japanese and Han Chinese populations, whereas there were distinct differences from European-Americans or African-Americans. Among the pharmacogenetic markers, frequencies of $CYP3A4^*1B$ (rs2740574) and $CYP3A5^*3C$ (rs776742) in Asian groups were different from those in other populations. In addition, minor allele frequency of $CYP3A4^*18$ (rs28371759) was the highest in Korean population. Additional in silico analysis predicted that two novel non-synonymous SNPs in CYP3A5 (+27256C>T, P389S and +31546T>G, I488S) could alter protein structure. The frequency distributions of the identified polymorphisms in the present study may contribute to the expansion of pharmacogenetic knowledge.