• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.297-311
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• 2020

Objective: We compared the level of blood cadmium exposure with health impacts by using data from a survey of residents near an abandoned mine and a national health survey. Methods: For this study, we used data from 7,046 individuals who participated in the Health Effects Survey of Abandoned Metal Mines (AMS, 2008-2011) and 6,871 individuals who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV-VI (KNHANES, 2008-2013). To evaluate the health impacts, the quartiles (S1 to S4) were classified according to blood cadmium concentration, and then the odds ratios of S2 to S4 over S1 for exceeding the reference values of renal function, blood pressure, and bone density were compared. Similarly, the odds ratio of AMS over KNHANES was confirmed. Results: In the AMS, adjusted for general characteristics, the geometric mean of blood cadmium concentration was 1.34 ㎍/L, which was statistically significantly higher than that of the KNHANES 1.22 ㎍/L (p<0.001). In the integrated data of AMS and KNHANES, the estimated odds ratio of S4 over S1 for exceeding the reference value was found to be 1.70 for serum creatinine, 1.71 for hypertension, and a T-score 2.02 for the tarsal bone. They were all statistically significant. Conclusion: Residents around abandoned metal mines had a higher blood cadmium concentration than the general population, and the odds for exceeding the reference values were higher for some health indicators. Continuous biomonitoring should be conducted for vulnerable areas such as around abandoned metal mines, and measures to reduce cadmium exposure and management of chronic diseases are needed.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.585-594
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• 2017

Purpose: Food intake of COPD patients decreases because of appetite loss, depression, and breathing problems while eating, which increase the likelihood of patients becoming malnourished. This study investigated the nutrient intake and dietary quality of people with and without COPD in Korea. Methods: There were 2,160 adults aged 50 and over who participated in the $5{\sim}6^{th}$ Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The subjects were divided into the COPD group and non-COPD group according to the rate of forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1) against forced vital capacity (FVC). Consumption of food and nutrients were calculated based on the nutrition examination survey. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 19.0. Results: Among individuals in their 50s, intake of vitamin $B_1$ in the COPD group was significantly less than the NCOPD group, while intake of sodium in the COPD group was significantly greater than the NCOPD group. Among individuals in their 60s, the energy intake of the COPD group was significantly less than that of the NCOPD group. The COPD group showed significantly less intake of vitamin $B_1$ and vitamin C, but greater intake of sodium than the NCOPD group. In the group aged 70 and over, The COPD group had significantly less intake of vitamin $B_1$ than the NCOPD group and showed lower nutrient adequacy ratio values in protein, vitamin $B_1$, vitamin $B_2$, and iron than the NCOPD group. Conclusion: The COPD group consumed less energy and certain nutrients, and their dietary quality was poor compared to the NCOPD group. Thus, more detailed research is required to understand the concrete relationship between COPD and malnutrition.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.103-113
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was performed to assess problems associated with sleep (short and long sleep duration) and to identify risky subgroups with sleep problems among adult cancer survivors. The study is based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI and VII) from 2013 to 2016. Methods: The sociodemographic and clinical data of 504 Korean cancer survivors aged 20-64 years was extracted from the KNHANES VI and VII database. Descriptive statistics for complex samples was used, and decision-tree analyses were performed using the SPSS WIN 24.0 program. Results: The mean age for survivors was approximately 51 years. The mean sleep duration was 6.97 hours; 36.2% of participants had short (< 7 hours) and 9.9% had long (> 8 hours) sleep duration. From the decision-trees analyses, the characteristics of the adult cancer survivors related to sleep problems were presented with six different pathways. Sleep problems were analyzed according to the survivors' sociodemographic information (age, education, living status, and occupation), clinical characteristics (body mass index, hypercholesterolemia, and anemia) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The HRQoL (${\leq}0.5$ or > 0.5 cutoff point) was a significant predictor of the participants' sleep problems because all six pathways were started from this predictor in the model. Conclusion: Health care professionals could use the decision-tree model for screening adult cancer survivors with sleep problems in clinical or community settings. Nursing interventions considering these specific individual characteristics and HRQoL level should be developed to have adequate sleep duration for Korean adult cancer survivors.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.468-479
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• 2022

Objectives: This study investigates dietary supplement intakes by examining the characteristics of dietary and health-related behaviors. Data were obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Dietary and health-related behaviors were also examined before and after the occurrence of COVID-19 and household types (multi-members vs. single person). Methods: Data used in this study were collected from the 2019-2020 KNHANES by including adults aged 19 to 64 years. Pregnant, lactating, and subjects consuming calories less than 500 and more than 5,000 were excluded. Differences in dietary and health-related behaviors before and after COVID-19, and between the two types of households were analyzed by Chi-square analyses using Rao-Scott. Logistic regression analyses were applied to determine which dietary and health-related behaviors affected the dietary supplement intakes. In addition, descriptive analysis was run for demographic characteristics. Results: The dietary supplement intake rate differed significantly with respect to the gender, age, education, marital status, and household income. Dietary supplement intakes, frequency of eating out, obesity, and body weight changes were significantly different before and after COVID-19. In addition, meal evaluation, frequency of eating out, drinking, smoking, activity, subjective health evaluation, and body weight changes showed significant differences by household type. Attitude towards nutrition, activity, meal evaluation, obesity, and smoking were factors that affected the intake of dietary supplements. Conclusions: While increased intake of dietary supplements is a prevalent phenomenon, this intake needs to be monitored and studied closely, considering the sociodemographic characteristics and dietary and health-related behaviors. Furthermore, the dietary supplement intake trend after COVID-19 needs to be studied along with food intake.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.283-294
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• 2023

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum uric acid (SUA) levels and the risk of periodontitis in Korean adults using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the KNHANES 2016-2018 and analysed 12,735 Korean adults aged ≥19 years who underwent oral examinations. Hypouricemia was defined as SUA <3 mg/dL in men and <2 mg/dL in women, and hyperuricemia was defined as SUA ≥7 mg/dL in men and ≥6 mg/dL in women. Results: The weighted prevalence of hypouricemia and hyperuricemia was 0.6% and 12.9%, respectively. The overall weighted periodontitis rate was 30.5%. The frequency of periodontitis in subjects with hypouricemia, normouricemia, and hyperuricemia were 51.1%, 30.3%, and 30.6%, respectively. Study participants with hypouricemia were significantly older, had significantly fasting blood glucose levels, and had better kidney function than non-hypouricemic participants. In univariate logistic regression analyses, hypouricemia was associated with periodontitis, but hyperuricemia was not. The fully adjusted model revealed that the adjusted odds ratio of hypouricemia for periodontitis was 1.62 (95% confidence interval, 1.13-2.33), while the relationship between hyperuricemia and periodontitis in the multivariable logistic regression model was not significant. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that hypouricemia is associated with an increased risk of periodontitis.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.404-418
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the trends in kimchi, vegetable, and fruit consumption among the Korean population and identify the factors associated with this consumption. The goal was to provide fundamental data for developing appropriate guidelines to increase kimchi consumption by understanding its characteristics. Methods: The analysis utilized data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) conducted between 1998 and 2020. A total of 81,680 adults, aged 30 years or older, were included in the trend analysis. For the analysis of factors associated with kimchi, vegetable, and fruit intake, a subgroup of 22,122 adults aged 30 years or older from the KNHANES (2016-2020) was divided into two groups: 30-64 years old and 65 years old or older. Since the KNHANES data employed a complex sampling design, the statistical analysis was conducted using the appropriate complex sampling design method. Results: The overall consumption of kimchi exhibited a declining trend among both men and women. Specifically, there was a significant decline in the intake of baechu kimchi among both genders. The decline in kimchi consumption above the standard was associated with a decrease in meal frequency and an increase in the frequency of eating alone. However, the patterns for unsalted vegetables and fruits differed compared to kimchi. Conclusion: In this study, there was a decline in kimchi consumption among both men and women, and the potential factors associated with this trend included Westernized dietary habits, the presence of a spouse who influenced dietary habits, and an increased frequency of solitary dining due to the rise in single-person households. Therefore, it is necessary to develop dietary guidelines that consider these factors.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.485-492
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to identify factors related to unmet dental care needs among Korean youth, enhance the utilization of dental services by adolescents, furnish basic data for youth-oriented dental projects, and improve access to medical care. Methods: The analysis utilized combined data from the basic and oral databases from the 6th (2013-2015), 7th (2016-2018), and 1st year of the 8th (2019) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Results: The factors influencing unmet dental care needs were gender, age, household income level, and health insurance. Statistically significant results were observed in relation to the type of dental clinic, recent visits to a dental hospital, experiences of toothache within the past year, subjective oral health status, occurrences of permanent dental caries, and engagement in orthodontic treatment. Conclusions: When formulating future national policies and projects, it is imperative to consider the factors and underlying reasons for the unmet dental care needs of adolescents. It is also necessary to establish oral health policies and institutional measures tailored to the dental care of adolescents.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.329-339
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• 2020

Objectives: This study was undertaken to evaluate the intake of vitamins and minerals from dietary supplements (DSs) in Korean adults and elderly. Methods: Data for this study was generated from the 2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). We analyzed 4,204 individuals aged 19 years and older (2,579 users and 1,625 non-users). The survey included 24-h recall questions on food and DS intakes, as well as questions on DS use over the past year. The nutrient DSs evaluated were calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C. Total nutrient intakes were obtained by combining nutrient intakes of foods and DSs consumed by each subject. Results: Most micronutrient intakes from food (except for thiamin) in adult users, and the four micronutrient intakes (iron, vitamin A, vitamin B₂ and vitamin C) in elderly users, were significantly higher than values obtained in non-users. For total intake of nutrients and DSs, both adult and elderly users had a significantly higher intake than non-users. While proportions below Estimated Average Requirements for all micronutrients by adding respective DSs in users were significantly reduced in adults and elderly as compared to non-users, the proportions of above Tolerable Upper Intake Levels for calcium and vitamin A in adults, and vitamin A in elderly, were significantly increased. In the total subjects examined, consumption of DSs was associated with lower odds ratios of undernutrition of micronutrients, and with higher odds ratios of overnutrition of calcium, iron, and vitamin A, as compared to non-users of DSs. Conclusions: Although DSs consumption by adults and the elderly improves the micronutrient status, it also increases the risk of excessive intake of certain vitamins and minerals.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.30-40
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the associations of food security with socio-demographic characteristics, nutrient intakes and mental health status among older Korean adults. Methods: This study was conducted using data from the 2008-2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Subjects were 4,451 adults aged 65~98 years. Food security was measured using a self-reported question on food sufficiency of subjects' household. Based on the answers, study subjects were classified into secure, mildly insecure, moderately insecure, and severely insecure groups. Dietary intake was estimated by 24-hour dietary recall. Nutrient intake was assessed by dietary reference intakes (DRI). As for mental health status, the data on mental stress, depression, and suicide ideation were used. Results: Rate of food insecurity in older adults was 14.3%. Old age, being female, low education, low income level, living alone, and discomfort in daily living were more related to food insecurity. Means of nutrient intakes were significantly different according to food security status. Intakes of calcium, potassium, and vitamin $B_2$ were lower than recommended intakes in all groups. Consumption amounts of soy and soybean products, vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, vegetable oils, meats, eggs, seafood, and dairy products were lower in food insecure groups. Mental stress, depression, and suicide ideation were higher in food insecure groups independent of the gender and income level. Conclusions: These present findings suggested that food security is related to mental health as well as nutrition status in older Korean adults. A national system that include food and psychosocial support programs for the elderly should be considered in order to improve the overall health of older Korean adults.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.27-35
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• 2016

The study was conducted to identify related risk factor of elderly's suicidal ideation. This study used a cross-sectional design with secondary analysis of the $6^{th}$ 2013 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Data for 1,201 elderlies who aged over 65 years old from the KNHANES were included. Suicidal ideation, general characteristics, physical health, psychological health, EuroQoL, and health behavior were measured. Chi-square test, t-test, and multiple logistic regression were used to analyze this data through the SPSS win 22.0 program. In the results, 7.7% of the elderly had suicidal ideation. The odds ratios of suicidal ideation were significantly higher among those with restriction of activity (OR=1.31, CI=1.40~3.82), those with depression (OR=4.44, CI=1.66~7.40), and those with high levels of stress (OR=9.24, CI=3.48~24.5). Therefore, the activity level, depression level, and stress level need to be regularly assessed in order to prevent suicidal ideation among the elderly.