• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.21-38
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• 2008

Objective: This study examined the use of mental health helping systems among college students in Korea. A behavioral model of health service utilization was applied to examine factors influencing different types of helping systems. Methods: A total of 454 college students from four universities participated in the survey. A self-administered questionnaire measuring help-seeking behaviors including formal health and mental health services, informal helping system, peer group, and family support was used. Results: Respondents frequently turn to family members and peer group when in need, and age, sex, mental Health status, and attitude and knowledge on mental illness were significant factors affecting help-seeking behaviors of Korean students. While older students and those with more severe symptoms were more likely to seek help from formal resources, students with more severe symptoms were less likely to seek help from informal resources. Male students and those with negative attitude toward mental illness were less likely to ask peer groups for help. Conclusions: Study results indicate that informal resources and peer groups can be significant sources of social support for individuals in their late adolescence and young adulthood, however, their role as gateways to professional help is limited. Student counseling centers should take on a more active role in reaching out; implications for developing peer leaders as counselors and self-help groups are discussed.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.369-375
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• 2013

Objective: Using the Korean Health Panel data (KHP) of 2008 and 2009, this paper analyzed the effect of antihypertension medication adherence on the changes in medical service utilization and medical expenditure in the next year. Method: Through a face-to-face interview survey, KHP has provided an extensive data on demographic characteristics, medical utilizations behavior, medical expenditure and health behaviors of the targeted households and their members since 2008. KHP is recognized as highly accurate regarding medical expenditure in that it makes the target households to record 'Health diary' whenever they use healthcare service, which could minimize their cognitive bias or memory distortion. The 2010 KHP data was based on the interview from 6,432 households and 19,697 household members. Two part model was used to explore the effects of medication adherence on medical use (logistic regression analysis) and medical expenditures (OLS). Result: Our study result demonstrated that the 74.7% of the patients who strictly adhere to their medication in both years, in 2008 and in 2009, were likely to use inpatient service in 2010. This shows the noncompliant patients were in fact use emergency service less than the compliant patients. Conclusion: Based on our analysis, this paper concludes that the high medication adherence of hypertensive patients could contribute to reduce the emergency service use. Therefore it is highly recommendable for the Korean government and the insurer, NHIS, to actively invest in developing education and promotion program to improve medication adherence among hypertensive patients.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.493-504
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• 2020

Background: There have been many studies on the associations between body mass index (BMI) and cognitive function. However, no study has ever compared the associations across the methods of categorizing BMI. In this study, we aimed to fill the gap in the previous studies and examine whether the obesity paradox is valid in the risk of cognitive function. Methods: Of the 10,254 people aged 45 and older from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing from 2006 to 2016, 8,970 people were finalized as the study population. The dependent variable was whether a person has a normal cognitive function or not, and the independent variables of interest were BMI categorized by the World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO-WPRO) method, the WHO method, and a 10-group method. Covariates included sociodemographic factors, health behavior factors, and health status factors. A generalized linear mixed model analysis with a logit link was used. Results: In the adjusted model with all covariates, first, in the case of BMI categories of the WHO-WPRO method, underweight (odds ratio [OR], 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-1.17), overweight (OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.35-1.36), and obese (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.33-1.34) groups were more likely to have a normal cognitive function than a normal-weight group. Next, in the case of BMI categories of the WHO method, compared to a normal-weight group, underweight (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.14-1.16) and overweight (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.06-1.07) groups were more likely to have a normal cognitive function; however, obese (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.61-0.63) group was less likely to have it. Lastly, in the case of the 10-group method, as BMI increased, the likelihood to have a normal cognitive function changed like a wave, reaching a global top at group-7 (26.5 kg/㎡ ≤ BMI <28.0 kg/㎡). Conclusion: The associations between BMI and cognitive function differed according to how BMI was categorized among people aged 45 and older in Korea, which suggests that cognitive function may be positively associated with BMI in some categories of BMI but negatively in its other categories. Health policies to reduce cognitive impairment need to consider this association between BMI and cognitive function.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.89-98
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• 2016

Purpose - This article tackles risk communication issues and aims to address the characteristics of MERS risk information distribution in South Korea, and secondly to examine the communicative behavior of the public health authority in terms of the quality of communication strategies. Thirdly, the study attempts to figure out the risk communication to cope with MERS through the applications of SMCRE model in chronological order. We employ the social amplification of risk framework for analyzing the emergent public response as one of the main approaches. Research Design, Data and Methodology - The main framework of this study is theoretically based on the social amplification of risk, which describes signals about risk transmitted and processed by individuals and social groups. The model also reflects the interactions between social groups and institutes about disaster-related risk issues, which are potential amplifiers or attenuators of communication signals. S-M-C-R-E Model is methodologically employed to examine the social amplification for MERS risk information in each period, which we defined operationally. The proposed methodology allows the assessment of effectiveness and ineffectiveness on risk communication to be conceptualized as a countermeasure against disasters. The paper focuses on exploring how social risk amplification can be applied and organized in each stage. Results - The SMCRE model describes the exchange of risk information and is also applied to all forms of communication between stakeholders including public health authority, local government and media. Each factor of risk communication includes source, message, channel, receiver and effect. The results support that the effective risk communication involves not only the improved reliability of public health authority as a key factor of risk communication, but also a close cooperation and good collaboration with local governments. It does not seem to be possible that the government-initiated risk communication based on controllability and management cope effectively with infectious disease in early stage. The results of this study imply that the shared risks between local, regional and national authorities can enhance risk communication system. Conclusions - The study supports that the disparities in how disaster-related risk information is interpreted and coded, have made effective risk communication and public sense-making impeded. Our findings support a more communicative discussion about the role of risk information sharing between governments for the improvement of emergency management and underline the importance of social elements in the risk communication, such as relationship and trust building. Findings suggest that trust building between stakeholders could be added to help explain the processes of social amplification and attenuation of risk. It would be recommended that the continuous risk communication with all the involved stakeholders will be able to help national health promotion policy to be improved regarding emergency management. Furthermore, risk communication has to be a scientific approach for the communication pertaining to potentially sensitive or controversial situations with public concerns and low public trust.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.86-95
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• 2020

Objectives Meal and nutrition are important lifestyle factors that affect maintenance and promotion of health status and are also associated with chronic diseases. In Sasang constitutional medicine, dietary behavior according to the characteristics of Sasang constitution (SC) types is a key component in health management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status and quality of meals according to the SC. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 1,947 subjects surveyed in a community-based cohort called the Korean Medicine Daejeon Citizen Cohort study. Data were collected including demographic characteristics, Korea Sasang Constitutional Diagnostic Questionnaire, and nutrition quotient (NQ) for adults. We analyzed the differences in NQ grade and scores among three SC types: Taeeumin (TE), Soeumin (SE), and Soyangin (SY), by conducting chi-square and ANCOVA tests. Results The distribution of SC into TE, SE, and SY types was 43.1%, 25.2%, and 31.8%, respectively. The mean NQ score of all subjects was 53.4±8.6. There was a significant difference in the distribution of NQ grades and mean of NQ scores among SC types, including total and four sub-factors: balance, diversity, moderation, and dietary behavior. The TE type had the lowest score for the moderation factors in the crude model. The SE type showed lower NQ scores than the TE and SY types in all domains except moderation after adjusting for variables. Conclusions We found that dietary behaviors had to be distinct according to the SC types. These results elucidate why it is important to develop a customized dietary habit management program considering the SC types.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.529-536
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• 2020

This study aims to provide the basic data for coffee intake and health promotion by examining the conditions in which Korean adults consume the most coffee. The study used raw data from the second year of the 7th National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2017), and 3,325 subjects who were 19 years of age or older and who were not missing the required values. This number used as the average amount of coffee drank per day in the past year is at least one cup. In order to identify factors that affect coffee intake, the model included general characteristics such as gender, age, household income, education level, occupation, health behaviors such as smoking, drinking, high intensity and moderate intensity exercises, walking, physical activity during work and leisure, sleep time, stress and depression. The results showed that coffee intake was lower among women than men, coffee intake was higher for people 40-64 years than people 20-39 years old, physical occupations rather than non-physical occupations, smokers rather than non-smokers, and for high stress rather than low stress in life. Subjects with these factors are considered to be at risk of excessive caffeine intake from coffee. The risk group of this study should be studied for the effect of excessive consumption of coffee on personal health.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup3
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• pp.167-174
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• 2016

One of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in breast cancer patients is delay in seeking help. Leventhal's self-regulation model provides an appropriate framework to assess delay in seeking help. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between "illness perception" and "help seeking delay" in breast cancer patients based on Leventhal's self-regulation model. In this correlational descriptive study with convenience sampling conducted in 2013, participants were 120 women with breast cancer who were diagnosed in the last year and referred to chemotherapy and radiotherapy centers in Rasht, Iran. Data collection scales included demographic data, Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R)and a researcher made questionnaire to measure the delay in seeking help. Pre-hospital delay (help seeking delay) was evaluated in 3 phases (assessment, disease, behavior). The data were analyzed using SPSS-19. The mean (SD) age calculated for the patients was $47.3{\pm}10.2$. Some 43% of the patients had a high school or higher education level and 82% were married. The "pre-hospital delay" was reported ${\geq}3months$. Logistic regression analysis showed that none of the illness perception components were correlated with appraisal and behavioral delay phases. In the illness delay phase, "time line" (p-value =0.04) and "risk factors"(p-value=0.03) had significant effects on reducing and "psychological attributions" had significant effects on increasing the delay (p-value =0.01). "Illness coherence" was correlated with decreased pre-hospital patient delay (p-value<0.01). Women's perceptions of breast cancer influences delay in seeking help. In addition to verifying the validity of Leventhal's self-regulation model in explaining delay in seeking help, the results signify the importance of the "illness delay phase" (decision to seek help) and educational interventions-counseling for women in the community.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.276-288
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• 1999

Objectives: This study was performed to determine the relationships among health concern, health practice and health status of the disabled. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire survey was carried out for 1,662 disabled persons in Taegu city from April to July, 1997. Results: Health concern had a significant and positive relationship with health practice(p<0.05) and health practice also had a significant and positive relationship with self-rated health status(p<0.05) in men and women. To determine the structural model of the Health concern, health practice, health status and sociodemographic variables, the covariance structural analysis was used. In men, age, economic status, medical security type, educational level and type of disability had significant direct effects on Health concern(T>2.0). Educational level and type of disability had significant direct effects on health practice(T>2.0). And Economic status, medical security type and job status had significant direct effects on health status(T>2.0). In women, economic status and educational level had significant direct effects on Health concern(T>2.0). However there was no variable which had a significant direct effect on health practice. Job status had a significant direct effect or health status(T>2.0). In men and women, health practice was significantly increased with increasing health concern and the more health practice, the higher health status(T>2.0). Conclusions: It is recommended that the institutional approach which improve the economic status of the disabled with understanding their behavior and attitude should be established to increase health status, in addition, the health policy for encouraging the disabled, such as health education, consulting and health promotion program, should be done.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.111-124
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• 2008

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to suggest effective methods for not only preventing college students from being exposed to smoking but also helping them stop smoking, by examining and analysing a variety of factors related to their smoking behavior. Methods: To accomplish the purpose, this study was carried out using 1,553 valid questionnaires selected from 1,584 questionnaires completed and returned by 1,800 randomly chosen students of 2 colleges and 3 universities in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and Daegu City during the period of April 3 through April 21, 2006. Results: It was turned out that while the total smoking rate of whole students was 52.4% in male students and 9.1% in female students, the smoking rate after their admission to the college was 27.1% in males and 1.5% in females. It was also shown that both the perceived susceptibility and barrier factors of Health Belief Model were statistically significant, and that the perceived seriousness factors were entirely significant in all other variables except the body seriousness. The perceived benefit factors were significant in only the variable that there would not be any improvement in academic performance even after stopping smoking. A relation between smoking and stop smoking program or smoking prevention program showed that the non-smoking rate was significantly high among the college students who participated in such programs while in middle school. When variables having a significant effect on smoking students after their admission were analysed, it was shown that the smoking rate was higher among males than females students, and that the more the number of smoking friends is and the more the number of students thinking that stop smoking would make it difficult to release stress and make friends is, the higher the smoking rate is among students. It is required, therefore, to encourage students to continuously participate in more smoking prevention programs from middle school, and to put an emphasis on a variety of smoking-related illnesses and advantages from non-smoking. Conclusions: Since the current smoking rate among college students is relatively high but most of the smoking students surveyed are ready to actually try to stop smoking, it will be possible to significantly reduce the smoking rate among college students if proper methods are suggested to eliminate barrier factors they face while participating in the stop smoking programs.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.164-172
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• 2022

Objectives: We aimed to estimate the space-time distribution of the risk of suicide mortality in Iran from 2006 to 2016. Methods: In this repeated cross-sectional study, the age-standardized risk of suicide mortality from 2006 to 2016 was determined. To estimate the cumulative and temporal risk, the Besag, York, and Mollié and Bernardinelli models were used. Results: The relative risk of suicide mortality was greater than 1 in 43.0% of Iran's provinces (posterior probability >0.8; range, 0.46 to 3.93). The spatio-temporal model indicated a high risk of suicide in 36.7% of Iran's provinces. In addition, significant upward temporal trends in suicide risk were observed in the provinces of Tehran, Fars, Kermanshah, and Gilan. A significantly decreasing pattern of risk was observed for men (β, -0.013; 95% credible interval [CrI], -0.010 to -0.007), and a stable pattern of risk was observed for women (β, -0.001; 95% CrI, -0.010 to 0.007). A decreasing pattern of suicide risk was observed for those aged 15-29 years (β, -0.006; 95% CrI, -0.010 to -0.0001) and 30-49 years (β, -0.001; 95% CrI, -0.018 to -0.002). The risk was stable for those aged >50 years. Conclusions: The highest risk of suicide mortality was observed in Iran's northwestern provinces and among Kurdish women. Although a low risk of suicide mortality was observed in the provinces of Tehran, Fars, and Gilan, the risk in these provinces is increasing rapidly compared to other regions.