• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.427-432
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• 2006

Objectives: This study was to investigate if the dipstick proteinuria can predict cardiovascular mortality in a population of Korean men. Methods: We measured urine protein and other cardiovascular risk factors in 100059 Korean men, aged between 35-59 years in 1990 and 1992. Levels of proteinuria measured by dipstick method were trace or less, 1+, 2+, and 3+ or greater. The primary outcomes were deaths from all causes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and others in a 12 year follow-up from 1993 to 2004. Results: The multivariate-adjusted relative risks (95% CI) for cardiovascular death according to the level of proteinuria (1+, 2+, 3+ and more) in 1990 examination were 2.18 (1.36-3.48), 2.55 (1.37-4.78), and 4.57 (2.16-9.66) respectively. The corresponding relative risks according to the level of proteinuria in 1992 examination were 2.49 (1.71-3.64), 2.64 (1.53-4.58), and 2.78 (1.15-6.73). The relative risks for cardiovascular death of men with proteinuria (1+ or greater) once and twice among the examinations were 2.18 (1.63-2.92) and 3.75 (2.27-6.18), compared with men without proteinuria in 1990 and 1992 examinations. Conclusions: Our results showed that dipstick proteinuria is associated with cardiovascular mortality in Korean men. Dipstick proteinuria could be a predictor for cardiovascular mortality.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.70-82
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• 2011

Objectives: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a major cause of death in Korea and known to result from several occupational factors. This study attempted to estimate the current magnitude of IHD mortality due to occupational factors in Korea. Methods: After selecting occupational risk factors by literature investigation, we calculated attributable fractions (AFs) from relative risks and exposure data for each factor. Relative risks were estimated using meta-analysis based on published research. Exposure data were collected from the 2006 Survey of Korean Working Conditions. Finally, we estimated 2006 occupation-related IHD mortality. Results: For the factors considered, we estimated the following relative risks: noise 1.06, environmental tobacco smoke 1.19 (men) and 1.22 (women), shift work 1.12, and low job control 1.15 (men) and 1.08 (women). Combined AFs of those factors in the IHD were estimated at 9.29% (0.3-18.51%) in men and 5.78% (-7.05-19.15%) in women. Based on these fractions, Korea's 2006 death toll from occupational IHD between the age of 15 and 69 was calculated at 353 in men (total 3,804) and 72 in women (total 1,246). Conclusion: We estimated occupational IHD mortality of Korea with updated data and more relevant evidence. Despite the efforts to obtain reliable estimates, there were many assumptions and limitations that must be overcome. Future research based on more precise design and reliable evidence is required for more accurate estimates.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.124-130
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• 2008

This study investigated the age dependencies in ambient air pollution-associated asthma hospitalization from 2003 to 2005 in Seoul. For all ages and the age groups of 0-14, 15-64, and 65+years, the Generalized Additive Model (GAM) was used to estimate the relative risks of daily asthma hospitalization associated with changes in particulate matter and ozone. The time-trends, seasonal variances, day effects, temperature, humidity, and pressure at sea level were controlled in the models. Significant associations were observed between asthma hospitalization and the levels of $PM_{10}$ and $O_3$. The relative risks (RRs) of asthma hospitalization for every 10 unit increases in $PM_{10}({\mu}g/m^3)$ and $O_3$(ppb) were 1.008 (95% CI 1.005-1.012), and 1.012 (95% CI 1.003-1.020), respectively. Evaluated over $10\;{\mu}g/m^3$ increase in $PM_{10}$, we found the relative risks of asthma hospitalization to be 1.009 (95% CI 1.004-1.014) in 0-14 age group, and 1.015 (95% CI 1.008-1.022) in 65+ age group. Considering 10 ppb increase in $O_3$, those were 1.014 (95% CI 1.003-1.024) in 0-14 age group, and 1.025 (95% CI 1.009-1.041) in 65+ age group. It was concluded that current levels of ambient air pollution in Seoul make a significant contribution to the variation in daily asthma hospitalization. Further reduction in air pollution is necessary to protect the health of the community, especially that of the higher risky groups including children and elderly population.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.80-88
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• 1999

Hypercholesterolemia is a well known major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, now the leading cause of death in Korea. This study was carried out to examine the relationships of hypercholesterolemia(HC$\geq$240 mg/dL) with obesity, blood pressure and blood glucose level in 649 male subjects aged 20-69 in Kwangju, Korea. The mean plasma total cholesterol level was 212${\pm}$43 mg/dL, and 25.3% of the subjects was diagnosed as HC and 39.3% as nomorcholesterolemia(NC〈200 mg/dL). The prevalence of HC seemed to increase with age. The subjects with HC were highly overweighted and had higher body mass index(BMI) than the NC subjects. The incidence of overweight(25$\leq$BMI〈30) and obesity(BMI$\geq$30) among the HC subjects were 44.5%, and 1.8%, respectively. The HC subjects had higher systolic(SBP) and diastolic blood pressure(DBP) than the NC subjects. The incidence of borderline hypertension (160/95〉SBP/DBP$\geq$140/90) and hypertension(SBP/DBP$\geq$160/95) among the HC subjects were 18.3%, and 9.1%, respectively. However, there was no difference in blood glucose level between the HC and NC subjects. The plasma total cholesterol level had positive relationships with BMI(P〈0.001), weight(P〈0.001), DBP(P〈0.001), SBP(P〈0.01), and age(P〈0.01), whereas inverse relationships with height/weight ratio(P〈0.001), and height(P〈0.01). The relative risks on HC were 1.99 for obesity, 1.53 for overweight, 1.82 for hypertension, 1.44 for borderline hypertension and 1.08 for hyperglycemia. Attributable risks on HC were 0.25 for obesity, 0.11 for overweight, 0.20 for hypertension, 0.10 for borderline hypertension and 0.02 for hyperglycemia. The results indicate that the level of plasma total cholesterol was closely associated with the incidences of obesity and hypertension. (Korean J of Human Ecology 2(1) : 80-88, 1999)

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.1-20
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• 2004

This study is to examine relationships of several socioeconomic position indicators with mortality risk in a nationwide longitudinal study of South Korea. The Korea Labor & Income Panel Study, conducted on a probability sample of urban South Korean households by Korea Labor Institute, contains date of death information for the decedents which were used to estimate relative risks of mortality and their $95\%$ confidence intervals (CI) with Cox regression analysis. A total of 125 men and women among 8,415 subjects died between 1998 and 2002. Socioeconomic differentials in mortality were observed after adjustment for sex and age. Those with less than 12-year education had 1.90 times $(95\%\;CI=1.25-2.91)$ greater mortality risk than those with 12-year education or more. Greater mortality risks were also found among those with low occupational class and manual occupation. The magnitude of differentials in mortality risks between occupational class were similar in two different approaches to measuring women's occupational class: (1) approach 1 where women, married or not, retain their own occupational class, and (2) approach 2 where married women are assigned their husbands' occupational class. Relative risks of dying among those with low household Income were 1.62 $(95\%\; CI=1.08-2.42)$ compared with the counterparts. Those who reported economic hardship at the time of survey in 1998 had greater risk of mortality $(RR=1.83,\;95\%\;CI=1.21-2.78)$ than those who did not. In conclusion, increased social discourse and policy discussions about these health inequalities are needed in Korean society. Future studies should explore the causes and mechanisms of socioeconomic mortality inequalities.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.1-5
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• 2007

This is a succeeding article of J. Korean Optalmic Optics Society vol. 11(2) pp. 121-129(2006) [Research about the distribution of refractive errors in distinction of gender and at age of Kyonggi province's partial area]. The former article showed age-specific distribution of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism which generally appears in refractive errors. This paper aimed to investigate the change of refractive power and prevalence of refractive errors by age. Total 928 subjects were sampled and their refractive errors were determined using auto refractometer. As the results, change of refractive power of subjects appeared at the age about 40, and suddenly reduced over 46 years resulting in (+)refractive power at their fifties. Relative risks of refractive errors of myopia increased in younger subjects but the risks decreased in older subjects (over 46 years). On the other hand, the risks of hyperopia decreased as the age of subjects increase, but could increase to 0.24 (95% CI: 0.07-0.88) after 36 years. This results showed that presbyopia might progress more early when people were before 40 years.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.564-573
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• 2006

This study was performed to examine the effect of particulate matter less than 10 ${\mu}m$ in diameter($PM_{10}$) on respiratory-related admission in Seoul, 1999. Daily counts of respiratory-related admission were analyzed by generalized additive model with adjustment for effects of air temperature, humidity, and day of the week as confounders in a nonparametric approach. The results follow associations between $PM_{10}$ and asthma, acute upper respiratory disease, acute lower respiratory disease, pneumonia, and chronic respiratory disease. The relative risks were 1.30(95% CI=1.14$\sim$1.50) for pneumonia, 1.18(95% CI=1.01$\sim$1.37) for acute lower respiratory disease in less than 15 years, respectively. The relative risks were 1.85(95% CI=1.22$\sim$2.81) for acute lower respiratory disease, 1.28(95% CI=1.04$\sim$1.57) for asthma, 1.25(95% CI=1.01$\sim$1.54) for pneumonia and 1.19(95% CI=1.01$\sim$1.41) for acute upper respiratory disease in 15 to 64 years, respectively The relative risks were 1.54(95% CI=1.15$\sim$2.08) for asthma, 1.38(95% CI=1.06$\sim$l.80) for chronic respiratory disease in more than 65 years, respectively. The study showed that $PM_{10}$ was considerably affects daily counts of respiratory-related admission in Seoul, 1999 Statistically significant associations were mostly found in the adult group like If to 64 years. The highly relative risks come out in the elderly.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.581-598
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• 2006

In many epidemiological and medical studies, a number of cancer mortalities in categorical classification may be considered as having Poisson distribution with person-years at risk depending upon time. The cancer mortalities have been evaluated by additive or multiplicative models with regard to background and excess risks based on several covariances such as sex, age at the time of bombings, time at exposure, or ionizing radiation, cigarette smoking habits, duration of smoking habits, etc. An interest herein is to examine an additive, synergistic, or antagonistic relationship between radiation exposures and cigarette smoking habits for cancer mortalities. The results revealed a highly significant antagonistic in uence for cancer mortalities from all non-hematologic findings, lung and respiratory system with negative interaction between radiation exposures and cigarette smoking amounts.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.80-85
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• 2014

A survey of risk perception in South Korea was conducted in 2007 to evaluate relative riskiness of typical industrial and technological risks. This article summarizes the characteristics of risk perception using psychometric analyses. The survey with a sample size of 1,194 reviews the perceived level of 25 risk items in the areas of transportation, chemicals, environment, industry, nuclear power generation, and newly-introduced risks. Six categories of risk identified by a factor analysis show that the level of perceived risk does not correspond to the statistical level. Psychometric analyses including voluntariness, severity, effect manifestation, exposure pattern, controllability, familiarity, benefit and necessity demonstrate that voluntary, familiar and immediate risks are perceived as less risky than involuntary, unfamiliar and delayed ones. Risk communication is critical in reducing the discrepance between objective and subjective level of risk. However, the amount of risk information does not always justify a successful risk communication. A safety policy, risk communication strategy in particular, should take into account diverse dimensions of risk reviewed by psychometric analyses in the study. Social policy toward safety can be improved by integrating policy, human, and social factors as well as technological advances.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.59-71
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• 2022

Purpose - We investigate how firms transfer financial risks to employees in a form of flexible employment contracts and layoffs. Design/methodology/approach - Based on the literature on the prevalence of shareholder value ideology and the associated 'risk shift', we examined how stock price volatility is associated with a firm's use and hiring of nonstandard employees, and the number of employees lay-offed. We test our hypotheses using a longitudinal, multi-source, dataset of Korean firms from 2003 to 2011. Findings - We found support for the relationship between stock price volatility and flexible employment contracts and layoffs after controlling for actual risks such as increased debt or decreased sales. However, we found that the relationship is moderated by the power of professional CEOs relative to that of shareholders, in that powerful CEOs are more likely to transfer the external risks, i.e. stock price volatility, to employees. Research implications or Originality - This study contributes the emerging stream of literature that explore the effect of stock market pressures and governance structures on human resource management.