• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.473-485
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• 2001

This cross-sectional design was to identify the age at menopause of Korean women and the levels of bothersome menopausal symptoms. In addition, examining relationships between the levels of bothersome menopausal symptoms and sociodemographic factors, body mass index, menopause-related factors, and life-style behavior factors including smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, and diet was done. Two thousand eight hundred seven naturally postmenopausal women aged between 41-65 years were recruited by self-selection from 7 metropolitans and 6 provinces in Korea from Dec. 20, 1998 to April 30, 1999. The age at menopause of Korean women was 49.2 years(mean) and 50.0 years (median). The menopausal age of Korean women has slightly increased compared to a previous study. Based on the demographic factors, residential area and socioeconomic status were associated with the bothersome levels of climacteric symptoms. In the case of the life-style behaviors analysis, only alcohol use and a preference for wheat were associated with the bothersome levels of climacteric symptoms, especially physical symptoms.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.191-199
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare sociodemographic characteristics of a normal cognitive group and mild cognitive impairment group, and establish prediction models of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). Methods: This study was a secondary data analysis research using data from "the 4th Korea Longitudinal Study of Ageing" of the Korea Employment Information Service. A total of 6,405 individuals, including 1,329 individuals with MCI and 5,076 individuals with normal cognitive abilities, were part of the study. Based on the panel survey items, the research used 28 variables. The methods of analysis included a χ²-test, logistic regression analysis, decision tree analysis, predicted error rate, and an ROC curve calculated using SPSS 23.0 and SAS 13.2. Results: In the MCI group, the mean age was 71.4 and 65.8% of the participants was women. There were statistically significant differences in gender, age, and education in both groups. Predictors of MCI determined by using a logistic regression analysis were gender, age, education, instrumental activity of daily living (IADL), perceived health status, participation group, cultural activities, and life satisfaction. Decision tree analysis of predictors of MCI identified education, age, life satisfaction, and IADL as predictors. Conclusion: The accuracy of logistic regression model for MCI is slightly higher than that of decision tree model. The implementation of the prediction model for MCI established in this study may be utilized to identify middle-aged and elderly people with risks of MCI. Therefore, this study may contribute to the prevention and reduction of dementia.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.408-414
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• 2005

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the sociodemographic and health characteristics on the out-of-pocket health spending of the individuals aged 20 and older in Korea. Methods : We used the data from the 2001 National Public Health and Nutrition Survey. The final sample size was 26,154 persons. Multiple linear regression models were used according to the age groups, that is, one model was used for those people under the age of sixty-five and the other was used for those people aged sixty-five and older. In these analyses, the expenditures were transformed to a logarithmic scale to reduce the skewness of the results. Results : Out-of-pocket health expenditures for those people under the age of 65 averaged 14,800 won per month, whereas expenditures for those people aged 65 and older averaged 27,200 won per month. In the regression analysis, the insurance type, resident area, self-reported health status, acute or chronic condition and bed-disability days were the statistically significant determinants for both age groups. Gender and age were statistically significant determinants only for the non-elderly. Conclusions : The findings from this study show that the mean out-of-pocket health expenditures varied according to the age groups and also several diverse characteristics. Thus, policymakers should consider the out-of-pocket health expenditure differential between the elderly and non-elderly persons. Improvement of the insurance coverage for the economically vulnerable subgroups that were identified in this study should be carefully considered. In addition, it is necessary to assess the impact of out-of-pocket spending on the peoples' health care utilization.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.165-172
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• 2008

Objectives : Despite various government initiatives, including the expansion of national health insurance coverage, health inequality has been a key health policy issue in South Korea during the past decade. This study describes and compares the extent of the total health inequality and the income-related health inequality over time among Korean adults. Methods : This study employs the 1998, 2001 and 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANESs). The self-assessed health (SAH) ordinal responses, measured on a five-point scale, resealed to cardinal values to measure the health inequalities with using interval regression. The boundaries of each threshold for the interval regression analysis were obtained from the empirical distribution of the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) valuation weights estimated from the 2005 KNHANES. The final model predicting the individuals' health status included age, gender, educational attainment, occupation, income, and the regional prosperity index. The concentration index was used to measure and analyze the health inequality. Results : The KNHANES data showed an unequal distribution of the total health inequality in favor of the higher income groups, and this is getting worse over time (0.0327 in 1998, 0.0393 in 2001 and 0.0924 in 2005). The income-related health inequality in 2005 was 0.0278, indicating that 30.1% of the total health inequality can be attributed to income. Conclusions : The findings indicate there are health inequalities across the sociodemographic and income groups despite the recent government's efforts. Further research is warranted to investigate what potential policy actions are necessary to decrease the health inequality in Korea.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.119-127
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• 2015

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between dental caries and oral health behaviors in middle and high school students by web-based survey of the ninth(2013) Korean youth risk behavior. Methods: The subjects were 75,149 students from 400 middle schools and 400 high schools. Finally, the survey participation rate was 96.4%(72,435 students from 799 schools) by complex sample design. The questionnaire consisted of general characteristics of the subjects, oral health behaviors, and oral health status. General characteristics included gender, types of schools, economic condition, and residential types. Oral health behaviors included subjective oral health condition, frequency of tooth brushing, tooth brushing after meal within recent 7 days, sealant within 12 months, fluoride application within 12 months, scaling within 12 months, and oral health education experience within 12 months. Oral health condition included dental caries incidence within 12 months. Results: Oral health behavior influenced on dental caries in the middle and high school students in Korea. This study showed the relationship between the sociodemographic characteristics, tooth brushing frequency, sealant experience, dental caries and halitosis experience, and scaling within 12 months. Scaling is the best prevention method for dental caries and halitosis in the students. Conclusions: The study showed the necessity for practical oral health education and the effect of fluoride application for dental caries prevention.

• Korean Journal of Rural Living Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to find out the dietary attitudes and behaviors, intake frequencies of food groups, health-related opinions and practices, and sociodemographic characteristics of housewives in Wonju-Gun rural area. Interviewers asked 413 housewives about obove informations and then recorded. The results were as followes : Using the factor analysis processing, 17 questions about dietary attitudes and behaviors were categorized into 5 groups such as fidelity of diet, the healthful dietary attitudes, the eating practices concerning about items and amount, eating speed and the extent of coincidence in food preference within a family. The role of the housewives was a major factor affecting the dietary attitudes and behaviors. Those who work as housewives and farmers concurrently had good dietary practices concerning about items and amount, but they were interested about health-directed dietary attitudes at a significantly lower level. Food frequencies of 9 groups, animal protein food, fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, small fishes such as anchovy, soybean curd and beans, seaweeds, vegetable oil, frying food, soybean paste were significantly associated with subjects' age, role, and education and income level. Whether or not intake of soybean paste was considered. protein food intake was altered, and the difference between two situations increased much more as age was higher. We noticed that intake of soybean paste improved the status of protein nutrition. Our subjects ate calcium sources and dishes using vegetable oil insufficiently. Those who had much interests for good health, revealed to be an active practitioner in the aspects of healthful dietary attitudes, but fidelity of diet, eating practices concerning about items and amount showed significant association with balanced life style.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 2017

Objective : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factors associated with the experience of bullying victimization in school among elementary school students in the Jeju area. Methods : A total of 662 students were recruited from elementary schools for a school-based cross-sectional survey (age range : 11-12 years) in the Jeju area. This study used a self-reported questionnaire concerning the experience of being victimized by bullying, the Korean form of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) to assess depressive symptoms, and questions on sociodemographic characteristics, including school- and family-related factors. Results : The prevalence of bullying victimization in school among elementary school students was 10.0% (n=66). The factors associated with bullying victimization were lower socioeconomic status, lower than average academic achievement, more depressive symptoms, and family problems. Conclusion : This study not only indicates that bullying at school is a significant public health issue among elementary school students, but also confirms that children with family problems commonly exhibit bullying behaviors, which highlights the importance of considering family-related environmental factors when managing bullying victimization.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.213-222
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• 2013

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the current state of antidepressant prescriptions in breast cancer patients and factors affecting the prescription of antidepressants. Methods: This study targeted female breast cancer patients who were prescribed antidepressants by a psychiatrist at least once between August 2010 and July 2011 at the Asan Medical Center in Seoul. The prescription history of each study subject was investigated to analyze the current state of antidepressant prescriptions in breast cancer patients. Results: The analysis of the prescription histories of 136 subjects in the antidepressant group determined that escitalopram, mirtazapine, and trazodone were the three most commonly prescribed medications with an average of 1.54 antidepressants prescribed per patient. A logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant increase in antidepressant prescriptions in patients who were divorced or widowed, had sleep disturbances, or had undergone oncologic surgery for the breast cancer (p<0.050). In contrast, the prescription rate was lower for patients with tumour sizes greater than 50 mm (p<0.050). Conclusion: The sociodemographic factor of marital status, clinical factors of sleep disorders and tumour size, and a treatment-specific factor of the use of surgical therapy were identified as affecting the prescription of antidepressants in female breast cancer patients.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.41-55
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• 2014

This research has academic significance in that it uses the data from "Research on Usage of Korean Medicine Service and Medicine" to analyze the differences in usage of Korean medicine service by regions and genders on a national scale. The items analyzed were the sociodemographic characteristics, preferences of forms of Korean medicine service by gender and province. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences by marital status, education, occupation, and income (p<.01). Men used service for back pains (23.0%), muscle injuries (20.7%), back sprain (16.5%), ankle sprain (11.2%), and arthritis (10.5%). Women used service for back pains (26.5%), arthritis (18.7%), muscle injuries (12.9%), back sprain (12.1%), and indigestion problems (10.1%). There were statistically significant differences among men and women (p<.01). In the comparison analysis by cities, back pain was the biggest reason (p<.01), but there were differences from city to city; In Gwangju, back sprains (24.4%) and ankle sprains (16.1%) were first and second reasons, while In Ulsan, back sprains were the first reason (29.8%). By province level, back pains were the biggest reason for men, but there were differences by provinces (p<.05); In Chungbuk and Jeonnam, muscle injuries were first (23.7% and 23.9%, respectively). In conclusion, there were differences by cities and provinces in usage of Korean medical service, as well as by gender.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.26
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• pp.7.1-7.9
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• 2011

Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the relationship between crude oil exposure and physical symptoms among residents participating in clean-up work associated with the Hebei Spirit oil spill, 2007 in Korea. Methods: A total of 288 residents responded to a questionnaire regarding subjective physical symptoms, sociodemographic characteristics and clean-up activities that occurred between two and eight weeks after the accident. Additionally, the urine of 154 of the respondents was analyzed for metabolites of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals. To compare the urinary levels of exposure biomarkers, the urine of 39 inland residents who were not directly exposed to the oil spill were analyzed. Results: Residents exposed to oil remnants through clean-up work showed associations between physical symptoms and the exposure levels defined in various ways, including days of work, degree of skin contamination, and levels of some urinary exposure biomarkers of VOCs, metabolites and metals, although no major abnormalities in urinary exposure biomarkers were observed. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of a relationship between crude oil exposure and acute human health effects and suggests the need for follow-up to evaluate the exposure status and long-term health effects of clean-up participants.