• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.65 no.4
• /
• pp.367-393
• /
• 2013

Quality of life(QoL) of older cancer patients have not gained enough attention from researchers even when cancer is the number one cause of death of Korean elderly. Therefore, this study aims at understanding the QoL of older cancer patients and factors related to it, applying Taylor(2012)'s Stress-Coping Process model, and by comparing with older chronic disease patients and middle-aged cancer patients. Results indicated that physical health QoL of older cancer patients was the worst and their mental health QoL was similar with middle aged cancer patients. Multi-group analysis of Structural Equation Modeling indicated that the relation between QoL and the stress coping resources was not statistically different from older cancer patients and older chronic disease group, as well older cancer patients and middle-aged cancer patients. Implications of results to improve the QoL of older cancer patients are discussed.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.85 no.3
• /
• pp.205-220
• /
• 2022

This study aimed to describe the prevalence of comorbidities associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their relation with relevant outcomes. A systematic review based on the PRISMA methodology was performed from January 2020 until July 2021. The MEDLINE, Lilacs, and Scielo databases were searched to identify studies related to COPD and its comorbidities. Observational studies on the prevalence of comorbidities in COPD patients and costs with health estimates, reduced quality of life, and mortality were included. Studies that were restricted to one or more COPD pain assessments and only specific comorbidities such as osteoporosis, bronchitis, and asthma were excluded. The initial search identified 1,409 studies and after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 studies were finally selected for analysis (comprising data from 447,459 COPD subjects). The most frequent COPD comorbidities were: hypertension (range, 17%-64.7%), coronary artery disease (19.9%-47.8%), diabetes (10.2%-45%), osteoarthritis (18%-43.8%), psychiatric conditions (12.1%-33%), and asthma (14.7%-32.5%). Several comorbidities had an impact on the frequency and severity of COPD exacerbations, quality of life, and mortality risk, in particular malignancies, coronary artery disease, chronic heart failure, and cardiac arrhythmias. Comorbidities, especially cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, are frequent in COPD patients, and some of them are associated with higher mortality.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• /
• v.34
• /
• pp.42.1-42.11
• /
• 2022

Background: Occupational pesticide exposure is a potential risk for respiratory health effects. Most clinical studies on pesticide exposure were related to acute exposure, and only a few studies on chronic exposure have been conducted. This study investigated the chronic respiratory health status and the chronic effects of occupational pesticide exposures of farmers in Gyeonggi-do. Methods: Surveys and pulmonary function tests were conducted on 1,697 farmers in 16 regions of Gyeonggi-do. The structured questionnaire included demographic characteristics, medical history, recent respiratory symptoms and diseases, and work-related conditions, and was conducted through one-on-one interviews. The prevalence of respiratory diseases was compared by the odds ratios (ORs) at 95% confidence intervals (CIs) estimated by logistic regression analysis. Additional multivariate logistic regression analysis was also conducted. Results: Pesticide work groups showed significant association with an obstructive pattern in the lung function test (unadjusted OR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.17-5.52). Selected work-related variables of pesticide exposure were 'start age,' 'cumulative duration,' 'mixing pesticides,' and 'protection(goggle).' The obstructive pattern of lung function test showed significant associations with mixing pesticides (OR, 2.30; 95% CI,1.07-5.46), and protection (goggle) use (OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.12-0.79). Conclusions: Mixing two or more pesticides showed a significant association. Wearing goggles can be seen as an indicator of awareness of the protective equipment and proper wearing of protective equipment, and loss of pulmonary function can be prevented when appropriate protection is worn.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2005.04a
• /
• pp.99-102
• /
• 2005

The Basidomycetes fungus Agaricus blazei Murill has been well known as a health food for the prevention of cancer, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, arteriosclerosis and chronic hepatitis. This study was concentrated to investigate the characteristics of crude protein-bound polysaccharides(PBP) compositions extracted from Agaricus blazei Murill. In order to produce crude polysaccharides, culture conditions were examined using YMK media. Total sugars and protein contents of PBP were detected by phenol-sulfuric acid method and Bradford -assay. Hexosamine was found to be involved in the linkage, N-linked and O-linked types. To identify helical conformation existence, wavelength was measured using Congo red after the treatment with alkali solution.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.387-397
• /
• 2001

Fatigue is a ubiquitous symptom and is a part of many acute and chronic health conditions. This complex symptom is so prevalence in contemporary society that it motivates a large percentage of the health care-seeking behavior among late-middle aged adults and elders. The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of fatigue. to identify coping types of fatigue, and to explore factors affected fatigue between middle aged adults and elders who have no critical health problems. The results are as follows: 1. The elderly that manifested high level of fatigue revealed more fatigue than adults. 2. There are three coping types of fatigue. The three types were analyzed by Q-methodology. These three are action-evading, action-limited, and action-oriented. 3. The levels of fatigue manifested by the participants varied significantly according to age, vocation, education, present disease, and income. By identifying the nature of each of the coping types of fatigue, it is recommended to develop an effective nursing interventions for middle aged adults and elders.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.81-91
• /
• 2018

Particulate matter (PM) in dust causes serious pathological conditions, and it has been considered a critical health issue for many years. Respiratory disorders such as bronchitis, asthma, and chronic inflammation, are the most common illnesses due to PM that appears as dust. There is evidence that cardiovascular and neurological abnormalities are caused by PM. Although an extensive amount of work has been conducted on this topic, including studies on the nature of the particles, particle size measurements, particle distribution upon inhalation, the health effects of fine particles, disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, to this date, there is still a considerable lack of knowledge in these areas. Therefore, the identification of the key components that cause diseases owing to PM, and the specific diagnoses of the diseases, is important. This review will explore the current literature on the origin and nature of PM and their effects on human health. In addition, it will also highlight the approaches that have been adopted in order to diagnose the effects of PM using positron emission tomography (PET) or single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT).

• Journal of health informatics and statistics
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.318-328
• /
• 2018

Objectives: People are living longer, but often with diseases or chronic conditions. As a consequence, interest in resolving insurance blind spots is growing. This study provides substandard risk-relevant statistics to help substandard risks who are likely to fall in insurance blind spots obtain insurance coverage, such as the reimbursement of medical costs, as well as to stimulate insurance product development. Methods: This study uses National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) cohort data to determine the relevant statistics. The incidence rates of severe diseases are derived and compared against standard risks to establish a set of relative risk factors. These incidence rates of standard and substandard risks are then compared. Results: Currently, an individual's cancer history is used in the underwriting process for simplified issue insurance. However, underwriting focusing on hospitalization and procedures related to serious illnesses could lower premiums for substandard risks. Moreover, the statistical results could be used to expand the coverage of health insurance products. Conclusions: This study's relative risk factors can be used to derive simplified issue premium rates for substandard risks. They can also be used to implement discount and loading schemes for medical reimbursement insurance and help insurance companies implement proactive risk management.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.217-224
• /
• 2021

Introduction: We evaluated depression and anxiety in service and sales workers from Korea who interacted with angry clients to identify factors that mediated and moderated depression and anxiety in these workers. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data from the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey conducted in 2017. A structural equation model was used for mediation and moderation analysis. Results: Service and sales workers who had more interactions with angry clients had increased risk for depression and anxiety. Experiencing clients' adverse behaviors (acute episodes) mediated the relationship between interacting with angry clients (a chronic situation) on depression and anxiety. Job satisfaction and managers' support moderated the relationship between interacting with angry clients and mental health problems. Conclusion: We suggest that employers of service and sales workers should recruit staff based on their aptitude for such work, thus ensuring job satisfaction, and train them to deal with angry clients in such a way that they experience less emotional burden. Employers should also make bylaws requiring managers to directly take care of adverse social behavior by clients. Furthermore, a sociocultural campaign to prevent adverse social behavior by clients is also needed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.1-17
• /
• 2018

Objectives: This research is part of a study to be conducted over five years starting from 2017 by the Ministry of Environment on the development of technologies to evaluate the impact of chemical accidents on the human body. Methods: For this research, a five-stage specific study method was developed. Results: In brief, the developed health risk assessment method can be summarized as follows. First, a health risk assessment system was built based on the guidelines set forth by the USA NRC/NAS. Second, based on the disease manifestation theory, the health risk assessment method was divided into 1) a carcinogenic health risk assessment method focused on all carcinogens except non-genotoxic carcinogens and 2) a non-carcinogenic health risk assessment method focused on noncarcinogens including non-genotoxic carcinogens. Third, the detailed contents of the health risk assessment method were developed in four stages(hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk determination) through theoretical consideration of the assessment of the level of health risk related to chemical exposure. Finally, a health risk assessment methodology, classified into stages to address acute, subacute/subchronic, and chronic conditions was developed after considering the physicochemical behavior of hazardous chemicals upon implementation of countermeasures after a chemical accident. Conclusions: A method to evaluate the health risks related to toxic chemicals generated by chemical accidents was developed. This study was performed with the purpose of developing a mathematical health risk assessment method to evaluate the health effects of exposure to hazardous chemicals upon implementation of emergency countermeasures after chemical accidents.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.319-326
• /
• 2023

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the workload of healthcare workers (HCWs), impacting their health. This study aimed to assess sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and identify factors associated with poor sleep among HCWs in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1000 frontline HCWs were recruited from various healthcare facilities in Vietnam between October 2021 and November 2021. Data were collected using a 3-part self-administered questionnaire, which covered demographics, sleep quality, and factors related to poor sleep. Poor sleep quality was defined as a total PSQI score of 5 or higher. Results: Participants' mean age was 33.20±6.81 years (range, 20.0-61.0), and 63.0% were women. The median work experience was 8.54±6.30 years. Approximately 6.3% had chronic comorbidities, such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus. About 59.5% were directly responsible for patient care and treatment, while 7.1% worked in tracing and sampling. A total of 73.8% reported poor sleep quality. Multivariate logistic regression revealed significant associations between poor sleep quality and the presence of chronic comorbidities (odds ratio [OR], 2.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17 to 5.24), being a frontline HCW directly involved in patient care and treatment (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.16 to 2.16), increased working hours (OR, 1.84; 95% CI,1.37 to 2.48), and a higher frequency of encountering critically ill and dying patients (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.95). Conclusions: The high prevalence of poor sleep among HCWs in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic was similar to that in other countries. Working conditions should be adjusted to improve sleep quality among this population.