• 한국노년학
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.549-567
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• 2019

The present study examined whether the relation between relative handgrip strength and cognitive function varied by paid employment status and participation of social activities among Korean older adults. A total of 3,376 Korean adults aged 65 or older were drawn from the 2016 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA). Weighted hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine moderating effects of paid employment status and social activities on the relation between relative handgrip strength and cognitive function. After adjusting for covariates, results show that relative handgrip strength has a positive association with cognitive function. Both paid employment status and social activities have positive associations with cognitive function and moderate the relationship between relative handgrip strength and cognitive function. These significant moderating effects show that participating in paid employment and social activities buffer against the effect of lower handgrip strength on cognitive function. Findings from the present study highlight the significant role of active aging in older adults'cognitive function. Implications are discussed in a cultural context.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.473-488
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• 2023

Gangwon-do is one of Korea's most popular tourist destinations, with varying tourism demands and trends across its subregions. It is crucial to identify the characteristics of tourism in each area and compare the tourism patterns over time to devise policies that revitalize tourism in each local government and promote balanced development across regions. In this paper, we classify the regions in Gangwon-do based on tourism data from the last four years and analyze the tourism pattern of each region using the non-Euclidean additive model proposed by Jeon et al. (2021). The model incorporates the proportions of visitors by age groups and the proportions of navigation searches by destination types as two covariates, and the proportions of tourism expenditure types as a response variable. We estimate the model using the smooth-backfitting method and coordinate-wise bandwidth selection. The results are visualized in ternary plots, and changes in tourism patterns over time are analyzed by comparing the ratios of prediction errors to fitting errors.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.449-457
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• 2023

Objectives: This study investigated the association between baseline exposures to particulate matter with a diameter <2.5 microns (PM_2.5) and subsequent temporal changes in PM_2.5 exposure with the incidence of type 2 diabetes among Royal Thai Army personnel. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using nationwide health check-up data from 21 325 Thai Army personnel between 2018 and 2021. Multilevel mixed-effects parametric survival statistics were utilized to analyze the relationship between baseline (i.e., PM_2.5-baseline) and subsequent changes (i.e., PM_2.5-change) in PM_2.5 exposure and the occurrence of type 2 diabetes. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were employed to assess this association while considering covariates. Results: There was a significant association between both PM_2.5 baseline and PM_2.5-change and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in a dose-response manner. Compared to quartile 1, the HRs for quartiles 2 to 4 of PM_2.5-baseline were 1.11 (95% CI, 0.74 to 1.65), 1.51 (95% CI, 1.00 to 2.28), and 1.77 (95% CI, 1.07 to 2.93), respectively. Similarly, the HRs for quartiles 2 to 4 of PM_2.5-change were 1.41 (95% CI, 1.14 to 1.75), 1.43 (95% CI, 1.13 to 1.81) and 2.40 (95% CI, 1.84 to 3.14), respectively. Conclusions: Our findings contribute to existing evidence regarding the association between short-term and long-term exposure to PM_2.5 and the incidence of diabetes among personnel in the Royal Thai Army.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.945-958
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Food literacy (FL) is a crucial skill for selecting sustainable and healthy food options, necessitating the identification of vulnerable groups in the community using valid measurement tools. Identifying weak domains in FL is essential for enhancing the overall FL. This study examined the FL levels of Seoul citizens based on their sociodemographic characteristics and assessed the relationship between FL, food intake, and weight status. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This study utilized the data from the Seoul Food Survey, a cross-sectional study employing representative samples of Seoul citizens. Data collection occurred from September to October 2021, with 4,039 citizens aged 18 yrs and above participating in face-to-face surveys. Thirty-three FL items were assessed, comprising 14 items in the nutrition and safety (NS) domain, eight items in the cultural and relational (CR) domain, and 11 items in the socio-ecological (SE) domain. In addition, data on food intake sufficiency and obesity status were collected. The descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, and logistic regression analysis were used for analysis. RESULTS: Men, students, young adults, older citizens, and people experiencing food insecurity had the lowest scores for all the FL domains. The highest quartile group of NS scores had a higher probability of consuming adequate servings of vegetables and fruits, with significant linear trends observed (P for trend < 0.05). In all three FL domains, the odds ratio for obesity was significantly lower in the groups with high FL scores (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A close relationship was observed between low FL, obesity, and food intake, even after controlling for other covariates. Vulnerable groups with low FL were also identified. Therefore, it is essential to develop programs to improve FL and the health and well-being of these groups.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.275-284
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to assess hand grip strength and femoral neck bone mineral density levels among Korean fishery workers and investigate their association. Methods: Hand grip strength and femoral neck bone mineral density were measured in a survey and health examination conducted in 2021 among fishery workers in a southern region of South Korea. Covariates including gender, age, education level, income level, smoking behavior, drinking behavior, family history of hip fractures, use of calcium and vitamin D supplements, hypertension, diabetes, regular exercise, and body mass index were investigated. Multiple regression analysis was employed to assess the association between hand grip strength and femoral neck bone mineral density. Results: Among 147 fishery workers, 8.16% exhibited low hand grip strength levels indicative of possible sarcopenia, and a significant association was found between low hand grip strength and decreased femoral neck bone mineral density (β = -89.14, 95% CI = -160.50, -17.78). Additionally, factors such as women gender, advanced age, family history of hip fractures, and a body mass index below 25 kg/m² were associated with decreased femoral neck bone mineral density. In the subgroup analysis by gender, a correlation between low hand grip strength and decreased femoral neck bone mineral density was observed only in men. Conclusions: Further research is needed to explore various determinants and intervention strategies to prevent musculoskeletal disorders among fishery workers, ultimately enhancing their quality of life and well-being.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.145-167
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• 2024

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the moderated-moderated mediating effects of children's media content selection and parental restrictive media mediation on the relationship between children's screen media time and executive function difficulties. Methods: A total of 693 parents of children aged 5~6 years participated in this study and were asked to answer all survey questions. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and correlation analysis using SPSS 27.0. Model 11 of PROCESS macro 4.3 was used to examine the moderated-moderated mediation model. Children's gender, age, childcare enrollment status, and household income were included in the analyses as covariates. Results: The moderated-moderated mediating effects of children's media content selection and parental restrictive media mediation were found to be significant. Specifically, bedtime mediated the relationship between screen media time and executive function difficulties only when parents did not appropriately implement restrictive mediation and children freely selected media content. Conclusion/Implications: It is recommended that parents understand the importance of implementing restrictive media mediation and selecting appropriate media contents for their child to prevent executive function difficulties in early childhood. Also, child education or day-care centers should offer education program about appropriate media use to reach more parents.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.50.1-50.9
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• 2023

Vaccine development is one of the key efforts to control the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, it has become apparent that the immunity acquired through vaccination is not permanent, known as the waning effect. Therefore, monitoring the proportion of the population with immunity is essential to improve the forecasting of future waves of the pandemic. Despite this, the impact of the waning effect on forecasting accuracies has not been extensively studied. We proposed a method for the estimation of the effective immunity (EI) rate which represents the waning effect by integrating the second and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The EI rate, with different periods to the onset of the waning effect, was incorporated into three statistical models and two machine learning models. Stringency Index, omicron variant BA.5 rate (BA.5 rate), booster shot rate (BSR), and the EI rate were used as covariates and the best covariate combination was selected using prediction error. Among the prediction results, Generalized Additive Model showed the best improvement (decreasing 86% test error) with the EI rate. Furthermore, we confirmed that South Korea's decision to recommend booster shots after 90 days is reasonable since the waning effect onsets 90 days after the last dose of vaccine which improves the prediction of confirmed cases and deaths. Substituting BSR with EI rate in statistical models not only results in better predictions but also makes it possible to forecast a potential wave and help the local community react proactively to a rapid increase in confirmed cases.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.13-38
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• 2024

As economic uncertainties have increased recently due to COVID-19, there is a growing need to quickly grasp private consumption trends that directly reflect the economic situation of private economic entities. This study proposes a method of estimating private consumption in real-time by comprehensively utilizing big data as well as existing macroeconomic indicators. In particular, it is intended to improve the accuracy of private consumption estimation by comparing and analyzing various machine learning methods that are capable of fitting ultra-high-dimensional big data. As a result of the empirical analysis, it has been demonstrated that when the number of covariates including big data is large, variables can be selected in advance and used for model fit to improve private consumption prediction performance. In addition, as the inclusion of big data greatly improves the predictive performance of private consumption after COVID-19, the benefit of big data that reflects new information in a timely manner has been shown to increase when economic uncertainty is high.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.254-260
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• 2023

Background: Adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) is crucial for maintaining the HIV-RNA suppression in patients living with HIV/AIDS. This study aims to analyze the risk factors contributing to low medication adherence among individuals with HIV/AIDS by analyzing data from the Korean HIV/AIDS cohort study. Methods: The dependent variable is ART medication adherence. The depressive symptom and anxiety scores were collected as main independence variables. Covariates included gender, age, transmission route, alcohol and smoking information, and antiviral treatment regimen details. To predict the relationship between ordinal dependent variables and independent variables, an ordered logistic regression analysis was conducted, and odds ratios (OR) were calculated. Results: The results of the ordered logistic regression analysis showed that female was associated with a higher risk of low medication adherence (OR=2.91, 95% CI=1.08, 7.83). Among the subjects who were non-smokers and non-drinkers, the risk of low medication adherence was lower (OR=0.36, 95% CI=0.18, 0.70). Depending on the ART treatment group, individuals taking integrase inhibitor had a lower risk of medication adherence (OR=0.31, 95% CI=0.13, 0.76), and those experiencing depressive symptoms were related with a higher risk of low medication adherence (OR=1.97, 95% CI=1.12, 3.46). Conclusions: The encouragement and emotional support of healthcare professionals are essential for patients living with HIV/AIDS who experience depressive symptoms to maintain ART adherence. Additionally, further research is needed to ensure that HIV/AIDS infected female with concurrent depressive symptoms can achieve appropriate ART therapeutic effect.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.564-573
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• 2023

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of assessing the viscoelastic properties of the brain using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and a novel MRE transducer to determine the relationship between the viscoelastic properties and glymphatic function in neurologically normal individuals. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 47 neurologically normal individuals aged 23-74 years (male-to-female ratio, 21:26). The MRE was acquired using a gravitational transducer based on a rotational eccentric mass as the driving system. The magnitude of the complex shear modulus |G^*| and the phase angle 𝛗 were measured in the centrum semiovale area. To evaluate glymphatic function, the Diffusion Tensor Image Analysis Along the Perivascular Space (DTI-ALPS) method was utilized and the ALPS index was calculated. Univariable and multivariable (variables with P < 0.2 from the univariable analysis) linear regression analyses were performed for |G^*| and 𝛗 and included sex, age, normalized white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume, brain parenchymal volume, and ALPS index as covariates. Results: In the univariable analysis for |G^*|, age (P = 0.005), brain parenchymal volume (P = 0.152), normalized WMH volume (P = 0.011), and ALPS index (P = 0.005) were identified as candidates with P < 0.2. In the multivariable analysis, only the ALPS index was independently associated with |G^*|, showing a positive relationship (β = 0.300, P = 0.029). For 𝛗, normalized WMH volume (P = 0.128) and ALPS index (P = 0.015) were identified as candidates for multivariable analysis, and only the ALPS index was independently associated with 𝛗 (β = 0.057, P = 0.039). Conclusion: Brain MRE using a gravitational transducer is feasible in neurologically normal individuals over a wide age range. The significant correlation between the viscoelastic properties of the brain and glymphatic function suggests that a more organized or preserved microenvironment of the brain parenchyma is associated with a more unimpeded glymphatic fluid flow.