• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.383-391
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• 2003

Purpose: A study of university students was conducted to explore their prejudice toward AIDS, social interaction with AIDS patients, and intention to practice AIDS preventive measures. Method: This study used a cross-sectional descriptive survey design. A self-reported questionnaire was completed by 145 university students. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA with SPSS 11.5. Result: The mean score for prejudice toward AIDS was 23.54, implying a low level of prejudice toward AIDS by the subjects. The mean score for social interaction with AIDS patients was 20.92, indicating a moderate level of intention for social interaction with AIDS patients. The mean score for intention to practice AIDS prevention was 24,74, assuming a strong intention to practice AIDS prevention. Those who had higher mean scores for AIDS Knowledge showed significantly higher mean scores for social interaction with AIDS patients and intention to practice prevention than those who had lower scores. Conclusion: Research findings showed that university students had a low level of prejudice toward AIDS, a moderate level of social interaction with AIDS patients and a high level of intention to practice AIDS prevention. Therefore, a specially designed AIDS education program is needed for university students so as not to provoke fear or stigma toward AIDS patients and to support AIDS patients.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.29-43
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• 2007

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the obesity prevalence and to test the obesity prevalence and health status, socio-demographic factors and lifestyle such as smoking and drinking habits, diet habit and physical activity of rural residents in Korea. Methods: The interview survey was performed in November 2005 with structured questionnaires to 518 respondents of the residents who lived in Jindo-Gun of Jeonnam province. The questionnaire was the abridged Scale of the Health and Nutrition Survey and health status as the morbidity, subjective health status and health examination. The covariate, F-test or t-test, and Chi-squire method were used for some of the cross-sectional data. Results: The 518adults respondents were composed of 49.8% male and 50.2% female. Average weight of male was $67.4{\pm}8.36kg$, and average weight of female was $56.5{\pm}6.92kg$. The obesity rate was 20.7%, and the lower weight rate was 2.9%. About the subjective health status that 43.2% of the respondents have been answered not good health status, 70.8% of the respondents have been health examination. 56.0% of the respondents had disease, while 49.0% of the respondents had chronic disease, and 11.1% of the respondents had acute disease. The obesity rate and general characteristics(age, education level) was positively correlated. And while the relationships were positive between obesity rate and between lifestyle(overeating, drinking, dining-out). Conclusion: These results suggested that education programs of the health habits such as drinking, physical exercise and eating habits were necessities for the residents of rural area. Further research would be required to specify the necessities and operation researches.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency between male and female Korean adolescents and to investigate gender-specific factors associated with vitamin D deficiency. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 975 adolescents aged 12-18 years who participated in the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010~2011). Multiple logistic regression using complex sample analysis was performed to examine gender-specific factors associated with vitamin D deficiency with adjustments for covariates. Results: Among the participants, 82.9% had vitamin D deficiency. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was higher among female adolescents (88.4%) than their male counterparts (78.4%). A rural place of residence (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.19~0.87; p=.021) and daily milk intake (OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.07~0.75; p=.015) were significant factors significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency in males, while body mass index (OR, 8.40; 95% CI, 1.05~67.04, p=.045) and having breakfast (OR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.10~0.49; p<.001) showed significant relationships in females. Conclusion: The results of this study provide preliminary evidence for developing effective strategies to prevent vitamin D deficiency in Korean adolescents. The different factors influencing vitamin D deficiency in males and females should be considered when providing interventions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3361-3366
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• 2012

Background & Objectives: The most northern and northwestern regions of Iran are at a high risk for gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the general population's awareness about risk factors, symptoms and signs, preventive methods and management of gastric carcinoma in a high prevalence city in the North of Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional population-based telephone survey which was conducted on 3,457 residents of Rasht, the capital city of Guilan Province, to assess their awareness regarding gastric carcinoma. The questionnaires contained demographic data and statements on respondents' knowledge about risk factors, symptoms and signs, prevention and management of gastric cancer which were filled by general practitioners after asking the subjects. Data were analyzed in SPSS14. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean knowledge score of the respondents was $5.05{\pm}1.37$ regarding risk factors of gastric carcinoma, $4.39{\pm}1.99$ regarding symptoms and signs, $6.0{\pm}1.22$ regarding preventive strategies, and $1.6{\pm}1.16$ regarding management. Totally the mean knowledge level of the respondents toward gastric carcinoma would be $17.1{\pm}3.97$ from the maximum grade of 29. The age group of 45-55 y/o, bachelor degree and higher, physicians and nurses, those who had cancer history in friends or had the history of gastrointestinal diseases showed significantly higher knowledge scores (P=0.001). Conclusion: There is a general lack of awareness of cancer risk factors, symptoms and signs, methods of prevention, and importance of early diagnosis and treatment. Educational programs should be developed to promote adherence to recommended screening guidelines.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.3279-3286
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• 2014

Background: Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Korea. To reduce cancer incidence, the Korean National Cancer Center (KNCC) has been expanding its organized cancer screening program. In addition, there are opportunistic screening programs that can be chosen by individuals or their healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with participation in organized and opportunistic cancer screening programs, with a particular focus on socioeconomic factors. Materials and Methods: We used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), a cross-sectional nationwide study conducted by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare from 2007 to 2011. The study included information from 9,708 men and 12,739 women aged 19 years or over. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted, adjusting for age, year of data collection, residential region, current smoking status, current alcohol consumption status, exercise, marriage status, job status, perceived health status, stress level, BMI, limitation of activities, cancer history, health insurance type, and private insurance status, to investigate the association between education level, economic status, and cancer screening participation. Results: In terms of education level, disparities in attendance were observed only for the opportunistic screening program. In contrast, there was no association between education level and participation in organized screening. In terms of economic status, disparities in opportunistic screening participation were observed at all income levels, but disparities in organized screening participation were observed only at the highest income level. Conclusions: Our findings reveal that socioeconomic factors, including educational level and economic status, were not significantly associated with participation in organized cancer screening, except at the highest level of income.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.6095-6101
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• 2013

Few studies have examined the relationship between social support and stages of adoption of cancer screening. Here we investigated associations between both structural and functional aspects of social support and stages of adoption of gastric cancer screening in the general population of Korea. The study population was derived from the 2011 Korean National Cancer Screening Survey (KNCSS), an annual cross-sectional survey that uses nationally representative random sampling to investigate cancer screening rates. Data were analyzed from 3,477 randomly selected respondents aged 40-74 years. Respondents were classified according to their stage of adoption of gastric cancer screening: precontemplation (13.2%), contemplation (18.0%), action/maintenance (56.1%), relapse risk (8.5%), and relapse stage (4.1%). Respondents with larger social networks were more likely to be in the contemplation/action/maintenance, or the relapse risk/relapse stages versus the precontemplation stage (OR=1.91, 95%CI: 1.52-2.91; p for tend=0.025). Emotional and instrumental supports were not associated with any stage of adoption of gastric cancer screening. However, respondents who reported receiving sufficient informational support were more likely to be in the relapse risk/relapse stages versus the precontemplation, or the contemplation/action/maintenance stage (p for trend=0.016). Interventions involving interactions between social network members could play an important role in increasing participation in gastric cancer screening.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.210-216
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• 2020

Background: Among the different aims of medical education, the provision of society with skilled, professional, and knowledgeable healthcare workers who maintain and develop their expertise over a lifetime career is important. The achievement of this goal is linked with the professional development of both faculty members and healthcare workers. This study aims to measure the perception of faculty members regarding their views about the goals of faculty development programs, practices and activities, and factors that determine their achievement. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in multiple universities in the Western region of Saudi Arabia. The participants were given a pre-designed self-administered questionnaire generated from literature. The survey questionnaire consisted of three sections that were designed to assess the faculty members' perception on the faculty development program. Results: A total of 210 faculty members participated in the study. The most important perceived goal was to motivate teachers to become better teachers. The most important perceived practice was establishing a positive climate for teaching and learning. The most important perceived factor was skilled and dedicated staff support. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate that faculty members have positive perceptions regarding all aspects of faculty development programs. This study will raise awareness regarding the importance of faculty development programs in sustaining educational vitality. We recommend the implementation and maintenance of comprehensive faculty development programs in Saudi universities.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.406-415
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• 2011

Recent studies have shown that high consumption of processed meat may be associated with increasing risk of metabolic syndrome, which have been suggested as a predictor of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, limited studies have investigated this association in Korean population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cross-sectional association between processed meat/unprocessed (beef, pork, chicken) intakes and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Using data from 2007-2008 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), we analyzed data including 5,545 men and women who were aged older than 20 years, and who were free of chronic disease such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Subjects who frequently consumed processed meat tended to be younger and more likely to be current smokers. In addition, men were more likely to consume processed meat than women. Although higher processed/unprocessed meat intakes were significantly associated with the lower risk of metabolic syndrome in a crude model, these associations were no longer significant after adjustment for potential confounding factors. For example, comparing subjects in the highest intake quartile of processed meat with the lowest intake group, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) of metabolic syndrome was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.58-1.46) for processed meat, 1.09 (95% CI: 0.76-1.56) for beef, 1.10 (95% CI: 0.74-1.62) for pork and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.51-1.12) for chicken. In conclusion, we found no evidence of any adverse effects of frequent processed or unprocessed meat intakes on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among Korean adults at the exposure levels seen in this study.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.609-618
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the combined influence of smoking and alcohol drinking on suicidal ideation and attempts among Korean adults. Methods: This cross sectional study used secondary data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2008 to 2011. A total of 13,064 adults were included in the study. Logistic regression was used to analyze the combined influence of smoking and alcohol drinking on suicidal ideation and attempts. Results: Persons who smoke and use alcohol were more likely to report suicidal ideation and attempts than those who did not smoke and reported normal drinking. The group who reported both smoking and harmful drinking/alcohol had significantly higher incidence of suicidal ideation and attempts than the comparison group of non-smoking/normal drinking (Suicidal ideation: Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 2.13, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.60~2.83; suicidal attempts: AOR: 3.81, 95% CI: 1.60~9.05). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, smoking and alcohol drinking were individually important health behaviors for prevention of suicidal ideation and attempts. Especially, suicidal prevention programs might be needed for adults who smoke and drink at the same time to decrease suicidal ideation and attempt.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.805-810
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• 2013

Increasing the rate of smoking cessation will reduce the burden of diseases related to smoking, including cancer. Understanding the process of smoking cessation is a pre-requisite to planning and developing effective programs to enhance the rate of smoking cessation.The aims of the study were to determine the demographic distribution of smokers across the initial stages of smoking cessation (the pre-contemplation and contemplation stages) and to identify the predictors of smoking cessation among Malaysian adult smokers. Data were extracted from a population-based, cross-sectional survey carried out from April 2006 to July 2006. The distribution of 2,716,743 current smokers across the pre-contemplation stage (no intention to quit smoking in the next six months) or contemplation stage (intended to quit smoking in the next six months) was described. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between socio-demographic variables and the stages of smoking cessation. Of the 2,716,743 current smokers, approximately 30% and 70% were in the pre-contemplative and contemplative stages of smoking cessation respectively. Multivariable analysis showed that male gender, low education level, older age group, married and those from higher income group and number of cigarettes smoked were associated with higher likelihood of pre-contemplation to cease smoking in the next six months. The majority of current smokers in Malaysia were in the contemplative stage of smoking cessation. Specific interventions should be implemented to ensure the pre-contemplative smokers proceed to the contemplative stage and eventually to the preparation stage.