• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.5213-5217
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• 2012

Objective: This research was conducted to determine the breast cancer risk levels of women with and without previous mammography and their beliefs on breast cancer and mammography. Methods: The sample for this descriptive research consisted of women aged 50 years or older who were registered at the Family Health Center in the city center of Erzurum. The research was conducted with a total of 420 women with at least one mammography (210) and without mammography (210) who presented to the center on Wednesdays and Thursdays for any reason between 1 January 2010 and 1 January 2011. Research data were collected using the personal information "Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Form" accepted and recommended by the Turkish Ministry of Health, and the Champion's Health Belief Model Scale for Breast Cancer and Screening (CHBMS). Data were evaluated using percentages and means with the t-test. Results: According to the research data, 89.8% of the women were found to be in the low risk group, 87.6% with and 91.9% without mammography. When the health beliefs of women with and without mammography were compared, it was found that susceptibility, seriouness, motivation, mammography benefit scores were higher among those with mammography (p<0.01). The mammography barrier score average was higher in the group without mammography (p<0.01). Conclusion: Knowing women's health beliefs, which have positive and negative effects on participating in mammography screening, may increase the rate of mammography uptake among women. Moreover, women with high breast cancer risk may be determined by increasing society's level of knowledge on breast cancer and risk factors.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.175-177
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• 2020

Public health doctors of Korea contributed significantly to massive coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing. They were immediately dispatched to epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic, and have run tests at screening centers, airport quarantines and hospitals. However, their expertise from in-field experience has been often neglected. It is time to reorganize public health doctor system to better prepare for future epidemics. Transforming and strengthening their roles as public health experts through systematic training is crucial.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.118-127
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to survey the cancer screening status of Korean elderly and to analyze factors influencing cancer rescreening intention. Methods: Participants were 262 elderly aged 65 or older who visited medical examination center at D University hospital located in D city. Data were collected from June 1 to July 31, 2012 using a structured questionnaire which included health behavior and cancer screening related characteristics, theory of planned behavior variables, EQ-5D, and cancer screening satisfaction. The data were analyzed by SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. Results: Factors influencing elderly's cancer rescreening intention were 'satisfaction about the cancer screening', 'attitude toward cancer rescreening behavior', 'subjective norm toward cancer rescreening behavior', and 'previous experience with cancer screening in the past 2 years'. Cancer rescreening intention was higher in participants with satisfied experience of cancer screening, more positive in attitude and higher in subjective norm toward cancer rescreening. Cancer rescreening intention was lower when participants were not screened for cancer in the past 2 years. Conclusion: The study results indicate that customized interventions based on influential factors such as subjective norm, attitude toward cancer screening, and cancer screening satisfaction are necessary in order to promote the consistent cancer screening of Korean elderly.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.160-170
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to develop an explanatory model to predict factors related to continuous participation in the Pap smear screening among Korean women. A hypothetical model was constructed on the basis of Health Belief Model and extensive review of literature on the Pap smear screening. Exogeneous variables included in this model were knowledge, perceived sensitivity, perceived severity, negative and positive emotional responses and professional support from physicians and nurses. Endogeneous variables were threat to cervical cancer, perceived benefit of the Pap smear screening, perceived barrier, and the final outcome variable was continuous participation in the Pap smear screening. The hypothetical model was tested with an empirical study. The data was collected from 623 married women whose age range was 24 - 83 using a self-reported survey questionnaire which was developed by the researcher. It's Cronbach's alpha score ranged from .6478 to .9118. Data was collected at different locations in Seoul; a university hospital, a local health center, and apartment complexes. Data analysis was done using SPSS 7.5 WIN Program for descriptive statistics and LISREL 8.12a WIN Program for covariance structural analysis. In conclusion, threat, perceived benefit, perceived barrier, positive emotion and professional support had a significant direct effect on continuous participation in the Pap smear screening among Korean women. The results of this study also showed that perceived barrier had the most significant direct effect on continuous participation in the Pap smear screening while negative emotional response had the most significant direct effect on perceived barrier. It can be suggested that decreasing perceived barrier by reducing negative emotional responses may be the most effective strategies for increasing continuous participation in the Pap smear screening among married Korean women.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.46
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• pp.304.1-304.7
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• 2018

Background: The Republic of Korea has a very low prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, but the number of new HIV diagnoses has steadily risen, strongly indicating a large number of undetected HIV infections. Thus, it is important for Korean public health authorities to adopt and encourage cost-effective HIV detection tools, such as rapid HIV screening tests. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and rapid tests in a public health center (PHC) setting. Methods: We developed a decision analytic model to assess the per-examinee cost and the cost-effectiveness of identifying HIV patients in a PHC setting using two HIV testing strategies: conventional HIV screening by ELISA versus rapid HIV testing. Analysis was performed in two scenarios: HIV testing in an average-risk population and in a high-risk population. Results: Compared to the ELISA, the rapid test was cost-saving and cost-effective. The per-examinee cost was USD 1.61 with rapid testing versus USD 3.38 with ELISA in an average-risk population, and USD 4.77 with rapid testing versus USD 7.62 with ELISA in a high-risk population. The cost of identifying a previously undiagnosed HIV case was USD 26,974 with rapid testing versus USD 42,237 with ELISA in an average-risk population, and USD 153 with rapid testing versus USD 183 with ELISA in a high-risk population. Conclusion: Rapid testing would be more cost-effective than using conventional ELISA testing for identifying previously undiagnosed HIV-infected cases in Korea, a country with extremely low HIV prevalence.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.190-195
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• 2023

Objectives: Pregnancy complications, including pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes (GDM), and perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), impact long-term health. We compared the frequency of screening documentation for pregnancy complications versus a general medical history at well woman visits between providers in primary care and obstetrics and gynecology. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of subjects with at least 1 prior birth who presented for a well woman visit in 2019-2020. Charts were reviewed for documentation of a general medical history (hypertension, diabetes, and mood disorders) versus screening for comparable obstetric complications (pre-eclampsia, GDM, and PMADs). The results were compared using the McNemar and chi-square tests as appropriate. Results: In total, 472 encounters were identified, and 137 met the inclusion criteria. Across specialties, clinicians were significantly more likely to document general medical conditions than pregnancy complications, including hypertensive disorders (odds ratio [OR], 2.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18 to 5.48), diabetes (OR, 7.67; 95% CI, 3.27 to 22.0), and mood disorders (OR, 10.5; 95% CI, 3.81 to 40.3). Obstetrics and gynecology providers were more likely to document any pregnancy history (OR, 4.50; 95% CI, 1.24 to 16.27); however, they were not significantly more likely to screen for relevant obstetric complications (OR, 2.49; 95% CI, 0.90 to 6.89). Overall, the rate of pregnancy complication documentation was low in primary care and obstetrics and gynecology clinics (8.8 and 19.0%, respectively). Conclusions: Obstetrics and gynecology providers more frequently documented a pregnancy history than those in primary care; however, the rate was low across specialties, and providers reported screening for clinically relevant complications less frequently than for general medical conditions.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.119-124
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• 2010

Objective : The reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ- 9) was examined in Korean patients with depressive symptoms. Methods : Eighty six outpatients diagnosed as major depressive disorder or depressive episode of bipolar I disorder according to the DSM-IV criteria were assessed with the PHQ-9, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self Report (QIDS-SR), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Results : The Cronbach's alpha coefficient from the PHQ-9 was 0.81. And the correlations of each item with the total score were statistically significant (r=0.28-0.70, p<0.01). The test-retest correlation coefficient (r=0.89, p<0.01) was relatively high and correlations of the PHQ-9 with the HDRS, QIDS-SR and CES-D were 0.70, 0.81, and 0.81 respectively. Conclusion : These results demonstrated that the Korean version of PHQ-9 could be a reliable and valid tool for the screening and assessment of depressive patients. The Korean version of PHQ-9 will be a useful tool for screening depressive symptoms in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.122-132
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• 2010

Elderly people comprise an increasing proportion of the population, and nutritional impairments may contribute to health problems among this group. This study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional status by Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and to identify relationships among anthropometric measurements, biochemical indicators, bone Mineral Density (BMD) and MNA results among older adults (${\geq}$65 yrs, n=98, 66.7${\pm}$2.5 yrs; M=52, F=46, BMI 24.5${\pm}$2.8 $kg/m^2$) at a Health Care Center. A dietitian administered MNA and collected anthropometric measurements (weight, height, waist circumference), biochemical indicators (albumin, hemoglobin, hematocrit, TLC, glucose, lipids) and the BMD (spine, femur, F=46). Subjects were grouped into a normal nutrition group (0~2 risk factors of malnutrition) and a high risk of malnutrition group (>=3 risk factors of malnutrition) based on their risk factor status for malnutrition. The risk factors for malnutrition include age ${\geq}$65 years, PIBW <90%, albumin <3.5 g/dl, TLC <1,500%, Hgb <14 g/dl (men), Hgb <10 g/dl (women), loss of appetite and weight loss 1~3 kg/last 3 months. In addition, subjects were grouped into a normal, osteopenia and osteoporosis group by BMD. We found that 12% of the subjects were at risk of malnutrition (MNA score, 21.4${\pm}$2.1) and that 88% were well nourished (27.3${\pm}$1.5) according to the MNA. Full-MNA scores were positively and significantly (p<0.05) associated with BMI, mid-arm circumference (MAC), calf circumference (CC), albumin and hemoglobin, respectively. The full-MNA score of the high risk of malnutrition group (23.0${\pm}$3.8) was lower than that of the normal nutrition group (27.0${\pm}$2.1) (p<0.05). In addition, the Full-MNA score was negatively associated with the risk factor of malnutrition (r=－0.35, p=0.0004). We found that 39.1% of the subjects had osteoporosis, 45.7% had osteopenia and 15.2% were normal according to their BMD. The MNA score of osteoporosis group (24.58${\pm}$3.3) was lower than that of the normal (27.4${\pm}$1.1) and osteopenia group (26.9${\pm}$1.5) (p<0.05). These results suggested that MNA can be useful as a nutritional screening tool of older adults in Health Care Centers.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.351-358
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• 2003

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Desexualization Care guided by dramaturgical interaction on women's embarrassment during cervical cancer screening. Method: This study was carried out in a nonequivalent control group non-synchronized post-test only design. 62 women who had cervical cancer screening were' conveniently recruited from a university hospital health promotion center. Embarrassment was measured under four distinctive sub-dimensions by the method of self-reported questionnaire and blood pressure and pulse rates monitoring. The data of control group had a conventional pap smear were collected in advance and then those of experimental group were gathered after completing data collection in the control group. Women in experimental group were provided with a newly developed cervical cancer screening programme in which interdisciplinary team conducted dramaturgical interaction. Result: There was no significant difference in the scores of VAS between the two groups. The score of physiological response of Embarrassment Measurement Scale was significantly lower in experimental group than in the control group (p <.05), while no significant difference was found in cognitive-emotional, non-verbal and verbal behavioral responses between the two groups. There was also no significant difference in blood pressure and pulse rates between the two groups during cervical s creening. Conclus ion: Desexualization Care guided by dramaturgical interaction during cervical screening was found to have positive effect on physiological response of women's embarrassment. Further research for identifying other main variables which might have influenced on women's embarrassment is needed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.4137-4141
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• 2016

Background: A recent guideline by the American Cancer Society recommended that mammography (MMG) should be done for women starting in their mid-40s. In Thailand, information on opportunistic mammography screening is limited and data on the total incidence of breast cancer are also lacking. The purpose of this study was to estimate the breast cancer detection, incident and prevalence rates among Thai women. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the opportunistic mammography screening of normal women between 30 and 80 years who underwent the procedure between 2001 and 2010. All cases were followed until 2012. The detection rate was calculated for the whole period of observation using 'number of women with positive findings' divided by 'total number of women screened'. The incidence rate was calculated only at the first MMG while the subsequence rate was calculated based on all new cases detected at each subsequent MMG. Results: Among the 47,430 women, there were 152,091 MMGs or approximately 3.2 occasions per person (range, 1-10). The average duration of the interval between each subsequence visit was 1.8 years. Overall, breast cancer was detected in 543 women, with a detection rate of 10.3 per 1,000 persons. The prevalence rate of breast cancer at the first visit was 5.78 per 1,000 persons. The incidence or new cases detected at any follow-up visit was 10.4 per 1,000 persons. The overall interval cancer was 0.91 per 1,000 women, mainly detected before their second and third MMG, with a rate of 0.0.47 and 0.76 per 1,000 women. Conclusions: Opportunistic mammography screening in Thailand detected 10 case of breast cancer from each 1,000 women. This paper indicated a high rate of cancer detection during a two year interval, hence, a screening mammogram should be performed more often.