• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.103-116
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to analyze and diagnose the actual state of extinction risk in rural villages by analyzing time series population characteristics and extinction risk index of rural villages(Haengjeong-ri). As a research method, a time series analysis was performed on the 'population over 65' and the 'female population aged 20 to 39' related to the local extinction index. In addition, the disappearance of Haengjeong-ri village was analyzed using the existing local extinction index. For the study, Haengjeong-ri village-level GIS spatial data was constructed, and population attribute data in 2010, 2015, and 2020 were constructed. In order to derive implications, the change of the 'high risk of extinction 'village in the 2020 local extinction index, the distribution of the population of 'high risk of extinction' villages by three years, the population analysis of 'high risk of extinction' villages continuously from 2010 to 2020, and 'high risk of extinction' An analysis of the increase and decrease of the population of the village and the change of the local extinction index of Haengjeong-ri, where the city, county, and towns are located were analyzed. As a result of the analysis of this study, it was found that the number of villages with an aging of more than 50% increased by 2 to 3 times over 10 years. As a result of the analysis of the local extinction index, in 2010, the southwestern and central regions of South Chungcheongnam-do were high-risk extinction areas, but in 2020, all cities except Cheonan and Asan were converted to high risk extinction areas. Research has shown that Chungnam is facing a serious aging and village extinction crisis, and since the disappearance of villages gradually spreads, an initial response policy is needed. This result will be the same not only in Chungcheongnam-do but also in other rural villages. Therefore, in the case of rural villages, it is necessary to analyze and diagnose the Haengjeong-ri village unit, not the Eup-Myeon unit, and a response policy through diagnosis must be prepared urgently.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.65-77
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• 2020

Objectives: This study investigated the average number of drinkers in Korea, the number of high-risk drinkers, the average amount of alcohol consumed by high-risk drinkers, and the types of alcohol consumed according to the characteristics of the group of dependent drinkers. Methods: The results were obtained by analyzing the following data: The Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health; Country Profile 2014; WHO Country Profile 2014; Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014, Korean Statistical Information Service; National Tax Statistics-Liquor Tax; Gallup Drinking Frequency Survey 2015 Results: This study found that a large proportion of drinkers in Korea are already high-risk drinkers, and even among drinkers, alcohol consumption was highly biased. It was reported that 49.8% of men in the problem, abuse, and dependence groups accounted for 92.4% of total alcohol consumption among the male population. Notably, the 9.6% of men making up the dependent group consumed more than 30% of the alcohol ingested among males. Women had significant variations within groups that were considered high-risk and exhibited a large share of alcohol consumption in the problem (10.0% of the female population), abuse (1.8% of the female population), and dependence (1.5% of the female population) groups, constituting 72.8% of total alcohol consumption. The average amount of alcohol consumed by drinkers in Korea seems to have exceeded the level of intake by high-risk groups. Alcohol-dependent groups consumed 900.7 mL of soju, 405.2 mL of table wine, and 2,043.8 mL of beer, which is very similar to the consumption average of 2,031 mL of beer and 895.2 mL of soju in the drinking group. Conclusion: It has been shown that men's dependence on alcohol is serious, and it is possible to infer that alcohol consumption in some vulnerable groups is very high. As the average alcohol intake among alcohol-dependent groups and ordinary drinkers is very similar, it is highly likely that the drinker is an alcohol-dependent consumer in Korea.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.1-9
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• 2016

Objectives: This review is to suggest strategies to reduce risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in South Korea. Methods: Prior research findings on the burden of NCD and associated risk factors and the effectiveness of intervention programs were reviewed. Strategies regarding the control of NCD risk factors were conceived. Results: The author presented research findings from the Global Burden of Disease study on the burden of non-communicable disease (NCD) and associated risk factors in South Korea. Strengths and limitations of population and high-risk strategies for preventing NCDs were introduced. The author also reviewed the evidence on the effectiveness of multiple cardiovascular risk factor interventions and community-based intervention programs on cardiovascular diseases conducted in industrialized countries. Finally, strategies to reduce NCD risk factors in South Korea were suggested. Conclusions: The evidence-based interventions and the importance of population strategies in NCD prevention were highlighted. The author indicated that strategies employed by unhealthy commodity industries to undermine effective public health policies and programs should be actively monitored. It has been suggested that effective high-risk strategies with ecological models to address social risks rather than medical risks among disadvantaged population should be further developed in South Korea.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.183-191
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• 2013

Objectives: In Korea, the proportion of deaths due to alcohol is estimated at 8.9%, far exceeding the global estimate of 3.8%. Therefore, this study was performed to examine the factors associated with low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk drinking patterns in Korean adults and to identify target populations for prevention and control of alcohol-related diseases and deaths. Methods: We analyzed data from 230 715 Korean adults aged 19 years and older who participated in the 2009 Korean Community Health Survey. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations between socio-demographic and health-related factors and patterns of alcohol use. Results: A substantially larger proportion of men than women engaged in high risk (21.2% vs. 3.4%) and moderate-risk alcohol use (15.5% vs. 8.2%). In both sexes, moderate- and high-risk uses were associated with younger age, higher income, being currently employed, smoking, being overweight/obese, and good self-rated health. Conclusions: Given the large proportion of the population that is engaging in moderate- and high-risk drinking and given the social norms that support this behavior, public health policies and campaigns to reduce alcohol consumption targeting the entire population are indicated.

• Journal of the Korean Regional Science Association
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.91-106
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• 2024

Around the world, many countries experiencing the issue of shrinking cities are continually expanding high-speed rail networks to enhance regional accessibility and address imbalances. This study analyzed the effects of high-speed train operations on the age-specific population migration in South Korean municipalities from 2012 to 2019, taking into account the risk levels of shrinking cities. For this purpose, an analysis was conducted using age-specific net in-migration population as the dependent variable, employing the spatial panel autoregressive model. The research results indicated that the influence of high-speed rail on regional population inflow varies depending on the risk level of shrinking city. In other words, high-speed railway operations had positive effects on population inflow in the capital areas and some major cities, while explained population outflow in the other regions. High-speed railways particularly exerted a significant impact on the inflow of the young and middle-aged population, representing the working age, but this effect was also limited to regions with a low risk of shrinkage. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of considering planned population and industrial attraction when installing high-speed rail with the goal of achieving regional balanced development and mitigating shrinkage. The results of this study also suggest the need for subsequent research to explore factors that positively influence population structure and inflow based on the level of shrinkage risk in each region, as well as the introduction of new policies tailored to the specific situations of each local government.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.234-241
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• 2019

Objectives: To identify simultaneous behavioral changes in alcohol consumption, smoking, and weight using a fixed-effect model and to characterize their associations with disease status. Methods: This study included 7 000 529 individuals who participated in the national biennial health-screening program every 2 years from 2009 to 2016 and were aged 40 or more. We reconstructed the data into an individual-level panel dataset with 4 waves. We used a fixed-effect model for smoking, heavy alcohol drinking, and overweight. The independent variables were sex, age, lifestyle factors, insurance contribution, employment status, and disease status. Results: Becoming a high-risk drinker and losing weight were associated with initiation or resumption of smoking. Initiation or resumption of smoking and weight gain were associated with non-high-risk drinkers becoming high-risk drinkers. Smoking cessation and becoming a high-risk drinker were associated with normal-weight participants becoming overweight. Participants with newly acquired diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and cancer tended to stop smoking, discontinue high-risk drinking, and return to a normal weight. Conclusions: These results obtained using a large-scale population-based database documented interactions among lifestyle factors over time.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.679-694
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• 2022

Mortality risk is a significant threat to individual life, and quantifying the risk is necessary for making a national population plan and is a traditionally fundamental task in the insurance and annuity businesses. Like other advanced countries, the sustainability of life pensions and the management of longevity risks are becoming important in Asian countries entering the era of aging society. In this study, mortality and pension value sustainability trends are compared and analyzed based on national population and mortality data, focusing on four Asian countries from 1990 to 2017. The result of analyzing the robustness and accuracy of generalized linear/nonlinear models reveals that the Cairns-Blake-Dowd model, the nonparametric Renshaw-Haberman model, and the Plat model show low stability. The Currie, CBD M5, M7, and M8 models have high stability against data periods. The M7 and M8 models demonstrate high accuracy. The longevity risk is found to be high in the order of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan, which is in general inversely related to the population size.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.175-181
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• 2005

Objectives: This study estimated the burden of disease due to high alcohol consumption using DALY, a composite indicator recently developed by the Global Burden of Disease study group. The results were analyzed by age and sex. Methods: Firstly, high alcohol consumption-related diseases, and their relative risk (RR), were selected. Secondly, population attributable fractions (PAFs) were computed using formulae, including the relative risk (RR) and prevalence of exposure (Pe). Thirdly, the DALYs of high alcohol consumption-related diseases were estimated. Lastly, the attributable burdens of diseases due to high alcohol consumption wereconcluded as being the sum of the products that multiplied the DALYs of high alcohol consumption-related diseases by their population attributable fraction (PAF). Results : The burden of high alcohol consumption in Korea was 2992.3 person years (PYs) per 100,000 persons in men, and 1426.6 in women. For men, the high alcohol consumption-induced diseases with the five biggest burdens were liver cirrhosis, hypertensive disease, liver cancer, cerebral infarction and intracerebral hemorrhage. For women, these were cerebral infarction, intracerebral hemorrhage, hypertensive disease, liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Conclusion: This study highlighted the attributable fraction of diseases due to exposure to high alcohol consumption, by quantifying the results of exposure to risk factors. Therefore, it is now possible to assess interventions for risk factors in quantifiable terms in each population. Finally, measuring the risk factor burdens was expected to contribute to priority setting and effective resource allocation in public health policy.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.181-190
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• 2019

Objectives : Epidemiological studies in other countries show that a low intake of omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) increases the risk of depression or suicidality. However, no studies have investigated the associations of suicidality with omega-3 FAs in Korea. Hence, this cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the effects of omega FAs on suicidality in the general South Korean population. Methods : The data in this study were sourced from adults (n=215,860) who completed the Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI), and the associations between omega FAs and suicidality were analyzed using multivariate logistic regressions. Results : Our results demonstrated that high omega-3 FA intake was associated with a decreased risk of suicide (OR=0.83, 95% CI : 0.71-0.98) and the high omega-6 to omega-3 FA ratio was associated with an increased risk of suicide (OR=1.25, 95% CI : 1.02-1.54). Additionally, a high intake of omega-3 FAs was associated with a decreased risk of suicide in men, but not in women (OR=0.72, 95% CI : 0.59-0.88). Conclusions : Overall, our findings suggest that a lower intake of omega-3 FA is associated with the increased risk of suicidality in the general Korean population, especially in men.