• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.19
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• pp.8345-8349
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• 2014

Background: Cancer is an increasing cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Incidences of common cancers has been growing in different provinces of Iran in recent years but trends in Khuzestan which shares a border with Iraq and is located in south west of Iran have not been investigated. This study aimed to assess secular changes in incidences of common cancers in Khuzestan province from 2004 to 2008. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from Khuzestan cancer registry which is a branch of Iranian Ministry of Health Cancer Registry (http://ircancer.ir) for the period 2004-2008. Data were presented as incidence rates by site, sex, age, using the crude rate and age-standardized rate (ASR) per $10^5$ persons. A direct method of standardization was applied according to the WHO guideline and data analysis was performed using the SPSS package. Results: During the 2004-2008 period, 14,893 new cases of cancer were registered in Khuzestan cancer registry. The age-standardized incidence rate of all cancers was 153.7 per $10^5$ in males and 156.4 per $10^5$ in females. The incidence was increased over the period of five years. The most incident cancers among males were skin cancer ($ASR=18.7/10^5$), stomach cancer ($ASR13.8/10^5$), lung cancer ($ASR12.9/10^5$), leukemia ($ASR=12.6/10^5$) and prostate cancer ($ASR=12.4/10^5$). In females, the most incident cancers were breast cancer ($ASR=41/10^5$), skin cancer ($ASR=16.4/10^5$), colorectal cancer ($ASR=10.0/10^5$), leukemia ($ASR=8.1/10^5$) and lung cancer ($ASR=6.9/10^5$). Conclusions: Incidences of various cancers are rising in Khuzestan. It is necessary to develop and implement comprehensive cancer control programs in this region which could be monitored and evaluated by the future trend data from Khuzestan cancer registry.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.337-354
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• 2014

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the various sizing systems and specified anthropometric data as well as the fit issues used today. Background: A standard sizing system for clothes is a system that is developed based on body shape and size classifications method. To develop an efficient sizing system, we have to classify the database from the majority of the samples. Method: The method of this paper deals with the secular trend of height spanning from 1997 to 2010 along with the morphological feature patterns for Koreans. It also investigates the comparison of the growth pattern between male and female and the body shape classification according to the drop values based on the anthropometric data samples of KATS taken from the 2010 surveys in order to develop and define the new guidelines for the size designation systems of clothes. Results: The results are classified with body size and shape categories according to the drop values by age and sex in order to develop the new guidelines for the size designation systems based on these body dimensions from the analyzed anthropometric database. Conclusion: These new guidelines for the size designation system will eliminate the confusion that currently exists among countries and individual apparel designers. Application: The adopted standards could be used to compare the sizing systems worldwide.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.630-637
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• 2019

Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate the secular changes in indoor airborne dust or endotoxin levels in the dust from swine confinement buildings. Indoor levels were compared with the level at the exhaust outlet in order to examine the contribution potential of indoor dust to nearby ambient air dust. Methods: Comparisons were made on inhalable and respirable dust levels reported in 2002, 2012, and 2017 from 14, 10, and 36 swine fattening confinement buildings in Korea, respectively. This data was produced by the same research group. Levels of endotoxin adsorbed into inhalable or respirable dust were also compared. Samples of inhalable or respirable dust were collected indoors and at exhaust outlets from 17 swine fattening confinement buildings in 2019, and dust levels were compared between the indoor and the outlet. Results: The outlet inhalable dust level (0.111 mg/㎥) was approximately 19% of that from indoors, and the respirable dust level (0.033 mg/㎥) was approximately 74% of that from indoors. The outlet respirable dust levels were lower than the airborne fine dust levels in the towns where those farms are located. No significant difference was observed in the inhalable dust levels among the years examined, but the respirable dust level in 2017 (0.143 mg/㎥) was significantly lower than in 2002 (0.328 mg/㎥). The level of endotoxin in inhalable dust was significantly higher in 2017 (722 EU/㎥) than in both 2002 (75 EU/㎥) and 2012 (171 EU/㎥). Conclusion: Even though no apparent contribution from swine farm indoor dust to nearby ambient air dust was observed in terms of amount, a certain control strategy to reduce the production of airborne dust and endotoxin from swine farms is merited.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.115-168
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• 1995

It is a common wisdom that the long-term economic development of Korea chiefly depends not only on the steady increase of the capital formation but also on the stable increase of the national saving. And also it is a widely accepted opinion that household saving plays a significant role for the smooth supply of investment funds. For the empirical analysis on the determining factors of household saving, consumption function of the household of Korea was utilized indirectly. The reason is that consumption function is regarded as a stable function whereas saving function is considered to be an unstable function of the relevant independent variables. In order to carry out the regression process of the consumption functions, data on the family income and expenditure survey and the farm household economy survey was used. The regression result could be summarized as follows : Firstly, household income and the number of the employed in the household have the negative effect in determining the consumption ratio of the Korean households. On the other hand, ages and the educational attainment of the household heads as well as the number of the household members have the positive effect. During the early part of 21st century, the consumption ratio of the Korean households is expected to be decreased because of the increasing trend of household income, and the ever increasing number of the employed member of the household based on the increasing trend of the labor force participation rate of women and the decrease of the average size of the number of household members owing to widespread nuclear family system. On the other hand, the consumption ratio of the household of Korea is expected to be increased because of the continuous increase of the average ages of the household heads caused by the population aging phenomena and improvement of the educational attainment of the household heads. But on the whole, household saving ratio is expected to be increased owing to the secular downward trend of the consumption and therefore no significant difficulties are anticipated for the smooth provision of investment resources needed to have long-term economic progress of Korea.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9899-9903
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• 2014

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an uncommon disease in most countries but occurs with much greater frequency in southern China. This study aimed to examine the secular trends of NPC in urban Guangzhou over the time period of 2000-2011 using data from the Guangzhou Cancer Registry. Age-adjusted annual incidence rates of NPC were calculated by the direct method using the WHO World Standard Population (1960) as the reference. The average annual percentage change (AAPC) was used as an estimate of the trend. A total of 7,532 new cases of NPC and 3,449 related deaths were registered. In both genders, the peak incidence occurred in the 50- to 59-year age group, and this age distribution pattern remained similar throughout. The AAPC in NPC incidence rates was -3.26% (95% CI: -5.4%--1.1) for males and -5.74% (95% CI: -8.9%--2.5) for females, resulting in a total decrease of 39.3% (from 22.14 to 13.44 per 100,000 population) for males and 48.6% (from 10.1 to 5.18 per 100,000 population) for females over this 12-year period. The AAPCs in NPC mortality rates were -4.62% (95%CI: -3.5%--5.7) for males and -6.75% (95% CI: -5.2%--8.3) for females, resulting in a total decrease of -46.1% (from 12.1 to 6.54 per 100,000 population) for males and 51.7% (from 4.14 to 2.00 per 100,000 population) for females. The age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates of NPC declined during 2000-2011 in urban Guangzhou but remained high. Future efforts to improve prevention, early detection and treatment strategies are needed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8589-8594
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• 2016

Background: Liver cancer is one of the most common causes of death in the world. In Korea, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor for liver cancer but infection rates have been declining since the implementation of the national vaccination program. In this study, we examined the secular trends in liver cancer mortality to distinguish the effects of age, time period, and birth cohort. Materials and Methods: Data for the annual number of liver cancer deaths in Korean adults (30 years and older) were obtained from the Korean Statistical Information Service for the period from 1984-2013. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to study the shapes of and to detect the changes in mortality trends. Also, an age-period-cohort model was designed to study the effect of each age, period, and birth cohort on liver cancer mortality. Results: For both men and women, the age-standardized mortality rate for liver cancer increased from 1984 to 1993 and decreased thereafter. The highest liver cancer mortality rate has shifted to an older age group in recent years. Within the same birth cohort group, the mortality rate of older age groups has been higher than in the younger age groups. Age-period-cohort analysis showed an association with a high mortality rate in the older age group and in recent years, whereas a decreasing mortality rate were observed in the younger birth cohort. Conclusions: This study confirmed a decreasing trend in liver cancer mortality among Korean men and women after 1993. The trends in mortality rate may be mainly attributed to cohort effects.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.383-391
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• 2010

The present study evaluated a preliminary control room (CR) design of radioactive waste facility using the $JACK^{(R)}$ human simulation system. Four digital humanoids ($5^{th}$, $50^{th}$, $95^{th}$, and $99^{th}$ percentiles) were used in the ergonomic evaluation. The first three were selected to represent 90% of the target population (Korean males aged 20 to 50 years) and the last to reflect the secular trend of stature for next 20 years in South Korea. The preliminary CR design was assessed by checking its compliance to ergonomic guidelines specified in NUREG-0700 and conducting an in-depth ergonomic analysis with a digital prototype of the CR design and the digital humanoids in terms of postural comfort, reachability, visibility, and clearance. For identified design problems, proper design changes and their validities were examined using JACK. A revised CR design suggested in the present study would contribute to effective and safe operations of the CR as well as operators' health in the workplace.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.158-168
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• 2014

Objectives: To identify and evaluate the trend of meal-skipping rates among Korean adolescents with their contributing causes and the influence of household income level on meal skipping. Methods: Using 2008, 2010, and 2012 data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey of 222 662 students, a cross-sectional study with subgroup analysis was performed. We calculated odds ratios for skipping each meal 5 or more times in a week by household socio-economic status using a multiple logistic regression model. The secular change in the meal-skipping rates by the students' family affluence scale was analyzed by comparing the meal-skipping students within each subgroup and odds ratios for the same event over time. Results: Through 2008 to 2012, most of the meal-skipping rates generally showed a continuous increase or were almost unchanged in both sexes, except for breakfast skipping in several subgroups. Students in low-income households not living with both parents had the highest meal-skipping rates and odds ratios for frequent meal skipping. In a time-series subgroup analysis, the overall odds ratios for the same event increased during 2008 to 2012, with a slight reduction in the gap between low and higher income levels with regard to meal skipping during 2010 to 2012. Conclusions: Household socio-economic status and several other factors had a significant influence on Korean adolescent meal-skipping rates. Although the gap in eating behavior associated with household socio-economic differences is currently decreasing, further study and appropriate interventions are needed.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.3-33
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• 2004

This paper investigates the effects of inflation on real estate prices, particularly the discrepancy between the sales and chonsei prices of housing, in an economy in which real interest rates are secularly declining due to the fall in capital productivity. When real interest rates fall, real estate prices rise relative to chonsei prices, and thus the well-known adverse effect of inflation, or the discrepancy between the value of financial assets (or chonsei principal) and the value of real assets (or real estate), is aggravated although the monetary authority maintains the same rate of inflation. This theoretical prediction can help explain the trend of the ratio of apartment sales prices to chonsei prices. That is, the stabilization of inflation relative to real interest rates appears to have contributed to the secular stabilization of this ratio in the 1990s, while the fall in real interest rates appears to have led to the rise of this ratio since 2001.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.61-72
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• 2001

Objectives : To evaluate the hypothesis that increasing ambient levels of ozone or particulate matter are associated with increased emergency room visits for asthma and to quantify the strength of association, if any, between these. Methods : Daily counts of emergency room visits for asthma, air quality, and weather data were collected from hospitals with over 200 beds and from monitoring Stations in Seoul, Korea from 1994 through 1997. Daily counts of emergency mom visits for asthma attack were analyzed using a general additive Poisson model, with adjustment for the effects of secular trend, seasonal variation, Sunday and holiday, temperature, and humidly, according to levels of ozone and particulate matter. Results : The association between daily counts of emergency room visits for asthma attack and ozone levels was statistically significant in summer(from June to August), and the RR by unit inclement of 100 ppb ozone was 1.30(95% CI = $1.11\sim1.52$) without lag time. With restriction of the period from April to September in 1996, the RR was 1.37(95% CI = $1.06\sim1.76$), and from June to August in 1995, the RR was 1.62(95% CI = $1.12\sim2.35$). In the data for children$(5\sim14yr)$, the RR was 2.57(95% CI = $1.31\sim5.05$) with restriction of the period from April to September in 1997. There was no Significant association between TSP levels and asthma attacks, but a slight association was seen between PM10 levels and asthma attacks in a very restricted period. Conclusion : There was a statistically significant association between ambient levels of ozone and daily counts of emergency room visits for asthma attack. Therefore, we must make efforts to effectively minimize air pollution, in order to protect public health.