• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.257-271
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• 2015

Purpose: This research examined the trend of school health education, using online research data on health behaviors of adolescents. Then it compared the health perceptions, healthy life practice, and health risk behaviors between students who received health education and students who did not. In addition, it predicted the impact of health education on health risk behaviors of students. Methods: Data from 72,435 participants of this survey were analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed on weighted data using the complex sampling design. Results: In the results of the research, general high schools students had the lowest rate of receiving health education, while sex education was the most actively held throughout the all locations. Next, medium-small cities had the lowest rate of receiving health education. Regarding health risk behaviors, students receiving health education had significantly lower rates of smoking, drinking, and sexual intercourse. Conclusion: This study shows that healthy life practices by students improves with the inclusion of health education, thus indicating that schools should invest in health education. This research generated evidence for the first time in Korea that school health education has a positive impact on health risk behaviors and provides basic data for policy development of school health education.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.345-356
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• 2015

This study analyzed the health risk behavior of Korean college students by comparing them based on the college location (Seoul vs. non-Seoul). Converging analyses of health risk behaviors (drinking behavior, sex, suicidality) and health risk factors (mental health, stress) were attempted. The results showed the 23% of students were at risk of serious drinking problem, and the 52.6% of students consumed alcohol once in every other week or more often. In case of the sexual behavior, 40.6% had sexual experience. Importantly, the 25.4% and the 20.3% of college students in Seoul and non-Seoul area, respectively, had two or more sexual partners. Also, students in non-Seoul area had a tendency of the higher level of suicidality, and the lower level of mental health. Overall, the self-respect score was the only statistically significant factor showing the Seoul/non-Seoul difference. These results may be able to intervene the health risk behaviors of college students.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2017

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze sexual experience rates according to socio-demographic factors, health behavioral factors, and internet use time, and to identify sex experience related factors in high school students using the data from the 11th Korean Youth Health Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey. Methods: A total of 33,744 students (17,346 boys and 16,398 girls) in high schools were analyzed using the SPSS WIN version 22 program. SPSS complex samples methods were used for analyses. Socio-demographic factors, health behavioral factors, and internet use time as independents variables were included. The complex samples logistic regression analyses were used to calculate the odds ratio of the sexual experience according to the socio-demographic factors, health behavioral factors and internet use time. Unweighted frequencies and percentages were represented in result tables. Results: 3.6% of girls and 9.9% of boys in high school had sexual experiences. Daily average smoking amount and daily alcohol drinking amount were a dose-response relationship with sexual experience after considering confounding factors. Students who smoke 10-19 cigarettes had 5.74 times higher risk and 20 cigarettes or more had 7.27 times higher risk of sexual experiences, comparing with non-smoking students, relatively. Likewise, students who drink soju less than 1-2 bottles and more than 2 bottles had 3.82- and 4.35 times higher chance of sexual experiences, compared with non drinking students, respectively. Conclusions: We found that there were the dose-response relationship between health behavioral characteristics and sexual experiences. Further research is needed to identify an interaction effect between smoking and drinking alcohol on sexual experiences in high school students.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.3333-3343
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to investigate factors related to substance use focusing on the sexual experiences and risky sexual behaviors among Korean adolescents. This study conducted with a secondary data analysis using the Seventh Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey 2011 in South Korea. The study participants selected 75,643 Korean adolescents who were recruited anonymously through national web-based survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, rao-Scott ${\chi}^2$, and logistic regressions considering complex samples. Results indicated that substance use was significantly associated with sexual experiences such as sexual intercourse with the opposite sex (adjusted OR=5.691; 95% CI=4.223-7.670), sexual intercourse with the same sex (adjusted OR=21.180; 95% CI=14.704-30.507) and risky sexual behaviors such as sexual assaults (adjusted OR=9.936; 95% CI=7.217-13.680), date rape (adjusted OR=16.979; 95% CI=11.648-24.751), sexual intercourse after drinking (adjusted OR=6.564; 95% CI=3.986-10.810), unexpected pregnancies (adjusted OR=18.628; 95% CI=8.476-40.936), and sexually transmitted diseases (adjusted OR=21.872; 95% CI=13.920-34.367) in Korean adolescents. Findings of this study show that adolescents who use substances are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. Therefore, intervention program should be designed to consider both substance use and sexual problems and to include the effective approaches at the family and school level.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.115-124
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the health risk behaviors, mental health and subjective health status of adolescents in multicultural families and monocultural (Korean) families. This study was conducted to prepare basic data for education and policy proposals related to health promotion of adolescents in multicultural families. Methods: The study was a secondary analysis using the raw data of the 15th Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (2019). A complex sample multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to understand the influence of growing up in a multicultural family on health risk behaviors, mental health and subjective health status by comparing the variables to those of monocultural adolescents. Results: Adolescents from multicultural families had a 3.3 times higher rate of drug use experience, 1.89 times higher rate of sexual experience, and 1.24 times higher rate of not wearing seat belts. In addition, the rate of not washing hands and the rate of suicide attempts were 1.34-1.50 times and 1.62 times higher, respectively, compared to adolescents from monocultural families. Conclusion: This study showed that it is necessary to develop appropriate health promotion programs to solve the problems of drug use, sexual intercourse, not wearing seat belts, not washing hands, and attempting suicides, which are more prevalent among adolescents from multicultural families than from monocultural families. It will serve a basic policy for the long-term development and growth of Korea at this critical time when multicultural adolescents are increasing.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.137-154
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• 2005

Objectives: This study aims to examine the positive effects of developmental assets on the prevention of health risk behaviors among Korean adolescents. The framework of developmental assets was introduced as building blocks for healthy child and adolescent development by Benson and his colleagues. These assets represent positive external environmental factors and internal personal qualities which strongly influence the quality of life of adolescents. Methods: In 2001, we administered self-reported questionnaires to 3,739 girls and boys in grade 9 at eight schools in two cities, Chinju and Suwon in South Korea. The data was compiled into a 'Korean Youth Health Related Behaviors and Developmental Assets Survey' and then analyzed Youth health risk behaviors, which we measured in terms of their frequency, included tobacco, alcohol, and substance use, sexual intercourse, anti-social behaviors, violence, feelings of social isolation at school, depression or attempted suicide, absenteeism from school, gambling. Results: Overall, with respect to developmental assets, the Korean adolescents surveyed only 12.6 of the 40 assets, and 88 percent of adolescents had 20 or fewer of the assets. Based on their number of developmental assets(DA), adolescents were categorized into four groups: Group I(DA 0-10): Group II(DA 11-20): Group III(DA 21-30): Group IV(DA 31-40). We examined the differences in the frequency of each health risk behavior across the four groups, Group I-IV, and found that the frequency of most health risk behaviors decreased as the number of developmental assets increased. Conclusion: We therefore concluded that in order to make effective approaches for the prevention of health risk behaviors among adolescents, we should consider and develop more comprehensive and adolescents-based policy and programs to promote various aspects of adolescents' health and quality of life.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2017

This study aims to identify individual and familial factors associated with youth sexual experience by using the nationally representative sample data in South Korea. Specifically, we select 68,043 students in middle and high schools participating in the 2015 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. Considering the complex survey design, we conduct a descriptive analysis and multiple logistic regression for sexual experience. The main results identify factors on sexual experience such as age, type of school, stress level, drinking, smoking, economic status, and cohabiting parents. In particular, the drinking and smoking behaviors are positively associated with sexual experience and the youth living with neither parent is more likely to have a sexual experience than those who lived two parents. In conclusion, the plan of sex education should consider the risk factors and the quality of sex education should be enhanced in order to build more appropriate sexual culture and behaviors among the youth.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.258-265
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• 2024

Objectives: This study aimed to examine sex differences in the risk factors associated with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) among Korean adolescents to provide insights for drafting more effective prevention strategies. Methods: Data from 51845 middle and high school students in the 18th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey were analyzed. GAD was assessed using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder tool, and factors such as grade, academic performance, economic status, living arrangements, smoking, drinking, sexual experience, and physical activity were included. The prevalence of GAD and its association with these factors were compared between male and female students using chi-square tests and logistic regression. Odds ratios were compared statistically to identify sex-specific differences. Results: GAD prevalence was higher among girls (42.1%) than boys (30.1%). Both sexes showed increased GAD risk with lower academic performance, lower economic status, smoking, drinking, and sexual experience. Boys living apart from their families had a higher GAD risk, but this was not significant for girls. Additionally, smoking and drinking were associated with a higher increase in GAD risk in girls than in boys. Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of considering sex differences in the prevention of GAD among adolescents. Tailored sex-specific interventions are crucial for effective prevention and management of GAD in Korean adolescents.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.144-153
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• 2021

Objectives: Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric disorders in adolescents and seem to occur the earliest among all forms of psychopathology. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of anxiety severity with health risk behaviors and mental health in adolescents. Methods: Data from the 2020 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey were analyzed. A total of 54948 adolescents responded to the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) for the assessment of their anxiety severity as well as to the mental health and health risk behavior survey. Logistic regression analysis, t tests, and variance analysis of a complex sample general linear model were used to examine the association of anxiety severity with health behaviors and mental health. Results: After statistical adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, the subjects in the severe anxiety group were significantly more likely to be current smokers (odds ratio [OR]: 2.08, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.72-2.50), current drinkers (OR: 1.91, 95% CI: 1.67-2.19), experience habitual substance use (OR: 10.89, 95% CI: 8.22-14.42), have sexual intercourse (OR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.76-2.51), and have unprotected intercourse (OR: 2.21, 95% CI: 1.67-2.92) than those in the normal group. Anxiety severity negatively correlated with sleep satisfaction and happiness, but positively correlated with stress perception, loneliness, depressive symptoms, and suicidality. Conclusion: Adolescent anxiety is associated with health risk behaviors and poor mental health. Thus, early screening and intervention for anxiety in adolescents could contribute to the management and coping of youth health risk behaviors in the community.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.370-378
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• 2024

Objectives: Comorbidities increase susceptibility to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections, but limited information has been published regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and COVID-19 co-infections. This study explored the relationships among socioeconomic characteristics, sexual behaviors, and COVID-19 infection rates among Korean men who have sex with men (MSM) who are also living with HIV. Methods: Data were collected through a web survey aimed at members of the largest gay portal site in Korea, supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (n=1005). The primary independent variables included COVID-19-related vaccinations and sexual behaviors. The dependent variable was the incidence of COVID-19 infection among respondents during the pandemic. For statistical analysis, hierarchical multiple logistic regression was performed, controlling for potential confounding variables. Results: Model I indicated that older MSM were less likely to contract COVID-19 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96 to 0.99). Model II demonstrated that HIV-positive MSM were nearly twice as likely to be infected with COVID-19 compared to their HIV-negative counterparts (aOR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.14 to 3.41). Furthermore, even after accounting for COVID-19 vaccination status in model III, HIV-positive MSM continued to show a higher risk of infection (aOR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.12 to 3.35). Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that HIV-positive MSM are at an increased risk of contracting COVID-19, even when their vaccination status is considered. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize the prevention of COVID-19 infections in HIV-positive individuals by administering appropriate antiretroviral therapy and ensuring adherence to public health guidelines.