• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.1259-1275
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• 2015

Background: This study reviewed the published evidence as to how prostate cancer outcomes vary across geographical remoteness and area level disadvantage. Materials and Methods: A review of the literature published from January 1998 to January 2014 was undertaken: Medline and CINAHL databases were searched in February to May 2014. The search terms included terms of 'Prostate cancer' and 'prostatic neoplasms' coupled with 'rural health', 'urban health', 'geographic inequalities', 'spatial', 'socioeconomic', 'disadvantage', 'health literacy' or 'health service accessibility'. Outcome specific terms were 'incidence', 'mortality', 'prevalence', 'survival', 'disease progression', 'PSA testing' or 'PSA screening', 'treatment', 'treatment complications' and 'recurrence'. A further search through internet search engines was conducted to identify any additional relevant published reports. Results: 91 papers were included in the review. While patterns were sometimes contrasting, the predominate patterns were for PSA testing to be more common in urban (5 studies out of 6) and affluent areas (2 of 2), higher prostate cancer incidence in urban (12 of 22) and affluent (18 of 20), greater risk of advanced stage prostate cancer in rural (7 of 11) and disadvantaged (8 of 9), higher survival in urban (8 of 13) and affluent (16 of 18), greater access or use of definitive treatment services in urban (6 of 9) and affluent (7 of 7), and higher prostate mortality in rural (10 of 20) and disadvantaged (8 of 16) areas. Conclusions: Future studies may need to utilise a mixed methods approach, in which the quantifiable attributes of the individuals living within areas are measured along with the characteristics of the areas themselves, but importantly include a qualitative examination of the lived experience of people within those areas. These studies should be conducted across a range of international countries using consistent measures and incorporate dialogue between clinicians, epidemiologists, policy advocates and disease control specialists.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.941-944
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• 2012

Objective: The aim of current study was to evaluate the changes of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its clinical, demographic and socioeconomic determinants during chemotherapy and 4 months follow-up in women with breast cancer using a repeated measures framework. Methods and Materials: A double blind cohort study was performed in 100 breast cancer patients given fluorouracil, doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (FAC) or docetaxel, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide (TAC) in south of Iran. HRQoL was assessed at baseline, end of chemotherapy and four months thereafter using the QLQ-C30 questionnaire from European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). Generalized estimating equations (GEE) was applied for statistical analysis. Results: The mean of age at baseline was $48.5{\pm}10.6$. 70% and 14% of patients were married and smokers, respectively, and 20% suffered from another disease besides breast cancer. The results of GEE showed that after control for baseline scores, the HRQoL significantly improved over time. Although, the patients in FAC group had higher scores than the TAC group, the differences also diminished over time. Smoking, marital status and having child affected some scales of HRQoL. None of other variables were significantly related to HRQoL. Conclusion: Although patients in TAC groups had lower level of HRQoL over 8 months follow up, they experienced faster improvement than the FAC group. This implies that in long-term, improvements in TAC group are higher than FAC. Having children was positively correlated with HRQoL. Generally, there were no demographic and socio-economic differences in HRQoL in these patients between the chemotherapeutic regimens.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.88 no.2
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• pp.205-212
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• 1999

The purposes of this study were to investigate the influence of local residents' nature environment attitudes to recreation forest development impact perceptions and to examine application possibility of nature environment attitude to resolution information of recreation forest management conflicts. 30 items of residents' perceptions and opinions were designed from previous tourism impact studies. The new environmental paradigm(NEP) was used to measure local residents' nature environment attitudes. In October 1995, 204 questionnaires were obtained from interview survey in local residents' villages near two recreation forests. Generally most local residents perceived low economic effects and negative environment impacts for recreation forest development. Nature environment attitude levels were significant differences due to socioeconomic variables of local residents, specially high in age, education level and influenced their perceptions toward recreation forest development impacts. The results suggested that the nature environment attitudes could be provided a useful referential framework in resolution of recreation forest management conflicts.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.261-268
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• 2013

사무르디는 스리랑카의 빈곤퇴치를 위한 프로그램 중 가장 규모가 큰 사회복지 지원 사업으로 1995년 청년, 여성, 장애인 등의 취업기회의 제공과 역량을 제고하여 궁극적으로 국가의 빈곤을 퇴치하고자 중앙정부에 의해 마련되었다. 본 연구는 사무르디 프로그램 수혜자의 만족도를 높이기 위한 사회경제적 관련 인자들이 무엇인지를 밝히고자 하였다. 사례연구지역은 스리랑카 중부지역에 위치한 오지이며 빈곤도가 높아 본 프로그램의 수혜율이 비교적 높은 캔디(Kandy) 지역을 대상으로 하였다. 본 프로그램의 주목적인 소득향상을 비롯하여 훈련프로그램, 사무르디은행의 신용, 정부보조금, 보험금, 기술정보제공, 마케팅시설, 고용기회제공, 도로개발, 관개수로시설 및 공공기반시설 등 프로그램의 지원내용 등과 관련된 다양한 인자들을 대상으로 수혜자의 만족도는 물론 이에 영향을 미치는 사회경제적 인자의 특성 등을 밝히고자 하였다. 다단계 표본 추출방법으로 150 사무르디프로그램 수혜자를 선정하여 관련 설문조사를 실시하였으며(유효설문 127), SAS9.1 통계분석용 소프트웨어를 사용하여 빈도분석, 회귀분석 등을 실시하였다. 그 결과 사무르디 수혜자들은 정부보조 및 사무르디 은행의 신용 제공, 보험금 지급, 도로개발, 소득 증대 등에 대해서는 만족도가 매우 높은 반면 종자나 비료 등의 농업투입요소나 마케팅시설, 기술정보 제공 등에 대해서는 비교적 낮은 만족도를 보였다. 회귀분석 결과 사무르디 프로그램 실시 후 소득증대, 고용 기회와 훈련프로그램 제공, 사무르디 은행의 신용 제공 등이 중요한 요인임을 확인할 수 있었다. 본 사무르디 프로그램을 통하여 지역주민의 생활여건 개선은 물론 소득을 향상시켜 나아가 빈곤 퇴치라는 본래의 취지와 역할을 제대로 수행하기 위해서는 농업인 조직 강화, 농산물집하시설 등 마케팅 및 유통 시설 확충, 농기계 지원, 농업생산시설 등을 지속적으로 확충하여야 할 것이며, 정부의 지속적인 모니터링과 평가 등을 통하여 사무르디 프로그램을 보다 긍정적으로 발전시켜 나가야 할 것이다.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.443-448
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• 2005

Objectives : This study was done to evaluate the reliability of education and occupational class between using the health survey and the death certificate data. Methods : The 1998 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was conducted on a cross-sectional probability sample of South Korean households, and it contained unique 13-digit personal identification numbers that were linked to the data on mortality from the Korean National Statistical Office. The data from 263 deaths were used to estimate the agreement rates and the Kappa indices of the education and occupational class between using the NHANES data and the death certificate data. Results : The simple and weighted Kappa indices for education were 0.60 (95% CI=0.53-0.68) and 0.73 (95% CI=0.67-0.79) respectively, if the educational level was grouped into five categories: no-formal-education, elementary-school, middle-school, high-school and college or over. The overall agreement rate was 71.9% for these educational groups. The magnitude of reliability, as measured by the overall agreement rates and Kappa indices, tended to increase with a decrease in the educational class. The number of non-educated people with using the death certificate data was smaller than that with using the NHANES data. For the occupational class (manual workers, non-manual workers and others), the Kappa index was 0.40 (95% CI=0.30-0.51), which was relatively lower than that for the educational class. Compared with the NHANES, the number of non-manual workers for the deceased who were aged 30-64 tended to be increased (8 to 12) when using the death certificate data, whereas the number of manual workers tended to be decreased (59 to 41). Conclusions : The socioeconomic inequalities in the mortality rates that were based on the previous unlinked studies in South Korea were not due to a numerator/denominator bias. The mortality rates for the manual workers and the no-education groups might have been underestimated.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.233-238
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• 2007

Objectives : We aimed to assess the relationship between long-term exposure to air pollution and lung cancer in the Republic of Korea. Methods : Using the Annual Report of Ambient Air Quality in Korea, Annual Report of National Cancer Registration, and Annual Report on the Cause of Death Statistics, we calculated the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of lung cancer for both sexes in 74 areas from 7 Korean metropolitan cities. We performed random intercept, Poisson regression using empirical Bayes method. Results : Both SMRs and SIRs in the 7 metropolitan cities were higher in women than in men. Mean SIRs were 99.0 for males and 107.0 for females. The association between $PM_{10}$ and lung cancer risk differed according to gender. $PM_{10}$ was not associated with the risk of lung cancer in males, but both incidence and mortality of lung cancer were positively associated with $PM_{10}$ in females. The estimated percentage increases in the rate of female lung cancer mortality and incidence were 27% and 65% at the highest $PM_{10}$ category $({\geq}70\;{\mu}g/m^3)$, compared to the referent category $({\geq}50\;{\mu}g/m^3)$. Conclusions : Long-term exposure to $PM_{10}$ was significantly associated with female lung cancer incidence in 7 Korean metropolitan cities. Further study is undergoing to estimate the relative risk of $PM_{10}$ using multi-level analysis for controlling individual and regional confounders such as smoking and socioeconomic position.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.161-175
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• 2005

Since the introduction of mandatory health insurance in In, the Korean national health insurance(KNHI) has grown rapidly. In 2004, about $96.9\%$ of the total population are covered by the KNHI and the remaining $3.1\%$ by the Medical Aid program. Despite national health insurance system in Korea, private health insurance market has grown rapidly. In 2004, the size of the private health insurance market was estimated at 6,568 billion won. The purpose of this study Is to identify the factors that determine the purchasing decisions of supplementary private health insurance under mandatory national health insurance system in Korea. The data from n04 Busan Health Survey were analysed for the Purpose. The variables in this study are demographic factors, health status and health behavioral factors, health care systemic factors, and socioeconomic factors. For statistical analyse, we used logistic regression. The Findings show that female, economically active age group(especially 35-49 years), persons with better health status or experience of health screening test are more likely to purchase private health insurance. And higher household income and expenditure, higher education level are more associated with the increased probabilities of private health insurance purchases. This results imply that the expanding of private health insurance market could widen the gap between the have and have-not in terms of equal health care accessibility.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2006

Drug dependence deals a heavy socioeconomic burden to the society. For adolescents, the damage from drug dependence is greater than adults considering their higher susceptibility to drug effect and increasing chance for violence leading to criminal punishment process. Habitual drug use depends on genetic and environmental factors and the complex interactions between the two. Mammalian model systems have been useful in understanding the neurochemical and cellular impacts of abused drugs on specific regions of the brain, and in identifying the molecular targets of drugs. More elucidation is required whether biological effects of drugs actually cause the habitual dependence at the cellular level. Although there is much insight available on the nature of drug abuse problems, none of the systems designed to help drug dependent individuals is efficient in screening functional ingredients of the drug, and thus resulting in the failure of helping drug dependent individuals recover from drug dependence. Alternative model systems draw the attention of researchers, such as the invertebrate model systems of nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) and fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). These models should provide new insight into the mechanisms leading to the behavior of drug users (even functional studies analyzing molecular mechanism), and screening useful components to help remove drug dependence among drug users. The relatively simple anatomy and gene expression of the invertebrate model systems should enable researchers to coordinate current knowledge on drug abuse. Furthermore, the invertebrate model systems should facilitate advance in experiments on the susceptibility of specific genetic backgrounds and the interaction between genetic factors to drug dependence.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.49-64
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• 2012

With the burden of chronic diseases mounting among the population as a result of its aging, the importance of health examination is being stressed in order to identify and manage diseases in the early stage. Health examination in Korea is divided largely into periodic health examination provided as a national health screening program and individual physical checkups. The advantages of the former include little economic burden on the examined and those of the latter include the freedom of the individual to select various examination headings depending on the individual's characteristics and preferences. With both examinations now being expanded, empirical analyses from various standpoints are needed. This study proposes to analyze traits of the examined and non-examined as shown in the facts and figures of the 1st and 2nd Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA), thereby make the determinant factors clear leading to the acceptance of the examinations, and analyze the effects of the examinations upon maintaining or moving to healthy lifestyle. It was confirmed that demographic features such as gender and age, socioeconomic features such as the level of education, place of residence and household income, physical and mental state of health such as chronic disease and dementia, and daily living habits are significantly related with whether to accept physical examination. It is also confirmed that physical examination leads to non-smoking, regular physical exercises and regular dietary habits. It is suggested that, to enhance effects of health examinations, follow-up management programs making use of results of health examinations be further expanded, and the national health screening program be more actively put into operation for the bracket lying in the blind spot of the program.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.161-170
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• 2010

We surveyed 837 students attending elementary schoolchildren in Korea for health functional foods (HFF) consumption and significant variables for their HFF consumption including demographic characteristics, parental health concern on offsprings, food eating frequency of subjects and beliefs on potential efficacy of HFF by subjects. The consumption prevalence of HFF was 45.9%, and among all types of HFF, nutritional supplements were taken most frequently, followed by apricot extract-fermented products > lactic acid bacteria containing products > EPA/DHA containing products > red ginseng products. HFF consumption was higher in subjects had parents of high education level (p < .05) and those from families with a high socioeconomic status (p < .01) in comparison to each corresponding group. Health concern on offsprings by parents (p < .001) and consumption ratio of HFF by family (p < .001) was higher in consumers than in nonconsumers of HFF. Total score of dietary assessment was higher in consumers than in nonconsumers of HFF (p < .01), and consumers had a more positive view concerning the potential efficacy of HFF than did nonconsumers (p < .001). Most consumers of HFF took HFF when they were healthy (42.5%), and they did not feel special effects through HFF consumption (47.7%). Most consumers of HFF got the information on HFF from family and relatives (24.8%), and most of them purchased HFF at pharmacy or oriental medicine clinics (53.9%). HFF consumers preferred multi-vitamins and Ca-supplements most among the vitamin mineral supplements belonged to HFF. Given the widespread consumption of HFF by elementary schoolchildren, the reasonable consumption of these products for the contribution to their overall health and well-being should be emphasized through nutrition education for them and their family.