• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.276-287
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• 2008

Diabetic mellitus in an older population is associated with increased basal oxidative stress and free radical accentuated by hyperglycemic challenge. Enhanced free radical in diabetic elderly can cause the oxidative damage and such damage can be protected by antioxidant defense system. It is believed that vitamin C, A and E are the most abundant and effective antioxidants in human plasma. The purpose of this study was to determine the antioxidant status in Korean diabetic elderly using the case-control study. The antioxidant status was examined by determining plasma levels of antioxidant vitamins (vitamin C, A, E, ${\beta}$-carotene), total antioxidant status (TAS) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) and intakes of vitamin C, A, ${\beta}$-carotene and retiol. Fasting glucose and HbA1c levels and serum lipid profiles (triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol) were also determined. Diabetic subjects were 122 elderly persons over 60 years old, visiting public health center, and control subjects were 96 healthy elderly persons living in Ulsan, Korea and they were matched by age, gender, smoking and drinking status. The diabetic and control subjects were divided into sub-groups according to the status of using diet therapy and vitamin supplement. The subjects were interviewed to collect data on their general characteristics, disease history, vitamin supplement, diet therapy and health-related habits by questionnaires. Their dietary intakes were obtained by means of semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires (SQFFQ). Fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c levels were significantly higher in diabetes than in control subjects, and plasma total cholesterol level of diabetes was not significantly different from that of control subjects. However serum HDL cholesterol level of diabetes was significantly lower and serum TG level of diabetes was significantly higher than those of control group. The average vitamin A and ${\beta}$-carotene intakes of diabetes were significantly higher than those of control subjects. There was no significant difference in plasma vitamin C, ${\beta}$-carotene, and TBARS levels between two groups, but plasma vitamin A, E and TAS levels were significantly higher in diabetes than those in control group. Plasma vitamin A and TAS levels of diabetic subjects using diet therapy were higher than those of control using diet therapy, and plasma vitamin E, ${\beta}$-carotene and TAS levels of diabetic subjects using vitamin supplements were significantly higher than those of controls using vitamin supplements. These results suggested that diabetic mellitus could enhance antioxidant defences against reactive oxygen species and interest in healthy eating such as consumption of more antioxidant nutrients.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.26 no.2 s.42
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• pp.202-209
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• 1993

A accidental spills of phenol(100%) to the river Nakdong with subsequent contamination of the tap water fer about two million consumers in Taegu city of Korea were occurred in March 1991. A historical cohort study of 6,913 individuals was undertaken to determine the associated with illness. Population subjects were divided into two groups of exposed and unexposed. Exposed subjects were reported to be phenol associated symptoms significantly higher than those in a nearby unexposed area(39.6% vs 9.4%, p<0.01). Especially, in the related symptoms, highly significant differences were noted in the number of subjects reporting gastrointestinal illness such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal pain. During the accident, study subjects who experienced peculiar taste or odor in the tap water were significantly higher in the exposed areas(92% vs 34.3%). Chlorophenols formed from chlorination of water may have aggravated the problem.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.177-184
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• 2007

Objectives : This study was conducted to investigate the levels of psychosocial stress, job stress and their related factors among medical doctors practicing at local clinics. Methods : A survey using a self administered questionnaire was administered to 1,456 doctors practicing at private clinics via post for 2 months (2006. 1 - 2006. 3). Psychosocial stress, job stress, demographic factors, job related factors and health related behaviors were investigated. Among the eligible study population, the respondents were 428 doctors (29.4%). Results : The average scores of psychosocial stress and job stress were 2.19 and 3.13, respectively. The levels of psychosocial stress and job stress were statistically lower in older respondents, those who worked shorter or who were more satisfied with their job, and those with higher socioeconomic status. The level of psychosocial stress was related with smoking status, drinking status and exercise. The level of job stress was related with smoking status and exercise. In multiple linear regression analysis using psychosocial stress as a dependent variable, age, working hours per day, job satisfaction and perception on socioeconomic status were significant independent variables. In analysis using job stress as a dependent variable, age, working hours per day and job satisfaction were significant independent variables. Conclusions : Stress affects the doctor-patient relationship, productivity and overall health level of people. Therefore, it is important to manage and relieve the stress of doctors. It is suggested that more advanced studies on stress level and related factors and ways to improve the stress and health related behaviors of medical doctors should be conducted.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.5-28
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• 2018

Smoking is one of the important public health concerns because it is preventable causes regarding individuals' negative health consequences and increased social and economic cost. However, few studies have examined longitudinal patterns of stages of changes(SOC) in smoking behaviors among the general population. The purpose of the study is to explore the latent patterns of SOC over time among Korean adult smokers using the 2008-2016 Korea Welfare Panel Study. A repeated measure latent class analysis is employed in the present study. The finding of the present study are as follows: First, four latent groups were identified: (1) action/maintenance stage(33.6%), (2) contemplation/preparation to action/maintenance stage(14.8%), (3) continuously contemplation/preparation stage(29.6%), and (4) continuously pre-contemplation stage(22.1%). Second, the results of a multinomial logistic regression found that socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were associated with the identified longitudinal patterns of smoking behaviors. Compared to a continuously pre-contemplation stage, higher levels of depressive symptoms and drinking behavior were associated with increased odds of being in action/maintenance stage. The findings of the present study highlight that a tailored intervention is needed for individuals with continuously pre-contemplation stage and contemplation stage.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.688-702
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• 2018

Since the 1970s regulations against the pollution of drinking water have been introduced in Lake Paldang watershed area. To understand the effects of water environment management policies and the impacts of climate changes on Lake Paldang, a long-term comprehensive study of this watershed and the changes in its water environment is required. In this study, we analyzed changes in the weather, hydrology, sources of pollution, water quality, and algal development from 2000 to 2015 year based on the statistical data provided by several national information systems. While the population and amount of sewage in the Lake Paldang watershed increased by about 1.5 times, the amount of animal manure showed a decreasing trend during the same period. The wastewater also increased by about 1.5 times while the amount of water intakes rose by about 1.14 times. The water quality in front of the Paldang Dam, which is the representative monitoring site of the Lake Paldang, was stable. The annual average BOD concentration remained within 2 mg/L, which is a "Good (lb)" level according to the environment standards of Republic of Korea. The development of phytoplankton and harmful cyanobacteria were largely influenced by meteorological factors.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.57-69
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• 1997

Objective：At the present time in Korea, for a considerable proportion of children and adolescent, delinquent behavior and violence has become as a way of life in their lives and a major social problem issue as well. The contributing factors to this problem were assumed to be the negative interaction between family environment and character of adolescent. The purpose of this study is to search the relationship between these constructs and juvenile delinquency. Method：Data were collected through questionnaire survey over a period of 2 months. Subjects served for this study consisted of 1,863 adolescents including 657 delinquent adolescents and 1,206 student adolescents in Korea, sampled from Korean student population and delinquent adolescent population confined in juvenile corrective institutions, using proportional stratified random sampling method. Their age ranged between 12 and 18 years. Data were analysed by IBM PC using SAS program. Statistical methods employed were Chi-square and principal component analysis. Results：The results of this study were as follows：Inconsistency by parental child rearing patterns tended to affect delinquent behavior among delinquent adolescents. On the other hand, adolescent students were consistently reared by their parent with democratic, flexible, trusting their children and reward-oriented attitudes. In comparison of both parents in the degree of influence on their children, it was revealed that paternal child rearing pattern was more influential on their children’s behaviors than maternal’s. The psychological instability of family, disharmonious parent-child relationships tended to be contributing to delinquent behavior among delinquent adolescents. Especially, It was an interesting finding that student’s mother is the higher employed than delinquent’s mother. However working mother was more prevalent in the student’ adolescents than in student adolescents in previous studies. The delinquent adolescents have more depressive trend, more complaints of psychosomatic symptoms, the higher degree of need frustration, the more maladaptive and antisocial personality pattern than student adolescents. Conclusion：Recently, many studies on association between family factor, character of adolescent and juvenile delinquent behavior have produced relatively consistent results. This study showed that family environment and character trait of adolescent also were linked with delinquent behavior such as smoking, drinking, runaway and physical assaults etc. The results of this survey may provide impetus for future speculation and study of correlation or reciprocal interaction between family factor, character trait of adolescent and delinquent behavior during adolescence and beyond.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.17
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• pp.8003-8008
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• 2015

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether family history of cancer is associated with head and neck cancer risk in a Chinese population. Materials and Methods: This case-control study included 921 cases and 806 controls. Recruitment was from December 2010 to January 2015 in eight centers in East Asia. Controls were matched to cases with reference to sex, 5-year age group, ethnicity, and residence area at each of the centers. Results: We observed an increased risk of head and neck cancer due to first degree family history of head and neck cancer, but after adjustment for tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking and betel quid chewing the association was no longer apparent. The adjusted OR were 1.10 (95% CI=0.80-1.50) for family history of tobacco-related cancer and 0.96 (95%CI=0.75-1.24) for family history of any cancer with adjustment for tobacco, betel quid and alcohol habits. The ORs for having a first-degree relative with HNC were higher in all tobacco/alcohol subgroups. Conclusions: We did not observe a strong association between family history of head and neck cancer and head and neck cancer risk after taking into account lifestyle factors. Our study suggests that an increased risk due to family history of head and neck cancer may be due to shared risk factors. Further studies may be needed to assess the lifestyle factors of the relatives.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.38-47
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• 2023

Objectives: This study examined the association between the experience of disease management education and the use of nutrition labels according to the sociodemographic characteristics and health behaviors of people diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes living in the community. Methods: Among the participants from the Community Health Survey (2018), 74,283 individuals diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes were included in the study population. According to gender, this study evaluated nutrition label use by the experience of disease management education, individual sociodemographic characteristics, and health behavior. Finally, using multiple logistic regression analysis, the association between disease management education and nutrition labels was calculated using the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Males (24.5%) experienced more disease management education than females (22.6%). In addition, younger age, higher education level, and higher equalized personal income experienced more disease management education (P < 0.001). The educational experience rate was higher in the male subjects who did not smoke or were involved in high-risk alcohol consumption (P < 0.001). In addition, the rate of disease management education experience was significantly higher for both men and women who exercised by walking (P < 0.001). The use of nutrition labels was higher in females (9.9%) than males (5.8%), and both males and females were significantly higher in young age, high education, high income, and professional and office positions (P < 0.001). The utilization rate of nutrition labels was high in non-smoking male subjects and high-risk-drinking female subjects. In addition, the utilization rate of nutrition labels was significantly higher in males and females who exercised by walking and those who experienced disease management education (P < 0.001). After adjusting for individual sociodemographic characteristics, health behavior, and disease management education, the use of nutrition labels was high among females (OR 3.19, 95% CI 2.85-3.58), high income (Q4; OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.41-1.87, Q5; OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.37-1.84) and highly educated (high school; OR 2.87, 95% CI 2.62-3.14, above college; OR 5.60, 95% CI 5.02-6.23) while it was low in the elderly (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.40-0.47), and economically inactive (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.76-0.96). The use of nutrition labels was high in non-smokers (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.13-1.48), nonhigh-risk drinkers (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.08-1.38), and subjects who exercised walking (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.34-1.54). There was no difference in the utilization rate of nutrition labels according to obesity, and the utilization rate of nutrition labels was significantly higher in subjects who had experienced disease education (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.24-1.44). Conclusions: Education on the use of nutrition labels, which contributes to food selection for healthy eating, might be a tool for dietary management. Moreover, the utilization rate can be a good indicator for predicting the proportion of the population practicing the guide for disease management. Improving the utilization rate of nutrition labels through disease management education can be a useful intervention for people with chronic diseases who need healthy eating habits for disease management and preventing complications, particularly those diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.43-51
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• 2024

Objectives : This study aims to explore the prevalence of depressive symptoms among elderly residents in the relatively stable rural areas of Jeju and to examine the relationships between levels of depression, sociodemographic factors, and health habits. Methods : The study site was within rural Jeju, where elderly individuals aged 65 and older were randomly selected from the 'Agricultural Cohort' registered at the Centers for Farmers' Safety and Health Center. Trained interviewers conducted surveys using the Short Form Geriatric Depression Scale (sGDS-K), defining those with scores of 6 or above as experiencing depressive symptoms for the analysis. Other variables such as sex, age, educational level, marital status, annual income, subjective health status, underlying disease, perceived stress levels, smoking, and drinking status were also recorded Results : Out of 533 subjects, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 35.3%, with 28.5% in male and 45.6% in female (p<0.001). Factors significantly associated with the prevalence of depressive symptoms included marital status (p=0.014), educational level (p<0.001), annual income (p=0.034), subjective health status (p<0.001), perceived stress level (p<0.001), feeling of despair (p<0.001) and suicidal ideas (p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that subjective health status, perceived stress level, and feelings of despair were associated with the prevalence of depressive symptoms. Conclusions : The high prevalence of depressive symptoms among the rural elderly in Jeju highlights the need for targeted mental health interventions. Addressing sociocultural factors and improving early detection and intervention strategies can help reduce the socioeconomic impact of depression in this population.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.71-80
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• 1998

This study examines the levels of carbohydrate antigen 19-9(CA19-9) and cancer antigen 125(CA125) in serum and its related factors in healthy Korean population. Although CA19-9 and CA125 have been widely used tumor markers for gastroenteric cancers and ovarian cancer in Western countries, there are no information available on the serum levels of CA19-9 and CA125 in healthy population and the factors affecting the levels of these tumor markers in Korea. A cross-sectional study was performed to measure CA19-9 and CA125 among 76 healthy males and 95 healthy females in Korea. CA19-9 and CA125 were quantitated using solid-phase radioimmunoassay kits. Informations on the factors which might be related to the levels of these markers were collected by questionnaire(e.g., smoking, alcohol consumption, menstruation, oral pill use, breast-feeding history, etc.). There was no statistically significant difference in the mean of CA19-9 concentration between men(10.4 u/ml) and women(10.1 u/ml), whereas the mean of CA125 levels(11.2 u/ml) was higher in women than that(2.5 u/ml) in men. Although there was a statistically significant association between CA19-9 and average number of cigarette consumed per day(r=0.59, p=0.026) and total number of cigarettes consumed in women(r=0.74, p=0.003), the significance disappeared by multiple regression analysis after adjusting age and body mass index. Later age of menopause(p=0.035) and longer duration of breast-feeding(p=0.050) were significant predictors for CA125 levels in women by multiple regression analysis after adjusting age and body mass index. In conclusion, CA19-9 can be used as a stable tumor marker in clinical practices, however, menstruation and breast-feeding should be considered when CA125 is used in women.