• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.10
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• pp.1042-1049
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• 2006

Purpose : This study was conducted to survey the preliminary data on risk behaviors and to identify the factors that prevent risk-behaviors in late adolescence. Methods : Freshmen(n=1,297) beginning the first semester in Korea University, Seoul, Korea completed self-administered risk behavior questionnaires, comprising 5 domains : demographics, smoking, drinking, drug abuse and sexual behavior. Results : The rate of smoking experience was higher in people having friends who smoke and the predictors of transition to current smoking were male gender, urban residence, friends' smoking, and nicotine dependence. The rate of high risk drinking was higher among students who are male and who had experience of heavy episodic drinking. The study group showed a low prevalence of narcotic users, but two-thirds of students could get medicine easily without prescriptions. The prevalence of sexual experience was 6.5 percent, and the sexual education was not a predictor of contraceptive behavior. The prevalence of homosexuality was 1.6 percent, and the rate of mostly heterosexuality was higher in female students. Conclusion : The main targets of youth health education should be campaigns aimed at atcessation of reinforcing risk behaviors and the development of a surveillance system for the prevention of chronic disease. These results can be used to find risk factors of health-risk behaviors among late adolescents.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.2697-2700
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• 2015

Background: The aim of this study was to assess cancer awareness among medical students in Saudi Arabia toward tobacco and alcohol use as risk factors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey from October to December 2014, covering 1200 medical students, was performed. Results: Of the total, 975 (81.25%) responded. The male to female ratio was 1.00:7.125. 96/975 (9.8%) had smoked tobacco in their lifetime, and 51/975 (5.23%) were alcoholic beverage consumers. On asking them whether tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption can cause cancer, only 4/975 (0.4%) and 14/975 (1.43%) answered no for smoking and alcohol, respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of smoking and alcohol use is very low among medical students, which might be due to high female contribution besides social stigma. The prevalence of second-hand smoke (SHS) was found to be very high in Hail region.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.227-232
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• 2007

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to determine the population-attributable risk (PAR) and estimate the total medical expenditure of the Korean National Health Insurance (KNHI) due to smoking. Methods : We used data from the Korean Cancer Prevention Study of 1,178,138 Koreans aged 30 to 95. These data were available from 1992 to 2003 and covered a long-term follow-up period among the Korean population. Results : The total medical expenditure of KNHI related to smoking increased by 27% from $324.9 million in 1999 to $413.7 million in 2003. By specific diseases, smoking-attributable KNHI medical expenditure was the highest for lung cancer ($74.2 million), followed by stroke ($65.3 million), COPD ($50.1 million), CHO ($49 million) and stomach cancer ($30 million). A total of 1.3 million KNHI patients were suffering from smoking-related diseases in 2003. We predicted rises in total KNHI medical expenditure related to smoking to $675.1 million (63% increase compared with that of 2003) and in the total number of KNHI patients suffering from smoking-related diseases to about 2.6million (an approximate 100% increase compared with those in 2003) in 2015. Conclusions : We found a substantial economic burden related to the high smoking prevalence in South Korea.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.95-109
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• 2003

Tobacco use is the most readily preventable cause of premature death； it is a worldwide problem, with a significant impact on heath and well-being. In order to design an effective tobacco education program, it is important to understand smoking patterns and the underlying factors associated with smoking in different generations such as adults or young people. Despite a general decline in the prevalence of regular smoking among adults, recent surveys commissioned by the Ministry Heath ＆ Welfare for the Republic of Korea have shown no evidence of any decline in smoking rates among young women and adolescents. The Republic of Korea has the highest adult male smoking percentage (65.1%) in the world and smoking in adolescents is still an increasing trend. Smoking in adolescents and young women is especially more dangerous, thus health education of anti-smoking directed at these groups is an important area that will benefit from using internet content that they can easily access. The purpose of this study is the evaluation of visual perception and effectiveness analysis in smoking cessation websites in promoting smoking cessation in adolescents and young women through Internet content. As a result of this project, at first we evaluated the Internet content of cyber smoking cessation programs by the evaluation criteria of web design interface. The Internet site of http：//nosmokeguide.or.kr received the most superior evaluation in the domestic Internet content for smoking cessation and the Internet site of the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids received the most superior evaluation in the foreign Internet content for smoking cessation. This evaluation was surveyed by an expert in Internet content and user. Secondly, we developed the Internet content for cyber smoking cessation program, namely, "Dr. Smoking" that contained several menus and a database regarding anti-smoking designed in accordance with the results of this evaluation. The domain address of Dr. Smoking is http：//www.dmosmoking.com and our webpage has assorted kinds of news, information, self-diagnosis, prescription, consulting, a no-smoking mall etc. In conclusion, this project is designed to develop Internet content for the most effective smoking cessation program and to contribute to eliminating smoking from our society. We also will try to develop and upgrade this web-site in order to help a smoker who want to quit smoking and diminish the physical and socioeconomic harm from smoking.m smoking.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.4325-4329
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• 2014

Background: The expatriate population in Qatar largely comprises workers from the Indian subcontinent which has a very high rate of oral malignancy. Social and cultural habits and as well premalignant risk factors in this population remain prevalent even after migration. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study assessed the prevalence of risk factors and occurrence of oral precancerous lesions in a low income group expatriate community from the Indian subcontinent residing in Qatar. Results: Among the 3,946 participants screened for oral premalignant lesions 24.3% (958) were smokers and 4.3 % (169) were pan chewers while 6.3% (248) were users of both smoked and smokeless forms of tobacco. Significantly higher proportion of industrial laborers (49.9%) followed by drivers (24.1%) were found to be smokers (p=0.001). The prevalence of white lesions was higher in smokers versus non-smokers 3.5% versus 2.3% (p=0.111), however this difference was statistically non-significant. Red and white lesions were highly significant (i.e. 1.2 % and 10.9% respectively) in the subjects with pan chewing and smoking habits (p=0.001). A significant proportion (8.9%) of the subjects with pan chewing habit showed evidence of oral precancerous lesions (p=0.001). Conclusions: Even though smoking and pan chewing were two significant risk factors detected in this population, their prevalence and occurrence of premalignant lesions are low as compared to the studies conducted in their home countries.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.35-47
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• 2020

Objectives: This study investigated the effect of physical activity of adult Korean males on the prevalence of diabetes mellitus. Methods: This cross-sectional study used the raw data from the 2017 Community Health Survey. The subjects of this study were 74,494 men aged 19-64 years old. The data was analyzed applying the complex sampling design and using SPSS 23.0 Program. Descriptive statistics, Rao-Scott Chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression analysis were all performed. Results: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 6.4%. The walking activity was 58.5% and the over moderate intensity physical activity was 27.5%. After adjusting for age, marital status, educational level, household monthly income, drinking and smoking status, and BMI, those subjects without moderate intensity physical activity had a 1.14 times higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus (95% CI = 1.05-1.24) than those men with moderate intensity physical activity. Conclusion: In order to decrease the prevalence of diabetes mellitus among adult men, regular physical activities over a moderate intensity level should be emphasized and encouraged in daily life.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.282-290
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors among community dwelling aged 65 and over in South Korea. Methods: A total of 1,367 subjects from the 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) were selected. The data analysis was conducted by SPSS WIN 19.0 using descriptive statistics, ${\chi}^2$-test, and logistic regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of hypertension was found to be 47.70%. Logistic regression analysis shows that hypertension was more prevalent as people became older; in females; in elderly who were not employed as compared to those employed; elderly with diabetes, and obesity as compared to those without these health conditions; as elderly who performed more moderate intensity exercise. While, education, household income, high risk alcoholic drinking, smoking, stress perception, usual activity, and eating out behavior were not associated with prevalence of hypertension in this study. Conclusion: The finding of prevalence of hypertension and its risk factors is expected to promote the screening or prevention strategy for community dwelling aged 65 and over at risk of hypertension in Korea.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.328-338
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• 2018

The incidence of gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (GEJAC) in Western countries has increased in recent decades, in addition to a rise in the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and low Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection rate have been nominated as risk factors for such cancers. Among these risk factors, the increased prevalence of GERD and obesity and the decreased prevalence of HP infection are of special interest owing to the currently increasing prevalence of GEJAC in Western countries. Although similar trends in the prevalence of GERD, obesity, and HP infection are observed in Asian countries after a time lag from Western countries, it is still uncertain if the prevalence of GEJAC in Asian countries is increasing, especially in Korea. The incidence of GERD in Korea is currently increasing; it was below 3% in the 1990s. The incidence of obesity in the Korean population is increasing owing to the adoption of westernized lifestyles, including food preferences, and the HP infection rate in Korea is known to be decreasing. Therefore, based on logical extrapolation of observations of Western countries, the incidence of GEJAC will increase in Korea. However, the proportion of GEJAC among other upper gastrointestinal malignancies in Korea appears to be currently unchanged compared with that in the 1990s. Presently, there is a lack of epidemiologic studies on this issue in this region; therefore, more studies are needed to clarify the characteristics of these tumors and to improve clinical outcomes for patients with these tumors.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.201-207
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• 2017

Measuring the pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a non-invasive method for evaluating the stiffness of the vessel wall. While previous studies investigated the association of uric acid level with arterial stiffness, most did not consider smoking status and obesity as covariates. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between uric acid levels and arterial stiffness, considering smoking status and obesity. We studied 3390 subjects (1940 males and 1450 females). Abnormal PWV was also defined as the highest quartile of values in the subjects. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, t-test, and multiple regression analysis. Approximately 41.9% of men and 3.7% of women were current smokers. Prevalence of hypertension was 11.4% in men and 7.0% in women. In women, hyperuricemia was associated with abnormal PWV (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.03~2.43). Hyperuricemia was also associated with abnormal PWV (OR 2.37; 95% CI 1.01~5.59) in non- or light male smokers with normal blood pressure. This study suggests that uric acid is associated with arterial stiffness in women and non-smoking men.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.197-200
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• 2013

Background: A variety of sociodemographic factors, such as gender, age, household income, and educational level, influence individuals' likelihood of smoking.Work-related factors may also be linked to smoking behavior.We sought to investigate the relationship between smoking and work environment in South Korea. Methods: We analyzed data from the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to determine whether there was an association between smoking and occupation type (e.g., manual, nonmanual, or service work), night-shift work, and hours worked/week (e.g., <40, 40-48, 49-60, or >60 hours) for 4,685 workers. Regression models were adjusted for sociodemographic variables such as age, recent alcohol consumption, hours slept, educational level, and household income. Results: The prevalence of smoking was 50.1% in men and 7.2% in women. For women, manual workers had 2.34 times [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-5.36] greater odds of smoking compared with nonmanual workers, whereas service workers had 2.37 times greater odds (95% CI: 1.28-4.40). Furthermore, women who worked 49-60 hours had 2.21 times greater odds of smoking (95% CI: 1.10-3.75) as compared with women who worked 40-48 hours. Conclusion: Women who work long hours or who are employed in service or manual positions are more likely to smoke. These results indicate a need in South Korea to target these specific groups when creating nonsmoking policies.