• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.159-163
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• 2013

Background: This study used Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) pancreatic cancer data to identify predictive models and potential socio-economic disparities in pancreatic cancer outcome. Materials and Methods: For risk modeling, Kaplan Meier method was used for cause specific survival analysis. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov's test was used to compare survival curves. The Cox proportional hazard method was applied for multivariate analysis. The area under the ROC curve was computed for predictors of absolute risk of death, optimized to improve efficiency. Results: This study included 58,747 patients. The mean follow up time (S.D.) was 7.6 (10.6) months. SEER stage and grade were strongly predictive univariates. Sex, race, and three socio-economic factors (county level family income, rural-urban residence status, and county level education attainment) were independent multivariate predictors. Racial and socio-economic factors were associated with about 2% difference in absolute cause specific survival. Conclusions: This study s found significant effects of socio-economic factors on pancreas cancer outcome. These data may generate hypotheses for trials to eliminate these outcome disparities.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.323-333
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• 2016

This study aimed at specifically validating the mediating effect of the elderly's leisure participation with regards to the impact of socio-economic factors on the elderly's satisfaction with life. This paper analyzed the data of 7,486 people who participated in the 4th research of the 2012 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSa) by Korea Labor Institute. The outcome is as follows. First, among socio-economic factors, educational background, total household income and net asset were found to have positive impact on the elderly's satisfaction with life. When the level of the three factors was higher, the satisfaction with life was also greater. Second, the three socio-economic factors (educational background, total household income and net asset) affected the elderly's satisfaction with life through mediating effect of leisure participation. Those with higher educational background, total household income and net asset showed more leisure participation, leading to greater satisfaction with life.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7133-7136
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• 2013

Background: We studied Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) breast cancer data of Georgia USA to analyze the impact of socio-economic factors on the disparity of breast cancer treatment outcome. Materials and Methods: This study explored socio-economic, staging and treatment factors that were available in the SEER database for breast cancer from Georgia registry diagnosed in 2004-2009. An area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was computed for each predictor to measure its discriminatory power. The best biological predictors were selected to be analyzed with socio-economic factors. Survival analysis, Kolmogorov-Smirnov 2-sample tests and Cox proportional hazard modeling were used for univariate and multivariate analyses of time to breast cancer specific survival data. Results: There were 34,671 patients included in this study, 99.3% being females with breast cancer. This study identified race and education attainment of county of residence as predictors of poor outcome. On multivariate analysis, these socio-economic factors remained independently prognostic. Overall, race and education status of the place of residence predicted up to 10% decrease in cause specific survival at 5 years. Conclusions: Socio-economic factors are important determinants of breast cancer outcome and ensuring access to breast cancer treatment may eliminate disparities.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.25-28
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• 2014

Background: This study analyzed whether socio-economic factors affect the cause specific survival of soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Methods: Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) soft tissue sarcoma (STS) data were used to identify potential socio-economic disparities in outcome. Time to cause specific death was computed with Kaplan-Meier analysis. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests and Cox proportional hazard analysis were used for univariate and multivariate tests, respectively. The areas under the receiver operating curve were computed for predictors for comparison. Results: There were 42,016 patients diagnosed STS from 1973 to 2009. The mean follow up time (S.D.) was 66.6 (81.3) months. Stage, site, grade were significant predictors by univariate tests. Race and rural-urban residence were also important predictors of outcome. These five factors were all statistically significant with Cox analysis. Rural and African-American patients had a 3-4% disadvantage in cause specific survival. Conclusions: Socio-economic factors influence cause specific survival of soft tissue sarcoma. Ensuring access to cancer care may eliminate the outcome disparities.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.672-678
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• 2006

This study examines the implications of fashion in self-expression or image management among college students in Korea. Socio-demographic factors are considered in addressing following research questions: why Korean college students seek luxury goods; how they recognize the effects of using luxury goods on their image management; whether or not they have purchased counterfeit luxury goods; and why they buy counterfeit goods. In order to explain the relationship between fashion and social class, the study examines various sociological theories including Erving Goffman's dramaturgical approach. The data were drawn from 1419 students from 10 universities nationwide in 2005. Chi-square analyses yields outcomes as follows: Using luxury goods works as a class symbol that gives the users the image of higher socio-economic background; use of counterfeit luxury goods and its symbolic effects in image management do not have significant relationship with socio-economic background.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2567-2570
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• 2013

Background: This study analyzed Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data to assess if socio-economic factors (SEFs) impact on endometrial cancer survival. Materials and Methods: Endometrial cancer patients treated from 2004-2007 were included in this study. SEER cause specific survival (CSS) data were used as end points. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were computed for predictors. Time to event data were analyzed with Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify independent risk factors. Results: This study included 64,710 patients. The mean follow up time (S.D.) was 28.2 (20.8) months. SEER staging (ROC area of 0.81) was the best pretreatment predictor of CSS. Histology, grade, race/ethnicity and county level family income were also significant pretreatment predictors. African American race and low income neighborhoods decreased the CSS by 20% and 3% respectively at 5 years. Conclusions: This study has found significant endometrial survival disparities due to SEFs. Future studies should focus on eliminating socio-economic barriers to good outcomes.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 1993

The purpose of this study was to investigate the middle-aged housewive's background characteristics influencing on the preference of elderly housing, depending on four aging-situations. The characteristics of the elderly housing dealt in thes study were geographical location. specially planned feature for the elderly, house type, the size of housing, housemate, the distance from the living quarter of their children, and whether they want to live in the rental house. The subject were 526 middle-aged housewives from middle-income householde living in the capital area. Questionnaires were sent through mail to the householde which tesponded positively on the information brochure about this study sent before. The characteristics of the elderly housing which perferred to was influenced by their age and socio-economic status, such as schooling, job, income, and the size of housing. This result suggests that it must be considered to develop various types of the elderly housing depending on socio-economic status.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.236-245
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• 2013

This study analyzed the relationship between elderly suicide rates and socio-economic factors from the macroscopic perspectives. As certain theoretical background of elderly suicide, sociological and economic perspectives are applied. The economic factors of elderly suicide rates consisted of economic growth and unemployment rate, economic activity rate of the aged, and relative poverty rate (income inequality rate). The sociological factors included social welfare spending, divorce rate, growth rate of population aging, and elderly dependency ratio. According to research findings, first, the more economic activity of the aged is low, the more elderly suicide rate is high. Second, the more social welfare spending rate goes flat, the more elderly suicide rate is growing. Third, the more relative poverty rate (income inequality), increasing population aging rate, and elderly dependency ratio are high, elderly suicide rate goes high at the same time. Finally, this study proposed several socio-economic policy alternatives for preventing continuous growth of Korean elderly suicide rate.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.518-529
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• 2012

Integration of Europe was started when European Union Treaty was concluded at Maastricht for the first time on December, 1991. Europe which may be called as a cradle of modern national state has realized a single Europe not only in the socio-economic integration field but also in the political field. Under this background, it is considered that life-long education policy for developing a new integrated growth engine of EU requires educational response that may get ready for socio-economic environmental transformation more than anything else. In particular, this policy is faced with an important task of having to achieve harmony of efficiency through diversity and mutual coordination in pursuing cooperation and integrated development of life-long education field. However, notwithstanding their efforts, since 2008, some countries of EU were faced with economic crisis due to economic recession and this situation starts to drive the whole Europe even to the point of their financial crisis at last. This crisis is currently shaking socio-economic integration of EU. This study intends to observe a status of establishing life-long education system and promoting a policy for socio-economic integration of EU and to analyze as to what kind of relevance adult participation rate of life-long learning among the countries belonged to EU has with per capita income and to explore as whether socio-economic integration among member countries could be sustained based on problems of integrative life-long education system under the economic crisis of EU. In addition, through this study, an implication required for presenting a new paradigm conversion, policy establishment and development direction for the life-long education of our country is intended to be deduced.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.4091-4094
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• 2014

Background: This study used the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) to analyze Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) bronchioaveolar carcinoma data to identify predictive models and potential disparity in outcomes. Materials and Methods: Socio-economic, staging and treatment factors were assessed. For the risk modeling, each factor was fitted by a Generalized Linear Model to predict cause specific survival. The area under the ROC was computed. Similar strata were combined to construct the most parsimonious models. A random sampling algorithm was used to estimate modeling errors. Risk of cause specific death was computed for the predictors for comparison. Results: There were 7,309 patients included in this study. The mean follow up time (S.D.) was 24.2 (20) months. Female patients outnumbered male ones 3:2. The mean (S.D.) age was 70.1 (10.6) years. Stage was the most predictive factor of outcome (ROC area of 0.76). After optimization, several strata were fused, with a comparable ROC area of 0.75. There was a 4% additional risk of death associated with lower county family income, African American race, rural residency and lower than 25% county college graduate. Radiotherapy had not been used in 2/3 of patients with stage III disease. Conclusions: There are socio-economic disparities in cause specific survival. Under-use of radiotherapy may have contributed to poor outcome. Improving education, access and rates of radiotherapy use may improve outcome.