• Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.23-27
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• 2017

Background: In Korea, the prevalence of obesity has steadily increased, and the socioeconomic burden of obesity has increased along with it. In 2015, the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KSSO), providing limited open access to its databases so that the status of obesity and obesity management could be investigated. Methods: Using NHIS databases, we analyzed nationwide population-based studies for obesity using the definition of obesity (body mass index ${\geq}25kg/m^2$) in subjects over the age of 20. Age and sex standardization were used for all data. Results: The KSSO released the 'Obesity Fact Sheet 2016' using the 2006-2015 NHIS Health Checkup database. The prevalence of obesity steadily increased from 28.7% in 2006 to 32.4% in 2015, and the prevalence of abdominal obesity also steadily increased from 18.4% in 2009 to 20.8% in 2015. The prevalence of class II obesity steadily increased from 2006 to 2015, such that the total prevalence was 4.8% in 2015 (5.6% in men and 4.0% in women). The highest prevalence of obesity was found in Jeju Island, while the lowest prevalence was found in Daegu City. The highest prevalence of abdominal obesity was also found in Jeju Island, while the lowest prevalence was found in Gwangju City. Conclusion: Based on the Obesity Fact Sheet 2016, a strategy for reducing the prevalence of obesity is needed, especially in Korean men.

• 한국노년학
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.837-851
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• 2018

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between frailty and health care utilization in a cross-sectional design of a population-based sample of community-dwelling older adults. We used the data of 516 participants who dwell in Daejon, aged between 65 and 84 years old. Using K-frailty index, frailty status were measured and categorized as three groups: robust, prefrail, and frail. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine if frailty affects emergency department(ED) visit or hospitalization. In addition, negative binomial regression was used to examine the association between outpatient visits and frailty. Our results showed that the frail elderly increased the ED visit and the number of outpatient visit significantly after controlling for demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, the number of chronic diseases, and self-rated health status. Considering that frailty is an important independent factor affecting health care utilization, more attention is required to prevent the frailty in our health care system.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.100-116
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• 2019

Urban green spaces, as a means to mitigate social problems and environmental risks, are getting more attention in evaluating urban environment. The inequity of green space distribution is becoming a major issue in urban planning and management. This study investigated the characteristics of green space in 3 districts (Jung-gu, Dongdaemun-gu, Seongdong-gu), that are composed of 46 administrative divisions in central Seoul, to analyze the environmental equity of urban green spaces. The correlations between the amount of green space, including the coverage of street trees, and the socioeconomic status of each administrative division were analyzed. To deduce the effects of plant coverage on the urban temperature regime, the relationship between the normalized difference of vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) was analyzed. The research revealed that the mean NDVI of an administrative division was negatively correlated with the percentage of basic living recipients and disabled people. The LST of a division with low NDVI was higher due to the lack of green coverage. Such environmental inequities were closely related to residential building type, which was strongly affected by the economic status of residents. The LST of an apartment area was $2.0^{\circ}C$ lower than that of single-family houses and multi-housing areas. This is expected as the average NDVI of the apartment area was more than twice as high as the other environments considered in this study. The inequity can be exacerbated without urban planning which is deliberately designed to reduce it.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.1
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• pp.74-79
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• 2022

Background: The effect of underlying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during a pandemic is controversial. The purpose of this study was to examine the prognosis of COVID-19 according to the underlying COPD. Methods: COVID-19 patients were assessed using nationwide health insurance data. Comorbidities were evaluated using the modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (mCCI) which excluded COPD from conventional CCI scores. Baseline characteristics were assessed. Univariable and multiple logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to determine effects of variables on clinical outcomes. Ages, sex, mCCI, socioeconomic status, and underlying COPD were selected as variables. Results: COPD patients showed older age (71.3±11.6 years vs. 47.7±19.1 years, p<0.001), higher mCCI (2.6±1.9 vs. 0.8±1.3, p<0.001), and higher mortality (22.9% vs. 3.2%, p<0.001) than non-COPD patients. The intensive care unit admission rate and hospital length of stay were not significantly different between the two groups. All variables were associated with mortality in univariate analysis. However, underlying COPD was not associated with mortality unlike other variables in the adjusted analysis. Older age (odds ratio [OR], 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-1.14; p<0.001), male sex (OR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.67-3.12; p<0.001), higher mCCI (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.20-1.41; p<0.001), and medical aid insurance (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.03-2.32; p=0.035) were associated with mortality. Conclusion: Underlying COPD is not associated with a poor prognosis of COVID-19.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.31 no.3 s.62
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• pp.503-515
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• 1998

In order to investigate the factors influencing QOL and life satisfaction of the physically disabled, the author interviewed, by using structuralized questionnaire, 440 individuals among the physically disabled who were participated in Health Examination from April to July, 1997. The questionnaire consisted of the general characteristics(sex, age, marital status, family number, etc), the Reintegration to Normal Living Index(RNLI) to assess QOL, and the single item of five-likert scale to evaluate life satifaction. The means of RNLI were $16.2{\pm}4.8$ in total score, $12.2{\pm}3.4$ in daily functioning and $4.0{\pm}2.1$ in perception of self. The respondents were less reintegrated toward social activities and relationships than impairments or disabilities. While the satisfied group was 47.3%, the dissatisfied group was 52.7%. As the results of multiple regression and logistic regression analysis, the significant predictors of QOL were age, education, job, grade of disability and subjective health status. The life satisfaction were related to economic status, job and subjective health status. To improve QOL and life satisfaction of the physically disabled, it is important that we improve their basic socioeconomic status by getting a job through rehabilitation education and induce them to have positive self-assessment by extending the opportunity of social participation.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.23 no.1 s.29
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• pp.22-32
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• 1990

Associations between type A behavior Pattern (TABP) and parental social control were examined by a questionnaire survey in a sample of 803 undergraduates of the three universities in Daegu city in 1988. TABP was assessed by the Student Jenkins Activity Survey (SJAS, short form) and social control of parents by Bernstein and Brandis' Index of control and communication which were both dichotomized by median. The mean age of the sample was 20.7 (standard deviation, 2.2) and mean of total score of SJAS was 5.6 with its standard deviation and median, 2.7 and 5, respectively. In stratified analysis for TABP-social control association by the native place, sex and socioeconomic status (SES), males of rural origin with low SES showed odds ratio (OR), 2.49 but those with high SES 0.40. For females of rural origin, those with low SES showed OR, 1.02, whereas those with high SES did 0.35. For those who was of urban origin, males with low SES had OR 1.27, and those with high SES did 1.29. Females with high SES showed 0.85 and those with low SES 0.67. None of the TABP-social control associations among the strata showed confidence intervals not including unity. In multiple logistic regression by native place, for those with rural origin the only term showed a statistically significance was the social control-SES of parents interaction, OR 3.99 (95% confidence interval, $1.03{\sim}15.46$). For those of urban origin, none of the terms are statistically significant. These results suggest a social upward mobility by education of the rural disadvantaged group and a Confucian idea that regards academic achievement as one of social virtues, both of which may reflect the different sociocultural structures from the West.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.8
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• pp.826-831
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• 2005

Purpose : This study is directed to evaluate standardized developmental test performances of infants and children who, as fetuses, had mild isolated cerebral ventriculomegaly diagnosed by ultrasound. Methods : All prenatal sonographic findings from 2001 to 2002 were evaluated. Live isolated mild ventriculomegaly(IMVM) of 10-15 mm were observed in 95 cases(1.1 percent). Standardized developmental testing of 40 cases of IMVM and 36 cases in a comparison group were offered to parents Both groups of children were adjusted to normal antepatum subjects with respect to sex, race, indication for ultrasound and gestational age at the time of ultrasound. Test of cognitive and motor development(Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition; BSID-II) were administered by developmental examiners. Results : Forty cases and 34 comparison sujects completed the testing. The IMVM and comparison groups were similar with respect to parental age, gestational age, birth weight, familial socioeconomic status. The IMVM subjects scored lower than the comparison group on both the BSID-II, but there was not statistically significant. differences; metal development index(MDI)($92.7{\pm}12.9$ vs $94.7{\pm}14.1$, P=0.47) and psychomotor development index(PDI)($100.3{\pm}14.1$ vs $101.3{\pm}10.7$, P=0.75). Eleven cases(27.5 percent) of IMVM group and five cases(14.7 percent) of the comparison group were developmentally delayed, but most cases in both groups showed mild delays. Resolution or lack of progression, lateral ventricle diameter ${\leq}12mm$ and females were associated with better scores, but there were not statistically significant. Polarity, and head circumference were not related to later development. Conclusion : This study show children with MIVM did not delay performance in the developmental test, but we might suggest a tendency to increase the risk of mild developmental delay.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.279-290
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• 2009

Objectives: WHO insisted on that we should study about association between residential environment and health status and make 'health city' concept as practical motto. This study analyzed about that how community environment affected their health. Methods: We surveyed residential environment satisfaction and health status of a apartment complex residents. We transformed Chun's index about housing environment study and social capital index of WHO and used as community health survey. We analyzed the association between health status and related factor by using principal compound analysis and logistic regression analysis. Results: We found out that the perceived health status 1 years ago was highly related to the residential environment and also extracted five residential environment component (APT maintenance, House, APT complex, Neighbor, APT building) by principal component analysis. After residential environment component, demographic and socioeconomic variable were controlled, the high satisfaction group of APT complex and neighbor relationship was in lower risk of perceived health status 1 years ago than the low satisfaction group. Conclusions: Recently, the importance of residential environment and neighborhood is shaped as community capacity. Therefore, social relationship and residential environment should be the core variable for health promotion of community. After all, we should know the relationship of residential environment and perceived health status 1 years ago. This helps the concept of health city clearly.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.217-224
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• 2016

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the number of existing permanent teeth is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a representative sample of Korean adults. Data from 3,107 subjects who participated in the 2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were examined. The dependent variable was COPD and the independent variable was the number of existing permanent teeth. Spirometry results were classified into three groups (normal pattern, restrictive pattern, and obstructive pattern) by trained technicians. We used dichotomized COPD variables (no vs. yes). The number of existing permanent teeth was evaluated by oral examination and divided into 3 groups (0~19, 20~27, and 28). Demographic factors (age group and sex group), socioeconomic status (education and income), health behaviors (smoking and drinking), oral health and behavior (frequency of toothbrushing; periodontitis; decayed, missing, filled, permanent teeth index; and denture status), and general health status (body mass index, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension) were included as confounders in the analysis. Bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analyses including confounders were applied, and all analyses considered a complex sampling design. Stratified analysis was performed by smoking status. After controlling for various confounders, there was a significant association between the number of existing permanent teeth and COPD (odds ratio [OR], 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20~3.00 for the 20~27 group; OR, 3.93; 95% CI, 1.75~8.84 for the 0~19 group). The association was more significant in current smokers (OR, 8.90; 95% CI, 2.53~31.33). Our data indicate that the number of existing permanent teeth was independently associated with COPD, especially in current smokers. Further longitudinal research is needed to determine whether oral health promotion plays a role in the improvement of lung function and prevention of COPD.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 2002

Objectives：This study was conducted to investigate the degree of psychopathologies of the family members of children with chronic convulsive disorder and evaluate the structures and dynamics of those families. Methods：The participant patients and family members were recruited from the population attending the outpatient clinic of department of pediatric neurology in Seoul National University Hospital in Korea. All the patients had idiopathic chronic convulsive disorder. Any patient with mental retardation, pervasive developmental disorder and gross brain pathology was excluded. As controls, normal students were chosen and their sex, age, achievement, socioeconomic status were matched to patients. The author interviewed the children and their family members twice and obtained informations about patient-parent relationship, patient-sibling relationship and others. For in-depth evaluation, we used family environment scales(FES), symptom Checklist-90-revised(SCL-90-R), self administered dependency questionnaire for mother(SADQ). Results：After interviewing with the parents of epileptic children, overprotection of parents, hostile feeling of siblings toward index children were higher than controls. The parental conflict was also more expressed than control families. According to results from FES, the scores of the subscales of expression, achievement-orientation, intelligence-orientation and active recreation were significantly lower than control group. The epileptic children showed higher dependency to parents especially in affection, communication and traveling areas of SADQ than control group. Maternal psychopathologies evaluated by SCL-90-R were much higher than the mothers of controls. According to T scores of SCL-90-R, about 40% of mothers with epileptic children had the risk of clinically significant depressive or anxiety disorders. Conclusion：These results suggested that the family members of epileptic children had more relationship problems and psychopathologies than control group and some mothers might have clinically significant depressive or anxiety disorders. so, effective psychiatric family interventions are needed for resolution of conflict and psychopathologies of family members.