• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.410-419
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• 1999

This study sought to figure out women's functional status after childbirth under the Sanhujori. Functioal status was defined as the women's readiness to assume infant care responsibilities and resume her usual activities including household, social and community, self-care and occupational activity. A convenience sample of 211 women who are in the postpartal period of the range from 1 week to 3 months above and residing in Seoul. Korea was studied from January, 1997 to December, 1998 for two years. Mean age of respondents was 29.9 years and mean of the present postpartal period was 7.5 weeks. The present postpartal period was of 5-8 weeks 26.5%, 3-4weeks 26.1%, 9-12 week 23.7% and below 2 weeks 7.1%, 32.7% of women had a job and the mean period of return to job was 2.76 weeks. During Sanhujori the non professional care giver was family members from women's maiden home 73.5% and only 2% of husband. The period women needed for the recovery from now was 5.39 weeks and it means that women need 12.9weeks for recovery after childbirth. For the present subjective health status after childbirth, bad was 20.2%, good 18.3 and average 61.5% and for the recovery status, completely recovered 29.5%, slightly 61.8% and rarely 8.7%. The mean of functional status at the 7.5weeks was baby care activity 3.65, household 2.57, self-care 2.46, occupational 2.44 and social 1.53 in rank. Except baby care the functional status was generally low or very low. The related factors to the functional status were the period and subjective evaluation of Sanhujori women experienced, the present period of postpartum, and subjective feeling of recovery. This result strongly reflects the effects of Sanhujori culture and Sanhujori per se on women's postpartal life including functional status and reconfirmed the relationship between health status and the experience of Sanhujori after delivery as the previous findings from various study showed. It provides a challenge to the professional care givers to research further on the effects of Sanhujori on the health status, health recovery after abortion or delivery from the various aspects through the cross-sectional and longitudinal research for the refinement of the reality of Sanhujori not only as cultural phenomenon but as an inseparable factor influencing in women's postpartal healthy adaptation and for the appropriateness of intervention and quality of care for desirable health outcome.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.247-261
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to figure out related factors to the self-reported climacteric symptoms and the relationship among the health promoting behaviors, climacteric symptoms and degree of Sanhujori, the Korean traditional postpartal care. A cross-sectional survey design was employed in this study. The subjects were 108 middle-aged women who were non-hystrectomized and ranged in age from 40 to 60 years. They were selected in seoul and Kyoung-ki province, Korea, Data were collected from Oct.25 Nov. 10, 1997 by a structured questionnaire. The instruments used for this study were the revised health Promotion Lifestyle(HPLP) developed by Walker, Sechrist & Pender, and revised Climacteric Symptoms Scale developed by Chi, Sung Ai. the data were analyzed by the SPSS/$PC^+$ program using t-test, ANOVA and Scheffe test as a post hoc and Pearson Correlation Coefficient. The results of the study were as follows ; 1. The mean score of health promoting behaviors was low($2.42{\pm}0.35$). There were statistically significant differences in the score of health promoting behaviors according to the educational background, family income, marital satisfaction, whether or not taking a restorative food and degree of Sanhujori, especially the period (t=-2.07, F=2.60~7.57, p<0.05). 2. The mean score of score self-reported climacteric symptoms was 1.69%;99% of middle-aged women had symptoms. There were statically significant differences in the score of middle -aged women's self-reported climacteric symptoms according to the age, number of children, educational background, occupation, family income, marital satisfaction, whether or not receiving hormon replacement therapy (HRT) or consultation by a professional, perceived health status and self evaluation of Sanhujori(t=-2.04~3.69, F=2.87~11.63, p<0.05). 3. women's degree of Sanhujori was a positive correlation with health promoting behaviors(r=0.34, p=0.00) and negative correlation with the degree of self-reported climacteric symptoms(r=-0.19,p=0.03). 4. The influencing factors to the climacteric symptoms were self actualization, interpersonal support, and perceived health status among the health promoting behaviors with 57% of variance($R^2$=0.57). 5. The middle-aged women's type of coping pattern for the climacteric symptoms was classified as active behavioral coping, spiritual & psychological coping, and negative coping. In conclusion, to intervene the middle aged women's climacteric symptoms and develop nursing strategies for their health, health promoting behavior, especially ; self actualization, interpersonal support, and perceived health status should be considered. And, as the primary prevention strategy for women's health during the period of childbearing and also middle age, especially for the climacteric symptoms, Sanhujori should be reconsidered.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.40-51
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• 2000

Purpose : This study was carried out to identify the factor of decisional balance for exercise. This was composed of a set of variables at the level of decision making when the elderly decide to do exercise. It was used to classify and identify the characteristics of the stages of change for exercise to which the elderly belong, and was used to identify the variables of decisional balance which influence the stage of change for exercise in the elderly. Methods : Convenient samples of 198 subjects over age 60 in Seoul( mean age=70) were selected from community living, mentally competant older adults and the data was collected from April 1, 1999 to May 31, 1999. The research instrument was the Decisional Balance Measure for Exercise(Marcus & Owen., 1992), Stage of Change Measure(Marcus et al,1992). The data was analyzed by SAS Program. Results: 1. According to stage of change measure, without missing data,191 subjects were distributed in each stage of change for exercise : 50 subjects(26.1%), 7 subjects (3.6%), 52 subjects(27.2%), 4 subjects(2%), and 78(40.8%) belonged to the precontemplation stage, contemplation stage, preparation stage, action stage and maintenace stage. 2. Factor analysis identified 3 factors of decisional balance as appropriate factors for exercise of the elderly and named by researchers; 1)'Perceived Physical-psychological benefit', 2)'Perceived Physical-psychological burden', and 3)'Perceived time burden'. 3. The analysis of variance showed that the two components Perceived Physical - psychological benefit(F=45.95, P=.0001), and Perceived Physical-psychological burden (F=26.52, P=.0001) were significantly associated with stage of change. 4. Through the discriminant analysis, it was found that both 'Self Perceived Physical - Psychological benefit' and 'Perceived Physical-Psychological burden' were the influential variables in discriminating the three stages of change(pre-contemplation, preparation, and maintenance). Conclusion : Results are consistent with the application of the Transtheoretical model, which has been used to understand how people change health behaviors. Even though this study is a cross-sectional, not a longitudinal study, the findings of this study give useful information for exercise intervention about especially the factors relating to decision making for exercise of the elderly in the different stages of change of exercise.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.603-608
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• 2016

Background: The investigation of mutation patterns in oncogenes potentially can make available a reliable mechanism for management and treatment decisions for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). This study concerns the rate of KRAS and BRAF genes mutations in Iranian metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients, as well as associations of genotypes with clinicopathological features. Materials and Methods: A total of 1,000 mCRC specimens collected from 2008 to 2012 that referred to the Mehr Hospital and Partolab center, Tehran, Iran enrolled in this cross sectional study. Using HRM, Dxs Therascreen and Pyrosequencing methods, we analyzed the mutational status of KRAS and BRAF genes in these. Results: KRAS mutations were present in 33.6% cases (n=336). Of KRAS mutation positive cases, 85.1% were in codon 12 and 14.9% were in codon 13. The most frequent mutation at KRAS codon 12 was Gly12Asp; BRAF mutations were not found in any mCRC patients (n=242). In addition, we observed a strong correlation of KRAS mutations with some clinicopathological characteristics. Conclusions: KRAS mutations are frequent in mCRCs while presence of BRAF mutations in these patients is rare. Moreover, associations of KRAS genotypes with non-mucinous adenocarcinoma and depth of invasion (pT3) were remarkable.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.719-722
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• 2016

Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a serious health problem in Thailand, particularly in northeastern and northern regions, but epidemiological studies are scarce and the spatial distribution of CCA remains to be determined. A database for the population at risk is required for monitoring, surveillance and organization of home health care. This study aim was to geo-visually display the distribution of CCA in northeast Thailand, using a geographic information system and Google Earth. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 9 sub-districts and 133 villages in Chum Phuang district, Nakhon Ratchasima province during June and October 2015. Data on demography, and the population at risk for CCA were combined with the points of villages, sub-district boundaries, district boundaries, and points of hospitals in districts, then fed into a geographical information system. After the conversion, all of the data were imported into Google Earth for geo-visualization. Results: A total of 11,960 from 83,096 population were included in this study. Females and male were 52.5%, and 47.8%, the age group 41-50 years old 33.3%. Individual risk for CCA was identifed and classified by using the Korat CCA verbal screening test as low (92.8%), followed by high risk (6.74%), and no (0.49%), respectively. Gender ($X^2$-test=1143.63, p-value= 0.001), age group ($X^2$-test==211.36, p-value=0.0001), and sub-district ($X^2$-test=1471.858, p-value=0.0001) were significantly associated with CCA risk. Spatial distribution of the population at risk for CCA in Chum Phuang district was viewed with Google Earth. Geo-visual display followed Layer 1: District, Layer 2: Sub-district, Layer 3: Number of low risk in village, Layer 4: Number of high risk in village, and Layer 5: Hospital in Chum Phuang District and their related catchment areas. Conclusions: We present the first risk geo-visual display of CCA in this rural community, which is important for spatial targeting of control efforts. Risk appears to be strongly associated with gender, age group, and sub-district. Therefor, spatial distribution is suitable for the use in the further monitoring, surveillance, and home health care for CCA.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2523-2526
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• 2012

Introduction: Febrile neutropenia is a relatively frequent event in cancer patients treated with chemotherapy and improvement in absolute neutrophil count (ANC) has been linked directly to improved outcome. Evaluation of granulocyte colony stimulating factors (GCSFs) for treatment has shown reduced incidences of episodes of prolonged neutropenia and protracted hospitalization. To determine absolute neutrophil counts with GCSF in febrile neutropenic cancer patients admitted to a tertiary care centre and to co-relate the improvement in ANC with mortality and hospital discharge. Methods: A prospective cross sectional study was carried at an oncology ward at Aga Khan University hospital from January 2010 to June 2011. All adult patients who were admitted and treated with GCSF for chemotherapy induced febrile neutropenia were included. Multivariable regression was conducted to identify the factors related with poor outcomes. Results: A total of 131 patients with febrile neutropenia were identified with mean age of 43.2 (18-85) years, 79 (60%) being ${\leq}50$. Seventy-five (57%) had solid tumors and 56 (43%) hematological malignancies, including lymphoma. Fifty seven (43.5%) had an ANC less 100 cells/$mm^3$, 34 (26%) one between 100-300 cells/$mm^3$ and 40 (31%) an ANC greater than 300 cells/$mm^3$. Thirty (23%) patients showed ANC recovery in 1-3 days, and 74(56%) within 4-7 days. Thirteen (10%) patients showed no recovery. The overall mortality was 18 (13.7%) patients. The mean time for ANC recovery seen in hematological malignancies was 6.34 days whereas for solid tumors it was 4.88 days. Patients with ANC <100 cells/$mm^3$ were more likely to die than patients with ANC >300 cells/$mm^3$ by a factor of 4.3. Similarly patients >50 years of age were 2.7 times more likely to die than younger patients. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that use of GCSF, in addition to intravenous antibiotics, in treatment of patients with chemotherapy induced febrile neutropenia accelerates neutrophil recovery, and shortens antibiotic therapy and hospitalization. We propose to risk classify the patients at the time of admission to evaluate the cost effectiveness of this approach in a resource constrained setup.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2707-2711
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• 2014

Introduction: Smoking prevalence among the medical students is high in China. Therefore, understanding the smoking motivations of medical students is crucial for smoking control, but currently there are no scales questionnaires customized for probing the smoking motivations of medical students. This aim of study was to test and modify a questionnaire for investigating smoking motivations among medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,125 medical students at Xuzhou Medical College in China in 2012.The model fit and validity was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the reliability was tested by single-item reliability, composite reliability, and item-total correlation. Results: The prevalence of smoking was 9.84 % among study population. In the modified scales, the global fit indices identified a CFI value of 0.96, TLI was 0.96, and the RMSEA was 0.063. CFA supported the two dimensional structure of the instrument. The average variance extracted ranged from 0.45 to 0.62. All single-item reliability scores were greater than 0.20, and the composite reliability ranged from 0.74 to 0.91. Conclusion: Modified scales could be the preliminary instrument used in evaluating the smoking motivations of medical students. However, it should be further assessed using other forms and methods of validity and reliability, additional motivations of smoking, and the survey of other medical colleges in China.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2597-2606
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• 2014

Background: There is a scarcity of information about the proportion of the adult Saudi population that meet the recommended guidelines of physical activity (PA) to reduce cancer risk. Moreover, their awareness about the role of PA in cancer prevention is unclear. Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed at estimating the proportion of adult Saudis meeting the PA guidelines, specifically those recommended by American Cancer Society (ACS) for cancer prevention, and to assess the public awareness about the role of PA in cancer prevention. Materials and Methods: Using a multistage sampling method, 2,127 adult Saudis of both genders were recruited from 6 urban and 4 rural primary health care centers in Al Hassa, Saudi Arabia. Participants were personally interviewed to gather information about their sociodemographic characteristics, searching activity about PA and cancer, and the time spent in leisure time PA (moderate and vigorous)/week using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire with show cards. Finally, items about the role of PA in cancer risk reduction were inquired. Results: Of the included participants, 11.6% met the recommendations for cancer prevention (${\geq}45$ minutes of moderate-vigorous PA activity/${\geq}5$ days/week or 225 minutes/week). Multivariate regression showed that being male (AOR=1.49, CI=1.09-2.06), <20 years of age (AOR=3.11, CI=2.03-4.76), and unemployed (AOR=2.22, CI=1.57-3.18) were significant predictors for meeting PA recommendations for cancer prevention. Only 11.4% of the sample indicated correctly the frequency and duration of PA required for an average adult to be physically active and while >70% of them indicated the role of PA in prevention of hypertension, coronary heart disease and lowering elevated blood cholesterol, only 18.6% and 21.7% correctly mentioned the role of PA in reducing colon and breast cancer risk, respectively. Poor knowledge was found among those with less than college education and aged ${\geq}50$ years. The level of knowledge was significantly positively correlated with total leisure time PA of the participants. Conclusions: A minority of adult Saudis in Al Hassa was aware about the role of PA in cancer prevention and engaged in sufficient LTPA for cancer risk reduction benefits, highlighting the need for public health actions to include policies and programs that address factors deterring their participation in LTPA and increasing their awareness with remedies to manage the prevalent misconceptions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.4765-4771
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• 2014

Background: Patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD) may have compromised health related quality of life (HRQoL). Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has long been the leading cause of CLD including liver cancer and cirrhosis. Knowledge on different symptom profiles of CLD should help in development of comprehensive treatment and patient care plans. Objective: To access the facets of HRQoL in chronic liver diseases throughout their spectrum of severity. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University in Yunnan Province of China. Both out- and inpatients undergoing treatment protocols for different HBV related liver disease states were consecutively collected from December 2012 to June 2013. ANOVA was used to compare the mean scores of EQ-5D and chronic liver disease questionnaire (CLDQ) among 5 disease groups. The relationship between demographic variables predicting global CLDQ scores and the domains of CLDQ was analysed. Results: A total of 1040 patients including 520 without complications, 91 with compensated cirrhosis, 198 with decompensated cirrhosis, 131 with HCC and 100 with liver failure were recruited. All domains of CLDQ, the means of EQ-5D value and EQ VAS exhibited significant decline with worsening of disease severity from uncomplicated HBV to liver failure. The multivariate regression demonstrated the reduction of mean scores of CLDQ domain at advanced stage. Patients with liver failure and HCC had more HRQoL impairment than other disease states. No effect of patient gender was found. Patient age was associated with 'fatigue' and 'worry' domains (p=0.006; p=0.004) but not with other domains and global scores of CLDQ and ED-5D. Conclusions: The HRQoL in chronic hepatitis B patients is greatly affected by disease states. Care for HBV-related diseases should consider not only the outcomes of treatment strategies but also improvement in patient wellbeing.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9631-9634
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• 2014

Background: : In 2012, the breast cancer estimate worldwide stood at 1.67 million new cases, these accounting for 25% of all types of cancer diagnosed in women. For 2014, 57,120 new cases are expected, with a risk estimated at 56.1 cases for every 100,000 women. The objective of this study was to analyze the satisfaction regarding the use of external breast prostheses by women undergoing mastectomy. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 76 women who used an external breast prosthesis (EBP), registered in the services of the Cuiaba Center for Comprehensive Rehabilitation, Mato Grosso, Brazil, from 2009 to 2012. Data were collected from the records of women who had requested the opening of a process of external breast prosthesis concession. Results: Satisfaction with the EBP was identified in 56.6% of the women. Those satisfied with the EBP reported that its weight was not annoying (p<0.01). Although the women felt body sensations of stitches, pains, pulling, dormancy and phantom limb, they are satisfied with the EBP. The variable related to the displacement of the breast prosthesis during activity of everyday life has demonstrated that even though the women have reported the possibility of displacements, they are satisfied with the EBP. The satisfaction with the use of external breast prosthesis did not affect the sexuality of the women with mastectomy. Conclusions: Learning the specificities of the EBP, taking into consideration the satisfaction of its use, allows the rehabilitation team, by listening to their clientele more attentively, following up this woman throughout her life journey, supporting and guiding the best way of use, with an eye to her personal, emotional and social life, as well as to her self-esteem.