• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.52 no.4
• /
• pp.234-241
• /
• 2019

Objectives: To identify simultaneous behavioral changes in alcohol consumption, smoking, and weight using a fixed-effect model and to characterize their associations with disease status. Methods: This study included 7 000 529 individuals who participated in the national biennial health-screening program every 2 years from 2009 to 2016 and were aged 40 or more. We reconstructed the data into an individual-level panel dataset with 4 waves. We used a fixed-effect model for smoking, heavy alcohol drinking, and overweight. The independent variables were sex, age, lifestyle factors, insurance contribution, employment status, and disease status. Results: Becoming a high-risk drinker and losing weight were associated with initiation or resumption of smoking. Initiation or resumption of smoking and weight gain were associated with non-high-risk drinkers becoming high-risk drinkers. Smoking cessation and becoming a high-risk drinker were associated with normal-weight participants becoming overweight. Participants with newly acquired diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and cancer tended to stop smoking, discontinue high-risk drinking, and return to a normal weight. Conclusions: These results obtained using a large-scale population-based database documented interactions among lifestyle factors over time.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.65-77
• /
• 2020

Objectives: This study investigated the average number of drinkers in Korea, the number of high-risk drinkers, the average amount of alcohol consumed by high-risk drinkers, and the types of alcohol consumed according to the characteristics of the group of dependent drinkers. Methods: The results were obtained by analyzing the following data: The Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health; Country Profile 2014; WHO Country Profile 2014; Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2014, Korean Statistical Information Service; National Tax Statistics-Liquor Tax; Gallup Drinking Frequency Survey 2015 Results: This study found that a large proportion of drinkers in Korea are already high-risk drinkers, and even among drinkers, alcohol consumption was highly biased. It was reported that 49.8% of men in the problem, abuse, and dependence groups accounted for 92.4% of total alcohol consumption among the male population. Notably, the 9.6% of men making up the dependent group consumed more than 30% of the alcohol ingested among males. Women had significant variations within groups that were considered high-risk and exhibited a large share of alcohol consumption in the problem (10.0% of the female population), abuse (1.8% of the female population), and dependence (1.5% of the female population) groups, constituting 72.8% of total alcohol consumption. The average amount of alcohol consumed by drinkers in Korea seems to have exceeded the level of intake by high-risk groups. Alcohol-dependent groups consumed 900.7 mL of soju, 405.2 mL of table wine, and 2,043.8 mL of beer, which is very similar to the consumption average of 2,031 mL of beer and 895.2 mL of soju in the drinking group. Conclusion: It has been shown that men's dependence on alcohol is serious, and it is possible to infer that alcohol consumption in some vulnerable groups is very high. As the average alcohol intake among alcohol-dependent groups and ordinary drinkers is very similar, it is highly likely that the drinker is an alcohol-dependent consumer in Korea.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.383-389
• /
• 2003

Objective : Studies have suggested that beer is associated with a high risk of mortality and morbidity. The purpose of this study was to investigate how types of alcoholic beverage are related to high risk acute harm. Methods : Data from the 1997 Korea's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey, collected through telephone questionings, were analyzed based on multi-stage stratified random sampling(N=1,045). Among those who had drunk at least one type of alcoholic beverage in the last month, one episode where the drinker had consumed the highest level of ethanol was selected, and the alcohol consumption per drinking day categorized into four risk levels of short-term, 'acute' harm, according to the WHO guidelines. Employing ordered logistic regression analyses, as the explanatory variables, types of alcoholic beverage, with and without socioeconomic characteristics, were considered. Results : Spirits and soju were more than ten and three times, respectively, more likely than beer, while makkolli and wine were almost as likely as beer, to involve high risk drinking, irrespective of controlling for the socioeconomic characteristics. Conclusions : Unlike most Western countries, in Korea, beer, rather than spirits or soju, is generally less likely to be associated with high risk drinking for acute harm, The influence of beverage types on high risk drinking for acute harm appears to vary between countries.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2017

Objectives: The aim of this study was to verify relationships between light- and heavy alcohol drinking and health-risk behaviors such as smoking, inappropriate weight control, physical inactivity, and sexual activity among adolescents. Methods: The data of 68,043 adolescents in middle- and high school collected from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey in 2015 were analyzed. For statistical analysis, logistic regression model was used. Results: The rate of heavy alcohol drinking increased with increasing age up to 21.5% among boys and 13.9% among girls. Among boys, heavy alcohol drinkers were at a higher risk of smoking (adjusted odds ratios [OR]=3.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.8-3.8), inappropriate weight control (OR=1.7; 95% CI=1.4-2.1), having sexual intercourse (OR=3.6; 95% CI=3.0-4.2) than light drinkers. Multiple health-risk behaviors of smoking, inappropriate weight control and sexual intercourse also increased in accordance with the severity of drinking alcohol beverage compared to non-drinker. Physical inactivity was decreased among heavy drinkers compared to light drinkers (OR=0.8; 95% CI=0.7-0.9 for inactivity of moderate exercise). Similar results were observed among girls. Conclusions: Alcohol drinking especially heavy alcohol drinking among adolescents is related to other risky behaviors including smoking, inappropriate weight control, and sexual activity. To prevent health problems in adolescents, it is necessary to adopt a combined approach regarding heavy drinking and health-risk behaviors.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.131-140
• /
• 2017

Purpose: Dyslipidemia was a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and was a leading cause of mortality in worldwide. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with prevalence and medication treatment of dyslipidemia in Korean adult population. Methods: In this study, based on the criteria set by the Korean Society of Lipidology and Atherosclerosis, the factors associated with prevalence and medication treatment of dyslipidemia was evaluated in a population of 12,506 people ($age{\geq}20$), who participated in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2015). The findings were tested by using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Dyslipidemia prevalence rate was 36.5%. Among populations with dyslipidemia, 17.5% were treated with lipid-lowering drugs. In the multivariate logistic regression model, male, increase in age, lower education level, non-drinker, current smoking, less physical activity, increase of body mass index, hypertension, and diabetes were associated with an increased odd of dyslipidemia. Female, increase in age, higher income, excess fat intake, hypertension, diabetes, myocardial infarction, and angina were associated with an increased odd of medication treat. Conclusion: The results of this study could be used to screen patients at the high risk for dyslipidemia or to predict medication adherence.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.15-26
• /
• 2014

Objectives: This study investigates the drinking state of the homeless, including the factors that influence this state, and the related services that the homeless require. Methods: A total of 163 adults residing in homeless shelters in Incheon, were recruited from November 15 to December 28, 2013. The Korean version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test was used. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, chi-square, and logistic regression. All analyses were conducted using SPSS 18. Results: Among the respondents, 59.5% engaged in normal drinking, 17.2% engaged in problem drinking and 23.3% suffered from high risk drinking. Alcohol Problems of homeless were found to increase along with total drinking periods. And high risk drinker were more likely to have 3.2 times of loneliness, 6.5 times of insomnia, and the reason for homeless is alcohol problem 14.0 times higher. Conclusions: Alcohol problems among the homeless are chronic and difficult to solve through temporary measures and short-term interventions. Therefore, the development of appropriate services and policies for the homeless is important. The results of the study can be used as a basis for the development of management measures tailored to the distinctive needs of the homeless.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.93-104
• /
• 2009

Objectives: Although Asian immigrants have lower rates of smoking and binge drinking than other ethnics in the US, Korean Americans have the highest rate of Asian immigrants. This study, therefore, compared with the rates and examined the predictors of smoking and binge drinking by gender and ethnicity among Asian immigrants in California. Methods: In 2001 and 2003, California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) were conducted in English and their original languages with Asian immigrants residing in 58 Counties and 3 Cities, California. We performed analysis to find out the differences of smoking and binge drinking rates using the secondary data, CHIS 2001 and 2003. Multiple logistic regression analysis for survey data identified predictors of smoking and binge drinking behaviors by gender and ethnicity. Results: Korean American males (35.4%) and Japanese American females (15.4%) had higher rates of smoking prevalence compared with other Asian immigrants in California. In binge drinking, 26.5% of male and 8.1% of female among Korean Americans were binge drinker, and the rates were the top with Asian Americans who had lived in California. It showed the remarkable gap between gender of smoking and binge drinking among Vietnamese immigrants, whereas not the striking difference among Japanese Americans. In multiple regression models, age, educational level, occupation, marital status, English proficiency, and health insurance coverage remained significant for smoking and binge drinking behaviors(P<0.05). Even though the time in the US was not significant, it seemed to be related to educational level and English proficiency. In particular among female, smoking and binge drinking behaviors were associated with acculturation. Conclusion: Although Asian Americans had shared with American culture since they had immigrated in the US, they had significantly different prevalence rates of smoking and binge drinking based on gender and ethnicity. Therefore, future efforts should be focused on understanding differences by ethnicity and target at high-risk subgroups. To achieve this, it needs to develop the educational materials in Korean and their original languages.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.16 no.11
• /
• pp.7844-7854
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this study is to investigate the drinking status, health behaviors, health related quality of life and depression among female problem drinkers and to examine the impact of their health behavior and health related quality of life on depression. The data of this study were derived from the 5th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted during January 2010-December 2012. As for the subjects of this study, 328 female problem drinkers were selected who were classified as those with 8 or higher scores in the AUDIT, and complex samples analysis was conducted using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 21.0 software package. The study result showed that the risk of experiencing depression increased among subjects with a high level of perceived stress and subjects with a low level of health related quality of life. In addition, the risk of experiencing depression increased among subjects with 1-4 hours of sleep time compared to subjects with 8 or more hours of sleep time. Accordingly, it would be necessary to pay attention to stress, sleep time and health related quality of life that are related influencing factors for the improvement of depression and mental health of Korean female problem drinkers.