• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2879-2882
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• 2014

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common form of cancer in Iranian women, and it remains a major health problem. An increasing number of young women are being diagnosed with BC, and therefore, there is an increasing likelihood that more women will survive breast cancer for many years. Many opine that self-disclosure of BC diagnosis is important because talking about cancer helps people to make sense of their experiences; in fact, self-disclosure appears to play an important role in many health outcomes. However, this has not yet been studied in BC patients in Iran. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the status of self-disclosure of BC diagnosis by Iranian women to friends and colleagues. Materials and Methods: All BC records for 2001-2011 of employed women were studied at five hospitals in Mashhad. Data about the self-disclosure of BC diagnosis were gathered through telephone interviews, and the participants filled out a questionnaire about their status of self-disclosure of BC diagnosis to various groups of people. Results: The mean age of employed women at the time of diagnosis was $44.3{\pm}6.7$ years. Over 60% self-disclosed to work colleagues and over 90% to bosses/managers. Seventy per cent reported that they had support from their family and husband's family, while 95% reported that they had support from parents, siblings, children and friends. Conclusions: Most employed women self-disclosed freely to family, friends, colleagues and bosses/managers. Apparently, self-disclosure of breast cancer diagnosis may have negative effects at work. About half of patients reported that they had support from family, managers and colleagues; however, for nearly 28% of employed women, disclosure had less positive effects. In particular, it altered their perception of others, produced difficulties with work and family and diminished closeness with the people who were told. However, the stigma of BC is far less than it once was.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.10-17
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• 2001

Purpose: We measured anti-H. pylori IgG in Korean elementary school children living in Shinchon area of Seoul, Korea to evaluate the influence of environmental living standards on H. pylori infection. Methods: IgG antibodies to H. pylori were measured in plasma using a commercial ELISA kit (GAP IgG Helicobacter pylori, Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Hercules, CA, USA). Information on environmental status such as place of birth, parental income, type of housing, number of persons in the household, parents' occupation, family history of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer was obtained. Statistical analysis was done by Chi-square and logistic regression test using SPSS $7.0^{TM}$ for Windows. Results: Study subjects consisted of 571 children, and the age distribution ranged from 6.0 to 13.6 years with a mean of $9.6{\pm}1.8$ years. Male-to-female ratio was 1.1:1. The seropositive rates of H. pylori infection ranged from 10.4% in children aged 6 years to 30.9% in 12 year-old group, overall 16.8%. The prevalence of H. pylori infection progressively increased with age, but there was no significant difference in seropositive rates among children in different age groups (p=0.06). Seropositive rates of anti-H. pylori IgG on the basis of gender, place of birth, parental income, type of housing, parents' occupation, family history of peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer showed no statistically significant difference. Interestingly, however, seropositive rate of anti-H. pylori IgG showed statistical significance in relation to number of persons in the household (p=0.003; Odds ratio 1.50 by logistic regression test). Conclusion: These results suggest that number of persons in the household is the most important factor among environmental living standards, and that risk of H. pylori infection increases by increment of 1.5 times as the number of persons in the household increases by one.

• Korean Journal of Health Psychology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.483-500
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• 2011

Since the introductionof modern therapies, more children with cancer have survived their illness. As a result, an interest in the degree of adjustment achieved by cancer survivors has increased. In this study, quality of life and behavior problemsof child and adolescent cancer survivors were compared with those of healthy controls. Also, the patternsof the discrepancy between parent-report and self-report were compared. Childhood cancer survivors aged 8-18 and their mothers were participated in the study. Parent and self report versions of PedQL were administered to assess the quality of life. K-CBCL and K-YSR were further completed to assess internalizing and externalizing behavior problem. Results suggested that cancer survivors generally showed lower quality of life in physical and social domains and more internalizing behavior problem than healthy control group. However, the results were affected by the domain, age group, and informant. The pattern of discrepancy between parent and self report was similar. All parents reported higher levelsof quality of life and lower levels of behavior problems compared to the self reports of their siblings. In assessing internalizing problem behaviors, cancer survivor group showed greater discrepancy than the healthy control group.The implications, limitations, and directions for future research were also discussed.

• The Korean Nurse
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.73-83
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• 1997

Bed rest is recommended to prevent postlumbar puncture headaches(PLPHA), but the period of bed rest varies in the literature from 6 hours to 24 hours. In clinical practice the period of bed rest varies but nursing methods for adults and children have little difference. In Seoul National University Hospital, children have been given at least 6 hours bed rest after a lumbar puncture. Pediatric oncology patients require a lumbar puncture for an initial diagnosis, follow up treatment or administration of chemotherapeutic agent. But it is difficult for young children to lie supine or to refrain from their usual activities in any way, and unpleasant problems related to a shortage of beds often occurs during discharge or in an outpatient setting. The purpose of this study is to substantiate the preventive effect of PLPHA by the period of bed rest, to identify the other factors that influence PLPHA, and to use the nursing methods proper to children. The subjects were 65 children, ages 1-17, undergoing treatment in the children's cancer center at SNUCH during the period June 1, 1995, to Aug. 31, 1995. The team nurses asked questions about PLPHA of the parents and children in order to fill out a questionnaire. The data were evaluated by percent, t-test, Chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test. Result; 1. There was no significant difference relating the bed rest time spent to the occurrence of postspinal headaches (t-test). 2. There was a significant risk of PLPHA in the children who were irritable before procedure and/or had experienced previous PLPHA(p<0.05, ${x^2}-test$). 3. The following factors were not found to be associated with increased risk of PLPHA: previous puncture experience, giving analgesics, the choice of puncturist, inpatient/outpatient status, gauge of needle, purpose, the amount of CSF removed, gender, diagnosis, the number of peripheral WBCs, previous lumbago experience after LP, position after bed rest, age, the number of aural puncture at the time. A longer period of bed rest is unlikely to be more effective to prevent PLPHA and seems impractical. A shorter period will save time and effort. Perhaps it will also allay some of the fears which surround LP. So 1 hour bed rest after LP is suggested and nursing methods for emotional support should be investigated to reduce PLPH.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.57-71
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• 1994

I investigated actual conditions of smoking of teenagers who were randomly chosen middle and high school students. 1. Juvenile smoking 1) Parents' opinions of juvenile smoking Most parents do not want their children to smoke after growth : 88.6% of fathers (middle school students: 88.9%, high school students: 88.4%) and 95.1% of mothers (middle school students: 93.4%, high school students :95.5%). 2) Teenagers' opinions of smoking after growth The rate of students who will smoke after growth is 10.8% (middle school students: 12.0%, high school students: 9.9%): students in agricultural areas show the higher rate than those in cities. 3) Parents' opinions of their children's smoking now 1.5% of fathers want their children to smoke now (middle school students: 1.3%, high school students: 1.6%) and 1.1% of mothers do (middle school students: 0.6%, high school students: 1.5%). This shows that most parents do not want their children to smoke now. 4) Students' opinions of their friends' smoking now Students who want their friends smoke now cover 7.8% (middle school students: 7.1%, high school students: 8.4%). This rates are higher than those of parents shown in (3). And more high school students and more girl students gave the positive reponse than middle school boy and girl students, respectively. 5) Students' views of smoking "Look like an adult" covers the rate of 4.0% (boy: 7.8%, girl:3.6%) 6.7% of middle school students have this view, while 3.7% of high school students have. 16.1% of students had an experience of smoking during the last one year (boy: 29.9%, girl: 8.6%): this shows that the rate of the boy students is more than 3 times greater than that of the girl students and high students who experienced smoking last year covers 20.2%, while middle school students shows 10.9%. 6) Actual conditions of students' smoking The present rate of students' smoking is 22.4% (boy:38.3%, girl:13.8%): the rate of boy students is greater than that of girl students. Students who smoke more than pack of cigarettes a day cover 8.2% (boy: 17.5%, girl: 3.2%): 5.2% of middle school students (boy:11.4%, girl: 2.1%) smoke more than one pack while 10.7% of high school students do (boy:21.5%, girl: 4.2%). This shows that the rate of boy students' smoking is greater than that of girl students' smoking. 7) The rate of smoking of students' parents 75.4% of fathers (city: 74.5%, agricultural area:75.9%) smoke: and more than a half (62.4%) smoke more than a pack cigarettes a day. On the other hand, the rate of smoking mothers is 5.2%(city: 4.3%, agricultural area: 7.3%): the rate is higher in agricultural areas. 8) Opinions of smoking population in the future 61.4% of students answered that smoking population will increase, while 27.0% have the opinion that smoking population will decrease. 2. Opinions of the effects of smoking on health 1) Have you heard that smokers are likely to suffer from tuberclosis? 78.3% of students said yes (boy: 80.8%, girl: 76.4%): it is shown that the rate of boys is greater than that of girls. 2) Have you heard that smokers are likely to get out of endurance? 76.6% of students (boy: 69.3%, girl: 49.7%) answered yes: it is shown that the rate of boys is greater than that of girls. 3) Have you heard that heart-beats get fast when one smokes? 32.5% of students (boy: 35.5%, girl: 30.9%) answered yes: 32.2% in cities(boy: 33.0%, girl: 31.8%) and 33.5% in agricultural areas(boy: 41.8%, girl: 28.8%): and 28.7% middle students and 35.5% of high school students answered yes. 4) Have you heard that smokers are likely to have heart-diseases? 35.1% of students (boy: 34.0%, girl: 34.1%) answered yes: 35.3% in cities (boy: 37.2%, girl: 34.2%) and 36.7% in agricultural areas (boy: 39.0%, girl: 33.9%): 34.8% of middle school students and 35.4% of high school students. 5) Have you heard that smokers are likely to have a lung cancer? 91.4% of students (boy: 93.2%, girl: 89.9%) answered yes: 90.35% in cities and 94.2% in agricultural areas. 6) Have you heard that the life of smokers gets shorter? 94.3% of students (boy:94.6%, girl: 92.2%) answered yes. 7) Have you heard that pregnant smokers will deliver a baby with low birth weight? 29.6% of students (boy: 29.8%, girl: 29.4%) answered yes: the rates of boys and girls almost the same. 8) Have you heard that one feels calm when one smokes? 80.1% of students (boy: 81.8%, girl: 79.2%) answered yes: boys and girls showed almost the same rate. 3. Preventive measures Smoking people continued to increase all over the world because smoking not only mitigated emotional uneasiness such as loneliness, nervousness and so on, but also could be very helpful from the social perspective. This was so because they did not consider harmful effects of smoking on health, and victims. However, because any -one can have physical disorders caused by smoking, people should always keep in mind the following preventive measures. 1) Doctors or teachers should set an example of giving up smoking. Informing patients or students of harmful effects of smoking to persuade their family and relatives not to smoke. 2) Through mass media like newspapers, periodicals or broadcasting, to make people know harmful effects of smoking and not smoke. 3) To prohibit selling teenagers cigarette by law. 4) To prohibit smoking in public places like work places, offices, lecture rooms, recreation rooms, buses, trains and so on. 5) To decrease the rate of life insurance for non-smokers as in foreign countries and to give a warming of the harmful effects on cigarette packets or ads.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.56-64
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• 1998

Purpose : Seoul National University Hospital developed a group counseling program for the terminal cancer patients and their family members. This program consists of each of doctor, nutritionist, nurse, pharmacist, and social worker to provide them with the information and to enhance their ability to cope with terminal cancer. This research aims to introduce this new program per se, and to appreciate its validity and applicability to the terminal cancer patients and their family members by analyzing the concerns and specific questions of the participants. Methods : The methodological approach employed in this research is 1996 content analysis of the group counseling reports, and interview of the 312 participants. The analysis includes the general characteristics of the subjects, family relationship to the patients, times of attendance to the group session, source of information to the program. Results : The participants consist of 261 family members(84%) and 51 patients(16%). Majority responded to the program with a single-attendance. Diagnosis are mainly lung cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer. The ratio of participants by family members is decreased in the order of spouse, children, daughter-in-law, brothers and sisters, and parents. The source of information to the program is largely through medical staff(69%) as compared with posters in the hospital (26%). The participants are interested primarily in the medical information. Their interests are various, such as pain control, patient care, nutrition, psychosocial problem and etc. Conclusion : This program is characterized largely as a family-supporting program which primarily offers information for terminal cancer. This program is a sort of a hospice program, which maximizes the present quality of living of the terminal cancer patients as long as life continues by encouraging them to live with terminal cancer. Thus, this group program can be employed as an active support network for the patients and their family. In order to develop comprehensive care-giving services, it is required to have 24-hour telephone service, hospice facilities, home care service, and communication between the referral hospitals and the primary care physicians, in particular. Such a development of services is the ultimate goal for improving care. But the immediate goal of the program is to make possible better education for the patients and their family to live with terminal cancer.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.226-233
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• 2011

Objectives: Being overweight or obese is central to metabolic syndrome, and these characteristics constitute dominant risk factors for chronic diseases. Although behavioral factors, including eating habits and sedentary lifestyles, are considered to be determinants of obesity, the specific childhood factors that contribute to this condition have not been clearly defined. Methods: The subjects consisted of 261 children aged 7- 9 years who were recruited from an elementary school during October 2003. Information was obtained from their parents using a questionnaire focused on eating behaviors and lifestyle factors, additional data were also collected via anthropometric measurements and biochemical examinations, including blood tests. Results: A total of 48 (18.4%) of the 261 children were overweight, and 34 (70.8%) had at least one other component of metabolic syndrome. Eating behaviors emerged as significant lifestyle-related risk factors for being overweight or obese. Those who engaged in overeating more than twice per week had three times the risk of being overweight (odds ratio [OR], 3.10, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39 to 6.92), and those who ate rapidly had three times the risk of being overweight (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 1.68 to 6.41). Those who had fewer family meals (fewer than 2?3/month) had a nine times higher risk of being overweight than those who had family meals more frequently (at least 1/day) (OR, 9.51; 95% CI, 1.21 to 74.82). Conclusions: This study showed that being overweight or obese during preadolescence is associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome and is related to unhealthy eating behaviors. Thus, weight-control strategies and healthy eating behaviors should be developed early in life to reduce the risk for metabolic syndrome.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.247-266
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• 1998

The purposes of this study were to investigate problems related to quality of life and to identify residents needs for the university educational program for the community residents. The data were analyzed by using $x^2$-test, F-test and multiple range test. Findings of this study provided some useful implications to develop educational programs for community people. These implications are as follows. In the aspect of home management, the need for education about time management was relatively high and the degree of time conflicts was varied to family size, educational level of house, housewife's employment status and outside work time. In the program area of economic life, education for enhancing ability to cope with unexpected events and impulsive consumption behavior, and education for money management technique and value clarification should be included. There were significant differences in the parents' role difficulties according to mother's age and income. Especially parents' role difficulties were children's social emotional development and educational activity. The major problems in management of clothing and textile products were the change of textile sensation, the poor quality of necessaries, and discoloration. This result suggests that education programs on management of clothing and textiles should be developed. In health and food management it showed that subjects were afraid of cancer, hypertension, cerebral vascular diseases in relation with food habits. Hence program of education for health and good food habits should be developed.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.77-95
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• 2005

Objectives: This study measured the extent of local legislators' support for tobacco control policies and identified the predictors of that. Methods: Local legislators, from 21 Gu in Seoul Metropolitan City, underwent a self-administrated questionaire during the 6-week period from December 1, 2004 to January 15, 2005. Multiple linear regression model was used to assess relationships between five groups of variables(political factors including political ideology, personal characteristics, tobacco experiences, tobacco knowledge, contact with local health officers) and support for tobacco control policies based on an 11-item scale. Results: The rates of support for 'penalizing merchants who sell cigarettes to minors' and 'instituting a law mandating that parents should not smoke in a car when children are present' were highest as 87.5% and 82.0% respectively, and those for 'increasing price of cigarettes' and 'regulating stores that sell cigarettes' were lowest as 52.2% and 51.7% respectively. Support was higher among local legislators who thought government had a duty to promote healthy life styles, knew second-hand smoke could cause lung cancer, knew tobacco caused more deaths than alcohol. Support among ex-smokers and nonsmokers was higher than current smokers. Conclusions: The findings indicate that local legislators who oppose tobacco control measures may not be opposed to tobacco control per se, but are more generally opposed to a government role in health promotion, Thus, Tobacco control advocates need to be more attentive to the way tobacco control issues are framed for particular legislators. Further, they could work to increase tobacco knowledge among local legislators.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.57-65
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• 2023

Background: The association between exposure to extremely low frequency-magnetic fields (ELF-MF) and childhood leukemia has been controversial. There is a need to clarify this relationship by summarizing key conclusions from systematic review articles. Objectives: The major aim of this study is to summarize key conclusions from systematic review articles on the association between exposure to ELF-MF and childhood leukemia based on childhood exposure to ELF-MF, proximity from childhood household to high voltage cables, and parental occupational exposure to ELF-MF. Methods: This study was conducted through a brief literature review focusing on systematic, meta-analysis, and pooled analysis methods. We conducted a literature search in PubMed using the key words "ELF-MF" and "childhood leukemia" singly or combined. Results: In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reviewed two manuscripts to conduct pooled analysis and concluded that there is a significant association between exposure to >0.3 μT or 0.4 μT and childhood leukemia. We found a total of four manuscripts for systematic or pool analysis that have been published since the IARC's conclusion. They consistently concluded that there was a significant association between exposure to >0.4 μT and childhood leukemia compared to ELF-MF exposure to below 0.1 μT. The proximity of children's households to high voltage cable lines and occupational exposure by their parents to ELF-MF during certain periods prior to or during pregnancy were inconsistently associated with childhood leukemia. The study found that many EU countries have implemented precautionary policies to prevent potential childhood leukemia due to exposure to ELF-MF. Conclusions: This study recommends implementing a precautionary policy that includes legal exposure limits for ELF-MF to minimize exposure to ELF-MF.