• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.109-114
• /
• 1990

Status of intestinal protozoan and helminthic infections was surveyed in mestizo population living in rural parish of Palmar and its nearby recintos(villages) , Three of the surveyed villages were at the Pacific coast and 5 villages were in inner pasture land, located about 100 km west of Guayaquil, the second largest city in Ecuador. One stool sample was examined by one cellophane thick smear for helminth ova and one direct smear stained with Lugol's iodine solution for protozoan cysts. Of 325 persons examined, 66.1% were positive for any ova or cyst. The positive rates were: 18.1% for Ascaris lumbricoides, 19.4% for Trichuris trichiura, 0.6% for hookworm, 3.7% for Hyntenolepis nana, 1.8% for Taenia sp., 19.4% for Entnmoeba histolytica, 28.6% for Entamoeba coli, 5.5% for Endolimax nasa, 1.5% for ledamoeba buetschlii, 11.l% for eiardia lamblia and 0.6% for Chilomastix mesnili. Poor supply of potable water was considered the main cause of high prevalence of intestinal protozoan infections.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.77-88
• /
• 2010

Objectives: This study was conducted to estimate medical expenditure attributable to overweight and obesity in adults with hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia using Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination survey data and Korea National Health Corporation data. Methods: The medical expenditure of hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia related to overweight and obesity were composed of inpatient care costs, outpatient care costs and medication costs. The population attributable risk (PAR) of overweight and obesity was calculated from national representative data of Korea such as the National Health Insurance Corporation cohort data and 2005 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination survey data. Results: The medical expenditure attributable to overweight and obesity of hypertension were 456 billion won (men : 215 billion won, women : 241 billion won). Those of diabetes were 282 billion won (men : 148 billion won, women : 135 billion won), and of dyslipidemia were 17 billion won (men : 9 billion won, women : 8 billion won). Consequently, these costs corresponded to 33.3% of total medical expenditure due to hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia. Conclusions: We found a substantial medical expenditure due to overweight and obesity of hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia were very high. In order to reduce these costs, effective national strategies for prevention and management of overweight and obesity should be established and implemented.

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

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.226-233
• /
• 2017

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe and understand self-care status of the aged diabetic patients with noncompliance after hospital discharge. Methods: A qualitative research method was used for the study design. The participants were 15 diabetic patients aged 65 or older who had been admitted more than two times for hyperglycemia in the past 1 year in a general hospital in Daegu. Data were collected from November 1 2015 to March 1 2016 through in-depth personal interview. Results: Patients' knowledge level on causes and symptoms of diabetes was low. Most participants rarely and irregularly checked blood sugar at home. They were under a lot of stress from their family. Due to old age and illness they did not have sufficient physical activity and they have had rarely regular meals. They considered the self-care education program unnecessary and there was limitations of accessibility for education. Conclusions: The aged diabetic patients who had the repeat admission did not perform self-care activities properly and had problems especially in blood glucose check, support from their family, and health education after returning home. More personalized and community-based self-management education programs will be necessary.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.484-498
• /
• 1994

The purpose of this study was to investigate the home care needs in a rural county as a basic study to develop a Korean home care model. A stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 1, 352 household which accounted for 8.8% of Youn Cheon County population. A Standard criterias for home care subject were delineated by five nursing professors representing five different areas of nursing specialty. The developed criteria for home care subjects were as below, 1) Patients who had been discharged from hospital during the previous week. 2) Patients with special medical devices 3) Newborns and the mothers. 4) The chronically ill with poor recovery or control of disease. 5) Subjects with poor health care behavior or ability 6) Subjects with poor social support and / or family resources. 7) Subjects with health related educational needs. Three types of questionnaires were developed to screen home care subjects, one for adults, one for infants and one for the elderly. Also different questionnaire items were developed to evaluate the control and self care ability of chronically ill subjects. After training in interview methods for 2 days, 39 interviewers visited individual households for interviews. As the results of the study showed that 14.1％ of adult subjects and 76.5% of infants and child were judged as having at least one criterion related to home care need, 15.69% of adults and 53% of elderly had at least one chronic illness. The most prevalent chronic illnesses were hypertension, skeletal-neurological disease and diabetes. The prevalence of subjects with home care needs were, those with poor health care behavior(8.89%), with health-re-lated educational needs(8.71%), with poor recovery or control of disease (3.52%), and with poor social support and inadequate family resources(3.19%). There were only 0.3%, 0.37%, 0.11% who were discharged patients, patients with medical devices, or newborns respectively. Thus, the largest home care client group were those who need direct health care and health education. Seventy five percent of the subjects responded that they were willing to use and pay for home care service if it is offered in the future. It is suggested that recently discharged patients and patients with special medical devices can be cared for by hospital based home care nurses, but other home care clients can be cared for by com-munity based home care nurses.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.225-232
• /
• 1999

A survey of an endemic locality at Songjung Ri, Ogok Myun, Goksung County, South Cholla Province for the prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis and Metagonimus yokogawai was primarily done on 53 residence before medication using formalin-ether concentration method of stool examination. After praziquantel medication of all the clonorchiasis patients, 64 humans consisting 82.1% of total inhibitants and including 84.9% of primarily surveyed residents were secondly surveyed after 2-year post-treatment to evaluate the prevalence and reinfection. The prevalence of clonorchiasis was decreased from 35.8% before medication to 10.9% after medication(P<0.01), indicating this disease was not satisfactorily controlled although the rate was significantly lowered. The prevalence of metagonimiasis was dropped from 17.0% to 6.3% on post-treatment. In clonorchiasis cases, sex ratio showed no difference in both pre- and post-treatment, and mean age was the sixties after medication from the forties and fifties before medication, suggesting more aged people of both sexes were infected with this fluke. The reinfection of clonorchiasis and metagonimiasis following 2-year post-treatment was 15.8% and 25.0%, respectively. The proportion of reinfection among the egg positive cases was 50.0% in clonorchiasis and 100% in metagonimiasis. These findings mean that a high fraction of clonorchiasis and metagonimiasis was reinfected with these trematodes. In conclusion, to eradicate the C. sinensis and M. yokogawai in an endemic area, it should be preceded to control the reinfection of these parasites.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.195-208
• /
• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze whether there are differences in medical expenses according to medical security type in the use of medical services with high disease burden such as coronary intervention. Methods: Chi-square test and covariance analysis(ANCOVA) were conducted to identify the differences in the characteristics and costs according to medical security type of 1,904 patients who underwent coronary intervention in a university hospital from 2011 to 2012. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to determine whether the cost affects medical expenses. Results: In the medical aid group, the proportion of women, those without a job, those without a spouse, and those who received hemodialysis was high, length of stay was high, patients using the emergency room and those who died was high. The medical aid patients were significantly higher in the non-benefit medical expenses, optional medical expenses, physician and admission, meals, medications and injections. National health insurance patients were significantly higher in procedure. The medical security type was found to be significant as a variable affecting the medical expenses. Conclusions: Provision of medical expenses should be managed in advance by providing prevention and education services for the vulnerable, and care services in the region should be provided to suppress the occurrence of medical expenses due to the increase in the number of days spent. In addition, it is necessary to support medical expenses to prevent unsatisfactory medical services from occurring for non-benefit and optional care.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.441-448
• /
• 2000

This study was performed to investigate the prevalence and its related factors on the Clonorchis sinensis(C.S.) of inhabitants at Goksung-gun, Chollanam-do. After the population was stratified by gender, age, resident area, 651 residents living in eight villages were sampled by cluster sampling method. We interviewed the subjects to survey the various characteristics using the questionnaire, and examined stools to confirm the infection of C.S. from November to December, 1998. The prevalence of C.S. was 19.0%. The factors related with the infection of C.S. were male(adjusted odds ratio, of female=1.71, 95% confidence interval=1.07-2.72), 45-64 year old group(aOR of under 45 year old group=2.16. 95% CI=1.21-3.85), above 65 year old group(aOR of under 45 year old group=2.34, 95% CI=1.31-4.15), basin villagers(aOR of inland villagers=2.34, 95% CI=1.31-4.15), current drinker(aOR of nondrinker=1.83, 95% CI=1.12-2.98), those who took raw fish(aOR of persons who didn't it or take cooked fish=2.09, 95% CI=1.21-3.88) and persons who know the infection status(aQR of the persons who didn't know it=0.57, 95% CI=0.37-0.89). In conclusion, these results suggest that several life styles such as ingestion of raw fish, drinking habit. So we think that it is necessary to set up the efficient management programs for the treatment and prevention of C.S. infection.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.8
• /
• pp.3779-3784
• /
• 2014

Aims: To study alterations of plasma lipid profiles in carcinoma cervix and to assess significance comparedwith controls in different histological grades and stages. Materials and Methods: Totals of 99 histopathologically diagnosed cases and 35 controls from a tertiary hospital situated in the southern part of India which caters the rural and semi-urban populations were considered for the study. Fasting blood samples were taken to analyze total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL-C), for comparison of cases, grouped according to histological grades and stages, and controls. One way ANOVA was used for multiple group comparisons and the Student's t test (unpaired) for group wise comparisons. For all tests a 'p' value of 0.05 or less was considered as significant. Results: Out of 99 cases, most (n-39) were seen in the 40-49 year age group followed by 60-69 years (n-22). Serum TG significantly differed between cases and controls but without any relation to differentiation grade. The lipid profile parameters in various grades of cervical cancer were not statistically significant. Statistically significant increase of TC and LDL-C values was observed with increase in stage of the disease. Conclusions: The study showed TG is elevated in cervical cancer, and that TC and LDL-C are proportional to the spread of cancer as it increases from stage I to stage IV. An in-depth study of molecular changes in lipid metabolism in cervical cancer patients, enzymes/genes responsible and alterations in LDL receptors is necessary to provide information to decide whether the lipid profile has any diagnostic/prognostic role in cervical cancer.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2017

Objectives: By the end of the 2000s, the economic situation in many European countries started to deteriorate, generating financial uncertainty, social insecurity and worse health status. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the recent financial crisis has affected the lifestyle health determinants and behaviours of older adults living in the Mediterranean islands. Methods: From 2005 to 2015, a population-based, multi-stage convenience sampling method was used to voluntarily enrol 2749 older adults (50% men) from 20 Mediterranean islands and the rural area of the Mani peninsula. Lifestyle status was evaluated as the cumulative score of four components (range, 0 to 6), that is, smoking habits, diet quality (MedDietScore), depression status (Geriatric Depression Scale) and physical activity. Results: Older Mediterranean people enrolled in the study from 2009 onwards showed social isolation and increased smoking, were more prone to depressive symptoms, and adopted less healthy dietary habits, as compared to their counterparts participating earlier in the study (p<0.05), irrespective of age, gender, several clinical characteristics, or socioeconomic status of the participants (an almost 50% adjusted increase in the lifestyle score from before 2009 to after 2009, p<0.001). Conclusions: A shift towards less healthy behaviours was noticeable after the economic crisis had commenced. Public health interventions should focus on older adults, particularly of lower socioeconomic levels, in order to effectively reduce the burden of cardiometabolic disease at the population level.