Abstract Purpose Studies that have compared the overall health behaviors of male survivors of cancer and the population without cancer in South Korea are limited. Therefore, we aimed to compare the quality of life and health-related behaviors of cancer survivors and the population without cancer in South Korea. Methods This cross-sectional, matched case-control study recruited Korean males aged 19–80 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VIII. Of the 11,760 participants, 349 cancer survivors and 1,047 controls without cancer were matched by 1:3 propensity score matching using age, cohabitation, household income, education level, employment status, type of job, and private insurance. Height, weight, smoking status, drinking status, and physical activity status were also recorded. Results The cancer survivors had lower odds of being overweight and higher odds of being former smokers and drinkers than the controls after adjusting for potential confounders. The cancer survivors and controls showed no significant differences in physical activity or food consumption. No significant differences were noted among the young adults. However, the middle-aged and older male cancer survivors were more likely to be overweight and obese, respectively. The middle-aged survivors were also more likely to be former smokers, while the older survivors were more likely to be former drinkers. Conclusion The cancer survivors were more likely to have a normal weight, be past smokers, or be former drinkers. Education on cancer prevention is required to improve health-related behaviors and prevent secondary cancer.
Little is known about the association of cancers other than esophageal adenocarcinoma with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This study aimed to examine the association between GERD and the risk of different types of cancer.A cohort study was conducted using data from the National Health Screening Cohort. We included 10,261 GERD patients and 30,783 non-GERD individuals who were matched in a 1:3 ratio by age and sex. All participants were followed-up until cancer diagnosis, death, or end of the study (December 31, 2015). Hazard ratios were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards model, adjusting for smoking and alcohol consumption, physical activity, body mass index, income, area, and Charlson Comorbidity Index.The median follow-up time was 9.9 years. GERD was associated with an increased risk of esophageal (adjusted hazard ratios [aHR] = 3.20 [1.89-5.41]), laryngeal (aHR = 5.42 [2.68-10.96]), and thyroid cancers (aHR = 1.91 [1.55-2.34]) after controlling for all covariates. The results were consistent when examining GERD with esophagitis (K210) and without esophagitis (K219) separately. For thyroid cancer, the results were insignificant after controlling for having ever-received thyroid biopsy procedures. A dose-response relationship was found between GERD and esophageal cancer as well as laryngeal cancer, with patients with a longer duration of GERD treatment showing a stronger effect. In contrast, GERD was associated with a reduced risk of colorectal (aHR = 0.73 [0.59-0.90]), liver (aHR = 0.67 [0.51-0.89]), and pancreatic cancers (aHR = 0.43 [0.24-0.76]), which might have resulted from differences in healthcare utilization between GERD and non-GERD groups.GERD was associated with an increased risk of esophageal and laryngeal cancers. Additionally, early detection and treatment of precancerous lesions among the GERD group could lead to a lower risk of colorectal, liver, and pancreatic cancers.
Previous studies have identified a link between gender and the various risk factors associated with obesity. We examined obesity risk factors in working adults to identify the effects of differences in body mass index (BMI) and percentage body fat (PBF) between women and men.A total of 1,120 adults agreed to participate in the study. Data from 711 participants, including 411 women and 300 men, were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the effects of risk factors on obesity and being overweight. In addition, the least-squares (LS) means of both BMI and PBF were estimated by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in a generalized linear model.Increases in BMI and PBF were significantly related to an age > 50 years and long working hours in women after compensating for confounding factors. Using the PBF criterion, the odds ratio (OR) of being overweight or obese in women > 50 years of age who worked for > 9 h a day was 3.9 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-11.00). For BMI, women who were > 50 years of age and worked for > 9 h a day were 3.82 times (95% CI, 1.31-11.14) more likely to be overweight or obese than those who were < 50 years of age and worked for < 9 h a day.Obesity in working adults was associated with > 50 years of age and long working hours in women. Further studies are needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of this relationship and its potential implications for the prevention and management of excess weight and obesity.
Children, adolescents, and young adults (CAYAs) with severe illnesses require intensive treatment, often relying on medical devices and advanced medical services. Modern medical technology has improved the lifespans of these patients. In addition, CAYAs represent a vulnerable group, resulting in a significant caregiving burden on the entire family. This study examined patterns of medical utilization following diagnosis of a life-limiting condition (LLC). We establish a cohort of 176,236 CAYAs who were first diagnosed with an LLC using National Health Insurance data between 2011 and 2013. Patients diagnosed with an LLC within the 3 years preceding this period and those who had died were excluded, and only those receiving care at a general medical hospital were included. In total, 25,410,411 claims for medical expenses, outpatient visits, and lengths of stay for medical utilization over the approximately 10 years up to 2020 were investigated (2.3% inpatients, 97.7% outpatients). The average annual medical utilization per LLC patient among CAYAs following initial diagnosis included medical expenses of $1,163, 16.8 outpatient visits, and 18.7 days of admission. Among inpatients, cancer patients averaged $5,340 for total medical expenses and 21.0 days of admission, while non-cancer patients averaged $3,013 and 18.1 days, respectively. The overall average medical expenses during the first year following diagnosis of an LLC were $3,012, whereas for cancer patients they were $5,962. In addition, there was a sharp increase in total medical expenses as death approached, particularly in the last month of life, with a considerable proportion attributable to critical-care treatments. Our investigation into medical utilization by CAYAs with an LLC in Korea provides a foundation for healthcare policy development. Timely treatment at each stage and tailored policies that take into account the heterogeneity among diseases are of paramount importance.
Background and Aims :Prenatal exposures to VOCs are treated as environmental toxicant which has health effect on fetus and their last of life. However, regarding to postnatal neurobehavioral development, limited studies were done and even failed to find a significant relationship between them. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between prenatal exposure to VOCs and postnatal neurobehavioral development of 6 and 12month. Methods: 1,751 pregnant women were enrolled in birth cohort of MOthers and Children's Environmental Health(MOCEH) study from 2006 to 2010. We investigated maternal general characteristics including socio-economic and obstetric characteristics by questionnaires. Environmental hygienist assessed total volatile organic compound(TVOC) and formaldehyde(HCHO) exposure by using passive samplers for 382 pregnant women during pregnancy. After delivery, birth outcomes such as gestational age, birth weight and gender of newborns were obtained from delivery records. Certificated investigators performed baley test for measuring mental developmental index(MDI) and psychomotor developmental index(PDI) of infants on 6 and 12month. After excluding twins, undelivered cases and missing values for important covariates, we used 338 newborn's data and multiple general linear models in statistical analyses(SAS version 9.2). Results: The median values of TVOC and HCHO were 183.8 and 69.5ug/m3. The mean of newborn's birth weight is 3289.3g and 7cases were low birth weight(2%). The mean of infantile MDI scores were 96.4 and 103.8 at 6 and 12month, and PDI were 96.2 and 96.6 at each point, respectively. In adjusted model controlled covariates including breast-feeding and maternal education, a quartile increase of TVOC showed statistically significant decrease in MDI(ß=-1.7, SE:0.8. p=0.05) at 6 month, however, not statistically significant decrease in PDI score(ß:-1.2,SE=0.9). Conclusions:These results indicated that elevated exposure to TVOC of fetal period may decrease postnatal neurobehavioral development during early life.
Abstract Objectives To investigate factors associated with influenza vaccination rates by vaccination government financial aid policy Methods We used the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2020), a nationally representative, cross-sectional, population-based study. A total of 5,582 participants were included. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to analyze the effect on vaccination rate after adjusting for socioeconomic characteristics. Results Financial aid group (71.2%) is higher vaccinated than non-aid group (33.9%) in crude rate. In the both group low education levels showed significant relationships with the financial aid group (aOR 2.28; CI: 1.41–3.70) and the non-aid group (aOR 1.86; CI: 1.14–3.05). In not receiving support group, high income was significantly related to high vaccination rates (aOR 2.23; 95% CI: 1.45–3.44). Women showed high, self-employed health insurance type showed low vaccination rates. And occupation type showed significant relationships in only financial support group. Conclusion The vaccination rate had significant association by government financial support. In the future, to efficiently use limited resources, implementing strategic policies targeting appropriate factors for each group may be appropriate.
Background : Perfluorooctanesulfonate(PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoate(PFOA) are widespread persistent organic pollutants in the environment as well as in humans. In humans, the PFOS concentrations of cord blood have been associated with adverse birth outcomes. Therefore, we investigated the PFOS and PFOA concentrations in the cord serum to determine their effect on birth weight. Methods : The study participants comprises of 300 pregnant women of the total participants recruited from Ewha Birth & Growth cohort study between 2006 and 2010 retrospectively. Birth weight was obtained from medical records. We analyzed cord serum samples for PFOS and PFOA by high-performance liquid chromatograph coupled with a Triple Quad LC-MS/MS system. We performed tests to assess the effect of PFCs on birth weight by multiple linear regression model for statistical analysis. Results : The median PFOS and PFOA concentrations in cord serum were 0.39(range 0.25 to 0.68) and 0.26 (range 0.18 to 0.38) ng/mL, respectively. Only PFOS concentrations was significantly decreased on birth weight (adjusted ß=-163.95, P=0.04). Additionally, PFOS concentrations were approaching significant associations with gestational age (adjusted ß=0.02, P=0.06). Conclusions: This study found that an association between prenatal exposure to PFCs with and birth weight. Further studies more fully elaborate the relationship between prenatal PFCs exposure and birth outcome. Acknowledgment :This study was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government.
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