This study was conducted to understand health status by general characteristic, and to find out relationship between social support and worker's health status. Health status was measured using SF-36(Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36), a 36 item self administered Instrument. The finding of this study were as follow; Mean scores of health status by sex were higher in male. The younger worker reported good health on physical functioning and role limitation-physical than did the older worker, but the older worker reported good health on social functioning and mental health. Mean scores of health status were higher in high income and white worker. When the relationship between social support and health status, social functioning, role limitation-emotion, mental health, vitality, general health were significantly related. Therefore we reviewed the evidence that socio-economic condition are associated with health status in this study, and that the strength of the social support was a important to maintain health.
Humans ; Male ; Mental Health ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care)

BACKGROUND: Many physicians hesitate to discuss do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders with patients or family members in critical situations. In the intensive care unit (ICU), delayed DNR decisions could cause unintentional cardiopulmonary resuscitation, patient distress, and substantial cost. We investigated whether the timing of DNR designation affects patient outcome in the medical ICU. METHODS: We enrolled retrospective patients with written DNR orders in a medical ICU (13 bed) from June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015. The patients were divided into two groups: early DNR patients for whom DNR orders were implemented within 48 h of ICU admission, and late DNR patients for whom DNR orders were implemented more than 48 h after ICU admission. RESULTS: Herein, 354 patients were admitted to the medical ICU and among them, 80 (22.6%) patients had requested DNR orders. Of these patients, 37 (46.3%) had designated DNR orders within 48 hours of ICU admission and 43 (53.7%) patients had designated DNR orders more than 48 hours after ICU admission. Compared with early DNR patients, late DNR patients tended to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining management (18.9% vs. 37.2%, p = 0.072). DNR consent forms were signed by family members instead of the patients. Septic shock was the most common cause of medical ICU admission in both the early and late DNR patients (54.1% vs. 37.2%, p = 0.131). There was no difference in in-hospital mortality (83.8% vs. 81.4%, p = 0.779). Late DNR patients had longer ICU stays than early DNR patients (7.4 ± 8.1 vs. 19.7 ± 19.2, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical outcomes are not influenced by the time of DNR designation in the medical ICU. The late DNR group is associated with a longer length of ICU stay and a tendency of withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment. However, further studies are needed to clarify the guideline for end-of-life care in critically ill patients.
Advance Directives ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Consent Forms ; Critical Illness* ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Resuscitation Orders* ; Retrospective Studies ; Shock, Septic

No abstract available.
Humans ; Orthognathic Surgery*

Although stroke is a great public health challenge in Korea, there have have been few epidemiologic studies of the risk factors stroke. A case-control study was performed to evaluate the risk factors for hemorrhagic stroke in Wonju, Korea. Ninety-five subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and 102 intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients aged 21-86 years, and 267 controls were recruited among the inpatients of Wonju Christian Hospital during 1994-1995. Information was gathered through interview and examinations. After adjustment for age and sex, family and past history of hypertension, drinking habits, age of menarche, height, weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumference, earlobe crease, prothrombin time, white blood cell count, hemoglobin, and total cholesterol were all found to be significantly associated with both SAH and ICH. The risk factor significantly associated only with ICH was smoking habits. In multiple logistics analyses, the independent risk factors for SAH and ICH were the same. Those included family and past history of hypertension, age of menarche, earlobe crease, prothrombin time, white blood cell count, hemoglobin and total cholesterol. In general, the risk factors for SAH and ICH were similar with each other, except smoking habits. Risk factors found in this study congruent with previous studies were family and past history of hypertension, drinking habits, body mass index, prothrombin time, white blood cell count, and hemoglobin. Those incongruent or rather newly found were age of menarche, a big physique, earlobe crease, and total cholesterol.
Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Cerebral Hemorrhage/etiology* ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/etiology* ; Female ; Human ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Age ; Risk Factors ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage/etiology*

This study was conducted to assess the effects of noise exposure and psychosocial factor on blood pressure in manufacturing workers. The study subjects are 414 workers (243 males, 171 females) employed at the noisy department. The mean age of low exposed group (<85dB) was 34.65+/-9.53 years, and that of high exposed group (> or =85dB) was 36.37+/-11.15 years. The difference in mean age wart not significant. The mean and distribution of working duration, smoking status, drinking status were not significantly different between two groups. The mean systolic blood pressure of the low exposed groups was 120.01+/-12.06 mmHg, and that of high exposed group wart 126.27+/-13.84 mmHg. The mean diastolic blood pressure of the low exposed and the high exposed group were 77.18+/-10.83 mmHg, and 83.46+/-11.22 mmHg respectively. These differences of blood pressure were statistically significant(p<0.05). The workers in noisy department have significantly less work environmental satisfaction, higher job demand, and higher social support. The mean values of psychosocial distress were higher in the workers of the noisy department, but the difference was not statistically significant. This study was to speculate whether the work environmental satisfaction and social supports modify the association between the noise exposure level and the blood pressure. The results showed that work environmental satisfaction could not modify the association between the blood pressure and the noise exposure. Social support at work did not modify the association. Furthermore, we evaluated the high job strain from a combination of high job demand and low job control at work. Compared to the low strain group, the olds ratio of the high job strain group for hypertension in diastolic blood pressure were statistically significant, but not in systolic blood pressure. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to determine whether the independent variables contributed to explaining the blood pressure. After controlling for possible confounders, we found that the noise exposure level was a correlate of the diastolic blood pressure. But no association between the noise exposure level and the systolic blood pressure. No significant result was found for psychosocial factor.
Blood Pressure* ; Drinking ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Noise* ; Psychology* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Warts

Our objective in this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transurethral cord blood stem cell injection for treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women. Between July 2005 and July 2006, 39 women underwent transurethral umbilical cord blood stem cell injection performed by one operator at a single hospital. All patients had stress urinary incontinence. The patients were evaluated 1, 3, and 12 months postoperatively. No postoperative complications were observed. 28 patients (77.8%) were more than 50% satisfied according to the Patient's Satisfaction results after 1 month, 29 patients (83%) were more than 50% satisfied according to the Patient's Satisfaction results after 3 months, and 26 (72.2%) continuously showed more than 50% improvement after 12 months. Intrinsic sphincter deficiency and mixed stress incontinency improved in the ten patients evaluated by urodynamic study. Our results suggest that transurethral umbilical cord blood stem cell injection is an effective treatment for women with all types of stress urinary incontinence.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of present study was to assess the distribution and correlates of obesity in a Korean rural people using both body mass index(BMI) and body fat percent. METHODS: A total of 1,243 participants were recruited using a two-staged stratified sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to ask their sociodemographics (gender, age, marital status, educational background, and etc.) and health-related behaviors (smoking, drinking, and regular exercise etc.). The data of weight-for height, and body fat percent were also collected by physical examination. For the estimation and analysis of correlates of obesity, we used BMI(>or=25kg/m2) and body fat percent(male>or=25%, female>or=30) as a cut-point of obesity. All analyses were stratified to three age groups(>20, 20-39, 40>or=). RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity in this study was higher than that in previous studies. This study showed that 32.6% (male: 33.7%, female: 31.7%) of participants according to BMI, and 45.6% (male: 43.8%, female: 47.4%) of them according to body fat percent were obese group. Logistic regression analysis showed that, in the criteria of BMI, while obesity was associated with female and low educational background under the age of 40, prevalence of obesity was higher in non smokers over the age of 40. In case of body fat percent crteria, single(unmarried, divorced, separated, widowed) were more likely to be obese in male aged 20 to 39 years. In the group aged 40 years and over, risk of obesity was higher in female than in male. CONCLUSION: This result suggests that obesity is common in Korean rural areas, especially among adolescents and female aged 40 years or over, and the risk factors for obesity were different by age. It is required that health management program focusing on obesity and its adverse outcomes should be developed in a community setting.
Adipose Tissue ; Adolescent ; Body Mass Index ; Divorce ; Drinking ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Marital Status ; Obesity* ; Physical Examination ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires

This study was carried out to assess the effect of economic depression on psychosocial distress, and to assess the relationship between differences of psychosocial distress and job characteristics (job strain), and to find out the effect of social support on psychosocial distress. We measured job characteristics(job demand, job control), and social support(coworker support, supervisor supports) at work by a self-administered questionnaire. Psychosocial distress was measured by PWI(Psychosocial Well-being Index), a 45-item self-administered instrument. Among the 152 respondents, the prevalence of high job strain was 27% (41 persons). The Odds ratio of high job strain was 3.11 (95% CI; 2.12~4.11), and those of passive group and active group were 2.01(95% CI; 0.83~2.76) and 1.80(95% CI; 0.83~2.76), respectively. Our results supported the association between psychosocial distress and job strain. The odds ratio of high strain isolates group (high strain group+low social support) was 3.59 (95% CI; 2.05~5.13), but the odds ratio of high strain collective group was 1.32 (95% CI; 0.23~2.41). Social support at work was modifying factor of the association between psychosocial distress and job strain. Therefore we reviewed the evidence that economic depression was associated with psychosocial distress in this study, and that the strength of the social support was important in maintain health.
Data Collection ; Economic Recession* ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to estimate the incidence rate, and to identify the risk factors for the occupational low back pain among shipyard workers. METHODS: The study subjects consisted of 9,784 workers who were employed in a ship-building industry(excluded workers who had a history of low pack pain before 1995 or did not take periodic health examination in 1995). The cases were 220 people who experienced back pain from January 1, 1996 to December 31, 1998. To assess risk factors for occupational low back pain, Cox propotional hazard model was used. RESULTS: During the recent three years from 1996 to 1998, the incidence rate per 1,000 persons was 7. 8 in 1996, 8. 8 in 1997, and 3. 1 in 1998. The main causes of work-related low back pain were sprain, strain and disc herniation. Lifting was the most common cause of back pain(35. 3%), and carrying(10.2%) and pulling(8.0%) were followed. In Cox proportional harzard model, independent risk factors for back pain were body mass index(R.R.; 1.54, 959o C.I.: 1.06-2.25), shift work(R.R.; 1.65, 95% C.I.: 1.19-2.28), and lifting heavy material(R.R. ; 3.95, 95% C.I: 2.29-6.82). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the risk factors of back pain in shipyard workers were body mass index, shift work and lifting.
Back Pain ; Body Mass Index ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Lifting ; Low Back Pain* ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Risk Factors* ; Sprains and Strains

In order to test scaling assumption, and to assess the validity, reliability, and acceptability of the Short Form 36(SF-36) health survey questionnaire, we conducted a survey. Samples were 296 workers who had been employed in small sized companies. All scale passed for item internal consistency(100% sucess rate) and item discriminant validity(100% success rate). Reliability coefficients were ranged from a low of 0.51 to a high of 0.85. For 87.5% of the total workers, inconsistent responses were not observed. Only 3.0% of the total workers failed two or more checks. Factor analysis was performed using principal axis factor method and quartimax rotation. In this survey, the SF-36 retained available psychometric properties even when used in a generally healthy worker group. But further study with some consideration to develope health status measurement is expected ; first, the definition of health status should be rationalized. Second, the measurement of outcome is an important consideration in evaluations of quality of care. But ambiguities hinder understanding of this important topic. Third, internal consistency should be interpreted with caution as an indication reliability because it ignores potentially important sources of variation that can occur over time.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Health Surveys ; Psychometrics ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reproducibility of Results*