BACKGROUND: A survey is the only direct way of determining the distribution of behavioral risk factors among a population. The department of Family Medicine in Seoul national university hospital adopted telephone interviewing for collecting information about behavioral risk factors of Koreans. Because methodological aspect of telephone survey is different according to the telephone and communication environment of the area in which the survey would be held, we tried to figure out adequate methodological aspects of a telephone survey on the behavioral r isk factor in Korea. METHODS: We sampled telephone numbers from the telephone number database which is supported by Infornet Ltd. with stratified cluster random sampling method and selected respondent by using algorithm of Kish. 13 part-time job interviewers were trained for 6 hours and then interviews were made in a fixed area for the time assigned. RESULTS: 13 interviewers tried to do 1,826 interviews for 4 weeks. Sociodemographic characteristics of respondents were compared with the census estimates and another face to face interview and there were no significant differences. A response rate of 79.8%, refusal rate of 12.9% and interview efficiency of 58.1% were obtained, yielding 1060 completed interview. A total of 28,830 person minutes of interview time were spent on the survey with an average of 27.2 minutes per completed interview. CONCLUSIONS: Sampling method using the telephone number database could be used keeping the representativeness of the samples and telephone survey was considered to be reliable and affordable method for determining the prevalence of behavioral risk factors in Korea.
Censuses ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Disulfiram ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Korea* ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors* ; Seoul ; Telephone*

25 males, aged 40-60 years, who participated in aerobic-type exercise on moderate intensity(60~85% of MHR), 3~5 days a week for 6~12 months were selected. Data were obtained at pre- and post-participation of tranining period for height, weight, girths of chest and abdomen, body fat, BP, HR, serum cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, glucose, uric acid, BP and HR during graded treadmil exercise, and VO2max. After training for average 38.4 weeks, significant reductions occured in percent of body fat, HR and SBP both at rest and exercise, triglyceride, but not in cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol. And DBP, HDL-cholesterol were elevated. VO2max was increased apparantly by 16.4%. From the results was concluded that training of aerobic exercise could reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 1) decreasing myocaridal oxygen demand, 2) improving on lipid profile, 3) increasing cardiac work capacity.
Abdomen ; Adipose Tissue ; Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Disease ; Exercise* ; Glucose ; Humans ; Male ; Oxygen ; Risk Factors* ; Thorax ; Triglycerides ; Uric Acid

No abstract available.

Korean Ginseng (Panax C.A. Meyer) has survived empirical efficacy as tonic and geriatric agents for several thousands of years in oriental herbal medicine. But there has been numerous controversial reports about its use in aged hypertensive men due to its allegedly hypertensive effects. Therefore, the author conducted the pharmacological studies of Korean Ginseng extracts on the blood pressure and blood lipid metabolism, during development of hypertension, using SHR(Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat), counterpart model of human essential hypertension. The results obtained were as follows: 1. SHR could be grouped, according to their age, as prehypertensive stage(<6th week after birth), labile hypertensive stage(6th 14th week), early established hypertensive stage(14th-20th week), and late established hypertensive stage(>20th week). 2. Plasma renin activity tended to rise steadily, until established hypertensive stage was reached. Thereafter, plasma renin activity tended to decline. 3. The changes of blood pressure due to Ginseng extract, depended on the amount, route and duration of its administration. Low dose of Ginseng tended to increase blood pressure but high dose of Ginseng tended to decrease blood pressure, until 1 week of intraperitonal administration. But prolonged administration of Ginseng extract beyond 1 week, showed delayed hypertensive effect in the intraperitoneal administration but not in oral administration. 4. SHR seemed to have abnormalities in the lipid metabolism. SHR showed lowered level of serum cholesterol and phospholipid, whereas slightly higher level of triglyceride, and showed lower alpha-lipoprotin fraction but higher pre beta-lipoprotein fraction, as compared with NCR.(=Normal Control Rat). 5. When high fat cholesterol salt diet was fed on, it was possible to indece hyperlidemia and increment of hypertension in SHR. but when high fat cholesterol salt diet and Ginseng extract were fed on concomitantly, Ginseng showed significant inhibiting effect on the development of hyperlidemia and hypertension.
Administration, Oral ; Blood Pressure* ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Lipid Metabolism* ; Male ; Panax* ; Plasma ; Rats, Inbred SHR* ; Renin ; Triglycerides

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Korea*

BACKGROUND: Hypothyroidism may be involved in a significant portion of the causes of hypercholesterolemia in Korea. In this study, we determined the frequency of suspected hypothyroidism in hypercholesterolemic patients and compared the frequency of elevated thyrotropin levels among the groups with various total cholesterol levels. METHODS: The study subjects were healthy, asymptomatic people who visited Health Promotion Center of Seoul National University Hospital. We excluded subjects with history of hypertension, DM and hypothyroidism. The study subjects underwent physical examination and filled out a questionnaire on health risk factors. Also blood chemistry and thyroid function test were done. RESULTS: Among 6479 subjects, 194(2.99%) had elevated(>4.1 microIU/ml) thyrotropin levels. Among the hypercholesterolemic(> or=240mg/dl) patients(n=868), 40(4.60%) had elevated thyrotropin levels. And there was statistically significant difference between normal cholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic subjects(P<0.05). Among the patients with total cholesterol above 280mg/dl (n=180), 15(8.33%) had elevated thyrotropin levels. As amount of the total cholesterol increased, the frequency of elevated thyrotropin levels Increased(P=0.001). And this result was consistent following adjustment for age, sex, BMI, smoking and drinking status(P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Practicing physicians should be aware of the possibility of secondary hypercholesterolemia due to hypothyroidism and keep in mind the importance of evaluating TSH level.
Chemistry ; Cholesterol* ; Drinking ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hypertension ; Hypothyroidism ; Korea ; Physical Examination ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyrotropin* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Iron*

BACKGROUND: Although lack of exercise is well known to be a risk factor of osteoporosis, it is unclear whether weight-bearing exercise has different effects on bone mineral density compared to non weight-bearing exercise, and the amount of exercise needed to prevent osteoporosis is not clearly defined. This study was performed to clarify the relations between the type and the amount of exercise with BMD. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of 3,661 women who had undertaken health screening including BMD measurement at Health Promotion Center of SNUH between May 1997 and March 1999. Information on sociodemographic characteristics, menarche, childbirth andexercise were gathered by means of self-reported questionnaire, and BMD was measured using DEXA. RESULTS: The number of women with lumbar osteoporosis were 601 (16.4%) and femoral neck osteoporosis 372 (10.2%). Lumbar osteoporosis occurred more frequently with increasing age and age at menarche, and in menopausal women, but less frequently with increasing fat-free mass in multiple logistic regression analysis. When adjusted for age, age at menarche, menopause and fat-free mass, lumbar osteoporosis was less common in women who exercised, but the type and the amount of exercise had no bearing. Especially, lumbar osteoporosis was least common in women engaging in moderate amount of exercise. Femoral neck osteoporosis decreased significantly only in weight-bearing exercise group and in women engaging in high amount of exercise. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that lumbar osteoporosis can be prevented through exercise regardless of its type and amount, and high amount or weight- bearing exercise is most effective to prevent femoral neck osteoporosis.
Adult* ; Body Composition ; Bone Density* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Femur Neck ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Mass Screening ; Menarche ; Menopause ; Osteoporosis ; Parturition ; Risk Factors ; Weight-Bearing ; Surveys and Questionnaires