Objectives: This study aims to compare changes in physical factors, health behaviors, eating habits, and nutritional intake among Korean male and female adults over a period of three years (2019–2021) before and after the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: This study utilized raw data from the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019–2021). The participants in this study included 6,235 individuals in 2019, 5,865 individuals in 2020, and 5,635 individuals in 2021. Individuals whose daily energy intake was less than 500 kcal or exceeded 5,000 kcal were excluded from the study. Results: In comparison to 2019, overweight/obesity rates, weight, waist circumference, weekend sleep hours, and resistance exercise days/week increased in both male and female during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding eating habits, the proportions of people skipping breakfast, not eating out, consuming health supplements, and recognizing nutritional labels increased in 2020 and 2021, whereas the rate of skipping dinner decreased. Total energy intake has continued to decrease for the two years since 2019. A comparison of nutrient intake per 1,000 kcal before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 revealed that intake of nutrients, including protein, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, riboflavin, and niacin increased, while folic acid intake decreased. In male, calcium, phosphorus, riboflavin, and niacin intakes increased, whereas iron, vitamin C, and folic acid intakes decreased. In female, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, and riboflavin intake increased significantly, while protein and niacin intake decreased significantly. Conclusions After COVID-19, the obesity rate, breakfast skipping rate, health supplement intake, and nutritional label use increased, while the frequency of eating out, dinner skipping rate, and total energy intake decreased. These environmental changes and social factors highlight the need for nutritional education and management to ensure proper nutritional intake and reduce obesity rates in the post-COVID-19 era.

Background: Morbidly adherent placenta (MAP) may cause life-threatening postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) requiring massive transfusions. Furthermore, it could endanger the lives of both mother and baby. Despite various efforts, such as adjuvant endovascular embolization and hysterectomy, massive PPH due to MAP still occurs and is difficult to overcome. Case: Herein, we described the case of a 40-year-old woman with placenta previa totalis who experienced massive bleeding during a cesarean section. We used resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) and it improved the condition of the surgical field and the hemodynamic stability of the patient temporarily. The patient was successfully managed without further complications. Conclusions REBOA can be used as a rescue procedure for uncontrolled bleeding situations in patients with MAPs. Anesthesiologists should consider and recommend REBOA as another resuscitative therapeutic option in the case of massive PPH.

The Korean influenza national immunization program was first established as an interim program in 1997, administering the influenza vaccine to low-income elderly adults. In 2005, the program assumed its present form of providing free influenza vaccination to adults aged ≥65 years. After turning over the influenza vaccination for elderly adults to the private sectors in 2015, the influenza vaccination coverage rate among this population increased to >80%. In addition, after the 2009 H1N1 influenza epidemic crisis, the vaccine was domestically produced. By reaching a 75% vaccination coverage rate in the target groups, it was possible to put an end to the influenza pandemic and fix the shortcomings of the system that existed at that time. The influenza vaccination program, provided free of cost, was extended to include infants aged < 12 months in 2016 and ≤59 months in 2017 in order to reduce the influenza burden in these populations. However, the vaccine effectiveness remains low despite the high vaccination rates in elderly adults. Therefore, several areas, such as the adoption of quadrivalent influenza vaccine, adjuvanted influenza vaccine, and high-dose influenza vaccine and the expansion of vaccination target groups, still need to be addressed.
Adult ; Aged ; Humans ; Immunization Programs* ; Immunization* ; Infant ; Influenza Vaccines ; Influenza, Human* ; Korea ; Pandemics ; Private Sector ; Vaccination

Background: In February 2020, a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was reported in fitness centers in Cheonan, Korea. Methods: From February 24 to March 13, an epidemiological investigation was conducted on the fitness center outbreak. All those who were screened were tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Contacts were traced and self-isolated for 14 days. We determined the epidemiological characteristics of confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and estimated the time-dependent reproduction number to assess the transmission dynamics of the infection. Results: A total of 116 cases were confirmed, and 1,687 contacts were traced. The source cases were 8 Zumba instructors who led aerobics classes in 10 fitness centers, and had the largest average number of contacts. A total of 57 Zumba class participants, 37 of their family members, and 14 other contacts were confirmed as cases. The attack rate was 7.3%. The contacts at Zumba classes and homes had a higher attack rate than other contacts. The mean serial interval (± standard deviation) were estimated to be 5.2 (± 3.8) days. The time-dependent reproduction number was estimated to be 6.1 at the beginning of the outbreak, but it dropped to less than 1, 2 days after the epidemiological investigation was launched. Conclusion The results suggest that the COVID-19 outbreak was effectively contained with rigorous contact tracing, isolating, and testing in combination with social distancing without a lock-down.

In 2017, the Korean government launched an unprecedentedly large-scaled latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening project which covered more than a million individuals in congregate settings. A total of 1,047,689 participants of source population (n = 2,336,157) underwent LTBI testing from 2017 to 2018. The overall LTBI test uptake rate during this project was 44.8%. Workers in daycare centers (83.5%) and kindergartens (78.9%) showed high participation rate. A total of 1,012,206 individuals with valid results of interferongamma release assay (IGRA) were selected to constitute the IGRA cohort. Most of the enrolled participants in the IGRA cohort were in their working age. Approximately, threequarters of total enrolled population were female. Investigating the LTBI prevalence, stages of LTBI care cascade, natural history of LTBI, efficacy of LTBI treatment and cost-effectiveness of LTBI screening are feasible within this IGRA cohort.

In 2017, the Korean government launched an unprecedentedly large-scaled latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening project which covered more than a million individuals in congregate settings. A total of 1,047,689 participants of source population (n = 2,336,157) underwent LTBI testing from 2017 to 2018. The overall LTBI test uptake rate during this project was 44.8%. Workers in daycare centers (83.5%) and kindergartens (78.9%) showed high participation rate. A total of 1,012,206 individuals with valid results of interferongamma release assay (IGRA) were selected to constitute the IGRA cohort. Most of the enrolled participants in the IGRA cohort were in their working age. Approximately, threequarters of total enrolled population were female. Investigating the LTBI prevalence, stages of LTBI care cascade, natural history of LTBI, efficacy of LTBI treatment and cost-effectiveness of LTBI screening are feasible within this IGRA cohort.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of restrictive ventilatory defect and to determine the risk factors in subjects with spirometrically-defined restrictive ventilatory defect. We used the population-based, fourth-2, 3 (2008, 2009) and fifth (2010-2012) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) to analyze 15,073 subjects, aged > or =40 yr who underwent spirometry. Chest radiographs were also analyzed to identify restrictive lung disease. Spirometrically-defined restrictive ventilatory defect (FEV1/FVC> or =70% and FVC<80% of mean predicted value) was detected in 11.3% (n= 1,709) of subjects aged > or =40 yr. The prevalence increased to 12.3% on using the lower limit of normal (LLN) criteria. Approximately 99.4% of subjects were classified as mild restrictive. Among these, 11.3% had inactive tuberculosis (TB) lesion, 2.2% cardiac disease, 2.0% previous operation scar or radiation injury and/or mediastinal disease, and 7.4% other pulmonary disease suggestive of restrictive lung diseases on chest radiograph. Evidence of previous TB history was independently associated with restrictive ventilatory defect (odds ratios [OR], 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.45-2.18) after adjustment for gender, age, smoking, area for residence and body mass index. The prevalence of restrictive ventilatory defect among the nationwide population in Korea was 11.3% with fixed ratio criterion and 12.3% with LLN criterion. Most cases were of the mild restrictive category and previous TB history is the independent risk factor for restrictive ventilatory defect.
Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Educational Status ; Female ; Health Care Surveys ; Housing ; Humans ; Income ; Lung Diseases, Obstructive/*diagnosis/*epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Reproducibility of Results ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sex Distribution ; Smoking/*epidemiology ; Spirometry/*statistics & numerical data