BACKGROUND: Given the important repercussions that sociodemographic factors can have on physical activity, especially in the field of leisure, and cardiometabolic risk, it seems relevant to analyze the implications of these variables on the relationship between physical activity in leisure time (LTPA) and cardiometabolic risk. In this sense, the present study aims to verify the moderating role of biologic and socioeconomic factors in the relationship between LTPA and cardiometabolic risk in adolescents in southern Brazil. METHODS: Cross-sectional study that included 1596 adolescents selected at random (58.2% girls), aged between 10 and 17 years. LTPA, biological and socioeconomic factors were assessed using a self-reported questionnaire and the cardiometabolic risk score (total cholesterol/HDL-c ratio, triglycerides, fasting glucose, systolic blood pressure, and waist circumference, considering the participant's age and sex) was included as an outcome. Associations and moderations were tested by multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: It was observed a positive interaction of LTPA and sex (p = 0.048) and LTPA and school system (p = 0.037), and negative interaction of LTPA and skin color (p = 0.040), indicating that these factors were moderators in the relationship between LTPA and clustered cardiometabolic risk score (cMetS) in adolescents. A reduction in cardiometabolic risk was observed according to the increase in weekly minutes of LTPA among boys, non-white adolescents, and students from municipal schools. CONCLUSIONS The association between LTPA and cardiometabolic risk was moderated by sex, skin color, and school system in adolescents from southern Brazil.
Adolescent ; Age Factors ; Brazil/epidemiology* ; Cardiometabolic Risk Factors ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Effect Modifier, Epidemiologic ; Exercise ; Female ; Humans ; Leisure Activities ; Male ; Sex Factors ; Skin Pigmentation ; Socioeconomic Factors

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is an acquired disorder with destruction of melanocytes and clinically characterized by a progressive clinical course. OBJECTIVE: The significance of various epidemiological factors related to the progression of vitiligo were investigated. METHODS: A clinical study was done on 400 patients who had visited the Vitiligo Clinic of Severance Hospital. Questionaires regarding progression, sex, family history, clinical type, Koebner's isomorphic phenomenon, onset age, and duration of disease were recorded. RESULTS: There was significant progression of vitiligo in patients with family history, nonsegmental type, Koebner's isomorphic phenomenon and long duration. CONCLUSION: Some epidemiologic factors are relevant in predicting the progression of vitiligo.
Age of Onset ; Epidemiologic Factors ; Humans ; Melanocytes ; Vitiligo*

Bias ; Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Epidemiologic Methods ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo establish a new method on stratification analysis when the stratification limits of confounding factors was not clear or contradictory.

METHODData on a study of diabetes mellitus in Guangdong province collected in the year of 1997 and 1998 was analyzed using cluster-stratification analysis.

RESULTSThe efficiency of stratification analysis was improved and the confounding bias was effectively controlled with information bias avoided when the clusters-stratification analysis was applied.

CONCLUSIONThe problem was logically solved using cluster analysis as an assistant stratification means.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Bias ; China ; epidemiology ; Cluster Analysis ; Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Diabetes Mellitus ; epidemiology ; Epidemiologic Methods ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Reproducibility of Results ; Risk Factors

Many studies have investigated the prevalence of neck pain (NP) and its risk factors in the general population. However, the prevalence of NP among athletes has not yet been systematically investigated. We aimed to systematically review the prevalence of NP in athletes. A comprehensive search was conducted in September 2015 using PubMed, Ovid SP Medline, ISI, and Google Scholar. We included studies in English that reported the prevalence of NP in an athletic population during a defined period of time. We assessed the risk of bias in studies due to various definitions of NP, response rates, and reliability of the study instruments. Two reviewers independently assessed the studies' quality and performed data extraction. Of 1,675 titles identified, eight articles were assessed for risk of bias, and six with low or moderate risk were included. NP was shown to be prevalent in athletes, with a 1-week prevalence ranging from 8% to 45%, a 1-year prevalence ranging from 38% to 73%, and a lifetime prevalence of about 48%. The prevalence of NP in athletes is high. More studies regarding the prevalence and risk factors of NP may be useful for planning educational programs and developing appropriate rehabilitation protocols and preventive guidelines. Researchers are encouraged to perform epidemiologic studies in athletes with a low risk of bias.
Athletes ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Humans ; Neck Pain ; Neck ; Prevalence ; Rehabilitation ; Risk Factors ; Sports

We performed a epidemiologic study to find a prevalence and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy. We reviewed 130 diabetic patients who had been performed the fundus examination for the first time for retinopathy at the ophthalmic department of Chung Ang university hospital from March 1993 to December 1993. We studied epidemiologic work-up sheet and performed ophthalmic and laboratory examination. The patients' ages ranged from 25 to 81 years, with an average age of 58.9 years. The age, sex, intraocular pressure, fasting blood sugar, post cibos 2 hours (Pc2hrs), age of onset, residence, smoking, alcohol drinking, diet pattern, blood type, treatment method and menstruation status were not significantly correlated with prevalence of diabetic retinopathy statistically(p>0.05). But the duration of diabetes(p<0.01), glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1C) and cataract operation(p<0.05) were significantly correlated with diabetic retinopathy statisically. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was 28.5%(background changes in 21.5%, preproliferative changes in 4.6% and proliferative change in 2.4%). The mean interval between diagnosis of diabetes and the first examination of retinopathy was 6.62 years.
Age of Onset ; Alcohol Drinking ; Blood Glucose ; Cataract ; Diabetic Retinopathy* ; Diagnosis ; Diet ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Fasting ; Female ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Menstruation ; Prevalence* ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking

PURPOSE: Buerger's disease (Thromboangiitis obliterans, TAO) is characterized by non- atheromatous inflammatory disease, and segmental inflammatory thrombotic occlusions of the small & middle-sized arteries and veins of the upper or lower extremities. Any epidemiological study of Buerger's disease in Korea has not been carried out until now. This study was undertaken to investigate the incidence of Buerger's disease in Korea among the patients suffering with arterial disease. METHODS: We collected and analyzed the data on 11,128 patients who were admitted to or visited the participating 22 hospitals for chronic arterial diseases throughout the major region of the South Korea from January 1986 to December 2003. The clinical diagnostic inclusion criteria for Buerger's disease were the followings: (1) a history of smoking or tobacco abuse; (2) an age of onset less than 50 years; (3) infrapopliteal, segmental arterial occlusions with sparing of the proximal vasculature; (4) frequent distal upper extremity arterial involvement (Raynaud's syndrome or digital ulceration) or-superficial phlebitis; and (5) the absence of arteriosclerotic risk factors other than smoking. RESULTS: The incidence rate of Buerger's disease among the arterial disease (11,128 patients) was 93 patients (0.83%) when the strict criteria of Shionoya was applied. 699 male-patients (6.55%) and 30 female patients (4.12%) who met the less strict criteria (the extended clinical diagnostic criteria group) were also reviewed. The 4th and 5th decades were the most common ages with-249 patients (34.2%) and 222 patients (30.5%) respectively, being found at these ages. The mean age was 40.4+/-1.6 years (age range: 16~83 years) and this was similar in both the strict criteria group and the less strict criteria group. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests there was a low incidence of Buerger's disease in Korea among the patients who visited the participating hospitals when the strict diagnostic criteria were used. The incidence was lower than expected even when the less strict criteria were used. The more accurate incidence of Buerger's disease among the general population can be obtained by performing careful prospective study that is participated in by not only vascular surgeons, but also the other medical specialists with utilizing the strict diagnostic criteria.
Age of Onset ; Arteries ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea* ; Lower Extremity ; Phlebitis ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Specialization ; Thromboangiitis Obliterans* ; Tobacco ; Upper Extremity ; Veins

Population attributable fraction (PAF) is an important public health parameter that is familiar to epidemiologists. The calculation of PAF is frequently based on the relative risk (RR) of a risk factor for a certain disease and the prevalence of exposure to the risk factor in the total population (Pe). We introduce here the method for making a nomogram linking PAF to RR and Pe. The nomogram will be very handy for public health professionals in estimating PAF quickly and accurately when information on RR and Pe is available.
Epidemiologic Methods ; Humans ; Risk Factors

The medical records of inpatients with diagnoses of either ICD-9 193(malignant neoplasm of the thyroid gland) or 226(benign neoplasm of the thyroid gland) in the claims sent in by medical care institutions throughout the country, to the Korea Medical Insurance Corporation (KMIC) during the period from January 1, 1986 to December 31, 1987 were abstracted. These records were abstracted in order to identify and confirm new cases of thyroid cancer among the beneficiaries of the KMIC. Using these data, the incidence rate of thyroid cancer among Koreans was estimated as of July 1, 1986 through June 30, 1987. The crude rates were estimated to be 0.76(95% Cl: 0.63-0.87) and 3.87(95% Cl: 3.60-4.14) per 100,000 in males and females, respectively, and the cumulative rates for the age spans 0-64 and 0-74 in males were 0.06% and 1.10%, respectively. In females, those were equally 0.35%. The age-adjusted rate for the world population was 0.93 per 100,000 in males, which is one of the lowest levels in the world. However, the adjusted rate in females was 3.96 per 100,000, which is an average level and very similar to that of the Chinese in Singapore and Shanghai. A similar tendency was shown in the case of the truncated rates for the age group of 35-64, which was 1.91 per 100,000 in males and 8.82 per 100,000 in females.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Epidemiologic Factors ; Female ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sex Factors ; Thyroid Neoplasms/*epidemiology/pathology

Although overweight/obesity is a major risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, there is increasing evidence that overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus experience lower mortality compared with patients of normal weight. This paradoxical finding, known as the “obesity paradox,” occurs in other chronic diseases, and in type 2 diabetes mellitus is particularly perplexing given that lifestyle intervention with one goal being weight reduction is an important feature of the management of this condition. We summarize in this review the findings from clinical and epidemiologic studies that have investigated the association between overweight and obesity (usually assessed using body mass index [BMI]) and mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus and discuss potential causes of the obesity paradox. We conclude that most studies show evidence of an obesity paradox, but important conflicting findings still exist. We also evaluate if potential bias might explain the obesity paradox in diabetes, including, for example, the presence of confounding factors, measurement error due to use of BMI as an index of obesity, and reverse causation.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Body Mass Index ; Chronic Disease ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Life Style ; Mortality ; Obesity* ; Overweight ; Risk Factors ; Weight Loss