BACKGROUND: Weight overestimation of Korean Americans may be associated with dietary habits and preferences for foods and tastes. METHODS: The subjects were 100 Korean Americans in New York City and LA and 100 Koreans in Seoul, who were 20-29 years old. Self-reported questionnaire consisted of age, height, weight, length of residence in US, preferences for 10 foods and 5 tastes, dietary habits and perception of self body image. Korean Americans were further divided into 3 groups according to length of residence in US. RESULTS: More Korean American women underestimated (27.3% vs. 5.8%), and less overestimated their body weights, than Korean women (31.8% vs. 53.8%, P=0.008). Korean Americans who overestimated their own body weights had significantly higher preference for salty taste and significantly lower dietary habit score regarding regular meals. CONCLUSIONS: Overestimation of self body size, rather than longer residence in US may be associated with the undesirable dietary habit and taste preference of Korean Americans, highlighting the importance of correct body image.
Asian Americans ; Body Image ; Body Size ; Body Weight ; Female ; Food Habits ; Food Preferences ; Humans ; New York City ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the association among sexual double standard, dating violence recognition, and sexual assertiveness among Korean university students. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional survey study in January 2018, Korean university students (N = 322, years; 54.3% female) completed structured questionnaires with the double standard scale, dating violence recognition index, and sexual assertiveness index. The relationship among the variables was analyzed with Pearson's correlations and multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: There were significant correlations among sexual double standard, dating violence recognition, and sexual assertiveness. Sexual double standard (β = .12, p = .043) was determined to influence dating violence recognition. In addition, gender (β = .63, p < .001) and sexual double standard (β = .11, p = .015) were determined to influence dating violence recognition; the explanatory power was 43%. CONCLUSION: These findings will serve as a basis for the development of education programs that help university students to establish appropriate sexual values and enjoy a healthy sex life.
Assertiveness ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education ; Humans ; Intimate Partner Violence ; Korea ; Reproductive Health ; Sexual Behavior ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing resilience in breast cancer patients. METHODS: The data were collected using structured questionnaires from 106 breast cancer patients who are members of a self-help group. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression in SPSS WIN version 21.0. RESULTS: Resilience was significantly negatively correlated to depression and positively correlated to hope and family support. However, resilience was not significantly correlated to anxiety. In the regression analysis, factors influencing resilience were reported as hope, religion, lymph node metastasis, surgery side, and time since surgery, which explained 34.1% of the variation. CONCLUSION: The resilience scores of women with breast cancer were higher when depression was lower, hope was higher, and greater family support. This means that reducing depression and increasing hope and family support are necessary when developing and implementing nursing interventions. The results of this study also show the importance of hope in explaining resilience in patients with breast cancer. Therefore, nurses should focus on encouraging hope when they develop programs in order to implement more effective interventions to improve breast cancer patients' resilience.
Anxiety ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Depression ; Female ; Hope ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Nursing ; Self-Help Groups

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Obesity is globally a major public health issue. Evidence suggests that elevated ferritin levels are associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. This study was undertaken to examine the relationship between the serum ferritin level and depression in Korean male adults with respect to classification of the prevailing obesity. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This was a case-control study; subjects were classified into obese group (≥ 25.0 kg/m2, 28 subjects) and normal group (18.5–22.9 kg/m2, 27 subjects). A survey was conducted to assess the depression levels as per the guidelines suggested by the Center program for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D). Blood was collected from each group for assessing biomarkers, and isolated plasma was evaluated for fasting glucose, insulin, quantitative insulin sensitivity check index, and ferritin levels. Data were analyzed, and groups were compared with respect to Body Mass Index (BMI), depression scale and biomarkers. RESULTS: The average depression score of the obesity group was 16.86, which was higher than the normal group (12.56). Subjects scoring more than 16 points comprised 53.6% of the population in the obese group, which was more than double that in the normal group, as assessed by the CES-D program. Furthermore, the serum ferritin level of the obesity group was 207.12 ng/mL, which was higher than that of the normal group (132.66 ng/mL). Lastly, the BMI appeared to be significantly correlated with both depression (r = 0.320, P = 0.017) and elevated ferritin levels (r = 0.352, P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of existing correlation between ferritin and depression with obesity.
Adult ; Biomarkers ; Body Mass Index ; Case-Control Studies ; Classification ; Depression ; Dyslipidemias ; Fasting ; Ferritins ; Glucose ; Humans ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Male ; Obesity ; Plasma ; Public Health

Purpose: This study investigated the association between adolescent health behaviors (drinking, smoking, and drug use) and sexual intercourse, as well as the moderating effects of economic status, cohabitation with parents, and school type, among adolescents in Korea. Methods: Secondary data from the 16th Adolescent Health Behavior Survey (2020) were used. A total of 395 schools and 54,948 middle and high school students participated in the study. Complex sample frequency analysis, the Rao–Scott test, and complex sample logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Sexual intercourse rates for men and women were 5.8% and 3.3%, respectively. Approximately 7.3% of high school students and 1.8% of middle school students reported having had sexual relations. Drinking (odds ratio [OR] = 3.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.82~3.52), smoking (OR = 6.75, 95% CI = 5.90~7.71), and drug use (OR = 3.03, 95% CI = 2.23~4.11) significantly increased the risk of sexual intercourse. Economic status and school type had moderating effects on the association between drinking and sexual intercourse. Conclusion Adolescent drinking, smoking, and drug use are associated with a higher risk of sexual experience. Thus, to reduce this risk, controlling alcohol consumption, smoking, and drug use is necessary. In addition, programs for healthy lifestyles and sexual intercourse should be differentiated according to the school type and the economic conditions of the adolescents’ households.

Background: This study examined the effect of having a usual source of care on the degree of patient-centered communication among persons with disability. The role of the usual source of care has been emphasized to improve patient experience, especially for patients with complex health conditions. Methods: This study used the 2017–2018 Korean Health Panel data, and the final study observations were 22,475 (20,806 people without disability and 1,669 people with disability). We applied generalized estimating equation model to show the effect of having a usual source of care on patient-centered communication, and subgroup analysis considering the types and severity of disabilities. Results: Persons who have disabilities, compared with ones without it, significantly had more usual sources of care (32.4% vs. 24.6%). By type of disability, persons with mental (51.4%), internal organ (43.8%), visual (37%), and physical disabilities (31.6%) had more usual sources of care than hearing/speech (26.6%), and developmental disabilities (18.6%). The average score of patient-centered communication was higher among who had a usual sources of care (3.2 vs. 2.7), and the regression analysis showed that having a usual sources of care was positively associated with higher patient-centered communication score (β=0.476, p<0.05). However, the positive effects of usual sources of care was not observed among persons with severe hearing/speech, developmental, and mental disabilities. Conclusion This study showed that role of patient-centered communication was limited in persons with severe hearing/speech disabilities, developmental, and mental disabilities. The education programs and supports are needed to improve communication skills between medical staff and persons with specific types of disabilities.

PURPOSE: Brain metastases are the most frequent metastatic neurologic complication of systemic cancer. Even if the prognosis of brain metastases is grave, with available treatments, most patients experience effective palliation of neurologic symptoms and meaningful extension of life. We evaluated the clinical features and prognostic factors of the patients who were diagnosed as solid tumors with brain metastasis and received radiotherapy for brain metastases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1987 and January 1998, 71 patients with brain metastases from solid malignancy were included. We reviewed neurologic symptoms and signs of patients and evaluated improvememt of neurologic symptoms and signs. Survival durations after brain metastasis were analysed according to several factors such as age, performance status, primary malignancies, the presence of brain metastasis at initial diagnosis of primary tumor, multiplicity of brain metastass, the presence of metastases other than brain, and treatment method. RESULTS: Frequent symptoms associated with brain metastasis were headache (47.9%), motor weakness (40.8%), nausea and vomiting (19.7%) and mental change (19.7%). Palliation of these symptoms was accomplished in 64.9% of cases. The overall median survival time was 16 weeks and 1- and 2-year survival rates were 15.0% and 5.1% respectively. Patients without extracranial metastases (n=27) had longer median survival than patients with extracranial metastases (33 weeks vs 10 weeks, p=0.0018). In patients with single brain metastasis (n=37), the median survival time was longer in patients treated with surgery plus radiotherapy than in patients treated with radiotherapy alone (40 weeks vs 16 weeks, p=0.0438). CONCLUSION: Patients who has brain metastases only constitute a prognostically favorable group and they may be benefited from radiotherapy and surgery if indicated.
Brain* ; Diagnosis ; Headache ; Humans ; Nausea ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy* ; Survival Rate ; Vomiting

Methotrexate is the most widely used intrathecal antineoplastic agent and is potentially neurotoxic. Accidental intrathecal overdose of methotrexate can produce severe and life-threatening toxicities. A 17-year-old girl with acute lymphocytic leukemia, in complete remission, inadvertently received a 10-fold overdose of intrathecal methotrexate instead of intended dose (100mg vs 10mg). Exchange of lumbar cerebrospinal fluid with normal saline via intrathecal indwelling catheter was started 2 hours later. Leucovorin and dexamethasone were given intravenously. After exchange of cerebrospinal fluid, the total amount of methotrexate removed was about 37mg. Cerebrospinal fluid and plasma methotrexate levels at 18 hours were about 3- to 5- fold higher than those previously reported in patients following standard dose of intrathecal methotrexate who did not develop neurotoxicity. But no methotrexate induced neurologic sequelae were observed in this patient. CSF exchange is a simple and effective method for the treatment of acute intrathecal methotrexate overdose.
Adolescent ; Catheters, Indwelling ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Dexamethasone ; Female ; Humans ; Leucovorin ; Methotrexate* ; Plasma ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma*

Malnutrition is a common problem in hospital settings. A poor nutritional status has been associated with higher rates of infection, poor wound healing, longer hospital stays, and higher hospital costs. Therefore, early recognition and timely treatment of malnutrition is vital. To identify malnourished individuals or those at risk of becoming malnourished, selecting and validated a uniform screening tool is clearly an important issue. Both the Nutritional Risk Screening-2002 (NRS-2002) and Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) are recommended by the European Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ESPEN) for a hospital setting. For older patients, the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) is the recommended tool. Short Nutrition Assessment Questionnaire (SNAQ) and Malnutrition Screening Tools (MST) are brief and simple screening tools that use self-reported queries of variables that include weight loss and poor appetite. On the other hand, many of those require considerable time and labor to administer and may not be highly applicable to a Korean population. In Korea, most hospitals use a computerized nutritional screening system with a self-developed nutrition screening index. The variables for the tools, which are based on each hospital setting, include the objective data available in the patient's medical records and limited information collected from the nursing admission questionnaire. The application of different tools hampers any comparison of the malnutrition prevalence between different settings and patients groups. In addition, the absence of a widely accepted malnutrition screening tool hinders both effective recognition and the treatment of malnutrition. Therefore, the development of uniform and valid screening tools and effective nutritional support programs for Korean malnourished patients is needed.
Appetite ; Enteral Nutrition ; Hand ; Hospital Costs ; Humans ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Malnutrition ; Mass Screening* ; Medical Records ; Nursing ; Nutrition Assessment ; Nutritional Status ; Nutritional Support ; Prevalence ; Weight Loss ; Wound Healing