PURPOSE: This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of an internet community on knowledge, self-efficacy, and self-care behavior in workers with hypertension. METHOD: The research design used was a nonequivalent control group pre-test and post-test design. Sixty hypertensive workers participated in this study(Exp.=29, Cont.=31). The data was collected from the 3rd of November 2003 to the 27th of February 2004 using an interview with questionnaires. Information related to hypertension was provided on the internet community weekly and an e-mail newsletter was sent in order to increase participation in the internet community. We used a tool developed by Park Young-Im(1994) that measured knowledge related to hypertension and self-efficacy. A tool developed by Jung Mi-Young(2001) was used for self-care behavior. The collected data was analyzed with an chi2-test and t-test using the SPSS WIN 10.0 program. RESULT: The internet community helped workers with hypertension to increase their knowledge related to hypertension, as well as increasing their self-efficacy and self-care behavior. CONCLUSION: An internet community could be applied as hypertensive nursing intervention.
*Self Efficacy ; *Self Care ; Patient Education ; Male ; *Internet ; Hypertension/*psychology ; Humans ; *Health Behavior ; Electronic Mail ; Adult

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with sexual debut among Korean middle school students. METHODS: From the database of the Eighth Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS), the researchers selected 37,297 middle school students aged 12-15 years. Data were analyzed using chi2 test and multiple logistic regression with the SPSS WIN 18.0 program. RESULTS: The proportion of middle school students who had a sexual debut was 2.1% of boys and 1.5% of girls. In multiple regression analysis, economic status, experience of part time work, smoking, drug use and depression were associated with an increased proportion of sexual intercourse for both boys and girls. Living with parents, drinking alcohol and suicidal ideation were associated with sexual debut for boys only. By contrast, formal sexual education was associated with a reduced risk of sexual debut. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show the factors associated with sexual debut among Korean middle school students. Gender-related interventions should be taken into consideration in school sexual education programmes, because of differences in related factors according to gender.
Adolescent ; Coitus ; Depression ; Drinking ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Parents ; Risk-Taking ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Suicidal Ideation

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare health risk behaviors among adolescents according to whether or not the parents were born in South Korea. METHODS: From the database of the ninth Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS), the researchers classify adolescents into four groups: those whose parents were both native Korean, those whose mother only was a native Korean, those whose father only was a native Korean, and those whose parents were both foreign-born. Data were analyzed using chi2-test and multiple logistic regression with the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. RESULTS: The adolescents with a foreign-born mother were less likely to smoke and drink alcohol than those with native Korean parents, but for other health risk behaviors the two groups were similar to each other. The adolescents with a foreign-born father were at a greater risk of drug use, intercourse, depression and violence at school than those with native Korean parents. The adolescents whose parents were born abroad were at a greater risk of smoking, drug use, intercourse, depression, suicidal ideation and violence at school than those with native Korean parents. CONCLUSION: Health promotion approaches differentiated by the type of multi-cultural family are needed in order to improve multi-cultural adolescents' health.
Adolescent* ; Cultural Diversity ; Depression ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Fathers ; Health Behavior ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Mothers ; Parents ; Risk-Taking* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Suicidal Ideation ; Violence

PURPOSE: This study aims at identifying individual- and school-level factors associated with unintentional injuries to Korean adolescents at school by applying multilevel modeling. METHODS: From the database of the eleventh Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS), the researchers selected 68,043 adolescents from the 7(th) to the 12(th) grades. Data were analyzed using χ² test for prevalence and multilevel modeling for related factors of unintentional injuries at school. RESULTS: About 22.9 percent of the adolescents had treatment experiences for unintentional injuries at school in the past 12 months. At the individual level, the significant factors associated with unintentional injuries at school included gender, grade, academic achievement, current smoking, alcohol consumption, frequency of high caffeine intake, depression, and relief of fatigue after sleep. At the group level, the significant factors included number of physical education per week and safety education. CONCLUSION: School based injury prevention programs should be sensitive to both individual- and school-level factors associated with unintentional injury at school among Korean adolescents.
Adolescent* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Caffeine ; Depression ; Education ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Korea ; Multilevel Analysis ; Physical Education and Training ; Prevalence ; Risk-Taking ; Smoke ; Smoking

A 24-year-old woman was seen for evaluation of an skin lesion on thiright nipple. Examination revealed a solitary 1.5 x 1cm-sized, erythematous, oozing, eroded andruted, verrucous nodule on the right nipple. A small amount of serous discharge was found but there was no pain or tenderness. Histopathologic findings showed cystic invaginations extending down vard from the epidermis and papillary projections extending into the lumina of the invagination. Pupiae were lined by two rows of cells. In stroma, there were marked inflammatory infiltrates containing any plasma cells. The overlying dermis showed an adenomatous growth pattern with a prolifertion of round, oval or irregular shaped ducts and fibrotic stroma.
Adenoma* ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Female ; Humans ; Nipples* ; Plasma Cells ; Skin ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors associated with the intention to quit smoking in community-dwelling elderly smokers. METHODS: From the database of the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES-IV), the researchers selected 448 elderly smokers over the age of 65. Data were analyzed with the chi2 test and multiple logistic regression using the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. RESULTS: Of the respondents, 45.5% intended to quit. The factors associated with the intention to quit were relative youth, having limit of activity day living and having past attempts to quit. CONCLUSION: Population-based smoking cessation programs, especially those targeted at the elderly, should take these predictors into consideration in the design of interventions.
Adolescent ; Aged ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Humans ; Intention ; Logistic Models ; Nutrition Surveys ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Smoking Cessation

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to describe the prevalence of low weight and to investigate related factors contributing to low weight in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: From the database of the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES-IV), the researchers selected 2,964 older adults aged over 65. The original study was a population-based epidemiological survey of health and nutrition with a stratified multistage clustered probability design. Data were analyzed using chi2-test and multiple logistic regression with the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. RESULTS: The prevalence of low weight in older adults was 4.7%. The prevalence of low weight was different according to demographic characteristics. That is, the rate was higher in male elders, older ones, and rural residents. In the cases of current smoking, frequent alcohol consumption and no chronic disease, the prevalence of low weight was higher. Age, gender, area of residence, and current smoking were found to be contributing factors to low weight in community-dwelling older adults. CONCLUSION: The result of this study provides important insights into possible reasons for low weight in community-dwelling older adults and suggests that low weight should be considered in promoting older adults' health.
Adult* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to describe the prevalence of low weight and to investigate related factors contributing to low weight in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: From the database of the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES-IV), the researchers selected 2,964 older adults aged over 65. The original study was a population-based epidemiological survey of health and nutrition with a stratified multistage clustered probability design. Data were analyzed using chi2-test and multiple logistic regression with the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. RESULTS: The prevalence of low weight in older adults was 4.7%. The prevalence of low weight was different according to demographic characteristics. That is, the rate was higher in male elders, older ones, and rural residents. In the cases of current smoking, frequent alcohol consumption and no chronic disease, the prevalence of low weight was higher. Age, gender, area of residence, and current smoking were found to be contributing factors to low weight in community-dwelling older adults. CONCLUSION: The result of this study provides important insights into possible reasons for low weight in community-dwelling older adults and suggests that low weight should be considered in promoting older adults' health.
Adult* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Weight Loss

Sequence information from the ribosomal RNA molecule can be used as a molecular clock. Therefore, 16S rRNA sequences have become a widely used tool in bacterial systematics, bacterial typing and studies of the composition of micro-organisms in environmental samples. Consequently, the databases are continuously updated with new 16S rRNA sequence information from different species. This in turn facilitates the identification of new isolates, which is important for the diagnosis of various infectious diseases in research. To development differential identification technique in the Yersinia species, the 16S rDNA for total 17 serotypes of Y. pseudotuberculosis type strains and one of Y. enterocolitica wild strain were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and cloned into pGEM-T vector, partially sequenced and analyzed. The 16S rDNA nucleotide sequence homologies among Yersinia strains were ranged 100% to 93.6%. Phylogenetic tree generated from 16S rDNA sequencing data showed different phyletic line that could be readily separated from each serotypes and other enteric bacterium.
Bacterial Typing Techniques ; Base Sequence ; Classification ; Clone Cells ; Communicable Diseases ; Diagnosis ; DNA, Ribosomal* ; Evolution, Molecular* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Ribosomal ; Yersinia*

BACKGROUND: The importance of stress relief methods is becoming an important issue in developed societies. However, no studies have examined the effects of stress relief methods on the risk of engaging in high-risk alcohol consumption. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between stress relief methods and high-risk alcohol consumption.METHODS: This study included a total of 5,313 subjects who participated in the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey. To evaluate high-risk alcohol consumption, we used the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT-K). Regarding the stress relief method, participants were divided into three groups as follows: 1) those who were non-smokers and relieved stress using methods other than smoking (Group A), 2) those who were smokers but relieved stress using methods other than smoking (Group B), and 3) those who relieved stress by smoking (Group C). Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between the stress relief method and high-risk alcohol consumption.RESULTS: The mean scores of AUDIT-K were 5.7 for Group A, 10.0 for Group B, and 11.4 for Group C (P-value < 0.001). Compared to Group A, the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals for high-risk alcohol consumption were 3.91 (1.96–7.80) for Group B and 6.26 (2.99–13.10) for Group C after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, household income, education levels, residential area, marital status, stress levels, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia.CONCLUSION: We found that the participants who relieved stress by smoking had a significantly higher risk of engaging in high-risk alcohol consumption.
Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Dyslipidemias ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Marital Status ; Methods ; Nutrition Surveys ; Odds Ratio ; Smoke ; Smoking