BACKGROUND: Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a serological marker of malignant tumors, demonstrates a modest increase under nonmalignant conditions such as aging and smoking. Also, recent study results suggested that serum CEA levels may be related to insulin resistance or low-grade inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with serum CEA levels in healthy non-smokers. METHODS: Data was gathered from 21,501 adults aged 20 and over. We excluded 19,081 subjects who had omissions in anthropometric measurements or laboratory tests, or who had previous or current smoking history. RESULTS: The mean CEA level was 1.18 +/- 0.85 ng/dL in males and 0.93 +/- 0.73 ng/dL in females. After adjustment for age, CEA level was positively correlated with fasting glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C), high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, estimated glomerular filtration rate in males. In females, CEA level was positively correlated with fasting glucose, HbA1C, HDL cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. In both gender groups, HbA1C had a strong influence on CEA levels when all other variables were included in the regression model (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Within normal range, serum CEA levels were significantly associated with HbA1C levels but not with homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance in the non-smoking population. These findings suggest that serum CEA levels are influenced by the glucose level itself instead of insulin resistance.
Adult ; Aging ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; C-Reactive Protein ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Fasting ; Female ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Glucose ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Insulin Resistance ; Lipoproteins ; Male ; Reference Values ; Smoke ; Smoking

BACKGROUND: American Heart Association (AHA) defined 7 cardiovascular health metrics for the general population to improve cardiovascular health in 2010: not smoking; having normal blood pressure; being physically active; normal body mass index, blood glucose, and total cholesterol levels; and eating a healthy diet. To investigate trends in cardiovascular health metrics in Korea, we used data from the third and fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. METHODS: We defined seven cardiovascular health metrics similar to the one defined by AHA but physical activity, body mass index, and healthy diet were properly redefined to be suited for the Korean population. We compared each cardiovascular health metric and calculated the sum of cardiovascular health metrics after dichotomizing each health metric to ideal (scored 1) and poor (scored 0). RESULTS: Health metric scores of smoking in males (P value for trend < 0.001), physical activity both in males and females (P-value for trend < 0.001 both), body mass index in females (P-value for trend = 0.030), and blood pressure both in males and females (P-value for trend < 0.001, both) were improved. On the other hand, health metric scores of healthy diet in males (P-value for trend = 0.002), and fasting blood glucose both in males and females (P-value for trend < 0.001 both) got worse. The total scores of seven health metrics were stationary. CONCLUSION: Total scores were not changed but each metric showed various trends. A long-term study is necessary for analyzing exact trends.
Adult* ; American Heart Association ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Eating ; Fasting ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Motor Activity ; Smoke ; Smoking

BACKGROUND: Underweight refers to the weight range in which health risk can increase, since the weight is lower than a healthy weight. Negative attitudes towards obesity and socio-cultural preference for thinness could induce even underweight persons to attempt weight control. This study was conducted to investigate factors related to weight control attempts in underweight Korean adults. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study on 690 underweight adults aged 25 to 69 years using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2010. Body image perception, weight control attempts during the past one year, various health behaviors, history of chronic diseases, and socioeconomic status were surveyed. RESULTS: Underweight women had a higher rate of weight control attempts than underweight men (25.4% vs. 8.1%, P < 0.001). Among underweight men, subjects with the highest physical activity level (odds ratio [OR], 7.75), subjects with physician-diagnosed history of chronic diseases (OR, 7.70), and subjects with non-manual jobs or other jobs (OR, 6.22; 12.39 with reference to manual workers) had a higher likelihood of weight control attempts. Among underweight women, subjects who did not perceive themselves as thin (OR, 4.71), subjects with the highest household income level (OR, 2.61), and unmarried subjects (OR, 2.08) had a higher likelihood of weight control attempts. CONCLUSION: This study shows that numbers of underweight Korean adults have tried to control weight, especially women. Seeing that there are gender differences in factors related to weight control attempts in underweight adults, gender should be considered in helping underweight adults to maintain a healthy weight.
Adult* ; Body Image ; Body Weight ; Chronic Disease ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Motor Activity ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Obesity ; Single Person ; Social Class ; Thinness* ; Weight Loss ; Weight Perception

BACKGROUND: Underweight is associated with increased risk of mortality and morbidity. It is reported that the prevalence of underweight is increasing among Korean young women. However, there have been few studies on sociodemographic factors related to being underweight. This study was conducted to elucidate the sociodemographic characteristics of Korean underweight adults. METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional study of 7,776 adults aged 25 to 69 years using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2010. Study subjects were composed of underweight and normal-weight adults excluding overweight adults. Body mass index was calculated from measured height and weight. Health behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and physical activity were surveyed through self-administered questionnaires, and socioeconomic status, marital status, and history of morbidity were surveyed through face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: Women had a higher frequency of underweight (10.4% vs. 7.0%, P < 0.001) than men. Among men, current smoking (odds ratio [OR], 1.62) and past history of cancer (OR, 2.55) were independently related to underweight. Among women, young age (OR, 2.06), former smoking (OR, 1.69), and being unmarried (OR, 1.56) were identified as independently related factors of underweight. In addition, among both men and women, alcohol drinking (men OR, 0.57; women OR, 0.77) and past history of chronic diseases (men OR, 0.55; women OR, 0.43) were independently related to a lower frequency of underweight. CONCLUSION: We showed that various sociodemographic factors were associated with underweight. It was ascertained that there were differences in the sociodemographic factors related to underweight between Korean men and women.
Adult* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Chronic Disease ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Demography ; Drinking ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Marital Status ; Mortality ; Motor Activity ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Overweight ; Prevalence ; Single Person ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Social Class ; Sociology ; Thinness* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that children with parental drinking problems are at increased risk of drinking problems or psychiatric diseases in adulthood. The present study was conducted to examine the psychiatric characteristics of high school students according to paternal drinking problems. METHODS: The subjects were 950 high school students (390 male and 560 female). The paternal drinking problems were assessed by using the Father-Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Beck's depression inventory, and Beck's anxiety inventory were used to evaluate the drinking behavior, depression, and anxiety of high school students. RESULTS: While male students with paternal drinking problems showed significantly increased risk of anxiety (odds ratio [OR], 2.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05 to 4.63), female students with paternal drinking problems showed significantly increased risk of depression (OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.24 to 2.74) according to the results of logistic regression analysis with adjustments for participants' age, whether they live together with parents, their religion, club activities, and smoking habits on the basis of students without paternal drinking problems. CONCLUSION: The above results suggest that paternal drinking problems lead to unstable mentalities in both male and female students, and that a family physician should address the mental state of teenagers with paternal drinking problems during clinical encounters.
Adolescent ; Alcoholism ; Anxiety ; Child ; Depression ; Drinking Behavior ; Drinking* ; Fathers ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Michigan ; Parents ; Physicians, Family ; Smoke ; Smoking

Reviewers play key roles in manuscript processing and publication. This article describes in detail how the reviewer serves their two key roles as a gatekeeper of making publication recommendations for the editorial board and a consultant providing constructive comments to authors to improve the quality of the manuscripts to be published.
Consultants ; Humans ; Peer Review* ; Publications

No abstract available.
Plagiarism*

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have revealed that sleep duration is linked to both obesity and hypertension. Here, we evaluated the association between sleep duration and hypertension in obese and non-obese premenopausal women using representative national survey data from the Korean population. METHODS: A total of 4,748 subjects over 20 years of age from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2010 to 2012 were included. To control for risk factors, multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of hypertension across the following sleep duration categories: <6, 6-8, and >8 h/d. RESULTS: Among the participants, 367 subjects (7.7%) had hypertension. Their mean sleep duration was 7 hours. In the non-obese subjects, after controlling for potential confounding variables, the odds ratio for hypertension was 1.86 fold greater in those with a sleep duration of <6 hours (odds ratio, 1.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 3.03) as compared to those who slept for 6.8 hours. However, there was no association between sleep duration and the risk of hypertension in obese subjects. Long sleep duration (over 8 h/d) was not associated with hypertension in either the non-obese or the obese subjects in this study. CONCLUSION: Short sleep duration (less than 6 h/d) may be a significant risk factor for hypertension in non-obese premenopausal women. However, there is no association between sleep duration and the risk of hypertension in obese women.
Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Korea* ; Logistic Models ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Odds Ratio ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: Vitamin-mineral supplements are the most popular dietary supplements in Korea. However, few studies have assessed the relationship between vitamin-mineral supplementation and associated factors among the Korean elderly. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of vitamin-mineral supplements among elderly in Korea as well as its association with sociodemographic factors, health-related behaviors, medical conditions, and nutrient intake. METHODS: This study was based on data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare from 2008 to 2009. Data from 3,294 elderly men and women (65 years of age and older) were analyzed. Multivariable-weighted logistic regression model analysis was used to evaluate the association between vitamin-mineral supplement use and sociodemographic factors, health-related habits, and medical conditions. RESULTS: Vitamin-mineral supplementation was reported by 16.3% of the participants. The most common reason for using dietary supplements was recommendations from friends and acquaintances. Highly educated person, female participants had a greater likelihood of taking vitamin-mineral supplements. In addition, analysis of nutrient intake from food sources alone revealed a lower proportion of vitamin-mineral supplement users with nutrient intakes below the estimated average requirements for vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, iron, and phosphorus, compared to nonusers. However, vitamin-mineral supplementation was not associated with health-related behaviors or medical conditions. CONCLUSION: Highly educated person, elderly Korean women had a greater likelihood of using vitamin-mineral supplements. In addition, nutrient intakes from food sources alone were significantly higher among vitamin-mineral supplement users. Finally, vitamin-mineral supplementation may be an indicator of healthier diet in elderly Koreans.
Aged* ; Ascorbic Acid ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Calcium ; Diet ; Dietary Supplements ; Female ; Friends ; Humans ; Iron ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Morinda ; Niacin ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Phosphorus ; Riboflavin ; Thiamine ; Vitamin A ; Vitamins

No abstract available.
Prevalence*