BACKGROUND: As the number of smartphone users is increasing, smartphone addiction is a recent concern. The purpose of the present study was to examine the mediating effect of loneliness on the relationship between smartphone addiction and dependent/ avoidant personality trait in Adults. METHODS: A total of 550 adults (male 116, female 434) were selected and rated smartphone addiction scale, dependent and avoidant personality trait scales, and loneliness scale. Pearson correlation coefficients, Structural Equation Model Analysis and Sobel test using SPSS version 21.0 (IBM, New York, NY, USA) and AMOS version 21.0 (IBM, New York, NY, USA) were conducted. RESULTS: Dependent and avoidant personality significantly were related smartphone addiction and loneliness. Finding in structural equation modeling indicated that the loneliness partially mediated the relationship between dependent personality and smartphone addiction, but did not mediated the relationship between avoidant personality and smartphone addiction. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed partial mediation effect of loneliness on the relationship between smartphone addiction and dependent personality. This finding suggests that future intervention for smartphone addiction should focus on reducing of loneliness and proper coping with loneliness.
Adult* ; Female ; Humans ; Loneliness* ; Negotiating* ; Smartphone* ; Weights and Measures

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to describe the acceptability and feasibility of the “HAPPY ME”, a smartphone application (app) for guiding healthy eating habits and physical activities to prevent childhood obesity, through in-depth interviews of 5th and 6th grade students of an elementary school. METHODS: A total of 25 students were recruited from grades 5 and 6 of an elementary school in Gimpo. They were asked to participate in in-depth interviews about expectations regarding the “HAPPY ME”, smartphone usage behaviors, perceptions and attitudes towards health, and satisfaction with the “HAPPY ME”, before and after the 4-week trial of the “HAPPY ME”. RESULTS: Study participants reported a high level of satisfaction regarding gamification elements such as awarding points as rewards for completing missions and using closed social networking services with friends. They also reported that their eating habits had improved after the 4-week trial. However, some students felt that the app was complicated to use and recommended that it should have prompts as notifications. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the “HAPPY ME” is acceptable and feasible for use with children. However, the app needs to be modified based on the results of this study.
Awards and Prizes ; Child ; Child Nutrition Sciences ; Eating ; Friends ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Mobile Applications ; Motor Activity ; Obesity ; Pediatric Obesity* ; Religious Missions ; Reward ; Smartphone*

BACKGROUND: Pediatric obesity is an important global issue in public health. However, previous efforts for childhood obesity prevention have sporadically been implemented in Korea, neither evidence-based nor with proper evaluation. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of an effective intervention for prevention of pediatric obesity by reviewing previous systematic reviews and Meta-analyses. METHODS: PubMed was searched for articles published frombetween January 2005 to November 2015. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) articles published in English; (2) child and/or adolescents (between 2 and 18 years of age) as subjects; and (3) systematic reviews or meta-analyses concerning the preventive intervention of pediatric/adolescent obesity. Each study was evaluated via the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews for quality assessment. We conducted a quantitative analysis to evaluate the implications, strengths, and limitations of each study. RESULTS: Our final analysis included 35 articles, of which 15 were systematic reviews and 20 were meta-analyses. Among these, 24 studies (69%) advocated the efficacy of preventive intervention for pediatric obesity. Multidimensional approach including diet, exercise, and environmental factors conducted in schools with a parent and community involvement wasis more effective at preventing obesity. The efficacy of intervention varied depending on the age, sex, region, and socioeconomic characteristics of participantssubjects. CONCLUSIONS: Preventive intervention of pediatric obesity demonstrated smallminor improvements in body mass index and had positive effects on behavioral and clinical variables, which are associated with obesity. For the efficient prevention of pediatric obesity, it is necessary to consider efforts for developing various intervention programs, with active as well as the participation of school, family, and social community groups.
Adolescent* ; Body Mass Index ; Child* ; Diet ; Humans ; Korea ; Obesity* ; Parents ; Pediatric Obesity ; Public Health

BACKGROUND: Self-monitoring of blood glucose is an important component of therapy for diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the analytic performance evaluation of blood monitoring system G400 according to ISO 15197:2013. METHODS: We evaluated the G400 according to the ISO 15197:2013 guideline, we measured precision, accuracy, interference of hematocrit and interfering substances, user performance. RESULTS: Repeatability and intermediate precision of G400 showed standard deviation 2.7–3.8 mg/dL, 2.4–3.6 mg/dL and coefficient of variation 1.9-2.9% and 1.7–3.7%, respectively. Accuracy measured 98–98.5%, satisfied acceptable criteria. Error grid analysis showed that all results of this study were in zone A. Hematocrit between 20% to 60% did not cause interference. Three of 24 interfering substances were not acceptable criteria, and dose-response evaluation was needed. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that G400 was considered reliable results satisfying the ISO 15197:2013 criteria
Blood Glucose ; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Hematocrit

BACKGROUND: There have been growing interests in harmful effects of dust particles on human health. It has been reported that dust particles negatively affected respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Relationship of dust particles and lung cancer incidence was also investigated. However, there is a lack of studies regarding the relationship between dust particles and cancers except for lung cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship of dust particle concentration and cancer mortality in Korea. METHODS: Average concentration of coarse dust particles (particulate matter 10, PM₁₀) of 2008-2014 were obtained from AirKorea website and cancer mortality was found in Statistics Korea for 2008-2014. Correlation analyses using PM₁₀ and cancer mortality were performed. Age-adjusted death rate (AADR) was used for correlation analysis because a number of death and mortality rate do not reflect population and age of death. Regional annual PM₁₀ was matched with AADR of identical area. Correlation between two variables was presented in scatter plots and Pearson's correlation analysis was performed. RESULTS: PM₁₀ concentration was positively correlated with AADR of malignant neoplasm, lung cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, uterus cancer, and leukemia. PM₁₀ concentration was significantly correlated with AADR of malignant neoplasm (r=0.247, P=0.009), lung cancer (r=0.277, P=0.003), stomach cancer (r=0.434, P=0.000), colon cancer (r=0.377, P=0.000), and uterus cancer (r=0.226, P=0.017). CONCLUSION: This study suggested that cancer patients or high-risk group for cancer should pay attention to PM₁₀ concentration. Large-scale studies should investigate the relationship of PM10 concentration and cancer incidence including cancer mortality to extend understanding of this cross-section study.
Cardiovascular System ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Dust ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Leukemia ; Lung Neoplasms ; Mortality* ; Particulate Matter* ; Statistics as Topic ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Uterine Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Health illiteracy is a problem often unrecognized by health care providers. It influences medical costs and the health status of adults. The purposes of this study were to determine the level of health literacy in community-dwelling adults and to identify the factors influencing it. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Chungcheong province. A total of 420 adults aged 18 or older were interviewed by trained nursing students between November 1 to December 30, 2011. Health literacy was measured using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Data were analyzed using the PASW 18.0 program. RESULTS: The mean score of health literacy was 50.64+/-19.18. In the multiple linear regression analysis, health literacy was significantly associated with education (beta=0.17, P=0.001), alcohol use (beta=-0.12, P=0.010), and perceived health status (beta=0.11, P=0.029). These factors accounted for about 7% of health literacy. CONCLUSIONS: Health literacy is a very important public health issue. Our findings showed that educational level, alcohol use and perceived health status should be considered when assessing this issue in patients. Furthermore, the development of a standardized Korean assessment tool for health literacy and specified interventions for enhancing health literacy are needed to improve health outcomes.
Adult* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education ; Gyeonggi-do ; Health Literacy* ; Health Personnel ; Health Status ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Literacy ; Primary Prevention ; Public Health ; Seoul ; Students, Nursing

BACKGROUND: With the rapid growth of the elderly population, osteoporosis has become a major health problem worldwide. Although health knowledge and self-efficacy are important assets to facilitate healthy behaviors and disease prevention, such information as it relates to individuals and their bone health is limited. The purpose of this study was to assess the levels of knowledge, self-efficacy, and health behaviors on promoting bone health in middle-aged Korean women. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional survey study. A convenience sampling of middle-aged women (> or =40 years) was done at a community health center in Korea. Bone mineral density was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry with the DEXXUM T. The level of knowledge was measured with the Knowledge of Osteoporosis Scale, and self-efficacy with the Osteoporosis Self-efficacy Scale. A questionnaire for bone health behaviors was developed for this study. Collected data were analyzed through descriptive methods, independent t-test, analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation analysis. RESULTS: A total of 150 middle-aged women whose mean age was 59.8+/-11.5 years participated in the study. Most (74%) were menopausal. Less than one-quarter of participants (22.7%) had osteoporosis and less than half (42%) had osteopenia based on the T-score at the left femur neck site. Level of knowledge (mean score, 10.35) and self-efficacy (mean score, 47.67) ranged from low to moderate. Intake of calcium and vitamin D-rich foods was insufficient in our subjects. Bone health behaviors had significant positive relationships with knowledge (r=0.22, P=0.008) and self-efficacy (r=0.29, P<0.001) on promoting bone health. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that educational interventions are needed to enhance knowledge and confidence and to encourage middle-aged women to engage in bone health behaviors.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Aged ; Bone Density ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic ; Calcium ; Community Health Centers ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Femur Neck ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis ; Self Efficacy ; Vitamins

BACKGROUND: Despite the adverse impact that being overweight or obese has on cardiovascular disorders, numerous studies have addressed the 'obesity paradox', which suggests that obese persons seem to have a better prognosis with these conditions than those with a normal body mass index (BMI). In addition, the effect of BMI on outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains controversial. METHODS: Our subjects included 457 patients who had undergone PCI for AMI between January 1, 2009 and September 30, 2011. They were classified into 3 groups according to baseline BMI - normal weight (BMI<23 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 23-25 kg/m2), obesity (BMI>25 kg/m2). Clinical characteristic and cardiovascular risk factors and major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including death after PCI, were compared among the groups. RESULTS: Overweight or obese subjects were younger (P<0.001) and associated with higher left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) (P=0.012) and less frequency of MACE (P=0.003). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that independent predictors for death and MACE were not obesity but age (P=0.006, P=0.017), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P=0.002, P=0.005) and LVEF (P=0.001, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, BMI had no effect on MACE in patients undergoing primary PCI for AMI. The phenomenon, 'obesity paradox', may be explained by the possibility that AMI was diagnosed at a younger age in obese patients and that these younger patients had higher LVEFs than the other groups in this study.
Angioplasty ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Lipoproteins ; Logistic Models ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most important chronic diseases in public health, thus optimal management of this condition is crucial. For this purpose, oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA) are commonly prescribed with their consistent use being mandatory to maintain adequate blood glucose levels. We aimed to evaluate the compliance with OHA in patients with DM, and to determine the factors associated with compliance. METHODS: From March 2006 to December 2007, we enrolled patients with type 2 DM who were newly diagnosed or had discontinued OHAs for more than four weeks. For OHA, diamicron was prescribed to the participants and response to medication was evaluated by physicians after 12 weeks. Compliance was defined as patients taking diamicron continuously or stopping the medication due to well-controlled blood sugar levels. Demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, fasting glucose, and lipid profiles were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of our 326 subjects was 56.0+/-9.9 years and 74.5% was defined to be compliant. Logistic regression analysis adjusting for age and sex revealed that combined medication use (odd ratio [OR], 2.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-3.97) and diabetes-related nutritional education (OR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.08-4.03) (P<0.05) were factors associated with compliance with OHA. CONCLUSIONS: About three quarters of the DM patients in our study, using diamicron for the first time, showed compliance after 12 weeks of treatment. Concomitant medications and diabetes-related nutrition education were associated with compliance.
Blood Glucose ; Chronic Disease ; Compliance* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Education ; Fasting ; Gliclazide* ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; Logistic Models ; Patient Education as Topic ; Public Health

BACKGROUND: With the number of cancer survivors increasing, follow-up care to deal with problems related to their original cancer is needed. One of these is screening for a second primary cancer as cancer survivors are one of the high-risk groups for cancer occurrence. The purpose of this study was to assess the screening rates of major cancers in patients with a history of cancer in Korea. METHODS: Our data were from the 4th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We narrowed the data to include 11,169 adults aged 40 and 80 years. Participants were grouped according to their history of cancer and the time since cancer diagnosis into no cancer group (no cancer diagnosis), cancer survivor group (cancer diagnosis > or =5 years ago), and cancer follow-up group (cancer diagnosis <5 years ago). We estimated the screening acceptance rates of major cancers according to the cancer history and assessed the relationships between them. RESULTS: The cancer screening rates of stomach, breast, cervix, and colon were 42.4+/-4.9%, 45.5+/-5.6%, 42.1+/-6.4%, and 24.1+/-3.8% for the cancer survivor group and 45.6+/-5.2%, 61.9+/-6.2%, 48.8+/-7.0%, and 20.8+/-4.3% for the cancer follow-up group. A history of cancer diagnosis was not related to the acceptance rate of stomach and cervical cancer screening. Breast cancer screening (odd ratio [OR], 1.783; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.044-3.048) increased only in the cancer follow-up group. At 5 years after a cancer diagnosis, only the screening rate for colon cancer (OR, 1.701; 95% CI, 1.119-2.588) persistently increased compared to individuals without a history of cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The screening for breast cancer was the only screening examination whose rate increased in the cancer follow-up group, with the significance disappearing in the cancer survivor group. Our results demonstrate that the screening rate for secondary cancers is below optimal in cancer patients in Korea.
Adult* ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Cervix Uteri ; Colon ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Diagnosis* ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mass Screening* ; Neoplasms, Second Primary ; Nutrition Surveys ; Stomach ; Survivors ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms