BACKGROUND/AIMS: Many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often complain of fatigue. To date, only a few studies in Western countries have focused on fatigue related to IBD, and fatigue has never been specifically studied in Asian IBD patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the fatigue level and fatigue-related factors among Korean IBD patients. METHODS: Patients in remission or with mild to moderate IBD were included. Fatigue was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue and the Brief Fatigue Inventory. Corresponding healthy controls (HCs) also completed both fatigue questionnaires. RESULTS: Sixty patients with Crohn disease and 68 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) were eligible for analysis. The comparison group consisted of 92 HCs. Compared with the HCs, both IBD groups were associated with greater levels of fatigue (p<0.001). Factors influencing the fatigue score in UC patients included anemia and a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). CONCLUSIONS: Greater levels of fatigue were detected in Korean IBD patients compared with HCs. Anemia and ESR were determinants of fatigue in UC patients. Physicians need to be aware of fatigue as one of the important symptoms of IBD to better understand the impact of fatigue on health-related quality of life.
Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Colitis, Ulcerative/*complications/ethnology ; Crohn Disease/*complications/ethnology ; Fatigue/ethnology/*etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Republic of Korea/ethnology

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the levels of parenting efficacy and health-promoting behaviors for children of mothers, and to explore the relationships between parenting efficacy and the behaviors of mothers from native and multicultural families in South Korea. METHODS: Data was collected by a self-report questionnaire completed by 258 mothers who had 6-month to 36-month-old children attending kindergartens or multicultural family support centers located in Seoul and in Gyeounggi Province, South Korea. RESULTS: No significant difference in parenting efficacy was found, depending on the maternal country of origin. However, Chinese mothers performed health-promoting behaviors more frequently for their children than Korean and Vietnamese mothers did (F = 6.87, p < .001). The significant positive correlations between parenting efficacy and maternal health-promoting behaviors for children were found, regardless of maternal country of origin (r = .57, p < .001 for Korean, r = .42, p < .001 for Chinese, and r= .40, p < .001 for Vietnamese mothers). CONCLUSIONS: Since maternal health-promoting behaviors were different depending on the native country of the mothers, maternal country of origin should be considered in designing programs for improving maternal health-promoting behaviors for their children. In addition, increasing the level of parenting efficacy can be an effective way for improvement of maternal health-promoting behaviors.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology ; Child Rearing/*ethnology ; Child, Preschool ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Cultural Diversity ; Female ; Health Behavior/*ethnology ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice/*ethnology ; *Health Promotion ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mothers ; Parenting/*ethnology ; Republic of Korea ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to provide basic data for developing education and health promotion programs for the prevention of cancer by identifying the relation between optimistic bias about cancer and cancer preventive behavior in Korean, Chinese, American, and Japanese residents in Korea. METHODS: Using a questionnaire administered by the researcher, data were collected from a convenience sample of 600, 19 to 64-yr-old male and female Korean, Chinese, American, and Japanese residents in Korea. Data was collected between February 6 and 28, 2009. RESULTS: Scores for optimistic bias about cancer by nationality were: Koreans, -1.03; Chinese, -0.43; Americans, -0.23; and Japanese, 0.05. The cancer preventive behavior scores were: Koreans, 43.17; Chinese, 71.84; Americans, 71.71; and Japanese, 73.97. Optimistic bias about cancer and cancer preventive behavior showed a significantly positive correlation in all participants: Koreans (r=.223, p=.006); Chinese (r=.178, p=.029); Americans (r=.225, p=.006); and Japanese (r=.402, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The greater the optimistic bias about cancer is, the lower the cancer preventive behavior. The findings suggest that nursing interventions are needed to reduce optimistic bias about cancer and to form a positive attitude towards cancer prevention because an optimistic bias about cancer adversely affects cancer preventive behavior.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; China/ethnology ; Cross-Cultural Comparison ; Female ; *Health Behavior ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Japan/ethnology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms/ethnology/*prevention & control ; Prejudice ; Questionnaires ; Republic of Korea ; United States/ethnology ; Young Adult

Race and ethnicity are influential in estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR). We aimed to find the Korean coefficients for the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) study equations and to obtain novel proper estimation equations. Reference GFR was measured by systemic inulin clearance. Serum creatinine (SCr) values were measured by the alkaline picrate Jaffe kinetic method, then, recalibrated to CX3 analyzer and to isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS). The Korean coefficients for the 4 and 6 variable MDRD and IDMS MDRD study equations based on the SCr recalibrated to CX3 and to IDMS were 0.73989/0.74254 and 0.99096/0.9554, respectively. Coefficients for the 4 and 6 variable MDRD equations based on the SCr measured by Jaffe method were 1.09825 and 1.04334, respectively. The modified equations showed better performances than the original equations. The novel 4 variable equations for Korean based on the SCr measured and recalibrated to IDMS were 107.904xSCr-1.009xage-0.02 (x0.667, if woman) and 87.832xSCr-0.882xage0.01 (x0.653, if woman), respectively. Modified estimations of the MDRD and IDMS MDRD study equations with ethnic coefficients and the novel equations improve the performance of GFR estimation for the overall renal function.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Algorithms ; Creatinine/blood ; *Diet ; Female ; *Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Inulin/metabolism ; Kidney Diseases/*ethnology/physiopathology ; Male ; Mass Spectrometry ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/ethnology

PURPOSE: This ethnography was done to explore the meaning of illness in Korean Americans with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: The participants were 6 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 6 general informants who could provide relevant data. Data were collected from iterative fieldwork with ethnographic interviews within Korean communities in two cities in the United States. Data were analyzed using causal chain analysis developed by Wolcott. RESULTS: The analyses revealed three meanings for the illness: hidden disease, intentionally hidden disease, and inevitably hidden disease. The contexts of meaning of illness included characteristics of the illness, social stigma, structure of health care system and communication patterns and discourse between health care providers and clients. CONCLUSION: The meaning of illness was based on folk illness concepts and constructed in the sociocultural context. Folk etiology, pathology and interpretation of one's symptoms were factors influencing illness behavior. These findings could be a cornerstone for culture specific care for Korean Americans with chronic hepatitis B.
Aged ; *Asian Americans ; Delivery of Health Care ; Female ; Health Personnel ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/*ethnology/etiology/psychology ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/ethnology ; Social Stigma

PURPOSE: This study investigated prediction of North Korean refugees' adaptation to the South Korean society and verified the goodness of fit between a hypothetical model and actual data in order to suggest the best model. METHODS: This survey was conducted with 445 North Korean refugees living in a metropolitan area. Data were collected from September 1st to November 20th, 2012, and analyzed using SPSS Windows 18.0 and AMOS 17.0. RESULTS: Traumatic experiences of North Korean refugees increased self-efficacy and psychological trauma. Acculturation stress decreased self-efficacy and increased passive coping. Self-efficacy affected active and passive coping, decreased psychological trauma, and increased resilience. Resilience is successful adaptation and refers to North Korean refugees' abilities to adapt effectively to stress. In particular, self-efficacy as the main parameter affecting resilience was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that resilience can be improved through self-efficacy. It was the most significant factor decreasing psychological trauma and increasing resilience. Therefore, we need to develop programs for self-efficacy. The results also provide basic data for policy making for North Korean refugees.
Acculturation ; Adaptation, Psychological/*physiology ; Adult ; Aged ; Democratic People's Republic of Korea/ethnology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Theoretical ; Personal Satisfaction ; Psychological Trauma/*ethnology ; Refugees/*psychology ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Resilience, Psychological ; Self Efficacy ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: Although obesity has been associated with imbalances in cardiac autonomic nervous system, it is unclear whether there are differential relationships between adiposity measures and heart rate variability (HRV) measures. We aimed to examine differences in the relationship between adiposity measures and HRV indices in a healthy Korean population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In all, 1409 non-smokers (811 males, 598 females) without known histories of cardiovascular (CV), endocrine, or neurological diseases underwent adiposity measurements [(body mass index (BMI), percentage of body fat mass (PBF), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)], the HRV assessment (SDNN, RMSSD, LF, HF, LF/HF, and pNN50), and examination for CV risk factors (fasting glucose, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, hs-CRP, and blood pressure). RESULTS: Compared with BMI and PBF, WHR was more strongly correlated with each HRV index and more likely to predict decreased HRV (<15 percentile vs. > or =15 percentile of each HRV index) in ROC curves analysis. In linear regression analysis, all adiposity measures were inversely associated with each HRV measure before adjusting for age, gender, and CV risk factors (p<0.05). After adjusting for the covariates, WHR was inversely related to RMSSD, LF, and pNN50; PBF with RMSSD, HF, and pNN50; BMI with RMSSD (p<0.05). The inversed association between HRV indices and the gender-specific WHR tertile was significant for subjects with BMI > or =25 kg/m2, but not for those with BMI <25 kg/m2. CONCLUSION: WHR and PBF appear to be better indicators for low HRV than BMI, and the association between abdominal adiposity and HRV may be stronger in overweight subjects.
*Adiposity ; Adult ; Female ; Heart/physiopathology ; Heart Diseases/complications/diagnosis/ethnology ; Heart Rate/*physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Statistical ; Obesity/*complications/*diagnosis/ethnology ; Overweight/complications/diagnosis/ethnology ; ROC Curve ; Regression Analysis ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors

No abstract available.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology ; Choroid Diseases/*diagnosis/drug therapy/ethnology ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Multimodal Imaging ; Ophthalmoscopy ; Prednisolone/therapeutic use ; Pseudolymphoma/*diagnosis/drug therapy/ethnology ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: This study examined current research theories and methods, cultural factors, and culturally relevant interventions associated with breast and cervical cancer screening in Korean American (KA) women. METHODS: Based on Ganong's guidelines, the literature on cultural factors associated with breast and cervical cancer screening in KA women was searched using MEDLINE and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases. Sixty-eight articles on breast cancer screening and 66 articles on cervical cancer screening were retrieved from both databases, and a total of 22 articles were included in the literature review based on the selection criteria. RESULTS: Of the 22 studies reviewed, 14 (63.6%) were descriptive and 8 (36.4%) were interventional. Many studies have used individual focused cognitive theories such as health belief model and different types of operationalization for measures of cultural beliefs. Cultural factors associated with breast and cervical cancer screening in KA women that were identified in descriptive quantitative and qualitative studies included family, embarrassment, preventive health orientation, fatalism, and acculturation. Most culturally relevant interventional studies used education programs, and all education was conducted by bilingual and bicultural health educators at sociocultural sites for KA women. CONCLUSIONS: Theories focusing on interpersonal relationships and standardized, reliable, and valid instruments to measure cultural concepts are needed to breast and cervical cancer screening research in KA women. Traditional cultural factors associated with cancer screening should be considered for practical implications and future research with KA women.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Americans/ethnology ; Breast Neoplasms/*diagnosis ; *Early Detection of Cancer ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice/*ethnology ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/ethnology ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/*diagnosis ; Young Adult

In China there are 1,923,842 Korean Chinese, who live mostly (92.27%) in the country's three northeast provinces. In spite of this sizeable number, no spirometric data are available at present on them. The present study investigated normal spirometric reference values for the Korean Chinese children and adolescents. Spirometry was performed in 443 healthy Korean Chinese children and adolescents aged 8-18 yr with measurements of forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF) and maximum mid-expiratory flow (MMEF). Reference equations for FEV1, FVC, PEF and MMEF were derived by using multiple regression analysis. All of the measured spirometric parameters correlated positively with height and age significantly (P < 0.001). The predicted values of FVC and FEV1 were higher than values obtained by using Caucasian and other Asian equations (P < 0.001). A set of spirometric reference equations has been derived using a relatively large, healthy, non-smoking young Korean Chinese population with a wide range of ages and heights, the results of which differ from those gained from several other reference equations. These reference equations should be used for evaluation of lung function in this population.
Adolescent ; Child ; China ; Female ; *Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Lung/*physiology ; Male ; Maximal Expiratory Flow Rate ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Reference Values ; Republic of Korea/ethnology ; Spirometry/*standards ; *Vital Capacity