OBJECTIVES: Civic participation, that which directly influences important decisions in our personal lives, is considered necessary for developing a society. We hypothesized that civic participation might be related to self-rated health status. METHODS: We constructed a multi-level analysis using data from the World Value Survey (44 countries, n=50 859). RESULTS: People who participated in voting and voluntary social activities tended to report better subjective health than those who did not vote or participate in social activities, after controlling for socio-demographic factors at the individual level. A negative association with unconventional political activity and subjective health was found, but this effect disappeared in a subset analysis of only the 18 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. Moreover, social participation and unconventional political participation had a statistically significant contextual association with subjective health status, but this relationship was not consistent throughout the analysis. In the analysis of the 44 countries, social participation was of borderline significance, while in the subset analysis of the OECD countries unconventional political participation was a stronger determinant of subjective health. The democratic index was a significant factor in determining self-rated health in both analyses, while public health expenditure was a significant factor in only the subset analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the uncertainty of its mechanism, civic participation might be a significant determinant of the health status of a country.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; *Health Status ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Politics ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Occupational radiation exposure causes certain types of cancer, specifically hematopoietic diseases like leukemia. In Korea, radiation exposure is monitored and recorded by law, and guidelines for compensation of radiation-related diseases were implemented in 2001. However, thus far, no occupation-related disease was approved for compensation under these guidelines. Here, we report the first case of radiation-related disease approved by the compensation committee of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, based on the probability of causation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 45-year-old man complained of chronic fatigue and myalgia for several days. He was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. The patient was a diagnostic radiographer at a diagnostic radiation department and was exposed to ionizing radiation for 21 years before chronic myeloid leukemia was diagnosed. His job involved taking simple radiographs, computed tomography scans, and measuring bone marrow density. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first approved case report using quantitative assessment of radiation. More approved cases are expected based on objective radiation exposure data and the probability of causation. We need to find a resolution to the ongoing demands for appropriate compensation and improvements to the environment at radiation workplaces.
Bone Marrow ; Compensation and Redress ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive* ; Middle Aged ; Myalgia ; Occupational Diseases ; Radiation, Ionizing ; Workers' Compensation

In this study, we explored the current childbirth trend in South Korea to provide recent evidence on determinants of the cesarean section rate (CSR) and related policy interventions. We utilized national health insurance claim data to analyze the CSR. We also conducted a narrative review on factors associated with the CSR and examined evidence about interventions to reduce it. The CSR is rising in Korea; simultaneously, the overall number of births is declining. In 2012, 469,000 women gave birth, and 26.9% underwent a cesarean section. In 2021, 249,000 women gave birth, and 58.7% experienced a cesarean section. The CSR among women under age 25 was 26.7% in 2012, but by the first quarter of 2022, it was 51.6%. In 2012, the CSR in women aged 25–34 years was 34.9%; by the first quarter of 2022, it was 58.3%. We synthesized evidence on the determinants of CSR in three dimensions: users, providers, and systems. We also explored recent evidence on policy interventions to reduce the CSR, focusing on women and families, providers, and hospitals. Despite the rapid increase in the CSR in the last decade, efforts to investigate childbirth choice and women’s experiences have been insufficient. We could not locate systematic initiatives in the research community or government to lower the rate. More patient-centered efforts to reduce the high CSR rate are needed.

Background: The effective evaluation of health information available online is an important skill. However, consumers' self-perceptions of their eHealth literacy levels do not reflect their actual capabilities. The goal of this experimental study of online search behavior is to identify differences between self-perceived eHealth literacy and actual ability to use the accuracy of cancer information available online. Methods: Thirty-one adults participated in the study conducted on July 15 and 16, 2017. We first measured perceived eHealth literacy and then asked participants 5 questions concerning cancer. Bandicam (v3.3.0) and BrowsingHistoryView were used to record search behavior and uniform resource locators, respectively. A Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test were performed. Results: The results showed that participants most frequently searched for cancer information on blogs and café websites. Regarding search behavior, those who perceived higher knowledge in available resources tended to solve the given problem with significantly smaller number of webpages to answer a weight management question. Participants who perceived higher knowledge in helpfulness of information tended to use significantly smaller number of webpages to answer questions on red ginseng's preventive effects on caner and weight management. However, there was no proof that the high eHealth literacy group had significantly higher rates of correct answers than the low eHealth literacy group. Further, regarding cancer screening, the rates of correct answers were low for groups who considered their ability higher to find helpful resources and perceived higher knowledge in helpfulness of information. Conclusion There is a gap between perceived eHealth literacy and the actual ability to use online cancer-related information. To fundamentally improve eHealth literacy, it is important to evaluate the actual abilities concerning each eHealth literacy component and to provide customized education.

In cases where pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is not microbiologically diagnosed via sputum specimens, bronchoscopy has been the conventional method to enhance diagnostic rates. Although the additional benefit of bronchoscopy in diagnosing PTB is well-known, its overall effectiveness remains suboptimal. This review introduces several strategies for improving PTB diagnosis via bronchoscopy. First, it discusses how bronchoalveolar lavage or an increased number of bronchial washings can increase specimen abundance. Second, it explores how thin or ultrathin bronchoscopes can achieve specimen acquisition closer to tuberculosis (TB) lesions. Third, it highlights the importance of conducting more sensitive TB-polymerase chain reaction tests on bronchoscopic specimens, including the Xpert MTB/RIF assay and the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay. Finally, it surveys the implementation of endobronchial ultrasound with a guide sheath for tuberculomas, collection of post-bronchoscopy sputum, and reduced use of lidocaine for local anesthesia. A strategic combination of these approaches may enhance the diagnostic rates in PTB patients undergoing bronchoscopy.

PURPOSE: School foodservice employees (SFEs) could be exposed to the risk of musculoskeletal disease and of job stress due to their job characteristics. This study was to evaluate the level of job stress and the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (WRMS) in Seoul city's SFEs, and to determine associations between job stress and WRMS. METHODS: The study design was cross-sectional, and 975 SFEs were recruited. Self-administered questionnaire included the 'Korean occupational stress scale-short form' and the 'KOSHA GUIDE H-9-2012' instrument to evaluate the job stress and WRMS, respectively. SFEs' medians of job stress were compared to the reference values of published study in Korean workers. RESULTS: The participants reported greater levels of job demand and physical environment than the general Korean population. WRMS were reported in 89.0% of participants at any body part, and 41.1% were presumed to need for medical intervention. High levels of job demand and of physical environment were significantly associated with WRMS. CONCLUSION: Subscales of job demand and physical environment were relatively high in SFEs and those were related to the occurrence of WRMS. To reduce the WRMS prevalence, a job stress management program focused on job demand and physical environment may be required.
Humans ; Musculoskeletal Diseases ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reference Values ; Seoul

OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between social expenditures of the local government and the mortality level in Korea, 2004 to 2010. METHODS: We used social expenditure data of 230 local governments during 2004 to 2010 from the Social Expenditure Database prepared by the Korean Institute for Health and Social Affairs. Fixed effect panel data regression analysis was adopted to look for associations between social expenditures and age-standardized mortality and the premature death index. RESULTS: Social expenditures of local governments per capita was not significantly associated with standardized mortality but was associated with the premature death index (decline of 1.0 [for males] and 0.5 [for females] for each expenditure of 100 000 Korean won, i.e., approximately 100 US dollar). As an index of the voluntary effort of local governments, the self-managed project ratio was associated with a decline in the standardized mortality in females (decline of 0.4 for each increase of 1%). The share of health care was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: There were associations between social expenditures of the local government and the mortality level in Korea. In particular, social expenditures per capita were significantly associated with a decline in premature death. However, the voluntary efforts of local governments were not significantly related to the decline in premature death.
Databases, Factual ; Female ; Financing, Government/*economics ; Health Expenditures/*statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Local Government ; Male ; Mortality/*trends ; Mortality, Premature/*trends ; Regression Analysis ; Republic of Korea

PURPOSE: School foodservice employees (SFEs) could be exposed to the risk of musculoskeletal disease and of job stress due to their job characteristics. This study was to evaluate the level of job stress and the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal symptoms (WRMS) in Seoul city's SFEs, and to determine associations between job stress and WRMS. METHODS: The study design was cross-sectional, and 975 SFEs were recruited. Self-administered questionnaire included the 'Korean occupational stress scale-short form' and the 'KOSHA GUIDE H-9-2012' instrument to evaluate the job stress and WRMS, respectively. SFEs' medians of job stress were compared to the reference values of published study in Korean workers. RESULTS: The participants reported greater levels of job demand and physical environment than the general Korean population. WRMS were reported in 89.0% of participants at any body part, and 41.1% were presumed to need for medical intervention. High levels of job demand and of physical environment were significantly associated with WRMS. CONCLUSION: Subscales of job demand and physical environment were relatively high in SFEs and those were related to the occurrence of WRMS. To reduce the WRMS prevalence, a job stress management program focused on job demand and physical environment may be required.
Humans ; Musculoskeletal Diseases ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reference Values ; Seoul