The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among variables which are categorized by two groups : the first group consists of obesity, serum lipids, and blood pressure which were measured by physical index or physiological index, and the second group consists of demographic variables and variables related to lifestyle that is known to influence the first group. The canonical correlation analysis was conducted with the data collected from 400 male clients who visited one university hospital located in Inchon in a period, from May 1996 to December 1996, for physical examination. According to the results, blood pressure and HDL of the first group were shown to have strong relationship with age, alcohol, smoking, exercise of the second group. And total cholesterol, triglyceride, systolic, BMI of the first group were shown to have strong relationship with income status, education, exercise of the second group. And all of the serum lipids (total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL), BMI, and diastolic were shown to have relationship with education, smoking, alcohol. It should be noted that fat rate, which was one of the indices for obesity, was not significant in any of the canonical variates. From the comparative study results on which combination of indices of obesity, serum lipids and blood pressure was related to either alcohol or smoking more, it can be seem that smoking was more highly related to two blood pressure indices such as systolic and diastolic, and that alcohol was highly related to serum lipid indices such as HDL, total cholesterol, triglyceride. Also investigation on what differences exist between the combination of variables showing high relationship to systolic and the combination of variables showing high relationship to diastolic was conducted. Systolic turned out to have relationship with total cholesterol, triglyceride, obesity (fat rate), income status, education, exercise. And diastolic was related to HDL-c, total cholesterol, tryglyceride, obesity (BMI), education, smoking, alcohol. From this results, it could be seen that the combination of variables which have high relationship to systolic and diastolic have different patterns. Lastly, the investigation on what relationships exist between serum lipids and demographic variables/lifestyle variables was conducted. It turned out that HDL-c had high relationship with age, education, income status, alcohol, and that all of serum lipids (total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL) were shown to have high relationship with income status, education, age, exercise. From these results, it could be seen that the demographic variables were more influential both on HDL and on all of serum lipids than lifestyle variables were.
Arteriosclerosis* ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Education ; Humans ; Incheon ; Life Style ; Male ; Obesity ; Physical Examination ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify comprehensive predictors of fatigue in cancer patients. METHODS: One hundred ten cancer patients visiting in-patient or out-patient clinics of a university hospital located in Incheon participated in this study. RESULTS: The hematologic indicators (WBC and Hemoglobin) were significant for explaining fatigue. The psychological factors of fatigue were statistically significant. Both anxiety and depression, included as psychological factors, were significant in explaining fatigue in cancer patients. The influence of physical factors on fatigue was also statistically significant. Among the variables included as physical factors, pain, nausea/vomiting/anorexia, and sleep disturbance were significant whereas, dyspnea was not significant. The influence of the daily activity factor on fatigue was statistically significant. Among the variables included as daily activity factors, regular exercise or not and the usual activity level were significant in explaining fatigue of cancer patients, while the level of rest was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: From the study results fatigue of cancer patients appeared to be influenced by multidimensional factors, such as physiological, physical, psychological, and activity related factors.
Activities of Daily Living ; Adaptation, Physiological ; Adult ; Aged ; Fatigue/etiology/*nursing ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Nursing ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasms/complications/*nursing ; Sick Role ; Sickness Impact Profile

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study were to examine the nutritional status of severe brain injury adult patients in critical period, and to compare the nutritional states before and after tube feeding. METHODS: Data from 19 patients admitted to the SICU in a university hospital due to severe brain injury were analyzed. Nutritional states were measured by anthropometric and blood biochemical indicators. RESULTS: MAC and MAMC were significantly decreased only at 7 days after admission compared with those on the day of admission. TSF was significantly decreased from 7 days to 14 days after admission. Fat rate was significantly decreased from 3 days to 14 days after admission. Hb was significantly decreased only at 3 days after admission. Albumin was significantly decreased from 3 days to 14 days after admission. However, lymphocyte was significantly increased at 14 days after admission. TSF and Albumin became significantly worse even after initiating tube feeding. CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional status of severe brain injury patients in SICU became worse after admission whichever indicators were adopted to evaluate nutritional status, anthropometric or blood biochemical indicators, and became worse even after initiating tube feeding.
Adult ; Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Critical Period (Psychology) ; Enteral Nutrition ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Nutrition Assessment ; Nutritional Status ; Tosyl Compounds

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to develop a comprehensive cognitive rehabilitation program that can be easily applied to brain injured patients by family members or nurses in community or hospital settings. METHODS: A Systemic literature review design was used. Thirty-three related studies were reviewed. RESULT: Based on the results of the literature review, the training tasks for attention were designated to enhancing 4 hierarchical areas, i.e., focused, selective, alternating, and divided attention. On the other hand, the memory rehabilitation tasks mainly consisted of mnemonic skills, such as the association method which helps patients memorize given information by linking together common attributes, the visual imagery method, and self-instruction method. The problem solving rehabilitation program included a task of games or plays which stimulated the patients' curiosity and interest. The training tasks for problem solving were to encourage the process of deriving reasonable solutions for a problematic situation resembling real problems that the patients were faced with in their everyday life. CONCLUSION: It is expected that the cognitive rehabilitation program developed from this study could help patients having difficulty in their every day life, due to a reduced cognitive ability resulting from brain injury, to effectively adapt to every day life.
Problem Solving ; Memory ; Humans ; *Cognitive Therapy ; Cognition Disorders/etiology/*rehabilitation ; Brain Injuries/complications/nursing/*rehabilitation

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of 7-week comprehensive health promotion program for RA patients (CHPPRA) on changes in pain and depression. In addition, it was also examined that this effect was generated by changes in patients' health promoting strategies (positive self-image, positive thinking, problem solving, communication, pain management, stress management, exercise, and knowledge about RA) learned through CHPPRA. Twenty-eight out-patients of RA clinic in a university hospital participated for this study. The results are as followers. Changes in exercise, self-concept, positive thinking, problem solving, depression, and pain management were significant predictors to explain relieving pain level. Since all of these variables had positive standardized beta weights (betas), it can be interpreted that increasing level of these health promoting strategies may induce pain improvement. Changes in positive thinking, communication skill, exercise, self-concept, pain management, and knowledge about the disease were significant predictors to explain positive change in depression. Since all of the significant variables except the change in knowledge about the disease had positive standardized beta weights (betas), it can be interpreted that increasing level of these health promoting strategies may induce improving depression level. However, our results showed that the higher level of the knowledge about the disease was, the worse depression was.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Depression* ; Health Education ; Health Promotion* ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Pain Management ; Problem Solving ; Thinking ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the relationships between the recurrence of pneumothorax with demographic and health-related risk factors. METHODS: Demographic factors (age and gender) and health-related risk factors (Body Mass Index, smoking, exercise, stress, fatigue, and morbidity from colds) were measured from 60 patients admitted to two acute care institutions due to pneumothorax. RESULTS: The study results showed significant differences in factors such as height and minutes of performing exercise per week, between the first occurrence and recurrence groups. However, other risk factors did not show significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Prevention of recurrences is important for the treatment and management of pneumothorax. More studies are required to accumulate empirical evidence for health-related risk factors and pneumothorax recurrence, as the relationship between all factors and recurrence were not obtained by the study results.
Demography ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Pneumothorax ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking

The purpose of this study was to clarify the dynamic relationships among risk factors of arteriosclerosis and to develop and examine a model which could explain this relationship clearly. Data were collected from medical records of 400 male clients who visited a university hospital located in Inchon for physical examinations, from May 1996 to December 1996. Data were analyzed using the LISREL (Linear Structural Relationship) 8 program. To test the fitness of the hypothesized model, chi-square, RMSR (root mean square residual), GFI (goodness of fit index), CN (critical number) and Q-plot were used. Most of the fitness measurements, except the chi-square showed that the hypothesized model complimented the real data. According to the results, there were trends that obesity and hyperlipidemia were prevalent in heavier smokers, higher alcohol intakers, and groups who excercised less. Also, hypertension was more prevalent in older age, higher alcohol intaker, and higher serum lipid level groups. In contrast to the hypothesis, alcohol intake did not significantly affect serum lipid levels. This might be due to the serum lipid measurements (total cholesterol and trigryceride) used in this study to estimate hyperlipidemia. The direct effect of smoking on hypertension was not significant. However, the total effect of smoking on the hypertension was significant since indirect effects of smoking on hypertension, such as obesity and hyperlipidemia, were significant. The total effect of obesity on hypertension was significant since the indirect effect of obesity on hypertension via hyperlipidemia was significant, although the direct effect of smoking on hypertension was not significant. The degree of explaining hyperlipidemia with smoking, exercise, and obesity was high (60%), however, the degree of explaining obesity with age, smoking, alcohol intake, and exercise was very low (7%). On the basis of these results, high risk factors of arteriosclerosis such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or obesity are either directly or indirectly correlated each other. Therefore, it is difficult to predict outcomes for increasing or decreasing the risk factors by simply modulating a factor. Smoking, alcohol, and exercise both directly and indirectly affected major risk factors of arteriosclerosis. Therefore, correcting these variables is required to decrease risk factors. Finally, the relationship among other risk factors which have been known to be related with arteriosclerosis (diet, stress or hereditary) should be clarified in further studies.
Arteriosclerosis* ; Cholesterol ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Incheon ; Male ; Medical Records ; Obesity ; Physical Examination ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking

The purpose of this study was to examine 1) whether the relationship between smoking and obesity was linear or non-linear (specifically U-shaped), and 2) if this relationship was proved to U-shaped, whether it was due to the in teraction of the effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on obesity. The present study was performed using cross sectional data taken from the medical records of 400 male patients. Data was analyzed using linear and curvilinear estimation, Fisher's exact test, and two-way ANCOVA. The relationship between smoking intensity and BMI was able to be explained significantly by a quadratic model, rather than by linear model. As has been shown in other studies, this relationship was parabolic (or U-shaped), though it was not particularly remarkable. This U-shaped relationship appeared to be due to the interaction of the effects of smoking intensity and alcohol consumption on BMI. On the other hand, the relationship between smoking intensity and the percentage of body fat was able to be explained significantly by a linear as well as a quadratic model. Additionally, the interaction effect between smoking intensity and alcohol consumption did not influence the percentage of body fat significantly. In conclusion, there is no doubt that smoking and obesity are both serious health hazards. Based on the results of this and other studies, it can be confirmed that heavy smoking has a positive relationship with obesity. Therefore, the health benefits of smoking cessation, as well as the correction of unhealthy habits such as alcohol consumption should be clearly emphasized.
Adipose Tissue/pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; *Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Obesity/pathology/*physiopathology ; *Smoking

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the individual and cross influences of age, gender, and severity on recovery of patients with brain injury. METHODS: For the purpose of the study, traumatic or spontaneous brain injury patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were conveniently selected. The data regarding outcomes were collected 3 months after admission. RESULTS: Individual influences of the study variables on patients' recovery were significant, except for gender. But while the individual influence of gender on recovery was not significant, cross influence of gender and age was significant, but only for the sub-dimension of 'arousalbility and awareness'. The study results also showed that 3-way cross influence of gender, age, and severity was only significant on the sub-dimension of 'arousalbility and awareness'. CONCLUSION: The sub-dimension of recovery cross influenced by the demographic factors of gender and age, and severity was 'arousalbility and awareness'. This might indicate that the study variables that cross influencing recovery had more influence on consciousness compared to physical function and psycho-social adaptation.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Awareness ; Brain Injuries/*diagnosis ; Demography ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Recovery of Function ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sex Factors

PURPOSE: This study was to identify the significant acute physiological predictors of mortality and of functional and cognitive recovery in hemorrhagic stroke patients. METHODS: The subjects were 108 hemorrhagic stroke patients admitted to Neurological Intensive Care Unit of a university hospital. RESULTS: The significant physiological predictors of mortality and of functional and cognitive recovery were quite different upon admission Glasgow Coma Scale scores: respiratory rate, hematocrit, serum pH, osmolality, and PaCO2 were the predictors in the subjects with a high Glasgow Coma Scale scores while blood pressure, PaO2, respiratory rate, and hematocrit in the subjects with a low Glasgow coma scale scores. CONCLUSION: The physiological derangements induced by acute stroke are undoubtedly influence clinical outcome. More study is required to determine their diverse impacts on clinical outcomes.
Blood Pressure ; Glasgow Coma Scale* ; Hematocrit ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Intensive Care Units ; Mortality ; Osmolar Concentration ; Prognosis ; Respiratory Rate ; Stroke*