OBJECTIVES: This research was conducted to identify the consumers' food choice factors that affect the consumers' replacement of soft drinks with carbonated water. METHODS: The present study used secondary data from a consumer panel survey conducted by the Rural Development Administration of Korea, and the data included the panel members' purchase records based on their monthly spending receipts. The survey asked the participants about their food choice factors and their personal responsibility for their health. This survey included independent variables for the consumers' food purchase factors. As a dependent variable, two types of groups were defined. The replacement group included those people who increased their purchase of carbonated water and decreased their purchase of soft drinks. The non-replacement group included those people who did not change their purchase patterns or they increased their purchase of soft drinks and they decreased their purchase of carbonated water. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the consumers' food choice factors that were associated with replacing soft drinks with carbonated water. RESULTS: The replacement group was significantly associated with (1) a younger age (OR=0.953), (2) being a housewife (OR=2.03), (3) higher income (OR=1.001) and (4) less concern about price (OR=0.819) when purchasing food. This group also showed (5) higher enjoyment (OR=1.328) when choosing food and (6) they took greater responsibly for their personal health (OR=1.233). CONCLUSIONS: This research is the first study to mainly focus on soft drinks and carbonated water. The result of this research showed that young, health-conscious consumers with a higher income and who are more interested in food have more possibilities to replace soft drinks with carbonated water. These research findings may be applied to consumers who have characteristics that are similar to the young health-conscious consumers and the results can help to suggest ways to reduce sugar intake and improve public health. However, this research has a limitation due to the application of secondary data. Therefore, a future study is needed to develop detailed survey questions about food choice factors and to extend these factors to all beverages, including soft drinks made with sugar substitutes, so as to reflect the growth of alternative industries that use artificial sweeteners or different types of sugar to make commercially available drinks.
Beverages ; Carbon ; Carbonated Beverages ; Carbonated Water ; Consumer Behavior ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Public Health ; Social Planning ; Sweetening Agents

Objectives: ：Screening of male depression is important since their symptoms differ from females, such as more common suicide attempts and aggression. Rutz et al. designed the Gotland Male Depression Scale (GMDS) to understand male depression and prevent suicide. The aim of this study is to translate the GMDS into Korean and assess the factor structure of K-GMDS. Methods: ：The K-GMDS was administered to 213 male office workers in one public institution. The current study used exploratory factor analysis to validate the factor structure and used confirmatory factor analysis to test the construct validity of five factor models from prior research. Results: ：The result indicated that the K-GMDS is characterized by a two-factor structure, different from originally proposed GMDS factor structure and other prior models. Fit indices demonstrated the prior five models to be a poor fit to the data. The internal consistency was demonstrated by a Cronbach’s α of 0.921. Conclusions ：This study can be used as a basis study of male depression, which has not been studied much in Korea. Though factor structure of GMDS reported discrepant findings with prior studies, it would help further development of the scale.

BACKGROUND: Any data on the prevalence of the infectious diseases of blood donors at a university hospital-based blood bank is not available. We aimed to analyze the seroincidence of screening tests from blood donors at a university hospital-based blood bank in Korea. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed all the samples of blood donors during the previous three years from January 2006 to December 2008. HBsAg and HIV Ab/Ag Combo test were performed by chemiluminescent immunoassays, and anti-HCV was performed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and electrochemiluminescent immunoassay. Serologic testing for syphilis was done by VDRL (venereal disease research laboratory test) and RPR (rapid plasma regain test). RESULTS: The number of total blood donors that underwent screening tests were 1,279 in 2006, 1,355 in 2007 and 941 in 2008, respectively. HBsAg was positive in 8 cases among the 1,279 donors (0.63%) in 2006, in 10 cases of the 1,355 donors (0.74%) in 2007 and in 5 cases of the 941 donors (0.53%) in 2008. Anti-HCV was positive in 3 cases (0.24%) in 2006, 2 cases (0.15%) in 2007 and 2 cases (0.21%) in 2008. One of them was dual positive for HBsAg and anti-HCV. There's no positive case of anti-HIV (0%) during the 3 years. Serologic testing for syphilis (VDRL) was positive in 7 cases (0.55%) in 2006, in 5 cases (0.37%) in 2007 and in 5 cases (0.53%) in 2008. CONCLUSION: The seroincidence was different between a university hospital-based blood bank and the Korean Red Cross Blood Service center. This difference might be due to the composition of donors, i.e., autologous blood donors and directed donors in the university-based blood bank.
Blood Banks ; Blood Donors ; Communicable Diseases ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; HIV ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Plasma ; Prevalence ; Red Cross ; Retrospective Studies ; Serologic Tests ; Syphilis ; Tissue Donors

Background: This study examined the impact of the performance improvement and patient safety (PIPS) program implemented in 2015 on outcomes for trauma patients in a regional trauma center established by a government-led project for a national trauma system in Korea. Methods: The PIPS program was based on guidelines by the World Health Organization and American College of Surgeons. The corrective strategies were proceeded according to the loop closure principle: data-gathering and monitoring, identification of preventable trauma deaths (PTDs), evaluation of preventable factors, analysis of findings, and corrective action plans. We established guidelines and protocols for trauma care, conducted targeted education and peer review presentations for problematic cases, and enhanced resources for improvement accordingly. A comparative analysis was performed on trauma outcomes over a four-year period (2015–2018) since implementing the PIPS program, including the number of trauma team activation and admissions, time factors related to resuscitation, ventilator duration, and the rate of PTDs. Results: Human resources in the center significantly increased during the period; attending surgeons responsible for trauma resuscitation from 6 to 11 and trauma nurses from 85 to 218. Trauma admissions (from 2,166 to 2,786), trauma team activations (from 373 to 1,688), and severe cases (from 22.6 to 33.8%) significantly increased (all P < 0.001). Time to initial resuscitation and transfusion significantly decreased from 120 to 36 minutes (P < 0.001) and from 39 to 16 minutes (P < 0.001). Time to surgery for hemorrhage control and decompressive craniotomy improved from 99 to 54 minutes (P < 0.001) and 181 to 135 minutes (P = 0.042). Ventilator duration and rate of PTDs significantly decreased from 6 to 4 days (P = 0.001) and 22.2% to 8.4% (P = 0.008). Conclusion Implementation of the PIPS program resulted in improvements in outcomes at a regional trauma center that has just been opened in Korea. Further establishment of the PIPS program is required for optimal care of trauma patients.

Background: This study examined the impact of the performance improvement and patient safety (PIPS) program implemented in 2015 on outcomes for trauma patients in a regional trauma center established by a government-led project for a national trauma system in Korea. Methods: The PIPS program was based on guidelines by the World Health Organization and American College of Surgeons. The corrective strategies were proceeded according to the loop closure principle: data-gathering and monitoring, identification of preventable trauma deaths (PTDs), evaluation of preventable factors, analysis of findings, and corrective action plans. We established guidelines and protocols for trauma care, conducted targeted education and peer review presentations for problematic cases, and enhanced resources for improvement accordingly. A comparative analysis was performed on trauma outcomes over a four-year period (2015–2018) since implementing the PIPS program, including the number of trauma team activation and admissions, time factors related to resuscitation, ventilator duration, and the rate of PTDs. Results: Human resources in the center significantly increased during the period; attending surgeons responsible for trauma resuscitation from 6 to 11 and trauma nurses from 85 to 218. Trauma admissions (from 2,166 to 2,786), trauma team activations (from 373 to 1,688), and severe cases (from 22.6 to 33.8%) significantly increased (all P < 0.001). Time to initial resuscitation and transfusion significantly decreased from 120 to 36 minutes (P < 0.001) and from 39 to 16 minutes (P < 0.001). Time to surgery for hemorrhage control and decompressive craniotomy improved from 99 to 54 minutes (P < 0.001) and 181 to 135 minutes (P = 0.042). Ventilator duration and rate of PTDs significantly decreased from 6 to 4 days (P = 0.001) and 22.2% to 8.4% (P = 0.008). Conclusion Implementation of the PIPS program resulted in improvements in outcomes at a regional trauma center that has just been opened in Korea. Further establishment of the PIPS program is required for optimal care of trauma patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the Apple AirPods Pro with the headphone accommodation feature as a hearing assistive device for patients with mild to moderate hearing loss (HL). Materials and Methods: The study included a total of 35 participants with mild to moderate HL. To determine the degree of HL in the participants, a screening test using pure-tone audiometry was conducted prior to the main tests of functional gain, word recognition score (WRS), and sentence recognition in noisy environments. The study employed two hearing devices: the Bean (a personal sound amplification product, PSAP) and the AirPods Pro. Results: Regarding functional gain, there were no significant differences between the Bean and the AirPods Pro at all frequencies, except 8 kHz. In terms of WRS, both the Bean and the AirPods Pro had higher scores than the unaided condition. In sentence recognition, both the Bean and the AirPods Pro had higher scores than the unaided condition. During real-ear measurement, the Bean demonstrated consistent frequency responses, while the AirPods had a deviation exceeding 10 dB SPL at 6 kHz in the left ear.This deviation was absent for all other frequencies. Conclusion This study shows that the Apple AirPods Pro, with its headphone accommodation feature, performed similarly to a validated PSAP and improved hearing compared to unaided conditions.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the Apple AirPods Pro with the headphone accommodation feature as a hearing assistive device for patients with mild to moderate hearing loss (HL). Materials and Methods: The study included a total of 35 participants with mild to moderate HL. To determine the degree of HL in the participants, a screening test using pure-tone audiometry was conducted prior to the main tests of functional gain, word recognition score (WRS), and sentence recognition in noisy environments. The study employed two hearing devices: the Bean (a personal sound amplification product, PSAP) and the AirPods Pro. Results: Regarding functional gain, there were no significant differences between the Bean and the AirPods Pro at all frequencies, except 8 kHz. In terms of WRS, both the Bean and the AirPods Pro had higher scores than the unaided condition. In sentence recognition, both the Bean and the AirPods Pro had higher scores than the unaided condition. During real-ear measurement, the Bean demonstrated consistent frequency responses, while the AirPods had a deviation exceeding 10 dB SPL at 6 kHz in the left ear.This deviation was absent for all other frequencies. Conclusion This study shows that the Apple AirPods Pro, with its headphone accommodation feature, performed similarly to a validated PSAP and improved hearing compared to unaided conditions.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the Apple AirPods Pro with the headphone accommodation feature as a hearing assistive device for patients with mild to moderate hearing loss (HL). Materials and Methods: The study included a total of 35 participants with mild to moderate HL. To determine the degree of HL in the participants, a screening test using pure-tone audiometry was conducted prior to the main tests of functional gain, word recognition score (WRS), and sentence recognition in noisy environments. The study employed two hearing devices: the Bean (a personal sound amplification product, PSAP) and the AirPods Pro. Results: Regarding functional gain, there were no significant differences between the Bean and the AirPods Pro at all frequencies, except 8 kHz. In terms of WRS, both the Bean and the AirPods Pro had higher scores than the unaided condition. In sentence recognition, both the Bean and the AirPods Pro had higher scores than the unaided condition. During real-ear measurement, the Bean demonstrated consistent frequency responses, while the AirPods had a deviation exceeding 10 dB SPL at 6 kHz in the left ear.This deviation was absent for all other frequencies. Conclusion This study shows that the Apple AirPods Pro, with its headphone accommodation feature, performed similarly to a validated PSAP and improved hearing compared to unaided conditions.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the Apple AirPods Pro with the headphone accommodation feature as a hearing assistive device for patients with mild to moderate hearing loss (HL). Materials and Methods: The study included a total of 35 participants with mild to moderate HL. To determine the degree of HL in the participants, a screening test using pure-tone audiometry was conducted prior to the main tests of functional gain, word recognition score (WRS), and sentence recognition in noisy environments. The study employed two hearing devices: the Bean (a personal sound amplification product, PSAP) and the AirPods Pro. Results: Regarding functional gain, there were no significant differences between the Bean and the AirPods Pro at all frequencies, except 8 kHz. In terms of WRS, both the Bean and the AirPods Pro had higher scores than the unaided condition. In sentence recognition, both the Bean and the AirPods Pro had higher scores than the unaided condition. During real-ear measurement, the Bean demonstrated consistent frequency responses, while the AirPods had a deviation exceeding 10 dB SPL at 6 kHz in the left ear.This deviation was absent for all other frequencies. Conclusion This study shows that the Apple AirPods Pro, with its headphone accommodation feature, performed similarly to a validated PSAP and improved hearing compared to unaided conditions.

Background: The preventable trauma death rate survey is a basic tool for the quality management of trauma treatment because it is a method that can intuitively evaluate the level of national trauma treatment. We conducted this study as a national biennial follow-up survey project and report the results of the review of the 2019 trauma death data in Korea. Methods: From January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019, of a total of 8,482 trauma deaths throughout the country, 1,692 were sampled from 279 emergency medical institutions in Korea. All cases were evaluated for preventability of death and opportunities for improvement using a multidisciplinary panel review approach. Results: The preventable trauma death rate was estimated to be 15.7%. Of these, 3.1% were judged definitive preventable deaths, and 12.7% were potentially preventable deaths. The odds ratio for preventable traumatic death was 2.56 times higher in transferred patients compared to that of patients who visited the final hospital directly. The group that died 1 hour after the accident had a statistically significantly higher probability of preventable death than that of the group that died within 1 hour after the accident. Conclusion The preventable trauma death rate for trauma deaths in 2019 was 15.7%, which was 4.2%p lower than that in 2017. To improve the quality of trauma treatment, the transfer of severe trauma patients to trauma centers should be more focused.