OBJECTIVES: To investigate the prevalence of hazardous and harmful alcohol use, which are a subthreshold of alcohol related disorders. METHODS: Direct-interview questionnaires to 1,183 rural persons (489 male, 694 female) were conducted in Chungju-city from July 2 to 26, 1998. As a screening instrument, the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) was used. RESULTS: The prevalence of alcohol use was 41.7%. In males, it was 66.3% and in females, it was 24.4%. The mean of the AUDIT score of males and females was 13.2 and 5.6, respectively. As WHO guideline, the prevalence of hazardous alcohol use in males and females was 80.3% and 20.7%, respectively. This suggests that the prevalence of 'hazardous drinking' and 'harmful drinking' was 45.4% and 29.3% for males and 1.2% and 2.4% for females, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study presented the prevalence of hazardous and harmful drinking of a rural population in Korea and reviewed those health problems. Further evaluation to detect and treat lower alcoholic drinkers is recommended
Alcohol Drinking* ; Alcohol-Related Disorders ; Alcoholics ; Chungcheongbuk-do* ; Drinking ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Prevalence* ; Questionnaires ; Rural Population

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors affecting suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts of older adults aged 65 years and older. METHODS: A part of the 2014 Community Health Survey data were used for analysis. Responses of 3,287 older adults living in Chungbuk province were analyzed using complex sample multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The percentages of older people who experienced suicidal ideation and attempt during the past year were 21.7% and 0.8%, respectively. Limitation of daily living activities, pain/discomfort, stress and depression were significant risk factors of older adults' suicidal ideation. The significant risk factor of suicidal attempt was suicidal ideation, followed by depression and limitation of daily activities. The frequencies of elderly people using professional counseling related to the stress, depression or suicidal ideation were very low showing 2.1%, 1.8%, and 1.4% respectively. The protective impact of counselling on suicidal ideation and attempt were not able to be identified because of the low rate of participation of counselling program in this study. CONCLUSION: The common risk factors of suicidal ideation and attempt were depression and the limitation of daily activity; therefore, community services for them should be emphasized. In addition, there should be an effort to increase the utilization rate of professional counselling and to identify the effects of counselling on the prevention of suicidal behaviors.
Activities of Daily Living ; Adult* ; Aged ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Counseling ; Depression ; Health Surveys* ; Humans ; Independent Living* ; Logistic Models ; Risk Factors* ; Social Welfare ; Suicidal Ideation* ; Suicide, Attempted

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that could be used as standardized criteria for evaluating occupational diseases in initial assessments or requests for examination. Using 100 administrative litigation cases on the work-relatedness of cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs) by the Seoul Branch of the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation (KLWC) from 1997 to 2002, we estimated the relationship between the investigated variables and designation of the work-relatedness of the CVD. As for the age, the odds ratio of the acceptance rate of a case as work-related in subjects over 60 yr of age was 0.08 (95% CI, 0.01-0.75), which was compared to subjects under 30 yr of age. Regarding working hours, the odds ratio of the acceptance rate of a case as work-related in CVDs in those over 56 hr was 9.50 (95% CI, 1.92-47.10) when compared to those less than 56 hr. As for the benefit type, the odds ratio of the acceptance rate of a case as work-related in medical benefits was 5.74 (95% CI, 1.29-25.54), compared to survivor benefits. As for the criteria for defining situations as work overload, the odds ratio of the acceptance rate of a case as work-related in injured workers was 12.06 (95% CI, 3.12-46.62), compared to that in non-injured workers. Our findings show that the criteria for defining situations of work overload played an important role in assessing the work-relatedness of CVDs in administrative litigation, and it is necessary to make the scientific evidence on judgement of workrelatedness on overwork.
Adult ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/*classification/*etiology ; Employment ; Female ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases/*classification/*etiology ; Occupational Health ; Odds Ratio ; Regression Analysis ; Work Schedule Tolerance ; Workers' Compensation ; Workplace

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to investigate the effect of drink containing sodium benzoate on the change of urinary hippuric acid (UHA) and methyl hippuric acid (UMHA) excretion among workers coexposed to low toluene and xylene. METHODS: Study subjects were 55 male shipbuilders who were divided into 3 groups; nonexposed group (n=10, who were not exposed to organic solvent and had drunk sodium benzoate), exposed A group (n=24, who were coexposed to toluene and xylene, and had drunk sodium benzoate), and exposed B group (n=21, who were coexposed to toluene and xylene, and had not drunk sodium benzoate). The study methodology consisted of questionnaire survey, urinary analysis for metabolites of toluene and xylene before and after drinking with or without sodium benzoate, and personal air sampling of toluene and xylene. RESULTS: Before drinking, there was no significant difference in UHA or UMHA between the exposed A and B groups. After 1.5 hour of drinking, UHA of the exposed A group was significantly higher than that of the exposed B group. After 3 hours, however, UHA of the exposed A group was decreased to the level of the exposed B group, regardless of the ambient toluene level. UMHA exhibited no significant difference between the exposed A and B groups regardless of time and ambient toluene level. The regression model showed that drinking of sodium benzoate was positively correlated with UHA after 1.5 hours of drinking, but not after 3 hours. In addition, sodium benzoate didn't affect UMHA. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that sodium benzoate initially increased UHA temporally but that its effect disappeared after 3 hours. In the medical examination of toluene exposure workers, the ingestion of drink containing sodium benzoate should be forbidden during the 3 hours prior to urinary sampling.
Drinking ; Eating ; Humans ; Male ; Questionnaires ; Sodium Benzoate* ; Sodium* ; Toluene* ; Xylenes*

OBJECTIVES: To increase the booster vaccination rate, the Korean government legislated a measles vaccination for elementary school students in 2001, requiring parents to submit a certificate of vaccination upon the admission of the students to elementary school. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of measles vaccination certificates which were issued to parents. METHODS: Using questionnaire survey data of 890 general practitioners and 9,235 parents in 2005, we investigated the evidence for booster vaccination certificates of measles. RESULTS: In the survey of general practitioners, 59.5% of the certificates depended on the medical records of clinic, 13.5% was immunization booklets, 23.7% was re-immunizations, 1.9% was confirmation of record of other clinics, and 1.4% was parents' statements or requests without evidence. In the survey of parents, 36.2% of the certificates depended on the medical records of clinic, 43.4% was immunization booklets, 18.0% was reimmunizations, and 2.4% was parents statements or requests without evidence. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that a majority of the booster vaccination certificates of measles was issued on the basis of documented vaccinations and it means that the implementation of the law requiring the submission of elementary school students' vaccination certificates has been very successful in Korea.
Adult ; Aged ; *Certification ; Documentation ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Measles Vaccine/*administration & dosage ; Medical Records ; Middle Aged ; Parents ; Questionnaires ; *Schools ; Vaccination/legislation & jurisprudence/*standards/statistics & numerical data

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the cost for occupational health and safety in manufacturing factories in Korea according to the factory's size and the industrial classification. METHODS: The costs to prevent occupational injuries and promote the general health of the workers were calculated by using the data of The Occupational Safety and Health Survey in Korea in the year of 2005 and the data of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (IACI) premiums at the same factories for the year of 2004. RESULTS: The mean cost per one worker was as follows: 990,000 won for the factory with 5~49 workers, 869,000 won for the factory with 50~299 workers and 1,773,000 won for the factory with more than 300 workers. In the factories with 5~49 workers and 50~299 workers, the premium for the IACI was the largest portion of the cost (62.8% and 52.8%, respectively) and the cost for gear to protect workers from dangerous machineries was the next biggest portion of the cost (20.1% and 19.1%, respectively). The largest portion of the cost in the factories with more than 300 workers was the premium for the IACI (37.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The investment costs to prevent occupational injuries and to promote the general health of the workers were very diverse according to the size of the factories and the industrial classification. To reduce the occupational injuries and to promote the general health of the workers, systematic and continuous approaches to evaluate the investment costs for the occupational health and safety are required.
Accidents, Occupational ; Compensation and Redress ; Health Surveys ; Insurance ; Investments ; Korea ; Occupational Health ; Occupational Injuries ; Occupations

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the cost for occupational health and safety in manufacturing factories in Korea according to the factory's size and the industrial classification. METHODS: The costs to prevent occupational injuries and promote the general health of the workers were calculated by using the data of The Occupational Safety and Health Survey in Korea in the year of 2005 and the data of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (IACI) premiums at the same factories for the year of 2004. RESULTS: The mean cost per one worker was as follows: 990,000 won for the factory with 5~49 workers, 869,000 won for the factory with 50~299 workers and 1,773,000 won for the factory with more than 300 workers. In the factories with 5~49 workers and 50~299 workers, the premium for the IACI was the largest portion of the cost (62.8% and 52.8%, respectively) and the cost for gear to protect workers from dangerous machineries was the next biggest portion of the cost (20.1% and 19.1%, respectively). The largest portion of the cost in the factories with more than 300 workers was the premium for the IACI (37.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The investment costs to prevent occupational injuries and to promote the general health of the workers were very diverse according to the size of the factories and the industrial classification. To reduce the occupational injuries and to promote the general health of the workers, systematic and continuous approaches to evaluate the investment costs for the occupational health and safety are required.
Accidents, Occupational ; Compensation and Redress ; Health Surveys ; Insurance ; Investments ; Korea ; Occupational Health ; Occupational Injuries ; Occupations

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of precarious employment status on the level of self-rated health, based on various criteria, by participants in the Korean Labor and Income Panel Survey. METHODS: Data were obtained from 3,268 subjects(2,057 men and 1,211 women), who participated in the 2005-2006 Korean Labor and Income Panel Survey. Group A was classified as Non-precarious employment by both the Ministry of Labor (MoLab) and the Korea Labor and Society Institute (KLSI). The group B was classified as Non-precarious employment by the MoLab and as precarious employment by the KLSI. The group C is classified as Non-precarious employment by both MoLab and KLSI. Outcome variables were self-rated health and a panel logistic regression analysis was performed on the data. RESULTS: The level of self-rated health was worse among group B males (OR: 1.45, C.I:1.00~2.11) and group C males (OR: 1.69, C.I:1.35~2.10) compared to group A males. A substantial difference(57.8%) in the level of self-rated health between groups A and B was attributed to the sociodemographic characteristics of the populations. The difference in self-rated health between groups A and C was explained by work environments(15.7%), as well as by sociodemographic characteristics(26.1%). For female workers, the level of self-rated health in group B and C was worse than in group A, but this finding was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that the policy to improve the working environment, as well as a more comprehensive effort to reduce the disparity, is needed for the precarious employment worker.
Employment ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male

PURPOSE: No precise data are available showing how magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) can be applied to diagnosis for the first attack of a suspected cerebrovascular disease in Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the application level of MRI and MRA as diagnostic tools and the related factors to the use of these techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used the health benefit claim data of 89,890 patients who were hospitalized for the first time due to suspected cerebrovascular disease in 2007 without having visited medical institutions as an outpatient or inpatient from 2003 to 2006. RESULTS: Of the 89,890 cases, 28.4% took both MRI and MRA, 10.7% took only MRI and 6.9% took only MRA. The related factors identified in the multivariate logistic regression analysis were gender, type of insurance, type of medical institution, type of department, duration of hospitalization, and type of disease. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the application level of MRI and MRA as diagnostic measures for the first attack of a suspected cerebrovascular diseases varied depending on several factors. It is necessary to study more accurate levels of computerized tomography (CT), computerized tomography angiography (CTA), MRI or MRA as measures to diagnose a first attack of suspected cerebrovascular disease.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Cerebral Angiography ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/*diagnosis/radiography ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography/*utilization ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*utilization ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Republic of Korea ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to analyze the influence of socioeconomic characteristics of community on the food insecurity under the control of personal socioeconomic factors which may be influence to the food security. METHODS: Food insecurity and individual socioeconomic characteristics were obtained from 2012 community health survey. Socioeconomic characteristics of communities were extracted from the data of Statistics Korea and local governments. Personal socioeconomic factors were sex, age, educational status, job, and monthly family income. Socioeconomic characteristics of communities were administrative district (urban vs. rural), senior population rate, degree of financial self reliance, degree of financial independence, portion of welfare budget, number of welfare facilities, and unemployment rate. We analysed the relationships between the food insecurity and socioeconomic characteristics of community using multi-level analysis under the control of personal characteristics. RESULTS: On personal level age, sex, education status, and monthly family income were related with food insecurity. On community level administrative district (urban vs. rural), degree of financial independence, unemployment rate, and proportion of welfare budget among local general government accounts were related to individual food insecurity. Rural area, district with low levels of financial independence, low portion of welfare budget, and greater unemployment rate showed a higher level of food insecurity. CONCLUSION: To reduce the level of food insecurity in a community it is necessary to decrease the unemployment rate, in addition to providing support from the central government by increasing the proportion of the welfare budget so that both factors contribute to raising the degree of financial independence.
Adult* ; Budgets ; Education ; Educational Status ; Food Supply* ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Korea ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Unemployment