PURPOSE: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a major public health problem related to increased risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. We investigated whether recommended levels of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) decrease the risk of MetS in a community-based prospective cohort study (Ansung and Ansan cohort).MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 3910 adults (1890 men, 2020 women) without MetS examined in 2001–2002 (baseline) were included in this study and followed up from 2013 to 2014. We measured LTPA energy expenditure using the standard metabolic equivalent value [metabolic equivalent of task (MET)-h/wk]. Individuals were categorized into five groups (physically inactive, 0.1 to <7.5, 7.5 to <15.0, 15.0 to <22.5, 22.5 to <40.0, and ≥40.0 MET-h/wk).RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 11.8 years. Among the cohort, 482 men (25.5%) and 541 women (26.8%) were diagnosed with newly developed MetS. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed a 4.4% lower MetS risk among those performing two to three times the recommended minimum of 7.5 MET-h/wk [multivariate relative risk (RR), 0.956; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.654–1.398] and a 21.9% lower risk among those performing three to four times the physical activity minimum (multivariate RR, 0.781; 95% CI, 0.574–1.063). This association was only significant in females performing three to four times the minimum (crude RR, 0.655; 95% CI, 0.432–0.994).CONCLUSION: We noted that physical activity at more than 2 times the recommended minimum prevents MetS. Healthcare professionals should encourage inactive adults to be physically active during their leisure time to take advantage of its health benefits.
Adult ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cohort Studies ; Delivery of Health Care ; Energy Metabolism ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Insurance Benefits ; Korea ; Leisure Activities ; Male ; Metabolic Equivalent ; Motor Activity ; Prospective Studies ; Public Health

PURPOSE: The study was conducted to investigate correlation between professionalism, organizational communication the and patient safety culture of nurses in hemodialysis units and verify factors that affect patient safety culture. METHODS: Data were collected from 109 nurses working in hemodialysis units located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression with the SPSS 21.0 program. RESULTS: The Professionalism of participants was significantly correlated with patient safety culture while the Organizational communication was also correlated with patient safety culture. Factors influencing participants' patient safety culture included professionalism, organizational communication, employment history in current hospital, and the number of patients per nurse. These factors explained 57.8% of patient safety culture. CONCLUSION: The research findings suggest that in order to increase the awareness of patient safety culture of nurses in hemodialysis units, strategic efforts are needed to enhance professionalism and organizational communication satisfaction of nurses in hemodialysis units.
Employment ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Patient Safety ; Professionalism ; Renal Dialysis ; Seoul

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop a Mental Health Questionnaire for Adults (MHQ-A) and investigate its validity and reliability. METHODS: A 73-item questionnaire was developed or selected by seven psychiatrists and a clinical psychologist. The questionnaire was administered to 351 subjects in Seoul and Gyeonggi area. The construct validity was investigated by performing principal component analysis, and the reliability was assessed in terms of the internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: Principal component analysis revealed 15 factors underlying the psychiatric disorder and symptom category. Taken together, these 15 factors accounted for 64.023% of the common variance. Cronbach's alpha was high, indicating that the reliability of the questionnaire was satisfactory. Every category showed a positive correlation with most psychological measures. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the MHQ-A is a reliable and valid scale for assessing psychiatric disorders. Although there were many limitations, the present study has significance as the basis of future research.
Adult ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Principal Component Analysis ; Psychiatry ; Psychology ; Reproducibility of Results ; Seoul

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop a brief schema questionnaire for adults (BSQ-A) and investigate its validity and reliability. METHODS: A 36-item questionnaire was developed or selected by six psychiatrists. The questionnaire was administered to 209 subjects in Seoul and Gyeonggi area. The construct validity was investigated by performing principal component analysis, and the reliability was assessed in terms of the internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The principal component analysis revealed 18 factors underlying 18 early maladaptive schemas (EMSs). These 18 factors accounted for 87.488% of the common variance. The Cronbach's alpha was high, indicating that the reliability of the questionnaire was satisfactory. Every schema showed a positive correlation with most psychological measures. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the BSQ-A is a reliable and valid scale for assessing EMSs. Although there are many limitations, the present study is expected to form the basis of future research.
Adult ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Principal Component Analysis ; Psychiatry ; Reproducibility of Results ; Seoul

PURPOSE: This study examined the food purchases from e-commerce and its relation to eating behaviors or habits in adult women in Incheon and Gyeonggi. METHODS: A total of 410 subjects participated in the questionnaire survey. Food purchases in e-commerce and food habits were compared according to age, marital status, and food purchase status in e-commerce of the subjects. RESULTS: Approximately 88% of the subjects had experience of buying foods by e-commerce; more than 40% of the subjects spent less than 100,000 Won buying foods by e-commerce in the past 6 months. The major purchases were coffee and tea, instant food and frozen food, and water and beverages. The reasons for buying foods in e-commerce were cheaper price, convenience of delivery, and variety of food choices. The main factors considered for purchasing foods in e-commerce were price and quality followed by rapid and accurate delivery, and food label and information. Approximately 70% of the subjects were very satisfied or satisfied with their food purchase in e-commerce, and 96% answered that they were willing to buy food in e-commerce again. The perception on the advantages of food purchases in e-commerce was 3.6 points out of 5 and significantly lower in the over 50s and married group. The subjects with experience and high cost of food purchase in e-commerce showed significantly low scores of dietary behaviors and eating habits, which is undesirable. CONCLUSION: A high percentage of people purchased foods by e-commerce, and they showed undesirable eating habits, especially when the cost of purchasing foods by e-commerce is high. These results showed that purchasing foods in e-commerce may be related to consumers' food habits. Therefore, continuous attention and nutrition guidance for e-commerce consumers are needed.
Adult ; Beverages ; Coffee ; Eating ; Feeding Behavior ; Female ; Food Habits ; Frozen Foods ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Incheon ; Marital Status ; Tea ; Water

PURPOSE: This study examined the relationship among the use of food-related content (FRC), dietary behaviors, and dietary self-efficacy to demonstrate the need for nutrition education to help adolescents build healthy eating habits and provide evidence for developing nutrition education programs for adolescents. METHODS: Three hundred and eighty-one high school students in Seoul and Gyeonggi areas participated in the study. The subjects were divided into three groups (low, medium, and high) according to the level of use of the FRC, and their general characteristics, dietary behaviors, and dietary self-efficacy were analyzed. Correlation analysis was performed between FRC usage, dietary behaviors, and dietary self-efficacy, and the mediating effects of dietary self-efficacy on the relationship between the level of the use of FRC and dietary behaviors were estimated. RESULTS: A higher level of FRC usage was associated with an increased daily cost of eating out and snacking, but no difference was observed in the BMI range. The subjects in a group with a high level of FRC usage ate convenience store or instant foods instead of homemade meals (p = 0.033), had a late-night meal or snack (p = 0.024), and turned to emotional eating under stress (p < 0.001) more than those in the low level group. In addition, the high level group checked the nutrition facts label more carefully when purchasing processed foods (p = 0.016) and exercised at least 30 minutes daily, not considering physical education classes (p = 0.057). The higher level of FRC use, the lower the dietary self-efficacy, whereby the subscales ‘environmental stimulus control efficacy’ and ‘affective factor control efficacy’ showed complete mediating effects. CONCLUSION: Given that FRC has been increased recently, adolescents are in need of support to help them control and enhance their dietary self-efficacy as well as develop healthy dietary behaviors through proper nutrition education programs.
Adolescent ; Eating ; Education ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Meals ; Negotiating ; Physical Education and Training ; Seoul ; Snacks

PURPOSE: With the increase of going out to eat, reducing the sodium in restaurant foods has a crucial impact on reducing sodium intake. This study aimed to assess the current status and perceptions of restaurant staffs related to reducing sodium use in restaurants. METHODS: Restaurant managers and chefs (n = 312) in Seongnam area completed a questionnaire on the current status related to sodium use, the barriers to practice for reducing sodium use, support needs, and the practicability of methods for reducing sodium use in restaurants. RESULTS: The percentage of restaurants in the preaction stage (including the precontemplation, contemplation, and preparation stages) for reducing sodium use was 79.7%. Logistic regression analysis showed that measuring salinity while cooking was associated with measuring seasoning (OR, 4.761; 95% CI, 2.325 ~ 9.751), action/maintenance stages of behavior change (OR, 2.829; 95% CI, 1.449 ~ 5.525) and providing salinity information of restaurant foods (OR, 6.314; 95% CI, 2.964 ~ 13.45). Maintaining taste and hindering the cooking process were the main barriers to reduce sodium use. The total practicability of actions for reducing sodium was higher in staffs who worked in restaurants that measured seasoning and salinity while cooking (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). The hardest item to practice was ‘purchase foods after comparing sodium content in the nutrition labeling’. ‘Avoid serving salt-fermented foods as side dishes’, ‘serve small portions of kimchi and less salty kimchi’, and ‘put up promotional materials for reducing sodium intake’ were selected as easy items to perform. The majority (82%) was willing to reduce sodium in restaurant foods under the support of local government and they desired the promotion of participating restaurants and education on cooking skills to reduce sodium. CONCLUSION: Measuring seasoning and salinity while cooking is a meaningful practice that is associated with stages of behavior change and the practicability of actions for reducing sodium. It is necessary to provide support and education with a gradual approach to staffs for reducing sodium in restaurant foods.
Cooking ; Education ; Gyeonggi-do ; Korea ; Local Government ; Logistic Models ; Restaurants ; Salinity ; Seasons ; Sodium

PURPOSE: This descriptive study aimed to explore the effects of bullying, health promotion lifestyles, and physical symptoms on the occupational stress of new nurses in general hospitals. METHODS: The participants of this study were 157 new nurses in fivegeneral hospitals with 100 to 399 beds in Gyeonggi-do. Data were collected from January to February, 2018, using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using the SPSS software version 20. RESULTS: A total of 60.5% of the participants experienced bullying, and 38.2% experienced bullying more than 10 times a month. The perceived severity of bullying was severe (32.4%) and the nurses'first bullying experience began within the first six months (47.7%). Their occupational stress was scored 3.1. The regression model for occupational stressors was significant (F=23.86, p < .001), and the total explanatory power was 46.8%. The variables affecting occupational stress were bullying awareness (β=−.30, p < .001), preceptor satisfaction (β=−.30, p < .001), and health promotion lifestyles (β=−.26, p=.001). CONCLUSION: It is important to reduce the incidence of bullying in order to help new nurses with high occupational stress. Stress management programs are needed to improve relationships between new nurses and preceptors and to encourage their health promotion lifestyles.
Bullying ; Gyeonggi-do ; Health Promotion ; Hospitals, General ; Incidence ; Life Style

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess hand hygiene (HH) compliance among visitors at a long-term care hospital in South Korea. METHODS: The study was conducted at a 502-bed long-term care hospital located in Gyeonggi-do Province. From July 1 to August 15, 2017, including more than 6 weekends and one holiday, a trained observer covertly assessed visitors' HH at all five units (360 beds in total) of the study hospital building until the completion of 1,000 HH opportunities (i.e., 200 opportunities per unit). The modified World Health Organization (WHO) HH observation form was used. Instead of professional categories and the “before clean/aseptic procedure” moment, the estimated age range for each visitor were recorded in four categories: children (<14 years old), adolescents (14~18), adults (19~64), and the elderly (≥65). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0. RESULTS: A total of 1,000 HH opportunities were observed from 766 visitors (an average of 1.31 per visitor) and the overall HH compliance rate was 20.3%. Overall, 53.7% of the HH cases were performed with soap and water. Among the 4 HH moments, the “after body fluid exposure risk” moment showed the highest compliance rate (83.5%); 93.9% used soap and water. The most commonly exposed potential body fluid among visitors was saliva (48.1%). CONCLUSION: For hospital visitors in long-term care hospitals, HH education programs including HH moments need to be developed and implemented. Further studies are necessary to evaluate visitors' HH compliance in various hospital settings and find the related variables influencing visitors' HH.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Body Fluids ; Child ; Compliance ; Education ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hand Hygiene ; Hand ; Holidays ; Humans ; Korea ; Long-Term Care ; Observational Study ; Saliva ; Soaps ; Visitors to Patients ; Water ; World Health Organization

PURPOSE: This study tries to test mediating effects of hope and therapeutic relationship in the relation between general social functions and mental health recovery of community people with mental illness. METHODS: This study was carried out in a cross-sectional research design. The participants included 217 people with mental illnesses who were enrolled at eight Mental Health Welfare Centers in the Gyeonggi Province. Data were collected from February to May, 2018. The collected data were analyzed using a regression analysis, and SPSS PROCESS macro was used to test the mediating effects. RESULTS: This study analyzed the direct effects of general social functions on the hope, therapeutic relationship and mental health recovery. And general social functions had indirect effects on their mental health recovery via hope and therapeutic relationship. Both hope and therapeutic relationship had dual mediating effects in the influence of general social functions on mental health recovery. CONCLUSION: The role of hope and therapeutic relationship in the mental health recovery of community people with mental illness is important, and it is confirmed that hope is a powerful factor influencing mental health recovery.
Gyeonggi-do ; Hope ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Mentally Ill Persons ; Negotiating ; Professional-Patient Relations ; Research Design ; Social Adjustment