Objectives: Poor oral hygiene is known to be associated with gastric cancer, but this remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the association between oral health and gastric cancer in Korean adults using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: We analyzed data of 79501 patients with gastric cancer and 41856805 individuals without gastric cancer (control group) using the 7th and 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2019) records. Layer and colony variables and weights were used for the complex sample design. We performed logistic regression analysis of complex samples to analyze factors that affect gastric cancer development. Results: Patients with gastric cancer were older and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes and a higher rate of current smoking and alcohol consumption than individuals without gastric cancer (p<0.001). Regarding oral health-related factors, the prevalence of very uncomfortable chewing difficulty was significantly higher in patients with gastric cancer (14.4% vs. 3.6%, p<0.001). On multivariate analysis of factors associated with gastric cancer, chewing difficulty showed the highest odds ratio (5.351, 95% confidence interval 2.128–8.982). Patients with very uncomfortable chewing difficulty had high rates of previous dental nerve treatment, gum disease treatment, tooth extraction or intraoral surgery, and prosthetic repair (p<0.001). Conclusions Oral health-related chewing difficulties were associated with gastric cancer, which may be attributable to poor oral hygiene and degradation of oral microbiota. Patients at risk of gastric cancer warrant timely medical interventions to address their oral health and chewing difficulties.

Purpose: This study explored the factors influencing the health-related life satisfaction of people with disabilities who engaged in physical activity, by age and gender. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted of the 2020 Third Disability and Life Dynamics Panel (2021). The participants were 2,796 people who performed regular physical activity at least once a week. The variables selected were disability-related factors (degree of disability, multiple disabilities, and type of disability), sociodemographic factors (age, gender, living alone, and mean monthly family income), and health-related factors (amount of physical activity, self-esteem, depression, chronic disease, subjective health, and health-related life satisfaction). Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, the t-test, two-way analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis were conducted. Results: In total, 58.0% of participants were male, and 42.0% were female. For age groups, 14.4% were children/adolescents (0–19 years), 42.6% were adults (20–59 years), and 43.0% were seniors (≥60 years). The mean score for health-related life satisfaction was 5.0±2.15 out of 10. Adults and seniors whose level of physical activity met or exceeded recommendations had higher subjective health. Moreover, men had better subjective health than women in seniors. Health-related life satisfaction was higher among those who had higher self-esteem, were not depressed, did not have chronic diseases, and had better subjective health. Conclusion Gender significantly influenced health-related life satisfaction in children/ adolescents and seniors. Disability-related factors were significant in adults, and health-related factors were significant in all age groups. Therefore, these factors should be considered when designing interventions to promote subjective health and health-related life satisfaction of people with disabilities.

Purpose: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is the standard treatment for early gastric cancer (EGC) with a low risk of lymph node metastasis. In Korea, ESD was included in the National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage in 2011, which was expanded in 2018. In the present study, we investigated the status and trends of ESD for EGC over the past decade since its incorporation into the NHI system. Materials and Methods: We analyzed the data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database from 2011 to 2021, focusing on patient characteristics, number of ESD procedures, in-hospital length of stay (LOS), and total medical cost (TMC) per admission. In addition, we conducted an interrupted time series analysis to assess the impact of changes in insurance coverage on these variables. Results: Overall, 95,348 cases of ESD for EGC were identified. A consistent annual increase in ESD procedures was observed, particularly in tertiary care hospitals and among patients aged >60 years. The overall median LOS and TMC were 4 days and 2,123,000 KRW, respectively. The 2018 insurance coverage expansion did not significantly affect the number of ESD procedures or LOS; however, the TMC increased significantly. Conclusions Our study illustrates decade-long trends in the ESD for EGC in Korea. The policy needs to be revised continuously to optimize ESD use and improve resource allocation within healthcare systems.

Purpose: This study explored the factors influencing the health-related life satisfaction of people with disabilities who engaged in physical activity, by age and gender. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted of the 2020 Third Disability and Life Dynamics Panel (2021). The participants were 2,796 people who performed regular physical activity at least once a week. The variables selected were disability-related factors (degree of disability, multiple disabilities, and type of disability), sociodemographic factors (age, gender, living alone, and mean monthly family income), and health-related factors (amount of physical activity, self-esteem, depression, chronic disease, subjective health, and health-related life satisfaction). Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, the t-test, two-way analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis were conducted. Results: In total, 58.0% of participants were male, and 42.0% were female. For age groups, 14.4% were children/adolescents (0–19 years), 42.6% were adults (20–59 years), and 43.0% were seniors (≥60 years). The mean score for health-related life satisfaction was 5.0±2.15 out of 10. Adults and seniors whose level of physical activity met or exceeded recommendations had higher subjective health. Moreover, men had better subjective health than women in seniors. Health-related life satisfaction was higher among those who had higher self-esteem, were not depressed, did not have chronic diseases, and had better subjective health. Conclusion Gender significantly influenced health-related life satisfaction in children/ adolescents and seniors. Disability-related factors were significant in adults, and health-related factors were significant in all age groups. Therefore, these factors should be considered when designing interventions to promote subjective health and health-related life satisfaction of people with disabilities.

Objectives: Poor oral hygiene is known to be associated with gastric cancer, but this remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the association between oral health and gastric cancer in Korean adults using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: We analyzed data of 79501 patients with gastric cancer and 41856805 individuals without gastric cancer (control group) using the 7th and 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2019) records. Layer and colony variables and weights were used for the complex sample design. We performed logistic regression analysis of complex samples to analyze factors that affect gastric cancer development. Results: Patients with gastric cancer were older and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes and a higher rate of current smoking and alcohol consumption than individuals without gastric cancer (p<0.001). Regarding oral health-related factors, the prevalence of very uncomfortable chewing difficulty was significantly higher in patients with gastric cancer (14.4% vs. 3.6%, p<0.001). On multivariate analysis of factors associated with gastric cancer, chewing difficulty showed the highest odds ratio (5.351, 95% confidence interval 2.128–8.982). Patients with very uncomfortable chewing difficulty had high rates of previous dental nerve treatment, gum disease treatment, tooth extraction or intraoral surgery, and prosthetic repair (p<0.001). Conclusions Oral health-related chewing difficulties were associated with gastric cancer, which may be attributable to poor oral hygiene and degradation of oral microbiota. Patients at risk of gastric cancer warrant timely medical interventions to address their oral health and chewing difficulties.

Objectives: Poor oral hygiene is known to be associated with gastric cancer, but this remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the association between oral health and gastric cancer in Korean adults using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: We analyzed data of 79501 patients with gastric cancer and 41856805 individuals without gastric cancer (control group) using the 7th and 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2019) records. Layer and colony variables and weights were used for the complex sample design. We performed logistic regression analysis of complex samples to analyze factors that affect gastric cancer development. Results: Patients with gastric cancer were older and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes and a higher rate of current smoking and alcohol consumption than individuals without gastric cancer (p<0.001). Regarding oral health-related factors, the prevalence of very uncomfortable chewing difficulty was significantly higher in patients with gastric cancer (14.4% vs. 3.6%, p<0.001). On multivariate analysis of factors associated with gastric cancer, chewing difficulty showed the highest odds ratio (5.351, 95% confidence interval 2.128–8.982). Patients with very uncomfortable chewing difficulty had high rates of previous dental nerve treatment, gum disease treatment, tooth extraction or intraoral surgery, and prosthetic repair (p<0.001). Conclusions Oral health-related chewing difficulties were associated with gastric cancer, which may be attributable to poor oral hygiene and degradation of oral microbiota. Patients at risk of gastric cancer warrant timely medical interventions to address their oral health and chewing difficulties.

Purpose: This study explored the factors influencing the health-related life satisfaction of people with disabilities who engaged in physical activity, by age and gender. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted of the 2020 Third Disability and Life Dynamics Panel (2021). The participants were 2,796 people who performed regular physical activity at least once a week. The variables selected were disability-related factors (degree of disability, multiple disabilities, and type of disability), sociodemographic factors (age, gender, living alone, and mean monthly family income), and health-related factors (amount of physical activity, self-esteem, depression, chronic disease, subjective health, and health-related life satisfaction). Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, the t-test, two-way analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis were conducted. Results: In total, 58.0% of participants were male, and 42.0% were female. For age groups, 14.4% were children/adolescents (0–19 years), 42.6% were adults (20–59 years), and 43.0% were seniors (≥60 years). The mean score for health-related life satisfaction was 5.0±2.15 out of 10. Adults and seniors whose level of physical activity met or exceeded recommendations had higher subjective health. Moreover, men had better subjective health than women in seniors. Health-related life satisfaction was higher among those who had higher self-esteem, were not depressed, did not have chronic diseases, and had better subjective health. Conclusion Gender significantly influenced health-related life satisfaction in children/ adolescents and seniors. Disability-related factors were significant in adults, and health-related factors were significant in all age groups. Therefore, these factors should be considered when designing interventions to promote subjective health and health-related life satisfaction of people with disabilities.

Objectives: Poor oral hygiene is known to be associated with gastric cancer, but this remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the association between oral health and gastric cancer in Korean adults using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: We analyzed data of 79501 patients with gastric cancer and 41856805 individuals without gastric cancer (control group) using the 7th and 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2019) records. Layer and colony variables and weights were used for the complex sample design. We performed logistic regression analysis of complex samples to analyze factors that affect gastric cancer development. Results: Patients with gastric cancer were older and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes and a higher rate of current smoking and alcohol consumption than individuals without gastric cancer (p<0.001). Regarding oral health-related factors, the prevalence of very uncomfortable chewing difficulty was significantly higher in patients with gastric cancer (14.4% vs. 3.6%, p<0.001). On multivariate analysis of factors associated with gastric cancer, chewing difficulty showed the highest odds ratio (5.351, 95% confidence interval 2.128–8.982). Patients with very uncomfortable chewing difficulty had high rates of previous dental nerve treatment, gum disease treatment, tooth extraction or intraoral surgery, and prosthetic repair (p<0.001). Conclusions Oral health-related chewing difficulties were associated with gastric cancer, which may be attributable to poor oral hygiene and degradation of oral microbiota. Patients at risk of gastric cancer warrant timely medical interventions to address their oral health and chewing difficulties.

Purpose: This study explored the factors influencing the health-related life satisfaction of people with disabilities who engaged in physical activity, by age and gender. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted of the 2020 Third Disability and Life Dynamics Panel (2021). The participants were 2,796 people who performed regular physical activity at least once a week. The variables selected were disability-related factors (degree of disability, multiple disabilities, and type of disability), sociodemographic factors (age, gender, living alone, and mean monthly family income), and health-related factors (amount of physical activity, self-esteem, depression, chronic disease, subjective health, and health-related life satisfaction). Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, the t-test, two-way analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis were conducted. Results: In total, 58.0% of participants were male, and 42.0% were female. For age groups, 14.4% were children/adolescents (0–19 years), 42.6% were adults (20–59 years), and 43.0% were seniors (≥60 years). The mean score for health-related life satisfaction was 5.0±2.15 out of 10. Adults and seniors whose level of physical activity met or exceeded recommendations had higher subjective health. Moreover, men had better subjective health than women in seniors. Health-related life satisfaction was higher among those who had higher self-esteem, were not depressed, did not have chronic diseases, and had better subjective health. Conclusion Gender significantly influenced health-related life satisfaction in children/ adolescents and seniors. Disability-related factors were significant in adults, and health-related factors were significant in all age groups. Therefore, these factors should be considered when designing interventions to promote subjective health and health-related life satisfaction of people with disabilities.

Objectives: Poor oral hygiene is known to be associated with gastric cancer, but this remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the association between oral health and gastric cancer in Korean adults using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: We analyzed data of 79501 patients with gastric cancer and 41856805 individuals without gastric cancer (control group) using the 7th and 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2019) records. Layer and colony variables and weights were used for the complex sample design. We performed logistic regression analysis of complex samples to analyze factors that affect gastric cancer development. Results: Patients with gastric cancer were older and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes and a higher rate of current smoking and alcohol consumption than individuals without gastric cancer (p<0.001). Regarding oral health-related factors, the prevalence of very uncomfortable chewing difficulty was significantly higher in patients with gastric cancer (14.4% vs. 3.6%, p<0.001). On multivariate analysis of factors associated with gastric cancer, chewing difficulty showed the highest odds ratio (5.351, 95% confidence interval 2.128–8.982). Patients with very uncomfortable chewing difficulty had high rates of previous dental nerve treatment, gum disease treatment, tooth extraction or intraoral surgery, and prosthetic repair (p<0.001). Conclusions Oral health-related chewing difficulties were associated with gastric cancer, which may be attributable to poor oral hygiene and degradation of oral microbiota. Patients at risk of gastric cancer warrant timely medical interventions to address their oral health and chewing difficulties.