Objective: This study aimed to analyze the correlation between factors affecting health risk behaviors of rural residents according to regional scale. Methods: Restricted-access data from the 2016~2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the multivariate probit model were used. As for health risk behaviors, smoking, drinking, lack of aerobic exercise, low level of healthy eating index, unvaccination, and non-participation in health examination were considered. Results: Controlling for individuals' socio-demographic characteristics, in general, correlation coefficients between unobservable factors affecting health risk behaviors were significant. However, the magnitude and statistical significance of the correlation coefficients varied by regional scale (dong/eup/myeon). This suggests that rural residents engage in health risk behaviors due to their different characteristics compared with urban dwellers, which also varies by whether residents are located in eup or myeon area. Conclusion It is necessary to differentiate health care services between urban and rural areas in terms of type of service and programs based on the relationship between unobservable factors affecting each type of health risk behaviors.

Objective: This study aimed to estimate the impact of having and the type of usual source of care on the health literacy of rural residents. Methods: Using data from the 2021 Korea Health Panel Survey, the regression model was estimated, in which the presence and type of usual source of care, categorized as medical institutions and primary care physicians, were incorporated as explanatory variables. The level of health literacy was used as the dependent variable. Additionally, statistical analysis was conducted to compare how socio-demographic backgrounds and the presence and type of usual source of care are associated with health literacy between urban and rural residents. Results: The effect of usual source of care on the level of health literacy was significant only when the service provider was the public health institution. However, this effect was smaller for rural residents than for urban residents. When the usual source of care was an internal medicine or Korean traditional medicine doctor, the level of health literacy increased than the other types of doctor. Conclusion To improve rural residents’ health literacy, it is necessary to enhance access to public health care service and provide education programs.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the correlation between factors affecting health risk behaviors of rural residents according to regional scale. Methods: Restricted-access data from the 2016~2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the multivariate probit model were used. As for health risk behaviors, smoking, drinking, lack of aerobic exercise, low level of healthy eating index, unvaccination, and non-participation in health examination were considered. Results: Controlling for individuals' socio-demographic characteristics, in general, correlation coefficients between unobservable factors affecting health risk behaviors were significant. However, the magnitude and statistical significance of the correlation coefficients varied by regional scale (dong/eup/myeon). This suggests that rural residents engage in health risk behaviors due to their different characteristics compared with urban dwellers, which also varies by whether residents are located in eup or myeon area. Conclusion It is necessary to differentiate health care services between urban and rural areas in terms of type of service and programs based on the relationship between unobservable factors affecting each type of health risk behaviors.

Objective: This study aimed to estimate the impact of having and the type of usual source of care on the health literacy of rural residents. Methods: Using data from the 2021 Korea Health Panel Survey, the regression model was estimated, in which the presence and type of usual source of care, categorized as medical institutions and primary care physicians, were incorporated as explanatory variables. The level of health literacy was used as the dependent variable. Additionally, statistical analysis was conducted to compare how socio-demographic backgrounds and the presence and type of usual source of care are associated with health literacy between urban and rural residents. Results: The effect of usual source of care on the level of health literacy was significant only when the service provider was the public health institution. However, this effect was smaller for rural residents than for urban residents. When the usual source of care was an internal medicine or Korean traditional medicine doctor, the level of health literacy increased than the other types of doctor. Conclusion To improve rural residents’ health literacy, it is necessary to enhance access to public health care service and provide education programs.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the correlation between factors affecting health risk behaviors of rural residents according to regional scale. Methods: Restricted-access data from the 2016~2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the multivariate probit model were used. As for health risk behaviors, smoking, drinking, lack of aerobic exercise, low level of healthy eating index, unvaccination, and non-participation in health examination were considered. Results: Controlling for individuals' socio-demographic characteristics, in general, correlation coefficients between unobservable factors affecting health risk behaviors were significant. However, the magnitude and statistical significance of the correlation coefficients varied by regional scale (dong/eup/myeon). This suggests that rural residents engage in health risk behaviors due to their different characteristics compared with urban dwellers, which also varies by whether residents are located in eup or myeon area. Conclusion It is necessary to differentiate health care services between urban and rural areas in terms of type of service and programs based on the relationship between unobservable factors affecting each type of health risk behaviors.

Objective: This study aimed to estimate the impact of having and the type of usual source of care on the health literacy of rural residents. Methods: Using data from the 2021 Korea Health Panel Survey, the regression model was estimated, in which the presence and type of usual source of care, categorized as medical institutions and primary care physicians, were incorporated as explanatory variables. The level of health literacy was used as the dependent variable. Additionally, statistical analysis was conducted to compare how socio-demographic backgrounds and the presence and type of usual source of care are associated with health literacy between urban and rural residents. Results: The effect of usual source of care on the level of health literacy was significant only when the service provider was the public health institution. However, this effect was smaller for rural residents than for urban residents. When the usual source of care was an internal medicine or Korean traditional medicine doctor, the level of health literacy increased than the other types of doctor. Conclusion To improve rural residents’ health literacy, it is necessary to enhance access to public health care service and provide education programs.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on synchronous colorectal carcinoma (SCRC) have reported inconsistent results about its clinicopathologic and molecular features and prognostic significance. METHODS: Forty-six patients with multiple advanced tumors (T2 or higher category) who did not receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy and who are not associated with familial adenomatous polyposis were selected and 99 tumors from them were subjected to clinicopathologic and molecular analysis. Ninety-two cases of solitary colorectal carcinoma (CRC) were selected as a control considering the distributions of types of surgeries performed on patients with SCRC and T categories of individual tumors from SCRC. RESULTS: SCRC with multiple advanced tumors was significantly associated with more frequent nodal metastasis (p = .003) and distant metastasis (p = .001) than solitary CRC. KRAS mutation, microsatellite instability, and CpG island methylator phenotype statuses were not different between SCRC and solitary CRC groups. In univariate survival analysis, overall and recurrence-free survival were significantly lower in patients with SCRC than in patients with solitary CRC, even after adjusting for the extensiveness of surgical procedure, adjuvant chemotherapy, or staging. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that tumor multiplicity was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (hazard ratio, 4.618; 95% confidence interval, 2.126 to 10.030; p < .001), but not for recurrence-free survival (p = .151). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggested that multiplicity of advanced T category–tumors might be associated with an increased risk of nodal metastasis and a risk factor for poor survival, which raises a concern about the guideline of American Joint Committee on Cancer's tumor-node-metastasis staging that T staging of an index tumor determines T staging of SCRC.
Adenomatous Polyposis Coli ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; CpG Islands ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Joints ; Microsatellite Instability ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Phenotype ; Radiotherapy ; Risk Factors