OBJECTIVETo describe the status of prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension among half a million adults in 10 regions under the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) cohort.

METHODSThe baseline survey of CKB was performed in 10 areas across China during 2004-2008, included 512 891 adults aged from 30 to 79 years. Regional differences of prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension were compared after adjustment for age and/or sex.

RESULTSThe overall prevalence of hypertension from the CKB was 35.2% (180 612/512 891), with the highest as 44.4% in Zhejiang and the lowest as 22.0% in Haikou. Prevalence in the rural areas (35.1%) was higher than that in the urban areas (32.1%), with statistical significance (P<0.001). Among all the participants with hypertension, 59 703 (33.1%) were aware of hypertension, 65 172 (36.1%) were receiving anti-hypertension treatment and 22 329 (12.4%) were under controll. However, only a small part of those receiving treatment were under controll (30.5%, 19 884/65 172) in this study. The control of hypertension and of those receiving treatment were higher in Suzhou for males (17.4%, 39.1%), while were higher in Liuzhou for females (23.5%, 42.6%) than those in other regions.

CONCLUSIONSParticipants under the CKB presented relatively high prevalence of hypertension, but lower rates on awareness, treatment and control of hypertension. Distribution of awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension varied greatly among the ten areas, under the CKB.

Adult ; Aged ; Antihypertensive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Biological Specimen Banks ; Blood Pressure ; China ; epidemiology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; ethnology ; Humans ; Hypertension ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Rural Population ; statistics & numerical data ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Treatment Outcome ; Urban Population ; statistics & numerical data

OBJECTIVETo investigate the knowledge and willingness of breast cancers patients from Shanghai for genetic counseling and gene testing.

METHODSA total of 428 patients filled out the questionnaire and the data was statistically analyzed.

RESULTSMost of the patients were unaware of genetic counseling and gene testing. But after a brief introduction, a majority of them were willing to accept genetic counseling and recommend their family members to participate. The willingness was education- and age-related. When told that gene testing may benefit themselves, 92.1% of the patients were willing to be tested. However, when told that gene testing may only benefit their family, only 33.9% of the patients were willing to join the testing. The acceptance was also age-, education- and family income-related. The difference was statistically significant. Moreover, the willingness ratio to participate the gene testing was lower than expected. Overall, 74.1% of the patients were willing to accept cheaper preliminary gene screening, whilst only 19.2% were willing to accept genetic testing of higher price. Despite of being told that testing results will be maintained as confidential, still 43.2% worried about adverse effects. Such patients tended to younger, from low-income families, with a family history of associated cancers, or personal history of other cancers. The difference was statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONThe majorities of patients do not know but are willing to accept genetic counseling and gene testing and recommend their family to participate. Lack of genetic knowledge, cost for the testing and concerns about discrimination are the obstacles for patients to participate in genetic counseling and gene testing. To spread the knowledge about breast cancer and establish a follow-up screening system for high-risk population may improve the tertiary prevention for breast cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; statistics & numerical data ; BRCA1 Protein ; genetics ; BRCA2 Protein ; genetics ; Breast Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; ethnology ; genetics ; Chi-Square Distribution ; China ; Educational Status ; Female ; Genetic Counseling ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; genetics ; Genetic Testing ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Social Class

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to explore and describe Khmer mothers' understanding of HBV and HPV prevention as well as their perception of parenting on health and health education of their daughters in the US. METHODS: The qualitative pilot study guided by the revised Network Episode Model and informed by ethnographic analysis and community-based purposive sampling method were used. Face-to-face audiotaped interviews with eight Khmer mothers were conducted by bilingual female middle-aged community health leaders who spoke Khmer. RESULTS: The findings revealed that Khmer mothers clearly lacked knowledge about HBV and HPV infection prevention and had difficulty understanding and educating their daughters about health behavior, especially on sex-related topics. The findings showed that histo-sociocultural factors are integrated with the individual factor, and these factors influenced the HBV and HPV knowledge and perspective of Khmer mothers' parenting. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that situation-specific conceptual and methodological approaches that take into account the uniqueness of the sociocultural context of CAs is a novel method for identifying factors that are significant in shaping the perception of Khmer mothers' health education related to HBV and HPV prevention among their daughters. The communication between mother and daughter about sex and the risk involved in contracting HBV and HPV has been limited, partly because it is seen as a "taboo subject" and partly because mothers think that schools educate their children regarding sexuality and health.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Asian Americans/psychology ; Cambodia/ethnology ; Child ; Child Rearing/*psychology ; Communication ; Female ; *Health Education ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mothers/*psychology ; Nuclear Family ; Papillomavirus Infections/*prevention & control ; Parenting/*psychology ; Pilot Projects ; Qualitative Research ; United States ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: Asian immigrant and Asian American women are less likely to use oral contraceptives (OCs) and tend to rely on low-efficacy methods of contraception. This contraceptive pattern remains poorly understood, in part, because no theory-driven measurement exists to assess psychosocial determinants essential in explaining behaviors related to OC use in this population. The current study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a measure of attitudes and subjective norms toward OC use among Korean American women as a first step to determine whether the measure can be used in this population and, potentially, in other Asian ethnic groups. METHODS: The sample consisted of 329 Korean immigrant women living in New York City. The theory of reasoned action guided the development of the measure assessing attitudes and norms. Psychometric evaluation included item analysis, internal consistency estimates of reliability, and construct validity (i.e., factorial, discriminant, and predictive). RESULTS: All item-total correlations were above the recommendation of .30. The Cronbach's alpha for the attitudes and subjective norms measure was .88 and .86, respectively. Exploratory factor analyses revealed four interpretable factors, and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed that the factor structures derived from the exploratory factor analyses fit the data well. Discriminant and predictive validity of the measure were also established. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides support for the validity and reliability of the measure and its use for determining the degree to which Korean immigrant women intend to use OCs.
Adolescent ; Adult ; *Contraceptives, Oral ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Emigrants and Immigrants/psychology ; Female ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; *Intention ; Korea/ethnology ; Middle Aged ; New York City ; Psychometrics/*methods ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires/*standards ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the levels of parenting efficacy and health-promoting behaviors for children of mothers, and to explore the relationships between parenting efficacy and the behaviors of mothers from native and multicultural families in South Korea. METHODS: Data was collected by a self-report questionnaire completed by 258 mothers who had 6-month to 36-month-old children attending kindergartens or multicultural family support centers located in Seoul and in Gyeounggi Province, South Korea. RESULTS: No significant difference in parenting efficacy was found, depending on the maternal country of origin. However, Chinese mothers performed health-promoting behaviors more frequently for their children than Korean and Vietnamese mothers did (F = 6.87, p < .001). The significant positive correlations between parenting efficacy and maternal health-promoting behaviors for children were found, regardless of maternal country of origin (r = .57, p < .001 for Korean, r = .42, p < .001 for Chinese, and r= .40, p < .001 for Vietnamese mothers). CONCLUSIONS: Since maternal health-promoting behaviors were different depending on the native country of the mothers, maternal country of origin should be considered in designing programs for improving maternal health-promoting behaviors for their children. In addition, increasing the level of parenting efficacy can be an effective way for improvement of maternal health-promoting behaviors.
Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/ethnology ; Child Rearing/*ethnology ; Child, Preschool ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Cultural Diversity ; Female ; Health Behavior/*ethnology ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice/*ethnology ; *Health Promotion ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mothers ; Parenting/*ethnology ; Republic of Korea ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study examined current research theories and methods, cultural factors, and culturally relevant interventions associated with breast and cervical cancer screening in Korean American (KA) women. METHODS: Based on Ganong's guidelines, the literature on cultural factors associated with breast and cervical cancer screening in KA women was searched using MEDLINE and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases. Sixty-eight articles on breast cancer screening and 66 articles on cervical cancer screening were retrieved from both databases, and a total of 22 articles were included in the literature review based on the selection criteria. RESULTS: Of the 22 studies reviewed, 14 (63.6%) were descriptive and 8 (36.4%) were interventional. Many studies have used individual focused cognitive theories such as health belief model and different types of operationalization for measures of cultural beliefs. Cultural factors associated with breast and cervical cancer screening in KA women that were identified in descriptive quantitative and qualitative studies included family, embarrassment, preventive health orientation, fatalism, and acculturation. Most culturally relevant interventional studies used education programs, and all education was conducted by bilingual and bicultural health educators at sociocultural sites for KA women. CONCLUSIONS: Theories focusing on interpersonal relationships and standardized, reliable, and valid instruments to measure cultural concepts are needed to breast and cervical cancer screening research in KA women. Traditional cultural factors associated with cancer screening should be considered for practical implications and future research with KA women.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Asian Americans/ethnology ; Breast Neoplasms/*diagnosis ; *Early Detection of Cancer ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice/*ethnology ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/ethnology ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/*diagnosis ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The adult tetanus, reduced diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine has been introduced in order to provide individual protection and reduce the risk of transmitting pertussis to infants. We assessed the knowledge and acceptability of the Tdap vaccine around pregnancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional survey of women of childbearing age (20-45 years) who visited obstetrics and gynecologic units of primary, secondary, or tertiary hospitals. They were asked to fill in a questionnaire assessing their knowledge, attitudes, and acceptability of Tdap. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 308 women; 293 (95.1%) had not received information from doctors about Tdap, and 250 (81.2%) did not know about the need for vaccination. A significantly important factor related to subjects' intention to be vaccinated, identified by stepwise multiple logistic regression, was the knowledge (OR 13.5, CI 3.92-46.33) that adult Tdap is effective in preventing pertussis for infants aged 0-6 months. Additionally, 276 (89.6%) considered the recommendation of obstetric doctors as the most influencing factor about Tdap vaccination. CONCLUSION: In Korea, most women of childbearing age seem to be neither recommended nor adequately informed about the vaccination, although our population was not a nationwide representative sample. Information given by healthcare workers may be critical for improving awareness and preventing pertussis.
Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diphtheria ; Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis Vaccines/*administration & dosage ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice/*ethnology ; Humans ; Immunization/*statistics & numerical data ; Infant ; Logistic Models ; Multivariate Analysis ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care/*ethnology/statistics & numerical data ; Pregnancy ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tetanus ; Vaccination ; Whooping Cough/diagnosis/ethnology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cigarette smoking is the most common risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, few studies of the attitudes toward COPD of smokers, the group at risk of developing this condition, have been conducted. The purpose of this study was to explore the awareness of and attitudes toward COPD of current smokers. METHODS: The sample consisted of 502 individuals aged 45 and older from throughout Korea who smoked at least 10 packs of cigarettes per year. Telephone interviews using a structured questionnaire were conducted with respondents. RESULTS: First, we evaluated the health status of subjects, finding that 45.4% considered themselves to be in good health. We also asked about COPD-related symptoms, and 60.6% of subjects reported such symptoms. However, only 1.2% of subjects had been diagnosed with or treated for COPD, only 0.4% spontaneously mentioned COPD as a respiratory disease, and only 26.5% recognized COPD as a respiratory disease after seeing a list of such diseases. Television ranked as the top source of information about COPD. The willingness of 45.0% of subjects to stop smoking increased after being informed about COPD. CONCLUSIONS: Despite having COPD-related symptoms, most smokers did not know that COPD is a respiratory disease. The attitudes of smokers toward COPD and smoking cessation varied according to socioeconomic status. In summary, a continuous effort to increase the awareness of COPD among smokers is needed. Additionally, strategies tailored according to different socioeconomic groups will also be necessary.
Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/*psychology ; *Awareness ; Consumer Health Information ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice/*ethnology ; Health Promotion ; Health Status ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Media ; Middle Aged ; Patient Compliance/ethnology ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/diagnosis/*ethnology/psychology/therapy ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Risk Reduction Behavior ; Smoking/*adverse effects/*ethnology/prevention & control/psychology ; Smoking Cessation/ethnology ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Time Factors

No abstract available.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group/*psychology ; *Awareness ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice/*ethnology ; Humans ; Male ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/*ethnology ; Smoking/*adverse effects/*ethnology

In July 2010 Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Niigata University (NU) signed a memorandum of agreement to continue collaboration in joint planning and implementation of education, research and practice services in the field of medicine. Since then several undergraduate and postgraduate students including academic staffs have been visiting NU and UKM as part of their learning experience. This collaboration is also a good opportunity for Doctor of Public Health (DRPH) postgraduate candidates to gain experience on the practice of public health in handling public health issues, planning the healthcare facilities, delivering a quality public health services, enforcing public health policies/regulations and finally learn about the health systems in general at other countries especially from developed country like Japan. The learning experience will help student to evaluate the difference of practice of public health in different countries based on their culture, availability of resources, disease trend and other factors influence the practice of public health.
Delivery of Health Care ; ethnology ; Public Health ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Japan