PURPOSE: Traffic accidents are one of the major health problems in the world, being the first cause of burden of illness and the second leading cause of death in Iran. The Sistan-Baluchestan province is one of the most accidental provinces of Iran with the highest rate of accidents-caused deaths. This study was conducted to determine the risk factors associated with traffic accidents in Zahedan through 2013 to 2016. METHODS: This analytical cross-sectional study was carried out on 223 drivers from Zahedan who were traumatized by traffic accident and sent to Zahedan hospitals. The data were obtained through interviews taken by the trained interviewers via refereeing to the medical records and collected in the researcher-made checklist. Census was obtained from the study subjects. For data analysis, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Chi-square and logistic regression were used with the Stata software version 11.0. RESULTS: In this study, 223 male subjects with the mean age of (32.54 ± 12.95) years, 39.8% single and 60.2% married, entered for investigation. Most accidents (38.8%) occurred between 12:00 to 17:59. While driving, 47.1% of the study subjects were using cell phones, 89.1% had manual use of mobile phones, 21.9% had a habit of sending short message service (SMS) and 23.4% had sent SMS within 10 min before the accident. The one way analysis of variance showed that the mean age of individuals with marital status, driving experience, education and accident with motorcycle were significantly different (p < 0.05). Also, the multivariate logistic regression test indicated a significant relationship of smoking, ethnicity, insurance and SMS typing while driving with motorcycle accident (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION In this study, SMS and smoking while driving had the highest risk among the variables studied in the motorcycle accidents. Therefore, effective education attempting to enhance people's awareness about the consequences of using cell phone and smoking during driving to reduce traffic accidents seems necessary.
Accidents, Traffic/statistics & numerical data* ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Automobile Driving ; Cause of Death ; Cell Phone Use/adverse effects* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Health Education ; Humans ; Iran/epidemiology* ; Male ; Marital Status ; Middle Aged ; Risk ; Smoking/adverse effects* ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: This study analyzed the relationship between health behaviors and marital adjustment in multicultural couples to evaluate their health status. METHODS: Married couples (70 Korean men and their immigrant wives) completed a structured interview on health behaviors and sociodemographic factors, the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), and the Marital Intimacy Scale. Based on the cutoff value of the RDAS, respondents were classified into two groups: high or low dyadic adaptation groups. The collected data were compared with health behavior regarding smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, and weight. RESULTS: The odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) by logistic regression with adjustment for age, educational level, career, occupation, length of residence in Korea, nationality, religion, age difference between couple, number of children, monthly income, and proficiency in Korean was 1.279 (1.113–1.492) for unhealthy exercise and 1.732 (1.604–1.887) for unhealthy body weight in female immigrants with low marital adjustment. In Korean husbands with low marital adjustment, the OR (95% CI) was 1.625 (1.232–2.142) for smoking and 1.327 (1.174–1.585) for unhealthy exercise. No significant relationship was found between marital intimacy and health behaviors in female immigrants or Korean husbands. CONCLUSION: More desirable health behaviors were observed in highly adapted couples. Therefore, family physicians should be concerned with marital adjustment and other associative factors to evaluate and improve multicultural couples' health status.
Alcohol Drinking ; Body Weight ; Child ; Cultural Diversity ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Ethnic Groups ; Family Characteristics ; Female* ; Health Behavior* ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Marital Status ; Occupations ; Odds Ratio ; Physicians, Family ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spouses ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of family to the compliance of patient role behavior in long-term hemodialysis patients. METHODS: In this descriptive correlational design, 103 participants recruited from 3 hemodialysis clinics at D city. They completed the self-reported questionnaire including family characteristics, family support, family function, and compliance of patient role behavior. All participants have family and are undergoing regular hemodialysis more than 1 year. RESULTS: Among patient's characteristics, compliance of patient role behavior was significantly different by standard of living, burden of treatment, marital status, experience of hospitalization, perceived health status, kidney transplantation plan, and depression. Experience of hospitalization, perceived health status and family support explained 31.9% of the variance in the compliance of patient role behavior (R2=.319, F=5.34, p=.001). CONCLUSION: Family support is important for compliance of patient role behavior in the long-term hemodialysis patients. Therefore it is recommended that the family must be included to improve compliance of patient role behaviors.
Compliance ; Depression ; Family Characteristics ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; Marital Status ; Patient Compliance ; Renal Dialysis ; Sick Role ; Socioeconomic Factors

OBJECTIVE: To determine the factors associated with unmet needs in immigrant patients complaining of abdominal pain, by analyzing those associated with the time from symptom onset to emergency room visit.METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of immigrants with abdominal pain who visited a tertiary hospital emergency department from January to December 2016. The dependent variable was the time from symptom onset to emergency room visit. The independent variables were age, sex, vital signs, disposition, health insurance status, date of visit, time of visit, level of education, employment status, economic satisfaction, marital status, living with family, duration of residence, having a native spouse, and subjective proficiency in Korean. We analyzed the association of the dependent variable with each independent variable.RESULTS: In total, 102 immigrant patients with abdominal pain were enrolled in this study. The patients who had earlier visits had good subjective proficiency in Korean, high economic satisfaction, longer durations of residence, a tendency to have a native spouse, and a high employment rate. After linear regression analysis, the time from symptom onset to emergency room visit was negatively associated with employment (adjusted odds ratio, -13.67; 95% confidence interval, -23.25 to -4.09; P=0.006) and having a native spouse (adjusted odds ratio, -11.7; 95% confidence interval, -20.61 to -2.8; P=0.011).CONCLUSION: The factors influencing the time from symptom onset to emergency room visit in immigrant patients with abdominal pain are associated with social capital, which improves access to emergency care. Policies that improve immigrant access to emergency care should be considered.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Education ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Employment ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Marital Status ; Medical Records ; Odds Ratio ; Retrospective Studies ; Social Capital ; Spouses ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Vital Signs

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to characterize Indonesian women’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS and to investigate the effects of socio-demographic characteristics thereupon with the goal of supporting the prevention and early detection of HIV/AIDS. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from the standard Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS) in 2012. A total of 34 984 subjects ranged in age from 15 years to 49 years. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test and logistic regression to identify the effects of socio-demographic characteristics on Indonesian women’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS. RESULTS: All socio-demographic characteristics except marital status were related to knowledge of HIV/AIDS among Indonesian women in the univariate analysis (p<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that only age group, education level, location of residence, and wealth index were related to Indonesian women’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Indonesian women’s insufficient knowledge related to HIV/AIDS shows that the provision of accurate and comprehensive information related to HIV/AIDS are components of prevention and control interventions that should be improved. With greater knowledge, women are expected to be more likely to determine their own and their partners’ human immunodeficiency virus status and to take appropriate preventive steps.
Communicable Diseases ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education ; Female ; Health Surveys ; HIV ; Humans ; Indonesia ; Logistic Models ; Marital Status ; Multivariate Analysis

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the association between dental implants and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: Data were collected from the baseline survey (2016–2017) of the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. The study sample comprised 1115 community-dwelling people aged 70 years to 84 years who had 0-19 natural teeth. Dental implants and natural teeth were identified by panoramic radiography, while the cognitive function was assessed by the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-KC). The association between dental implants and cognitive function was analyzed by multiple linear regression. Sensitivity analysis was performed to test for potential bias. RESULTS: The mean number of natural teeth in the study population was 9.50 (standard deviation [SD], 6.42), and the mean MMSE-KC score was 24.93 (SD, 3.55). In the simple univariate analysis, tooth replacement, age, sex, smoking status, alcohol consumption, body mass index, osteoporosis, number of natural teeth, periodontitis, chewing discomfort, tooth-brushing frequency, education level, monthly household income, participation in economic activity, living alone, and marital status had a significant impact on the association. After adjusting for confounders, the association between dental implants and cognitive function remained significant (B, 0.85; standard error, 0.40; p<0.05). Age, body mass index, periodontitis, tooth-brushing frequency, and education level were also significantly associated with cognitive function. The results of the sensitivity analyses were consistent with those of the primary analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Dental implants were associated with cognitive function in older adults living in the community. Dental implants as tooth replacements may play a role in preserving cognitive function.
Adult ; Aging ; Alcohol Drinking ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Body Mass Index ; Cognition ; Cognitive Reserve ; Cohort Studies ; Dental Implants ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Marital Status ; Mastication ; Osteoporosis ; Periodontitis ; Prostheses and Implants ; Radiography, Panoramic ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tooth

BACKGROUND: The solitary death rate in Japan is expected to continue increasing because of its growing super-aged society and the rapid growth of home care in the country. To accurately determine the actual status of solitary deaths, we used a novel analysis method of combining vital statistics and ambulatory care information in Yokohama City. METHODS: Data of persons who died at home in 2013 were obtained from death certificate notifications. We also obtained the emergency transportation records that matched the cases of these death certificate notifications. Then, we gathered information regarding age, gender, marital status, and cause of death for the matched cases. RESULTS: There were 1890 "suspected unnatural deaths," in which most solitary deaths could be included, among all citizens who died at home (n = 4847). We were able to match 1503 of these cases with emergency transportation records. These 1503 cases were divided into two groups, "solitary death" (n = 349) and "un-solitary death" (n = 1154) according to the postmortem interval until finding (PMI-f). Pearson's χ tests conducted for the two groups revealed that there were significant differences regarding the proportion of persons who were elderly, unmarried, male, and had a hepatic disease and senility. A logistic regression analysis also showed that an increased likelihood of a prolonged PMI-f was associated with males and an unmarried status with hepatic diseases. CONCLUSIONS Unmarried, male sex, and liver diseases are independent risks for solitary death in Yokohama City.
Age Distribution ; Cause of Death ; Death ; Death Certificates ; Diagnosis ; Emergency Medical Dispatch ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Humans ; Japan ; epidemiology ; Male ; Marital Status ; Mortality ; trends ; Risk Factors ; Sex Distribution

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: A large number of studies on anemia have focused mostly on pregnant women or children. The vegetarian population, which is another potential risk group for anemia, remains largely unexplored. Therefore, this cross-sectional study examined the associations of the sociodemographic, lifestyle, nutritional, and psychological factors with the anemia status among female adult vegetarians. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 177 female vegetarians were recruited from a Buddhist and Hindu organization in Selangor, Malaysia. The participants completed a self-administered questionnaire, which analyzed their sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity level, sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and stress. The body weight, height, waist circumference, and body fat percentage of the participants were also measured. A 3-day dietary recall was conducted to assess their dietary intake. Blood samples (3 ml) were withdrawn by a nurse from each participant to determine the hemoglobin (Hb) level. RESULTS: The findings revealed 28.2% of the participants to be anemic. The age group (AOR = 2.46, 95% CI = 1.19–5.05), marital status (AOR = 2.69, 95% CI = 1.27–5.71), and percentage of energy from protein (AOR = 5.52, 95% CI = 1.41–21.65) were the significant predictors of anemia. CONCLUSIONS: Anemia is a public health problem among female vegetarians in this study. Health promotion programs that target female adult vegetarians should be conducted to manage and prevent anemia, particularly among those who are married, aged 50 and below, and with an inadequate protein intake.
Adipose Tissue ; Adult ; Anemia ; Anxiety ; Body Weight ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Life Style ; Malaysia ; Marital Status ; Motor Activity ; Obesity ; Pregnant Women ; Psychology ; Public Health ; Vegetarians ; Waist Circumference

PURPOSE: To determine the role of metabolic syndrome (MetS) as a risk factor for acquired premature ejaculation (PE) after considering the various risk factors, such as lower urinary tract symptoms, erectile dysfunction, hypogonadism, and prostatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2012 to January 2017, records of 1,029 men were analyzed. We performed multivariate analysis to identify risk factors for PE, including the covariate of age, marital status, International Prostate Symptom Score, International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) score, National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) score, serum testosterone levels, and all components of MetS. Acquired PE was defined as self-reported intravaginal ejaculation latency time ≤3 minutes, and MetS was diagnosed using the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. RESULTS: Of 1,029 men, 74 subjects (7.2%) had acquired PE and 111 (10.8%) had MetS. Multivariate analysis showed that the IIEF overall satisfaction score (odds ratio [OR]=0.67, p<0.001), NIH-CPSI pain score (OR=1.07, p=0.035), NIH-CPSI voiding score (OR=1.17, p=0.032), and presence of MetS (OR=2.20, p=0.022) were significantly correlated with the prevalence of acquired PE. In addition, the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire for Ejaculatory Dysfunction scores and ejaculation anxiety scores progressively decreased as the number of components of MetS increased. CONCLUSIONS: MetS may be an independent predisposing factor for the development of acquired PE. Effective prevention and treatment of MetS could also be important for the prevention and treatment of acquired PE.
Academies and Institutes ; Adult ; Anxiety ; Causality ; Cholesterol ; Education ; Ejaculation ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Male ; Marital Status ; Multivariate Analysis ; Obesity ; Premature Ejaculation ; Prevalence ; Prostate ; Prostatitis ; Reproductive Health ; Risk Factors ; Testosterone

PURPOSE: Sperm cryopreservation before cancer treatment is the most effective method to preserve the fertility of male patients. We present our 21 years experience with sperm cryopreservation for cancer patients, including an examination of semen quality, the current status of cryopreserved sperm, and the rate of sperm use for assisted reproductive technology (ART). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 721 cancer patients at Fertility Center of CHA Gangnam Medical Center successfully performed sperm cryopreservation for fertility preservation from January 1996 to December 2016. Medical chart review was used to analyze patient age, marital status, cancer type, semen volume, sperm counts and motility, length of storage, and current banking status. RESULTS: The major cancers of the 721 patients were leukemia (28.4%), lymphoma (18.3%), testis cancer (10.0%). The mean age at cryopreservation was 27.0 years, and 111 patients (15.4%) performed sperm cryopreservation during or after cancer treatment. The mean sperm concentration was 66.7±66.3 ×106/mL and the mean sperm motility was 33.8%±16.3%. During median follow-up duration of 75 months (range, 1–226 months), 44 patients (6.1%) used their banked sperm at our fertility center for ART and 9 patients (1.2%) transferred their banked sperm to another center. The median duration from cryopreservation to use was 51 months (range, 1–158 months). CONCLUSIONS: Sperm cryopreservation before gonadotoxic treatment is the most reliable method to preserve the fertility of male cancer patients. Sperm cryopreservation should be offered as a standard of care for all men planning cancer therapy.
Cryopreservation ; Fertility Preservation ; Fertility ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leukemia ; Lymphoma ; Male ; Marital Status ; Methods ; Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ; Semen ; Semen Analysis ; Semen Preservation ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa ; Standard of Care ; Testicular Neoplasms