- Prevalence and Risk Factors of Green Tobacco Sickness among Korean Tobacco Harvesters.
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Hyun Sul Lim, Kwan Lee, Si Hyun Nam
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J Prev Med Public Health. 2004;37(1):37-43.
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Abstract
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- OBJECTIVE
This study was carried out to understand the prevalence and risk factors of green tobacco sickness (GTS) among Korean tobacco harvesters. METHODS: The authors conducted a questionnaire among the tobacco harvesters (1, 064 persons from 555 out of 723 tobacco harvesting households) in Cheongsong-gun for 4 days from May 7 to 10, 2002. RESULTS: The study subjects were 550 males and 514 females. The recognition and experience of GTS up until 2001 were 96.4% and 61.9%, respectively. The prevalence of GTS in 2001 was 42.5%, and was significantly higher in females than in males (59.0% vs. 26.6%, p< 0.01). The incidence density of GTS according to the number of workdays in 2001 was 12.3 spells/100 person' days. The GTS symptoms reported by the tobacco harvesters in 2001 were dizziness in 441 cases (97.6%), nausea in 414 (91.6%), headache in 349 (77.2%) and vomiting in 343 (75.9%). The use of gloves, hat and wristlets, sweating at work and the number of working hours significantly increased the prevalence of GTS (p< 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors significantly associated with GTS. Odds ratios for smoking, working over 10 hours and sweating at work were 0.26 (95% CI: 0.19-0.35), 1.64 (95% CI: 1.26-2.14) and 1.60 (95% CI: 1.14-2.25), respectively. Of those who reported GTS in 2001, 311 cases (68.8%) underwent treatment from their local medical facilities. CONCLUSION: In Korea, there are many tobaccoharvesting households, and most may be stricken with GTS. More extensive epidemiological studies, including heincidence and associated risk factors, are expected and a surveillance system including measurements of cotinine in urine should be conducted.
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- Therapeutic Compliance and Its Related Factors of Lung Cancer Patients.
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Si Hyun Nam, Sin Kam, Jae Yong Park, Sang Chul Chae, Moon Seob Bae, Moo Chul Shin, Min Hae Yeh
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Korean J Prev Med. 2002;35(1):13-23.
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To investigate the therapeutic compliance and its related factors in lung cancer patients. METHODS: The subjects of this study comprised 277 patients first diagnosed with lung cancer at Kyungpook National University Hospital between Jan 1999 and Sept 1999. Of these, 141 (50.9%) participated in the study by properly replying to structured questionnaires. The data was analyzed using a simplified Health Decision Model. This model includes categories of variables covering therapeutic compliance, health beliefs, patient preferences, knowledge and experience, social interaction, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: The therapeutic compliance rate of the 141 study subjects was 78.0%. An analysis of health beliefs and patient preferences revealed health concern (p<0.05), dependency on medicine (p<0.05), perceived susceptibility and severity (p<0.05) as well as preferred treatment (p<0.01) as factors related to therapeutic compliance. Factors from the sociodemographic characteristics and clinical factors that were related to therapeutic compliance were age (p<0.01), monthly income (p<0.05), histological type (p<0.05) and clinical stage (p<0.05) of cancer. CONCLUSIONS: In order to improve therapeutic compliance in lung cancer patients it is necessary to educate the aged, low-income patients, or patients who have small cell lung cancer or lung cancer of an advanced stage for which surgery is not indicated. Additionally, it is essential for medical personnel to have a deep concern about patients who have poor lifestyles, a low dependency on medicine, or a high perceived susceptibility and severity. Practically, early diagnosis of lung cancer and thoughtful considerations of low-income patients are important. By means of population-based education in a community, we may promote attention to health and enhance the early diagnosis of lung cancer.
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- Trend and Prediction of Urban Family Expenditure for Health Care.
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Jae Yong Park, Si Hyun Nam
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Korean J Prev Med. 1995;28(2):347-363.
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- The increase of health care expenditures is an important problem in the almost countries. Also, suppression of the health care expenditures is an important problem in the health field of Korea since the national health insurance for total people in 1989. Thus, it is very important to grasp the change of the health care expenditures of family and proportions of the health care expenditures to total expenditures of family, because they are the basis of national health care expenditures in Korea. While the health care expenditures of urban family were increased during 1980-1993 by 12.8% annually, the total expenditures of urban family were increased by 14.8% annually. consequently, the proportions of health care expenditures to total expenditures were decreased from 5.98% to 4.76%. The proportions of health care expenditure for 3 years to come were predicted to 4.75% in 1994, 4.67% in 1995, and 4.63% in 1996 by the time-series ana]ysis. That is, it was predicted that they would be decreasing slowly. The product elasticity of health care expenditure was less than 1 in the multiple regression analysis, so the health care is normal good rather than superior good. Therefore, it seems that the household economy is able to bear the expense pursuing the improvement of quality of health care by actualizing the medical insurance fee.
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Summary
- Factors Influencing Workers' Perception and Attitude Toward Special Periodic Health Screening Test.
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Si Hyun Nam, Sin Kam, Jae Yong Park
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Korean J Prev Med. 1995;28(2):334-346.
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- To investigate the factors influencing workers' perception and attitude toward special periodic health screening test for workers, a survey with self-administered questionnaires was performed on 279 workers who had special periodic health screening test from september 1 to October 15, 1994. A study model was developed by modifying the health belief model. The end and intermediate response variables of the model were the voluntary participation and necessity perception on the special screening for workers, and The result of analysis was consistent with the study model. Rates for the necessity perception and voluntary participation on the special1 screening for workers were 77.2%, 79.2%, respectively. Factors influencing on the voluntary participation were necessity perception, benefit of special screening for workers, and cue to action. And on the necessity perception were susceptibility and severity to occupational disease, knowledge to special screening for workers, and support of company. General and occupational characteristics influencing on the susceptibility and severity to occupational disease were sex, age, educational level, work duration, and health education. On the knowledge to special screening for workers were age, educational level, work duration, and locus-of-control. On the benefit of special screening for workers were age, locus-of-control, pride on health, and health education. Therefore, to increase the voluntary participation and necessity perception on the special periodic health screening for workers, l) if a worker is judged as occupational disease, the judgment should be widely known in his workplace, 2) the screening result forms should be directly sent to the workers themselves, 3) for the positivity of employers, the campaign and education program subjected to them should be planned, 4) health education should give the first consideration to the younger, lower educational level, and newly employed women, and its frequency should be increased and it should be more frequently dealt with occupation-related subjects, and 5) the employers should have a careful concern in not being disadvantageous to workers due to result of screening.
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