Background
Influenza is one of the most important diseases that should be monitored for its activities and antigenic changes throughout the world. In Korea, there is a nationwide influenza surveillance system in which 649 sentinel clinics and hospitals (selected by the regional population distribution) have participated. However, there were a few crucial problems due to the low level of participation in the system and the time consuming process of collecting laboratory diagnosis results. To increase the participation and Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) case reporting rate, the internet reporting system of the influenza surveillance was introduced. Methods: The surveillance data obtained through online were analysed and a questionnaire survey was conducted to sentinel physicians. Results: The average annual participation rate was 53% in the season 2001∼2002 and it was increased to 61.8% in 2002∼2003. After we introduced the internet reporting system, the annual participating rate rose up to 74.0%. The average annual reporting rate of ILI was 6.9%, 6.6% and 11.4% in the season 2001∼2002, 2002∼2003 and 2003∼2004, respectively. The utility rate of internet reporting system was 62.4%. According to the questionnaire survey (n=109), 57.8% of sentinels answered that the change of reporting system helped to promote the participation rate to the influenza surveillance attributing it to the public advertisement (46.0%) and the convenience of the internet reporting system (30.2%). Conclusion: By introducing the internet reporting system which enhances the influenza surveillance, higher rate of sentinel participation can be achieved.

Background
: There is a widespread increase in the use of CAM by patients with rheumatic disease. This study was performed to identify the prevalence of CAM use and determining factors affecting CAM use by patients with rheumatic disease.

Methods : From October 23 to November 31 in 2003, face-to-face structured interviews were conducted in a rheumatology hospital in Seoul. A total of 182 patients with rheumatic disease, who visited the hospital, participated.

Results : CAM was used by 59.3% (95% CI=52.1∼66.2%) of the patients with rheumatic disease. The most common use of CAM was traditional Chinese medicine such as acupuncture and herbs. Demographic variables were not predictive for the use of CAM. As the duration of disease was longer, probability on CAM use was lower (odd ratio: 0.922, 95% CI=0.855∼0.994). CAM use on disabled people who registered were 4.623 (95% CI=1.105∼19.348) times higher than non-disabled.

Conclusion : CAM use is common in patients with rheumatic disease. The duration of disease and physical disability were the influencing factors for using CAM. These findings support a need for outcome studies on the effectiveness of CAM in rheumatic disease, as well as the improvement of providing patients with information on CAM usage.

Background
: Recently the Korean society has been challenged with the rapid growth of obese popuation due to the improved socioeconomic status and lifestyle changes over the past decades. Not only has obesity been known as one of major risk factors for various diseases including cardiovascular diseases(e.g. hypertension, coronary heart disease and stroke) and diabetes mellitus, but it has also increased the death from obesity-related diseases. it has been required, however, to establish our own obesity criteria adjusted for Korean since much difference is expected to exist in the degree of obesity between white and Asian people. Therefore, this study was designed to provide with primary data to help establish new criteria through identifying the distribution of Body Mass Index(BMI), and then analyzing its relation with some obesity-related diseases.

Methods : This study calculated BMI and related it to some obesity-related diseases by analysing data from 1995 National Health Interview Surveys, in which a random sample of 5,750 Korean at the age of 15-69 had self-reported their heights, body weights and diagnoses with obesity-related diseases by physicians. Variables under consideration include potential risk factors (e.g. alcohol intakes, smoking, exercise, etc.) as well as demographics of the sample population.

Results : Average BMI(kg/M²) were 22.6±2.6 for male and 21.7±4.8 for female(mean±SD), which increased in direct proportion to the increase of age until the age reached the group of 40-59, and then followed by the inverse in its relation with the age at 60 and over. It was revealed, however, that prevalences of obesity-related diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus etc. were the highest among the population group with their BMI of 23.8~35.6. In short, this study identified the proportional relation of BMI with the prevalence of obesity-related diseases.

Conclusion : In this study, the prevalence for hypertension and diabetes mellitus was shown to be higher than the average among population with their BMI of 21.9~23.8, whose figure is much lower than both 26.4, the value of the 90th percentile proposed in MONICA project and 25, the current WHO criteria of obesity. However, a Japanese study reported that the health risk began to increase at the BMI of 23 with risks for obesity-related diseases dramatically increased at the BMI of 26-27 and over, and concluded that because Asian has more body fats accumulated within the upper body part compared with the white, the Asian persons are more obese, though less in terms of BMI, than the white. Therefore, future works should be focused on establishing our own criteria for obesity with health risks through determining the association of BMI with prevalence of various diseases in Korea.

Background
: Since the Independence in 1945, the Republic of Korea(ROK) has maintained fundamentally the liberal health care system by the influence of U.S.A. Therefore, as in the case of U.S.A., the primary health care system of ROK has fallen in the chaos. Recently, the new government of ROK seems to retry the introduction of 'Family Doctor Registration System(FDRS)' in spite of the 1996's failure. In order to conduct FDRS efficiently, there should be a thorough investigation on the opinions of doctors and people in the community. This study was conducted with a view to collecting necessary information regarding the implementation of FDRS.

Methods : By mailing, the self-administered questionnaires were collected twice during March 18 to May 12 in 1998. The questionnaire had been prepared trough several discussions, pretest, and final correction by five family physicians and two health care policy professors. The subjects consisted of 2,093 family physicians.

Results : Though the overall response rate was only 28.2%(591) subjects, age distribution for the study subjects was similar to that of average family physicians. The subjects consisted of 451 males and 138 females. The number of those whose age was less than 40 was 49.9%(195). 'The group that agrees with the introduction of FDRS' was 58.5% of all respondents; 'the group that objects' 14.4%; and 'the group undetermined' 24.7%. The 73.6% of all respondents had negative opinion on increased administrative work. Only 21.3% expected their net income to increase. On multiple logistic regression analysis, relatively large city rather than metropolitan Seoul, the smaller number of visiting patients a month, regular resident training experience, and male sex resulted in having a significant positive relationship with the introduction of FDRS. Further analyses are called for to identify differences of opinions between family physicians and single specialty medical practitioners

Conclusion : The results of this survey should be reflected into the health care policy when retrying to implement FDRS in Korea.