Background
: The aim of this study was to investigate the health problems which women feel important and what they want to know from their doctors in the family practice clinics.
Methods
: The subjects were all female patients who visited the family practice clinics at the four hospitals in which some members of the Study Group for Women's Health in Korean Academy of Family Medicine worked from December 10 to 15, 2001. We surveyed by self-administered questionnaire on important health topic, health care services they woud like to receive, what they expected from their doctors, what topics they have difficulty in discussing with, the doctors preference of physician's gender. We analyzed the results by age groups; 19∼44, 45∼64, and 65 years old and over.
Results
: A total of 437 women answered the questionnaires, whose mean age was 49.4 year. Health topics that women felt important were osteoporosis, stress, cervical cancer, arthritis, and stroke, which varied with the age groups and recent health perception. The provision of health care services which they desired were in the order of treatment, prevention and health promotion, and diagnosis, which varied with the age groups and recent health perception. What they expected from their doctors were in the order of giving accurate diagnosis, explaining the treatment plan, and answering their questions. They had difficulty undergoing physical exam undressed, gynecological exam, and discussing on their sexual problems.
Conclusion
: Women who visited the family practice clinics felt differently on important health problems according to the age groups. Overall, they wanted to receive health services on the treatment, prevention and health promotion of osteoporosis, stress, cervical cancer, and arthritis.

Background
: There are very few studies on change in body composition after smoking cessation. The purpose of our study was to assess the change in body composition as well as body weight after smoking cessation in men.

Methods : The subjects were 203 men who had received health examination from May in 2000 to April in 2001 on their first visit, and then from May in 2001 to May in 2002 on their second visit, at the department of family medicine of a university hospital. They were divided into groups of non-smokers, current smokers, and former smokers by smoking status. Their past medical history, obesity indexes, smoking status, physical activity, and nutrition intake were reviewed. Body composition of the study subjects was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis.

Results : After adjustment for age, nutrition intake, and physical activity as confounding factors, former smokers' body weight was significantly increased by 1.8±0.4 kg on second visit compared to non-smokers and current smokers. There was a significant difference in body muscle change between first and second visit, but not in body fat change among former smokers. Former smokers' body fat and muscle were significantly increased by 0.9±0.3 kg and 0.8±0.4 kg, respectively, compared to non-smokers. Former smokers' waist circumference was significantly increased by 2.5±0.7 cm on second visit compared with non-smokers and current smokers.

Conclusion : In former smokers, body weight was increased by 1.8 kg after smoking cessation, which was attributed to increase of body muscle as well as body fat. Compared with non-smokers, former smokers' body muscle and fat were significantly increased on second visit.

Background
: Among the various brands of herbal cigarettes currently available in Korea, Kumyeoncho is the most popular. However, there is no clinical evidence that these herbal cigarettes are effective in helping smokers quit smoking. This study was performed to determine the long term effectiveness of Kumyeoncho herbal cigarettes.

Methods : Two hundred smokers, all employees of the same company in Cheonan city, voluntarily participated in this study. They were divided into two random groups: 100 smokers used Kumyencho (herbal cigarettes), and the other 100 smokers used nicotine patches. Between July 2002 and February 2003, the smoking status of all participants was evaluated at one month, three months, and six months, after they stopped using regular cigarettes.

Results : The success rates at 1 month were 54.5% for the Kumyeoncho group and 50.7% for the nicotine patch group (P=0.643). The success rates at 3 month were 41.4% and 39.4%, respectively (P=0.875). And the success rates at 6 month were 38.8% and 35.2%, respectively (P=0.747). Statistical analysis showed that the success rate for the Kumyeoncho group was not less than that for the nicotine patch group in all periods. Thirty-seven cases of adverse effects were reported in the Kumyeoncho group: 25 (25.5%) of nausea, 6 (6.1%) of coughing, 5 (5.1%) of dizziness, and 1 (1.0%) of palpitation; thirty-nine cases of adverse effects were reported for nicotine patch users: 18 (25.4%) of itching, 15 (21.1%) of skin irritation and erythema, 2 (2.8%) of dizziness and headache each, and 1 (1.4%) of nausea and palpitation each.

Conclusion : With respect to the short and long term effects of herbal cigarettes, Kumyeoncho is considered similarly effective to nicotine patches.

Background
: Body mass index is currently applied as the diagnostic standard of overweight and obesity, regardless of age. Percentage body fat ratio applies separate standards among different sex, but does not have separate standards for different age groups. Since body mass index and percentage body fat may differ according to age, we conducted this study to see if a separate standard for overweight and obesity is indeed necessary for different age groups.

Methods : We selected 2,190 subjects, who were the 10 percent picked randomly by computer, among 21,921 clients who had visited the St. Mary's Hospital's health promotion center in Seoul. Those diagnosed with diabetes, thyroid disease, renal failure, and tuberculosis were excluded, leaving 1,939 over the age of 20, as final subjects. Anthropometric measurements were done using electronic scales and height meters, while body composition was measured with a multi-frequency bioelectric impedance analysis (Inbody 3.0 Biospace, Seoul). The results of this study were shown in mean and standard deviation, and mean values according to ages were compared by Ancova test.

Results : In the case of adult men, percentage body fat increased with age. This was observed especially with subjects over 30 compared to subjects in their 20s, although not proven to be statistically significant. A decrease in fat free mass rather than increase in body fat mass was noted with aging. With adult women, percentage body fat increased markedly with subjects over 50, mainly due to increased body fat mass rather than decreased fat free mass. Subjects exceeding a body mass index of 25, which is the standard limit of body mass index for obesity, was 60th percentile for adult men, and 70∼80th percentile for adult women. Percentage body fat in this case was 22.54% for men and 31.99∼33.46% for women.

Conclusion : Our study indicates that both men and women show changes in body mass index and fat free mass with aging. Hence, there are limitations to applying a universal standard for body mass Index, regardless of age. We suggest that further studies on standards for adult obesity should be conducted based on specific Korean epidemiologic data.

Background
: Cardiovascular complications develop over a long time, and childhood and adolescent obesity often do not present clinical diseases. We evaluated the effect of overweight to cardiovascular risk factor profiles to clustering in Korean adolescents.

Methods : Nationwide population based surveys and health examinations were done in 1998. Among the subjects, adolescents aged 10 to 18 were included for this study. Age and gender specific BMI percentile was calculated by Korean reference. Cardiovascular risk factors were defined as values above 95th percentile (specific for age, gender) for the group as a whole.

Results : The prevalence of obesity over 95th percentile was 5.5% among 1,634 adolescents. Obesity increased with adverse levels of risk factors. Adolescents with a BMI above 95th percentile were 6.3, 4.8, 9.8, 5.1, and 4.9 times more likely to have adverse levels of systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL-cholesterol, respectively, than normal weight subjects. Obese boys had higher prevalence of hypertension than obese girls. The number of risk factor profiles increased with obesity, but not in linear pattern. Sixty percent of overweight above 95th percentile had risk factors, while 23% of normal weight group did.

Conclusion : Adolescent obesity in Korea was highly associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors, and clustering. The prevalence of risk factors increased substantially above 75th percentile, and even among overweight above 95th percentile adolescents. The risk of clustering increased BMI above 85th percentile.

Background
: Abdominal obesity is recognized as an important risk factor of metabolic diseases and atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vibration baths on abdominal fat and blood lipid profiles in obese women.

Methods : From Apr. to Jun 2000, the 32 obese women received vibration baths for 4 weeks (30 minutes/day, repeated 5 times per week). The people were divided randomly into two groups, the case (n=17) and the control (n=15) group. The case group received vibration baths (55 Hz) and the control group took baths only. Body weight, height, body mass index (BMI), body fat distribution, lipid profiles, and blood pressures were measured in all subjects immediately before and after 4 weeks of the study. The body fat distribution was assessed by CT scan by which both total abdominal and visceral fat areas were measured at the level of the umbilicus.

Results : After 4 weeks, 13 subjects remained in both groups, respectively, and the total abdominal and visceral fat area decreased significantly in the case group compared from those of the control group. There were no significant differences in body weight, body fat mass, serum lipid profiles, and blood pressures before and after the baths in the two groups.

Conclusion : These results suggest that vibration baths is effective in decreasing abdominal fat. But there were no significant weight change, the effect is insufficient in obesity treatment goal.

The gastrointestinal stromal tumor was finded in a female patient complaining continous abdominal obesity without any gastrointestinal symptoms. The tumor was sized 5.5~7~10 cm and expanded from stomach to the space between stomach and pancreas. The surgical resection was carried out for treatment. This case means that careful physical examinations should be done when there are no gastrointestinal complains in a abdominal obesity patient.