Background
: To investigate the relationship between adiposity and risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in normal weight individuals.

Methods : The study subjects were those over 19 years old, less than 23 kg/m² of body mass index (BMI). They were examined in a health promotion center of a general hospital from June to November, 2001 (309 men and 369 women). Height, weight, BMI, blood pressure (BP), serum lipids and fasting blood glucose (FBS) were checked. Percent body percent (%BF) was obtained by bioelectrical method. Normal weight subjects were divided into two groups according to their %BF; then, the groups were evaluated for the presence of CVD risk factors.

Results : The average age of the study subjects was 43.66±11.26 years old in men and 41.11±10.90 years old in women. The average BMI was 21.15±1.47 kg/m² in men and 20.68±1.53 kg/m² in women. High %BF group showed significantly increased frequency of higher BP, FBS, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and LDL- cholesterol (LDL-C) compared with low %BF group in both sexes. In men, odds ratios (ORs) of the high %BF group with respect to the low %BF group were significantly high for BP and TG elevation. ORs of the high %BF group were significantly high for FBS, TC, LDL-C and TG elevation in women. ORs for more than one CVD risk factor was 2.46 (1.38∼4.38) in men and 1.50 (0.95∼2.36) in women.

Conclusion : Increased %BF was related to cardiovascular risk factors in normal weight subjects. The result was more significant for normal weight men than normal weight women.

Background
: Sullivan has suggested that higher incidence of coronary heart disease in men and postmenopausal women is due to higher levels of stored iron in these two groups. A few epidemiologic studies in humans have reported the association between iron stores and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. But there is conflicting evidence regarding the relationship between iron and cardiovascular diseases. The present study evaluated the relationship between ferreting and well established cardiovascular risk factors.

Methods : There were 288 healthy subjects who visited a health promotion center of a general hospital. We collected data by means of self-reported questionnaire and measured height, weight and blood pressure. Serum ferritin, fasting blood glucose, lipid profiles, and C-reactive protein were measured at a fasting state.

Results : Mean serum ferritin values were 150.1±82.2 ng/mL in men and 61.7±38.2 ng/mL in women (P＜0.001). Serum ferritin level in current smoker was higher than in non-smoker (157.6±111.8 ng/mL versus 100.5±64.2 ng/mL, P=0.006). Serum ferritin was significantly and positively correlated with body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol and triglyceride. There was no statistical significance in age, C-reactive protein, high- density lipoprotein cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In multiple regression analysis, there was association between ferritin and sex (β=-80.333, P＜0.001) and triglycerides (β=0.182, P=0.030).

Conclusion : The serum ferritin level in men is higher than in women in healthy adults. Serum ferritin is positively associated with triglycerides.

Background
: A 15-item GDS form is now widely used to screen for depressive symptoms in elderly patients, but even the 15-item version seems fairly long for routine use in busy outpatient settings. This study was conducted to determine which of the three short-form GDS tools with four or five questions extracted from the 15-item GDS tool could be a valid alternative to the 15-item GDS.

Methods : This study was performed using a questionnaire survey of 102 elderly patients over sixty-five, who had either visited or had been admitted in either one of the two universities hospitals in Seoul or ChungCheong district from October 1999 to June 2004. Questionnaire contained demographic and statistical characteristics, items related to health behavior, 15-item GDS, Mini-Mental State Examination Korean (MMSE-K) and activities of daily living. Three scales, namely, D'Ath GDS-4, Van Marwijk GDS-4, and Hoyl GDS-5 were compared to the 15-item GDS. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and the area under the ROC curves were calculated for each short-form GDS scales.

Results : The mean 15-item GDS score was 7.4±3.3 and 69.6% of the subjects were to have suggested depression. Hoyl GDS-5 instrument had the highest sensitivity of 87.3%, specificity of 80.6%, and positive predictive value of 91.1% among the three short-form alternatives. The 5-item Hoyl GDS version had the highest area under the curve (0.84), compared to 0.76 for the 4-item Van Marwijk and 0.66 for the 4-item D'Ath GDS version.

Conclusion : The 5-item Hoyl GDS had superior validity over the D'Ath GDS-4 and Van Marwijk GDS-4. The GDS5/15 may be an effective alternative screening tool.

Background
: Recently, reinforcement and innovation of primary care has been propeled and family doctor registration program has been proposed as one of the solutions for the problem. The aim of this study was to understand the Korean population's perception concerning the need of the family doctor registration program.

Methods : The study subjects included 865 adults from 16 different cities who were applying for health insurance. The interview for study subjects was performed by 53 nurses during 3 months. The questionnaire was composed of questions eliciting general information about the subject, subject's perception on the necessity and the role of family doctor registration program, and on regarding services offered by the family physician.

Results : Seventy seven percent of the respondents were in favor of the family doctor registration program. The most importantly considered benefits of the program were medical examination, stress management, and management of chronic diseases. Sixty one percent of the respondents preferred internists as their family doctor, where as 42 percent preferred a family physician. Most people thought it was reasonable to pay 120,000 won per year as a registration fee. Services thought to be necessary by respondents were medical examination for family members, telephone call counseling, and physician's home visit.

Conclusion : The results revealed that 77 percent of the subjects responded favorably towards the family doctor registration program. The most importantly considered benefits of the program were medical examination, stress management, and management of chronic diseases.

Background
: Modern physicians' role as a model is very important in advocating health promoting behaviors for their patients. In this study, we compared health promoting behaviors and corresponding health perceptions between law students and medical students with evaluation of the association between health promoting behaviors and corresponding health perceptions.

Methods : The data of this survey, conducted among law students and medical students attending a university in a metropolitan city in June, 2004, were collected by self- administered questionnaire based on FANTASTIC lifestyle checklist adjusted to reflect Korean circumstances.

Results : Questionnaires from 74 law students and 136 medical students were analyzed. The medical students showed better health behaviors in terms of fastening seatbelt, leisure time, sleep, and salt intake reduction. The medical students showed better health perceptions in terms of exercise, activity, body weight, animal fat and salt intake reduction, and smoking cessation. The law students showed better perceptions in being impatient. Significant association between health behavior and health perception was observed in relationship with family and friends, exercise, activity, breakfast, reduced intake animal fat, smoking cessation, reduced drug and drinking habits, sleep, fastening seatbelt, regular physical exam, positive thought, and school satisfaction in the law students. In the medical students, significant association was observed in relationship with family and friends, exercise, breakfast, reduced drinking, sleep, fastening seatbelt, coping skills for stress, regular physical exam, and positive thought.

Conclusion : Even though the medical students were more concerned about and engaged in some health promoting behaviors, other factors affecting medical students' health promoting behaviors than health perception should be addressed further.

Background
: Recently, thermal therapy such as sauna and sweating room is popular as a health behavior. In patients with heart failure, sauna treatment improves hemodynamic data and clinical symptoms by restoring endothelial function. The purpose of this study was to investigate that sauna bath could decrease pulse wave velocity reflecting vascular function of people in the community.

Methods : A total of 43 volunteers (11 male, 32 female) older than 40 years old were kept in 60℃ dry sauna for 15 to 20 minutes. We measured the brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), blood pressure, heart rate, body weight and body temperature before and, 30 and 60 minutes after sauna bath and assessed the differences of the means of these measurements with repeated measures of ANOVA. Then, we performed multiple regression analysis to find out the factors independently associated with the amount of baPWV change.

Results : The BaPWV and systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly 30 and 60 minutes after sauna bath comparing to those before (P＜0.001, P=0.003, P=0.011, respectively). Multiple regression analysis showed that baseline baPWV and history of hypercholesterolemia independently influenced on the amount of baPWV change (β=-0.47, P=0.002; β=-0.36, P=0.013, respectively).

Conclusion : We studied the acute reduction of pulse wave velocity after sauna bath in adults over 40 years old. This change was striking in the subjects with faster baseline baPWV. This result suggests that sauna bath can improve vascular function in the high risk group of cardiovascular diseases.

Background
: Although fatigue is the most common symptom in primary care, both doctors and patients tend to overlook it. According to one study, 27% of the adults felt fatigued for one week and 6% of the adults complained of unexplained fatigue for over two weeks. Stress play an important role in the etiology of fatigue. Thus, antioxidants are currently taken by people who complain of fatigue. Vitamin C is one of the most common antioxidants. We intend to find out whether intravenous vitamin C is really helpful or not in people who complain of fatigue.

Methods : We have investigated 19 outpatients who chiefly complained of fatigue and visited the department of family medicine at one university hospital from July 1, 2004 to Nov 30, 2005. The patients were treated by Vitamin C 10g and Vitamin B complex injection for 4 weeks, and they conducted a questionnaire survey concerning the severity of symptom before and after injection. The questionnaire with 9 questions consisted of 7 score index. The results were statistically analyzed with Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test and a P-value under 0.05 was considered significant.

Results : Three patients were males and 16 patients were females. The average age group was 47.7±13.6 years. While the fatigue severity score of the patients before vitamin C injection was 5.2 (3.0∼7.0), the fatigue severity score after injection was 3.3 (1.4∼4.8), which was significantly decreased (P＜0.0001).

Conclusion : We think that the vitamin C intravenous injection to people who complained of fatigue was helpful.