Background Depression is a prevalent mental health disorder that presents substantial public health challenges. Emerging evidence underscores the role of dietary patterns in mitigating depressive symptoms. This study investigated the association between diet quality, assessed using the Recommended Food Score (RFS), and depressive symptoms, evaluated with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), in a sample of Korean adults.
Methods This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 19,786 participants recruited from a general hospital in Korea, all of whom completed the RFS and PHQ-9 assessments. General characteristics and anthropometric indices were recorded. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests and binary logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals for depressive symptoms according to RFS scores, adjusting for potential confounders.
Results Higher RFS scores were associated with reduced odds of depression in univariate (OR, 0.59; P<0.001) and multivariate (OR, 0.72; P<0.001) analyses. Sociodemographic factors, including older age, higher education, marital status, higher income, professional occupation, and regular exercise, were linked to decreased odds of depression. Conversely, female sex, current smoking, and alcohol consumption were associated with increased odds.
Conclusion The findings reveal an inverse relationship between diet quality and depressive symptoms among Korean adults, emphasizing the potential of dietary improvements in mental health promotion. Sociodemographic factors significantly influence depression risk. Future studies should adopt longitudinal designs incorporating a wider range of variables to elucidate these complex interactions.
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Background Self-perceived health is a good indicator of health status. It is generally accepted that self-perceived health status has important role on one's health behavior and public health education. Smoking, drinking, and obesity are well known risk factors for one's health. But its effects on self-perceived health status are not known so well in Korea. This study was planned to evaluate the effect of health behavior such as smoking, drinking, and obesity on self-perceived health status. Methods: We enrolled a total of 6,040 Koreans, visited to one general hospital health promotion center from June, 2004 through June, 2007. Data was collected by questionnaire, including basic demographic variables, family history of cancers or cerobrovascular accidents, psycho-emotional factors such as stress, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and health behaviors including smoking, drinking, and exercise. Risk factors for metabolic syndrome were also obtained including waist circumference, blood pressure, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), fasting blood sugar, and body mass index (BMI). Results: Older age, higher alcohol consumption, higher BMI, and regular exercise were associated with higher self-perceived health status. Higher education status, higher score of stress, symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia, drug medication, operation history, and abnormal HDL status were associated with lower self-perceived health status. Smoking and metabolic syndrome had no relation with self-perceived health status. Conclusion: Drinking and higher BMI were associated with higher self-perceived health status, indicating discrepancies between self-perceived health status and medical advice. More strict education might be required for those risk factors.
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Background : Although proactive screening for sexual dysfunction in primary care has been emphasized as an important part of comprehensive care, doctors seldom ask their patients about their sexual function. Worry about patients' responses was reckoned as a major barrier, but few studies have dealt with how patients feel and what they want. This study was aimed to describe and analyze the attitudes of patients toward proactive screening for sexual dysfunction.
Methods : A set of self-administered questionnaire was given to every patients who visited a family medicine clinic in a university hospital for 2 weeks from March 16, 2005.
Results : A total of 185 patients were analyzed. Among them, 72.4% were willing to consult their physician when they were in trouble with their sexual function, and 84.3% said proactive screening for sexual dysfunction was necessary. Many patients did not care about 'when to be asked' and wanted to be asked in face-to-face interview rather than by a questionnaire. Sentence emphasizing that every patient is given the same question was most preferred.
Conclusion : Patients' attitude toward proactive screening for sexual dysfunction in primary care was generally positive. Patients preferred to be asked ;I ask every patient about his sexual problem. If you're OK, I ask you about your sexual problem.; regardless of timing, during the interview.
Background : Obesity has been generally diagnosed by 'Body Mass Index (BMI)' in primary care. Recently the use of Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer' has become popular in Korea to evaluate body fat rate (BFR), as cost is inexpensive and the method to use is simple. As a result, the opposed finding of normal BMI and elevated BFR vice versa in same individuals are being encountered frequently. We designed this study to find out the characteristics and cardiovascular risk of people in these groups.
Methods : The medical records of health promotion center were obtained and 22,704 applicants visitor who undeerwent health risk questionnaire, screening tests and physical examination for cardiovascular disease were reviewed.
Results : After adjusting for age, sex, exercise and education level, cardiovascular risk such as hypertension, DM, and hypercholesterolemia, LDL tended to increase linearly and HDL tended to decrease linearly with increase of BFR or BMI. In comparison with normal BMI and BFR group, the odds ratios of normal BMI and elevated BFR group or vice versa were increased.
Conclusion : If either one of BMI or BFR of a person was elevated, even though the other was within normal range, the cardiovascular risk of that person was shown to be high.
Background : There is a lack of data on Korean average VO2max values. This study attempted to yield average values of VO2max corresponding to each age group of Koreans. This study was also designed to investigate the factors associated with VO2max.
Methods : From May 1st 1996 to January 30th 2000, we recruited 21,458 subjects who visited the health promotion center at one university hospital. We obtained the data related to age, exercise by self-administered questionnaire and weight, height and blood pressure by instrumental measurements and hemoglobin, cholesterol by overnight fasting blood sampling. VO2max was estimated by submaximal bicycle ergometer test.
Results : The number of research subjects was 21,458: males 12,646 (58.9%) and females 8,812 (41.1%) and the average age was 48.6 (SD: ±10.05) years with age span from 20 to 79 years. The average VO2max was 26.4 (SD; ±6.77) (ml/kg/min) for men and was 19.8 (SD; ±5.94) (ml/kg/min) for women. Relating to factors such as age, VO2max, SBP, DBP, cholesterole, Hb, and body mass index, there were significant statistical differences between sex (p＜0.05). For both sexes, VO2max decreased as age, cholesterol, BP and BMI increased. Regular exercise group showed significantly a higher VO2max than non-exercise group for both sexes.
Conclusion : The average VO2max values for Koreans, according to sex and age group are reported in this study. The decreasing VO2max may be attributed to increasing age, BP, cholesterol, BMI and non-exercise.
Background : The new Bethesda System terminology has opened a series of problems about the atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion categories, particularly on their follow up.
Methods : We observe 12300 Pap smear examination, from Jan 1995 to Dec 1999, in the Health Promotion Center in a university hospital. Subjects were defined at the Health Promotion Center in a university hospital by electrical record and chart review.
Results : We find 48 cases of ASCUS and 33 cases of LSIL. When it is followed up by Pap smear, 34 cases of ASCUS are confirmed normal 19 cases (55.9%), benign cellular change 6 cases (17.6%), ASCUS 5 cases (14.7%), HSIL 4 cases (11.8%) and 27 cases of LSIL are confirmed normal 11 cases (40.7%), benign cellular change 3 cases (11.1%), ASCUS 3 cases (11.1%), LSIL 8 cases (29.6%), HSIL 2 cases (7.4%). 14 cases of ASCUS and 23 cases of LSIL are diagnosed by biopsy. Histologic results of 14 cases of ASCUS are confirmed cervicitis 10 cases (71.4%), moderate dysplasia 2 cases (14.3%), carcinoma in situ 2 cases (14.3%) and histologic results of 23 cases of LSIL are confirmed cervicitis 15 cases (65.2%), mild dysplasia 3 cases (13%), moderate dysplasia 3 cases (13%), severe dysplasia 1 case (4.3%), carcinoma in situ 1 case (4.3%), Pap smear only was used for follow-up at family medicine clinic and 14 cases (29.2%), 4 cases (12.1%) are follow-up loss.
Conclusion : After it is diagnosed ASCUS or LSIL lesion of Pap smear in healthy care visitors, Follow-up loss is high in only follow-up Pap smear examination and follow-up results are presented more severe lesions. To reduce follow-up loss, aggressive diagnosis and managements may be needed more than Pap smear follow-up examination.
Background : At present, there are many instruments to diagnose anxiety and depression. However, most of the instruments have a number of questions. Therefore, we have many diffi-culties in applying them to the primary care. The purpose of this study was to measure the reli-ability and the validity of a Korean-translated Goldberg's short screening scale for anxiety and depression, which were developed for screening of anxiety and depression in primary care.
Methods : 178 asymtomatic subjects and 58 patients(anxiety 15, depression 43) aged from 18 to 64 years old were selected. The patients were diagnosed by psychiatrist according to DSM-IV criteria. This study was performed for 3 month, from May to August 1996. The reliability of this instrument was measured by internal consistency reliability. The validity of this instrument was measured by three methods. The first method was the comparison of the score between the patients and the control group. The second method was to measure te relationships of this in-strument with the other instruments such as Self-rating Depression Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The last method was to measure the relationship of this instrument with Comprehensive Global Assessment. In addition, we calculated the sensituvity and specificity at the cut off values.
Results : The Cronbach's α value was 0.736 for the anxiety and 0.749 for the depression. Goldberg anxiety scale was significantly associated with state in STAI(r=0.279, P<0.001), and trait in STAI(r=0.125, P<0.041). However, Goldberg depression scale was not sigficantly asso-ciated with SDS. Goldberg anxiety scale as well as Goldberg depression scale were significantly associated with CGA(r=0.433, P=0.001 ; r=0.695, P=0.001). The score of Goldberg anxiety scale was significantly higher in the anxious patients than in the control group(P=0.047). The score of Goldberg depression scale was significantly higher in the depressive patients than in the control group(P<0.001). For anxiety scale of Goldberg scale, the sensitivity and specificity was 60% and 68% at score 3. For depression scale of Goldberg scale, the sensitivity and the spe-cificity was 80% and 68% at score 2.
Conclusion : We concluded that the value of Cronbach's α in Goldberg scale was 0.736 for anxiety and 0.749 for depression. For the validity, the scores of Goldberg scale were higher in patient group than in asymptomatic group. However, the relationships of Goldberg scale with other screening instruments were variable. So further study for the validity of Goldberg scale is requested.
Background : The residency is chronic stressful condition. This study was attempted to know related factors to stress and coping responess of residency.
Methods : We selected 526 subjects who were under residency in university hospital in Pusan. We sent stress-related guestionaires by the mail. Among 161 responses, we excluded 4 responses which were inadequate report. The stress was measured by Lee's scale and Brief Encounter Psychoso-cial Instrum, ent(BEPSI). The coping rresponse was examined by 19 ciping options for stressful experie-nce by billings and Moos. Also we examined freguency of stress-related symptoms.
Results : The esx distribution was 123(79%) in male, 33(21%) in female. Lee's scale and BEPSI were not related siggnificantly with age. sex, marital status and resident grade. The feguency of stress-reated symptoms was 5.9(P=0.14) in female, in contrast to 4.1 in male, But other factors were not related with frequency of stress-related svmptoms. Among coping responses, number of avoidance-coping in male was 2.7, and it was signficantly highter than 2.0 in female. Among in male, the number of avoidance-coping was ssignificantly increased (P=0.005). and the numbers of avoidance-coping responses of drinking group and smoking group were significantly higher than those of non-drinking group and non-smoking group (P<0.001, P=0.001, respectively). In variables associated stress and coping response, age shown significant positive correlation with avoidance-coping and emotion-focused coping. BEPSI and Lee's scale were shown significant positive correlation with frequency of stress-related wymptons was correlated with avoida-nce-coping and emotion-focused coping.
Conclusion : Positive correlation was present bwtween stress and aboidance-coping in residency. So, we need social support and change in education program of residency for active copin.
Results : Patients studied were 90 male and 47 female and ages ranged from 17 years to 83 years with a mean of 48.7±16.1 years. The mean of the APGAR scores was 6.75±2.58 with 91 families with scores 7 points or over, 28 families between points 4 and 6, and 18 families with 3 points or less. The coping scores mean was 10.37±2.87 with 74 families with scoress 11 points or over, 55 families between points 5 and 10, and 8 families with 4 points or less.
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