Background
The influx of immigrants into Korea has increased in recent years, affecting Korean society and the healthcare system. This study analyzed the frequency of anxiety and depression in immigrants, which negatively affects their quality of life.
Methods
We analyzed data from a 2020 survey on the Health Rights of Migrants and the Improvement of the Medical Security System. Bivariate analyses and a multiple logistic regression model were used to identify the risk factors associated with the presence of anxiety or depression among immigrants.
Results
We included 746 immigrants, 55.9% of whom were female. The overall rate of anxiety or depression was 31.77%, with 38.3% in females, which was significantly higher than the 26.62% in males. The frequency of anxiety and depression was also strongly associated with certain immigrant groups, including immigrants of African or Western Asian origin (over 64%); those with student visas (60.53%); those who self-reported poor health (52%), physical or mental disabilities (69.23%), or chronic diseases (58.43%); and those facing difficulties accessing medical services (59.47%).
Conclusion
This study showed the frequency of feelings of anxiety or depression and associated risk factors among immigrants. These findings may have implications for policymakers in reducing the likelihood of developing anxiety or depression in the future and improving the quality of life of immigrants in Korea.

Background
Family doctors are increasingly managing the diabetes care of Korean-Americans. Little is known about the prevalence of diabetes among non-obese Korean-Americans, or the extent to which they receive timely and appropriate diabetes care. The purpose of this investigation is to: (1) identify the prevalence of diabetes and to determine the adjusted odds of diabetes among non-obese Korean-Americans compared to non-Hispanic White (NHW) Americans, (2) examine the factors associated with having diabetes in a large sample of non-obese KoreanAmericans, and (3) determine the prevalence and adjusted odds of optimal frequency of eye care, foot care and A1C blood glucose level monitoring among non-obese Korean-Americans with diabetes in comparison to NHWs with diabetes.
Methods
Secondary analysis of population-based data from the combined 2007, 2009, and 2011 adult California Health Interview Survey. The sample included 74,361 respondents with body mass index (BMI) <30 kg/m2 (referred to as ‘non-obese BMI’), of whom 2,289 were Korean-Americans and 72,072 were NHWs, and 4,576 had diabetes.
Results
The prevalence and adjusted odds of diabetes among non-obese Korean-Americans are significantly higher than among their NHW peers. More than 90% of Korean-Americans with diabetes were non-obese. NHWs had substantially higher odds of having optimal frequency of eye care, foot care and A1C glucose level monitoring, even after adjusting for insulin dependence, sex, age, education, income, and BMI.
Conclusion
Non-obese Korean-Americans are at higher risk for diabetes and are much less likely to receive optimal diabetes care in comparison to NHWs. Targeted outreach is necessary.

Citations

• Adapting the NIMHD Research Framework for Type 2 Diabetes-Related Disparities
  Monica Diaz, Morgan E. Braxton, Eyitayo O. Owolabi, Timian M. Godfrey, Mantej Singh, Aliria M. Rascón, Gabriel Q. Shaibi
  Current Diabetes Reports.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• The interplay of social support and education on diabetes knowledge: a focus on Korean American women
  Young Ji Yoon, Soonok An, Y. Joon Choi, Hee Yun Lee
  Ethnicity & Health.2024; 29(7): 793.     CrossRef
• The prevalence and management of diabetes among Vietnamese Americans: A population-based survey of an understudied ethnic group
  Leanne R De Souza, Keith T Chan, Karen Kobayashi, Alexis Karasiuk, Esme Fuller-Thomson
  Chronic Illness.2022; 18(2): 306.     CrossRef
• Increasing Individual Target Glucose Levels to Prevent Hypoglycemia in Patients with Diabetes
  Juyoung Shin, Hyunah Kim, Hun-Sung Kim, Churlmin Kim, Whan-Seok Choi
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2021; 42(4): 269.     CrossRef

Background
This study analyzed the relationship between health behaviors and marital adjustment in multicultural couples to evaluate their health status.
Methods
Married couples (70 Korean men and their immigrant wives) completed a structured interview on health behaviors and sociodemographic factors, the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), and the Marital Intimacy Scale. Based on the cutoff value of the RDAS, respondents were classified into two groups: high or low dyadic adaptation groups. The collected data were compared with health behavior regarding smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, and weight.
Results
The odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) by logistic regression with adjustment for age, educational level, career, occupation, length of residence in Korea, nationality, religion, age difference between couple, number of children, monthly income, and proficiency in Korean was 1.279 (1.113–1.492) for unhealthy exercise and 1.732 (1.604–1.887) for unhealthy body weight in female immigrants with low marital adjustment. In Korean husbands with low marital adjustment, the OR (95% CI) was 1.625 (1.232–2.142) for smoking and 1.327 (1.174– 1.585) for unhealthy exercise. No significant relationship was found between marital intimacy and health behaviors in female immigrants or Korean husbands.
Conclusion
More desirable health behaviors were observed in highly adapted couples. Therefore, family physicians should be concerned with marital adjustment and other associative factors to evaluate and improve multicultural couples’ health status.

Citations

• Health risky behaviors among rural-to-urban migrant workers in China: prevalence, patterns, and association with distal and proximal factors
  Weikai Wang, Mengting Wang, Hong Pan, Wenqian Jian, Li Chen, Yawen Zheng
  Frontiers in Public Health.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Factors effecting on health-promoting behaviors in iranian pregnant women and their husbands: the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM)
  Sara Zohouri, Mahbobeh Faramarzi, Reza Ghorban Jahromi
  BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Psychometric properties of the revised Urdu version dyadic adjustment scale for evaluating marital relationship quality between madrassa and Non-Madrassa married women
  Bushra Naeem, Muhammad Aqeel, Aneela Maqsood, Ishrat Yousaf, Saima Ehsan
  International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare.2023; 16(1): 34.     CrossRef
• The Actor-Partner Effects of Marital Satisfaction on Life Satisfaction in Middle-Aged and Older Couples: Focusing on the Mediating Effects of Health Behavior and Health
  Eun Jee Lee, Ju Hee Park
  Human Ecology Research.2023; 61(4): 615.     CrossRef