Korean Journal of Family Medicine

"Spouses"

Original Articles

Concurrence of Helicobacter pylori Infection and Its Associated Factors in Korean Couples: Jiwoong Choi, Jihun Kang; Korean J Fam Med 2022;43(1):77-82. Published online November 5, 2021; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.21.0115

Abstract
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Background
This study evaluated the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and the risk factors associated with H. pylori transmission among spouses.
Methods
We assessed the spousal concurrence of H. pylori infection using the Campylobacter-like organism (CLO) test under gastro-endoscopy in 132 couples. Based on the CLO test results, participants were categorized into H. pylori concurrent and independent groups. The chi-square test and Student t-test were performed for demographic comparisons between the concurrent and independent H. pylori groups. In addition, multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with concurrent H. pylori infection.
Results
The study revealed that the concurrence rate of H. pylori infection was 42.4% in married Korean couples. The odds ratio (OR) derived from the concurrence of H. pylori infection tended to decrease in older couples (OR, 0.975; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.949–1.002; P=0.072). Gastric erosion was also associated with a decreased OR for concurrent infection (OR, 0.488; 95% CI, 0.295–0.808; P=0.005). Conversely, active duodenal ulcers were associated with an increased OR for concurrent infections (OR, 6.501; 95% CI, 1.267–33.346; P=0.025). Duodenal ulcer scars tended to increase the OR of concurrent infections (OR, 1.392; 95% CI, 0.815–2.380; P=0.226).
Conclusion
Spousal transmission and concurrence of H. pylori infection were negatively associated with gastric erosion; however, they were positively associated with active duodenal ulcers. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these findings.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Examining of Predictive Factors for Developing Gastroduodenal Ulcer among Patients Attending Gastrointestinal Teaching Hospitals in Baghdad
Ali Hussein Alek Al-Ganmi, Haider Mohammed Majeed, Ahmed Fleih Hassan
Journal of Nature and Science of Medicine.2025; 8(2): 146. CrossRef
Hookah Smoking and Risk of Helicobacter pylori Infection: Insights From a Case‐Control Study in Iran
Hadi Eshaghi Sani Kakhaki, Nahid Shahabi, Nooshin Ebrahimi, Ehsan Ramezanian Nik, Farshid Soleimani, Shokrollah Mohseni, Moslem Gholamnezhad, Hanieh Sedeghi, Sara Dadipoor
Health Science Reports.2025;[Epub] CrossRef

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Spousal Concordance regarding Lifestyle Factors and Chronic Diseases among Couples Visiting Primary Care Providers in Korea: Seung Yup Jun, Mina Kang, Seo Young Kang, Jung Ah Lee, Young Sik Kim; Korean J Fam Med 2020;41(3):183-188. Published online May 20, 2020; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.18.0104

Abstract
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Background
Few studies have been conducted in Korea on concordance regarding chronic diseases and lifestyle factors among couples. We, therefore, evaluated spousal concordance regarding lifestyle factors and chronic diseases among Korean couples.
Methods
A total 1,040 participants (520 couples) who visited family physicians were recruited from 22 hospitals. All participants were aged ≥40 years. Participants completed questionnaires on smoking, drinking, physical activity, and irregular eating habits, including skipping breakfast. We estimated the spousal concordance regarding lifestyle factors and chronic diseases using McNemar tests and logistic regression analysis.
Results
The concordance rate was high among couples who shared unhealthy behaviors, such as low physical activity, irregular diet, and skipping breakfast (P<0.05). When cardiovascular risk factors such as overweight (odds ratio [OR], 1.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14–2.63), hypertension (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.23–2.86), or hyperlipidemia (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.60–3.64) were prevalent among husbands, the odds that their wives also had the same risk factors at the same time was significantly high. The odds of being depressed when the spouse was depressed were also significantly high in both men (OR, 5.54; 95% CI, 2.19–13.96) and women (OR, 4.52; 95% CI, 1.77–11.53).
Conclusion
There was a high level of concordance regarding lifestyle factors among couples, which could lead to an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases among couples. In addition, if a spouse has depression, the odds of their partner also having depression was high.

Citations

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Couple-level obstructive sleep apnea risk and muscle health in middle- and older-aged adults
Kayoung Lee
Sleep and Breathing.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Dyadic associations between eating behaviors and body mass index in couples with a member living with overweight: A longitudinal study
Kayla B. Hollett, Alexandre J.S. Morin, Emily Carrese-Chacra, Tamara R. Cohen, Noémie Carbonneau, Marianne M. Berthiaume, Emma Felice, Jean-Philippe Gouin
Appetite.2026; 220: 108437. CrossRef
A comparative cross-sectional study on the prevalence of spousal concordance of hypertension and diabetes among the inhabitants of urban and rural field practice areas
Shimona N. Nadar, Rekha Udgiri
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health.2026; 13(4): 1972. CrossRef
Mortality After Partner’s Cancer Diagnosis or Death: A Population-based Prospective Cohort Study in Japan
Takeshi Makiuchi, Masako Kakizaki, Tomotaka Sobue, Tetsuhisa Kitamura, Hiroshi Yatsuya, Taiki Yamaji, Motoki Iwasaki, Manami Inoue, Shoichiro Tsugane, Norie Sawada
Journal of Epidemiology.2025; 35(3): 118. CrossRef
Type D personality as a risk factor for 3-year cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease and their spouse: a prospective cohort study
Yini Wang, Bingji Huang, Mengru Sun, Bo Yu, Ping Lin
European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.2025; 32(6): 430. CrossRef
Partnership and marriage and risk of type 2 diabetes: a narrative review
Bernd Kowall, Wolfgang Rathmann
Diabetologia.2025; 68(4): 704. CrossRef
Mechanisms creating homogamy in depressiveness in couples: A longitudinal study from Czechia
Zsófia Csajbók, Jakub Fořt, Peter K. Jonason, Jan Havlíček, Jakub Binter, Zuzana Štěrbová
Scientific Reports.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Transgenerational transmission of eating disorders: the role of eating disorder symptoms and socio-cultural attitudes
Bar Zissu, Helene Sher, Ortal Slobodin
Journal of Eating Disorders.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Aggregation of type-2 diabetes, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome in German couples
Lara Brieger, Sara Schramm, Börge Schmidt, Ulla Roggenbuck, Raimund Erbel, Andreas Stang, Bernd Kowall
Scientific Reports.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
In sickness and health? Examining the co-occurrence and concordance of healthy lifestyle behaviours among spouses in Namibia
A. Dunn, E.O. Olamijuwon, N. McGrath
Public Health.2024; 235: 111. CrossRef
Concordance of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Associated Factors among Older Married Couples in China
Xueli Yuan, Wei Liu, Wenqing Ni, Yuanying Sun, Hongmin Zhang, Yan Zhang, Peng Yin, Jian Xu
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2023; 20(2): 1426. CrossRef
Spousal Similarities in Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Northern China: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Binbin Lin, Li Pan, Huijing He, Yaoda Hu, Ji Tu, Ling Zhang, Ze Cui, Xiaolan Ren, Xianghua Wang, Jing Nai, Guangliang Shan
International Journal of Public Health.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Evidence of correlations between human partners based on systematic reviews and meta-analyses of 22 traits and UK Biobank analysis of 133 traits
Tanya B. Horwitz, Jared V. Balbona, Katie N. Paulich, Matthew C. Keller
Nature Human Behaviour.2023; 7(9): 1568. CrossRef
Association between behavioral patterns and depression symptoms: dyadic interaction between couples
Qianhui Yang, Xin Gao, Ying Tang, Hong Gan, Baoling Wang, Mengdie Li, Guixia Pan, Shuangshuang Bao, Peng Zhu, Shanshan Shao, Fangbiao Tao
Frontiers in Psychiatry.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Association between Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Excess of Weight in Women with Endometrial Cancer
Caroline Laranjeira da Silva, Amine Farias Costa, Alex Oliveira da Camara, Lidiane Araújo Cezário, Ana Luisa Kremer Faller, Gabriela Villaça Chaves
Nutrition and Cancer.2022; 74(3): 927. CrossRef
Pregnancy loss and subsequent risk of prediabetes, diabetes and metabolic syndrome in couples: Tehran lipid and glucose study
Maryam Rahmati, Marzieh Saei Ghare Naz, Fereidoun Azizi, Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani
Journal of Translational Medicine.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Spousal concordance of ideal cardiovascular health metrics: findings from the 2014–2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Manh Thang Hoang, Hokyou Lee, Hyeon Chang Kim
Clinical Hypertension.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Gender differences in the longitudinal association between husbands' and wives' depressive symptoms among Korean older adults: the moderating effects of the spousal relationship
Jiwon Baek, Yoosik Youm, Hyeon Chang Kim
Quality of Life Research.2021; 30(12): 3535. CrossRef
Spousal Concordance in Dietary Behaviors and Metabolic Components, and Their Association: A Cross-Sectional Study
Dann-Pyng Shih, Chu-Ting Wen, Hsien-Wen Kuo, Wen-Miin Liang, Li-Fan Liu, Chien-Tien Su, Jong-Yi Wang
Nutrients.2020; 12(11): 3332. CrossRef

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85 Download
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Family Functioning and Communication in Spouses of Patients with Parkinsonism: Seo Young Kang, Myung Hwa Yang, Jung Ah Lee, Wooyoung Jang, Chong Sik Lee, Young Sik Kim; Korean J Fam Med 2017;38(1):14-20. Published online January 18, 2017; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.2017.38.1.14

Abstract
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Background

Patients with parkinsonism exhibit motor symptoms, cognitive impairment, and neuropsychiatric changes, and these symptoms increase caregiver burden. Family dynamics can be influenced by the presence of comorbidities, which is especially important in diseases causing caregiver burden. We investigated the effects of spousal parkinsonism on family functioning and communication.

Methods

Couples without parkinsonism, who visited hospital-based family practices, were recruited by 28 family physicians from 22 hospitals between April 2009 and June 2011; patients with parkinsonism and their spouses were recruited from a single institution. The participants completed questionnaires on demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, family functioning (the Korean version of the Family Adaptation and Cohesion Evaluation Scale [FACES] III), and family communication (the Family Communication Scale of the FACES-IV). We compared family functioning and communication between spouses of the patients with and without parkinsonism.

Results

The mean family adaptability and cohesion scores of the spouses of the patients with parkinsonism were 23.09±6.48 and 32.40±8.43, respectively, whereas those of the control group were 23.84±5.88 and 34.89±7.59, respectively. Family functioning and family communication were significantly different between the spouses of individuals with and without parkinsonism. After adjusting for age, sex, income, and cardiovascular disease in the logistic regression analysis, family functioning was found to significantly deteriorate in the spouses of patients with parkinsonism but not the control group. Family communication decreased significantly in spouses of patients with parkinsonism.

Conclusion

Family functioning and family communication significantly deteriorated in spouses of patients with parkinsonism.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Impact of family communication on self-rated health of couples who visited primary care physicians: A cross-sectional analysis of Family Cohort Study in Primary Care
Seo Young Kang, Jung Ah Lee, Young Sik Kim, Jennifer Morozink Boylan
PLOS ONE.2019; 14(3): e0213427. CrossRef

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40 Download
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Effect of Spousal Support on Smoking Cessation Outcome of Self-quitters.: Eal Whan Park; J Korean Acad Fam Med 2006;27(8):652-658. Published online August 10, 2006

Abstract
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Background
: Positive spousal support is considered to be effective for successful smoking cessation. In this study, interaction behaviors of spouses for smoking cessation and association of characteristics of spousal relationship with smoking cessation outcome was assessed.

Methods : Self-quitters who visited a family medicine clinic or a health promotion center were inquired on their smoking status and the relationship with their spouse by using the PIQ (partner interaction questionnaire). In a follow-up period of 3 and 6 months, current smoking status of each patient was assessed again by telephone.

Results : The smoking cessation rate among the subjects was 14.1%. There were significant differences between the successful quitters group and the failed group in age and smoking years (P＜0.05). For the mean PIQ scores based on 71 persons, the mean total PIQ score was 42.9 (SD 12.8), the mean positive PIQ score was 18.8 (SD 7.7), and the mean negative score was 24.1 (SD 6.9). We analyzed the association of PIQ scores with continuous abstinence at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. And there was no relationship between negative behaviors and abstinence at 3 and 6 months. Also, there was no relationship between the positive/negative score ratio and continuous abstinence at 3 and 6 months.

Conclusion : The self quitters' partners were fairly interactive, but more of the interactions were negative in nature. Our data suggest that frequency of positive and negative interactions are not significantly related to the success rate of smoking cessation at 3- and 6-month follow-up periods.