The rapid growth of online alcohol sales, delivery services, and digital marketing has increased alcohol availability and heightened public health concerns, particularly among adolescents. However, regulatory responses remain inconsistent and vary significantly across regions. This scoping review synthesizes global regulatory approaches to online alcohol access, encompassing both established Western models and emerging Asian frameworks, and identifies key cross-national patterns and policy gaps. This scoping review followed PRISMA-ScR (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews) and Joanna Briggs Institute guidance. Searches of four electronic databases were complemented by a supplementary gray literature search targeting specific Asian jurisdictions to minimize geographic bias. The identified sources included policies and peer-reviewed studies on online alcohol sales, delivery practices, age-verification procedures, and digital marketing regulations. Data were systematically organized by regulatory domain and analyzed using a comparative socio-political framework (liberalism vs. paternalism) to interpret cross-national differences. The analysis of 34 documents across five regulatory domains revealed a distinct global divide. Western nations predominantly rely on co-regulatory models that frequently suffer from significant enforcement gaps, whereas Asian jurisdictions employ strict structural barriers. These include mandatory digital real-name authentication, “Smart Order” systems, and joint platform liability, designed to effectively restrict underage access where Western self-regulation has historically failed. To address global enforcement gaps, future policies must evolve from “soft” co-regulation to “hard” technical mandates. Integrating Asian-style digital identity systems with strict platform liability offers a viable pathway to effectively restrict underage access and reduce alcohol-related harm.

Citations

• Adolescence and young adulthood: a critical period for lifelong health
  Su-Min Jeong
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2026; 47(3): 187.     CrossRef

Background
Updated reports on the population-based analysis of atopic dermatitis (AD) in Korea are rare. This study aimed to investigate the nationwide prevalence and systemic medication prescription trends of AD in Korea.
Methods
Based on the Korean National Health Insurance database, the prevalence of AD and systemic medication prescription trends in patients with AD were analyzed according to age groups and regional districts from 2010 to 2015.
Results
The prevalence of AD was the highest among patients aged 0–1 year (18.6%–24.5%), decreasing rapidly with increasing age (<2% in patients aged ≥20 years). From 2010 to 2015, the prevalence of AD decreased in children but increased slightly in adolescents and adults. In 2015, the proportion of systemic steroid prescriptions increased from 11.2% in the 0–9 years age group to 41.1% in the 50–59 years age group, while that of systemic antibiotic prescriptions gradually decreased from 6.2% in the 0–9 years age group to 1.8% in the 80–89 years age group. The proportion of systemic steroid prescriptions by region remained consistently high in Gyeongbuk (34.2%– 34.9%) and low in Daejeon (20.2%–22.5%). The annual proportion of systemic cyclosporine prescriptions increased significantly from 0.6% in 2010 to 1.2% in 2015, with the highest rates observed in patients in their 30s (1.5%–2.4%), followed by those in their 20s (1.3%–2.3%) and 40s (1.1%–2.0%).
Conclusion
From 2010 to 2015, the prevalence of AD decreased in children but increased slightly in adolescents and adults. Approximately one-fourth of the patients with AD were prescribed systemic steroids, and the percentage of cyclosporine prescriptions doubled during the study period.

Citations

• Efficacy of Lebrikizumab in Patients With Severe Atopic Dermatitis Who Would be Eligible for Treatment Based on the South Korean Reimbursement Criteria
  Chong Hyun Won, Chun Wook Park, Jiyoung Ahn, Joo Yeon Ko, Sang Hyun Cho, Yang Won Lee, Joo Hee Lee, Khai Jing Ng, Min Young Hong, Jinglin Zhong, Martin Dossenbach, Sang Wook Son
  JEADV Clinical Practice.2026; 5(2): 529.     CrossRef

Background
The use of topical antibiotics (TA) for prophylactic purposes after clean dermatologic procedures (CDP) is generally not recommended, and the prescription of TA needs to be individualized in consideration of each patient’s situation and underlying disease. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of patients who underwent CDP in outpatient settings and were prescribed TA inappropriately, as well as the factors that may affect the prescription of TA.
Methods
Outpatient visits coded for CDP were selected using claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in 2018. Of these, patients receiving TA prescriptions were classified as having inappropriate TA use, and the proportion was estimated through technical analysis. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing inappropriate prescriptions.
Results
Data were analyzed using 423,651 visits, and TA was prescribed for approximately 1.9% of the visits. TA usage was higher among women (2.0%), 0–19 years of age (2.2%), medical aid (2.2%), clinic settings (2.4%), and metropolitan areas (2.0%). TA was prescribed more frequently in urology (8.6%), pediatrics (5.0%), and dermatology (4.2%) than in other specialties.
Conclusion
The prescription rate of TA after CDP was 1.9% using the 1.4 million patient sample from the national health insurance claims data in Korea, which is equally weighted to represent 50 million people. Although the proportion of inappropriate TA prescriptions in Korea is lower than that in other nations, it cannot be overlooked because of the large number of cases. Efforts to improve quality are required to reduce the number of inappropriate prescriptions.

Background
This study aims to create a comprehensive list of essential topics and procedural skills for family medicine residency training in Korea.
Methods
Three e-mailed surveys were conducted. The first and second surveys were sent to all board-certified family physicians in the Korean Academy of Family Medicine (KAFM) database via e-mail. Participants were asked to rate each of the topics (117 in survey 1, 36 in survey 2) and procedures (65 in survey 1, 19 in survey 2) based on how necessary it was to teach it and personal experience of utilizing it in clinical practice. Agreement rates of the responses were calculated and then sent to the 32 KAFM board members in survey 3. Opinions on potential cut-off points to divide the items into three categories and the minimum achievement requirements needed to graduate for each category were solicited.
Results
Of 6,588 physicians, 256 responded to the first survey (3.89% response rate), 209 out of 6,669 to the second survey (3.13%), and 100% responded to the third survey. The final list included 153 topics and 81 procedures, which were organized into three categories: mandatory, recommended, and optional (112/38/3, 27/33/21). For each category of topics and procedures, the minimum requirement for 3-year residency training was set at 90%/60%/30% and 80%/60%/30%, respectively.
Conclusion
This national survey was the first investigation to define essential topics and procedures for residency training in Korean family medicine. The lists obtained represent the opinions of Korean family physicians and are expected to aid in the improvement of family medicine training programs in the new competency-based curriculum.

Citations

• Competency-Based Residency Training and the Development of Competencies and Entrustable Professional Activities for Family Medicine in South Korea
  Yon Chul Park, Danbi Lee, Seung Guk Park, Yonghwan Kim
  Korean Journal of Family Practice.2025; 15(2): 77.     CrossRef
• Comparison of Domestic and Foreign Family Medicine Residency Education and Training Systems
  Seung Guk Park
  Korean Journal of Family Practice.2025; 15(2): 89.     CrossRef
• Strengthening Evaluation-Based Resident Training through a Review of Overseas Family Medicine Residency Evaluation Systems
  Yonghwan Kim, Danbi Lee, Yon Chul Park
  Korean Journal of Family Practice.2025; 15(2): 84.     CrossRef

Citations

• Investigation of the Impact of Atopic Dermatitis (AD) on Stress, Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidal Ideation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
  Yaser Mansoor Almutawa, Muneera AlGhareeb, Emma Bhattarai, Jawaher Aljalahma
  Cureus.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Risk of depression in patients with atopic dermatitis: An updated systematic review and meta‐analysis of children, adolescent and adult groups
  Lihua Cao, Jiangwei Su, Fang Tian, Yang Zhou, Songchun Liu, Fanglu Lou
  Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.2024; 60(11): 640.     CrossRef
• Prevalence, incidence and relative risk of cardiovascular disease risk factors in adults with atopic dermatitis: A systematic review
  Jacob P. Thyssen, Jorge A. Ross Terres, Evangeline J. Pierce, Meghan A. Feely, Jonathan I. Silverberg
  JEADV Clinical Practice.2023; 2(1): 5.     CrossRef
• The Impact of Stigmatization of Psoriasis, Atopic Dermatitis and Mastocytosis in Different Areas of Life—A Qualitative Interview Study
  P. Heim-Ohmayer, A. Freiberger, M. Gedik, J. Beckmann, S. Ziehfreund, A. Zink, W. Hähl, M. C. Schielein
  Skin Health and Disease.2022;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Association between atopic dermatitis and hypertension: a systematic review and meta‐analysis*
  M. Yousaf, M. Ayasse, A. Ahmed, E.C. Gwillim, S.R. Janmohamed, A. Yousaf, K.R. Patel, J.P. Thyssen, J.I. Silverberg
  British Journal of Dermatology.2022; 186(2): 227.     CrossRef
• Atopic dermatitis in adults: a population‐based study in Finland
  Ville Kiiski, Alexander Salava, Päivikki Susitaival, Satu Barnhill, Anita Remitz, Markku Heliovaara
  International Journal of Dermatology.2022; 61(3): 324.     CrossRef
• Validation of the Persian version of Skindex-16 among older patients with skin diseases
  Tahereh Mahdavi nejad, Fatemeh Mohammadi, Ozkan Gorgulu, Seyedeh Ameneh Motalebi, Zahra Hosseinkhani
  BMC Geriatrics.2021;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Depression, anxiety and quality of life in subjects with atopic eczema in a population‐based cross‐sectional study in Germany
  R. Treudler, S. Zeynalova, S.G. Riedel‐Heller, A.E. Zuelke, S. Roehr, A. Hinz, H. Glaesmer, P. Kage, M. Loeffler, J.C. Simon
  Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.2020; 34(4): 810.     CrossRef
• Selected therapeutic methods affecting the health and quality of life of chronically dermatologically ill people
  Anna Ścisłowska-Czarnecka, Aleksandra Matuła, Aneta Bac, Amelia Lizak, Monika Wilk
  Health Promotion & Physical Activity.2020; 13(4): 51.     CrossRef
• Association of atopic dermatitis with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in children and adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis
  Amalie Thorsti Møller Rønnstad, Anne-Sofie Halling-Overgaard, Carsten R. Hamann, Lone Skov, Alexander Egeberg, Jacob P. Thyssen
  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.2018; 79(3): 448.     CrossRef
• Estimating causal associations of atopic dermatitis with depression using the propensity score method: an analysis of Korea Community Health Survey data, 2010-2013
  Hayon Michelle Choi, Dahye Kim, Whanhee Lee, Ho Kim
  Epidemiology and Health.2018; 40: e2018059.     CrossRef
• Antipruritic Effect of Acupuncture in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis: Feasibility Study Protocol for a Randomised, Sham‐Controlled Trial
  Yu-Kang Kim, Mijung Yeom, SeHyun Kang, Hi-Joon Park, Kyuseok Kim, Hyangsook Lee, Salvatore Chirumbolo
  Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.2017;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Brain mechanism of itch in atopic dermatitis and its possible alteration through non-invasive treatments
  Hideki Mochizuki, Christina Schut, Leigh A. Nattkemper, Gil Yosipovitch
  Allergology International.2017; 66(1): 14.     CrossRef
• Effects of Atopic Dermatitis on Suicidal Ideation, Plans and Attempts in Young Adult
  Ji Young Kim, Youngran Yang
  Journal of Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing.2017; 28(4): 504.     CrossRef
• Association of Perceived Stress with Atopic Dermatitis in Adults: A Population-Based Study in Korea
  Hyejin Park, Kisok Kim
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2016; 13(8): 760.     CrossRef
• Clinical practice guidelines of Korean medicine on acupuncture and herbal medicine for atopic dermatitis: A GRADE approach
  Ju Ah Lee, Jiae Choi, Tae-Young Choi, Ji Hee Jun, Donghyo Lee, Seok-Seon Roh, Myeong Soo Lee
  European Journal of Integrative Medicine.2016; 8(5): 854.     CrossRef
• Comments on Statistical Issues in January 2016
  Kyung Do Han, Yong Gyu Park
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2016; 37(1): 75.     CrossRef

Background
The worldwide prevalence of obesity and allergic diseases has increased. We aimed to explore the relation of overweight to asthma, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis in a sample of Korean adolescents.Methods: We investigated the prevalence of symptoms of asthma and other allergic diseases by using a modified International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire. The survey was conducted among 1,499 high school students in 3 regions of Korea.Results: The lifetime prevalence of wheezing (21.2% vs. 15.7%, P = 0.04), the 12 months-prevalence of wheezing (4.5% vs. 2.0%, P = 0.04), exercise induced wheezing (13.8% vs. 9.3%, P = 0.04), treatment of asthma (3.3% vs. 1.1%, P = 0.01) and the prevalence of symptoms of allergic rhinitis (11.0% vs. 5.1%, P = 0.001) were signifi cantly higher in overweight boys than normal weight boys, but not in girls. However, there were no signifi cant differences of the prevalence of symptoms and past history of atopic dermatitis and allergic conjunctivitis between overweight and normal weight groups. In boys, overweight increased the risk of the lifetime prevalence of wheezing (OR 1.54, 95% CI: 1.05-2.24) and 12 months- prevalence of exercise induced wheezing (OR 1.64, 95% CI: 1.05-2.55) after adjusting for confounding variables.Conclusion: Overweight could be a risk factor for the development of symptoms of asthma and allergic rhinitis in adolescent boys, whereas it was not a signifi cant risk factor for allergic diseases in girls.

Citations

• Factors related to Asthma in Korean Adults: A Secondary Data Analysis of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2016
  Mi-Jeong Yun
  Korean Journal of Adult Nursing.2019; 31(3): 259.     CrossRef

Background
: Many endoscopists generally use topical pharyngeal anesthesia as a premedication for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. However, the use of topical pharyngeal anesthesia for upper GI endoscopy has been debated since its inception. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of no premedication to the effect of a lidocaine premedication.

Methods : One hundred consecutive examinees scheduled for diagnostic upper endoscopy, divided into two group 50, were randomly assigned to receive topical lidocaine spray or without. The test group involved subjects not using topical pharyngeal anesthesia and the control group involved subjects using it without sedation. The collected data included intubation time (seconds), procedure time (minutes), pulse rate, blood pressure, the difficulty of the endoscopy (VAS), anxiety (STAI), and discomfort. Examinees were also asked whether they would agree to another endoscopy if their doctor thought it was medically necessary.

Results : In the response to the amount of cough, belching, bloating or the degree of difficulty in endoscopic procedure, there was no statistically significant difference between the test group and the control group. The intubation time was significantly different comparing the no-premedication group versus lidocaine premedication group. However, the procedure time was not significantly different. In the normotensive group, the changes of systolic blood pressure during endoscopy were significantly higher in the test group than in the control group.

Conclusion : Evaluating all variables, there was no statistically significant difference between the test group and the control group.