Predictors of Depression among Individuals Receiving the Basic Livelihood Security Program Benefits in Korea: A Study Based on the Sixth and Seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2018)

The purpose of this study is to verify the relationship between oral health behaviors and depression and influencing factors on depression to establish strategies that can contribute to improvement of mental health problems such as depression in vulnerable social class recipients. This study is a descriptive correlation study conducted on basic livelihood recipients over the age of 19 who responded to the 6th~7th (2013~2018) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In this study, a total of 2749 people who met the criteria for subject selection were included in final analysis after requesting and downloading their raw data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey through the consent process mandated by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the 2749 subjects, 279 were diagnosed with depression, accounting for 10.1% of the total. The collected data were analyzed using t-tests and chi-squared tests, and factors affecting depression were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. Our results showed that the factors affecting depression were 1.74 times for men (95% CI = 1.29–2.24), 1.37 times for older people (95% CI = 1.01–1.87), and 1.66 times for low education (95% CI = 1.21–2.27). Subjects with impairment in daily activities had 1.89 times (95% CI = 1.43–2.52) higher risk. Subjects with moderate physical activity and subjects with economic activity showed a lower risk (95% CI = 0.30–0.73) and 0.52 times (95% CI = 0.30–0.72), respectively, than subjects who did not. We confirmed that the probability of being diagnosed with depression decreased, and the perceived health status was 0.36 times lower (95% CI = 0.22–0.61) than those with good status. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare countermeasures that reflect various aspects in consideration of not only age and gender, but also daily life and emotional state when establishing policies for vulnerable classes such as recipients of basic livelihood

Factors Affecting Care Workers’ Coping Abilities in Emergencies to the Korean Elderly

This study provides basic data for enhancing coping abilities in emergencies concerning direct long-term care (LTC) workers, which is necessary for providing safe care for elderly patients living in facilities and at home. A survey was conducted including 327 care workers who officially qualified as long-term providers for elderly patients through elderly care facilities and a domiciliary service center. The majority (91.4%) of the care workers surveyed experienced an emergency, but of them, only 36.4% performed first aid and 56.8% failed to perform first aid, for which the emergency was reported to nurses. The average score regarding first aid knowledge was 8.40 out of 21, and the mean scores for the subtopics of basic life support and general first aid were low (3.56 out of 7 and 5.84 out of 14, respectively). Nearly three-quarters (72.5%) responded that they were unaware of emergency coping methods, and the score for coping abilities in emergencies was also low (52.93 out of 100). The results indicate that factors affecting coping abilities in emergencies were related to the size of the workplace and first aid experience. We propose the development and implementation of an emergency coping training program focusing on case studies for direct LTC workers

The mediating effect of quality of life on alcohol consumption and the 10-year type 2 diabetes mellitus risk score in adult Korean men

Background: The rate of high-risk drinking, a major cause of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is increasing among Korean men. This study descriptive survey whether quality of life (QoL) mediates the relationship between drinking and 10-year T2DM risk scores in adult Korean men. Methods: We further analyzed data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 7th (KNHANES VII) from 2016 to 2018, selecting 4134 men aged 40–69 years who were not diagnosed with T2DM. The data were analyzed using complex sample regression; after analyzing the mediation. Results: In step 1 of the regression, the drinking rate significantly predicted QoL (β = 0.08, p < 0.001), and in step 2, the drinking rate significantly predicted the 10-year T2DM risk score (β = 0.08, p < 0.001). In step 3, the drinking rate (β = 0.08, p < 0.001) and QoL (β = –0.09, p < 0.001) were found to significantly predict the 10-year T2DM risk score, confirming that QoL partially mediates the 10-year T2DM risk score (z = –3.62, p < 0.001). QoL was found to mediate the relationship between the drinking rate and 10-year T2DM risk score. Conclusions: Sex-specific risk factors must be considered to reduce the incidence of T2DM, and measures to promote healthy drinking habits need to be implemented to reduce the incidence of T2DM in men. Furthermore, these findings highlight the need to develop and actively implement various practical intervention strategies to enhance QoL

Life-Changing Experiences of Mothers with School-Age Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focusing on Their Health Risk Perceptions and Health-Related Behaviors

This study aimed to explore health risk perceptions, changes in health-related behaviors, and life experiences of mothers with school-age children during the early coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Data were collected between 16 July and 10 September 2020, by individual interviews and analyzed through qualitative content analysis. After the twelve participants’ experiences were analyzed, four themes and ten sub-themes were derived. The four themes were: “Struggling to identify the substance of COVID-19,” “Taking the initiative to protect the health of the family,” “Frustrated by the brutal reality of no end in sight,” and “Trying to adjust wisely to an inevitable new lifestyle.” The findings suggest that while the world remains in an ongoing battle with COVID-19, national health institutions should prepare a health education system for specific infection prevention methods that can be practiced by individuals in daily life