Cross-national gender differences in the socioeconomic factors associated with smoking in Australia, the United States of America and South Korea

Objectives: We compared rates of smoking among those aged 45 years and older in Australia, the United States of America and South Korea, and examined cross-national gender differences in key socioeconomic differentials in smoking. Methods: We conducted weighted analyses on cross-sectional data from nationally representative surveys conducted in 2006. Results: Current smoking was more prevalent for males than females in all countries; the gender difference was largest in Korea. Being unpartnered increased the likelihood of smoking in all countries, while greater wealth reduced it. In Korea these effects interacted with gender; both indicators showed larger differentials among women than men. Lower educational attainment increased the likelihood of smoking for all groups except Korean women, among whom high school educated women were less likely to smoke than the tertiary educated. Conclusions: Our findings support a cultural interpretation of gender differences in smoking: in countries with low gender empowerment, gender differences in smoking are greater. With increasing divorce and female tertiary education rates in nations like Korea, we highlight the need for health promotion messages targeted towards older and more educated women

Depressive symptoms, chronic medical illness, and health care utilization: findings from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA)

Background: This population-based study examined the relative and combined relationships of chronic medical illness (CMI) and depressive symptoms with health care utilization among older adults in South Korea.Methods: A nationally representative sample of 3224 older adults participating in the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA) were categorized into four groups based on clinical characteristics: CMI only; depressive symptoms only; CMI and depressive symptoms; and neither CMI nor depressive symptoms. We estimated the use of various health care services by the groups while adjusting for clinical and sociodemographic characteristics.Results: Depressive symptoms, as measured by the short-form Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D10), were prevalent, often occurring together with CMI in community-dwelling older adults in South Korea. Having depressive symptoms was positively associated with the use of inpatient services, outpatient physician services, and public health centers. The odds of using health care services were larger among older people with both depressive symptoms and CMI than depressive symptoms only.Conclusions: Self-reported depressive symptoms and self-reported CMI are prevalent among older adults in South Korea, often occurring together and possibly increasing health care utilization. These findings imply a need for chronic disease management targeting older people with complex mental and medical conditions and evaluation of its effects on health outcomes and service use.OAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2011-01/102/0000052039/1SEQ:1PERF_CD:SNU2011-01EVAL_ITEM_CD:102USER_ID:0000052039ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A077862DEPT_CD:801CITE_RATE:2.24FILENAME:40_Depressive symptoms, chronic medical illness, and health care utilization_KLoSA.pdfDEPT_NM:의학과EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:YCONFIRM:

Associations Between Social Capital and Depressive Symptoms Among College Students in 12 Countries: Results of a Cross-National Study

Backhaus I, Ramirez Varela A, Khoo S, et al. Associations Between Social Capital and Depressive Symptoms Among College Students in 12 Countries: Results of a Cross-National Study. Frontiers in Psychology. 2020;11: 644.Introduction: A mental health crisis has hit university campuses across the world. This study sought to determine the prevalence and social determinants of depressive symptoms among university students in twelve countries. Particular focus was placed on the association between social capital and depressive symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among students at their first year at university in Europe, Asia, the Western Pacific, and Latin and North America. Data were obtained through a self-administered questionnaire, including questions on sociodemographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, and social capital. The simplified Beck’s Depression Inventory was used to measure the severity of depressive symptoms. Social capital was assessed using items drawn from the World Bank Integrated Questionnaire to Measure Social Capital. Multilevel analyses were conducted to determine the relationship between social capital and depressive symptoms, adjusting for individual covariates (e.g., perceived stress) and country-level characteristics (e.g., economic development). Results: Among 4228 students, 48% presented clinically relevant depressive symptoms. Lower levels of cognitive (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.44–2.29) and behavioral social capital (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.29–1.76) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. The likelihood of having depressive symptoms was also significantly higher among those living in regions with lower levels of social capital. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that lower levels of individual and macro-level social capital contribute to clinically relevant depressive symptoms among university students. Increasing social capital may mitigate depressive symptoms in college students

Childhood socioeconomic position and objectively measured physical capability levels in adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis

<p><b>Background:</b> Grip strength, walking speed, chair rising and standing balance time are objective measures of physical capability that characterise current health and predict survival in older populations. Socioeconomic position (SEP) in childhood may influence the peak level of physical capability achieved in early adulthood, thereby affecting levels in later adulthood. We have undertaken a systematic review with meta-analyses to test the hypothesis that adverse childhood SEP is associated with lower levels of objectively measured physical capability in adulthood.</p> <p><b>Methods and Findings:</b> Relevant studies published by May 2010 were identified through literature searches using EMBASE and MEDLINE. Unpublished results were obtained from study investigators. Results were provided by all study investigators in a standard format and pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. 19 studies were included in the review. Total sample sizes in meta-analyses ranged from N = 17,215 for chair rise time to N = 1,061,855 for grip strength. Although heterogeneity was detected, there was consistent evidence in age adjusted models that lower childhood SEP was associated with modest reductions in physical capability levels in adulthood: comparing the lowest with the highest childhood SEP there was a reduction in grip strength of 0.13 standard deviations (95% CI: 0.06, 0.21), a reduction in mean walking speed of 0.07 m/s (0.05, 0.10), an increase in mean chair rise time of 6% (4%, 8%) and an odds ratio of an inability to balance for 5s of 1.26 (1.02, 1.55). Adjustment for the potential mediating factors, adult SEP and body size attenuated associations greatly. However, despite this attenuation, for walking speed and chair rise time, there was still evidence of moderate associations.</p> <p><b>Conclusions:</b> Policies targeting socioeconomic inequalities in childhood may have additional benefits in promoting the maintenance of independence in later life.</p&gt

Trends of Health Status and Medical Utilization Among Korean Baby Boomers: Analysis From Korean Health Panel Survey 2008-2014

Background : The state of health of baby boomers is difficult to describe in a few words. It requires an in-depth understanding and a detailed analysis of the current conditions and related factors. Methods : To analyze the differences in the health status among the generations, percentages were derived and generalized estimates equation models of each generation were performed using annual data from the Korea Health Panel Survey 2008-2014. We divided the Korean Health Panel data from 2008 to 2014 into the baby boom generation, older generation, and younger generation based on year of birth. The baby boom generation started with 2,775 people (17.6%) in 2008, and 1,650 people were included in the panel in 2014, comprising approximately 17% of the adult panel population. Results : As the results show, over time, the mental health, such as depression symptoms and the suicidal ideation, of the baby boom generation has come to be similar to the younger generation, and is getting worse, approaching the level of the older generation. The current older generation and baby boomers have contrasting results in terms of the differences in their depression symptoms, suicidal ideation, exercise habits, self-rated health, and number of illness days. Conclusion : It is time to investigate not only the differences in current status and patterns, but also the size and number of the population of Korean baby boomers suffering from health problems

Contrasting Effects of Spousal Education on Depressive Symptoms Among Korean Middle-Aged and Older Adults

Background : Within marital dyads, we focused on the so-called positive spillover effects of one spousal partner’s educational attainment on the health of the other partner. This study examined the relationship between spousal educational attainment and depressive symptoms in Korean older adults. Methods : Data were obtained from a sample of marital dyads aged 45 or older (total 6,824 husbands and wives) from the baseline survey of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Depressive symptoms were measured by the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D 10). A stepwise actor-partner interdependence model was used to examine the association between own and spousal educational attainment and depressive symptoms, conditioning for covariates. Results : Among men, we found that their wives’ educational attainment did not influence their mental health, whereas, among women, their depressive symptoms were inversely related to their husbands’ level of schooling. With regard to own education, more-educated men reported lower psychological distress, whereas, among women, there was no overall association. However, in a subset of Korean women with the highest level of household income, higher educational attainment was associated with more depressive symptoms. Conclusion : Our findings underscore the need to incorporate the cultural context in examining the spillover effects of education on health within marriage

Who Comes to the Emergency Room with an Infection from a Long-term Care Hospital? A Retrospective Study Based on a Medical Record Review

Summary: Purpose: Health care–associated infections increase disease prevalence and mortality and are the main reason for the hospitalization of the elderly. However, the management of underlying infections in patients hospitalized in long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) is insufficient, and the transfer of these poorly managed patients to the emergency room (ER) of an acute care hospital can lead to rapid spread of infection. This study investigated the risk factors associated with an ER visit due to infections that developed in LTCHs. Methods: The electronic medical records of patients who were transferred to the ER of a university hospital in South Korea were used. Infection prevalence, causative infectious agent, and antibiotic sensitivity were assessed. The associations between patient characteristics and hospital-associated infections were examined using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results: Among the 483 patients transferred to the ER during the study period, the number of infection cases was 197, and 171 individuals (35.4%) had one or more infections, with pneumonia being the most common (52.8%), followed by urinary tract (21.3%) and bloodstream (17.8%) infections. Patients with bedsores, fever, an indwelling catheter, and a higher nursing need were more likely to be seen in the ER because of infectious disease from an LTCH. Conclusion: Both an intensive care system and surveillance support should be established to prevent infections, particularly in high-risk patients at LTCHs. Keywords: emergency medical services, hospitals, infection control, long-term car