Factors Associated with Sleep Duration in Korean Adults: Results of a 2008 Community Health Survey in Gwangju Metropolitan City, Korea

Short (≤ 6 hr) and long (≥ 9 hr) sleep durations are both associated with risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, depression, learning problems, accidents and excess mortality. However, little is known about factors associated with sleep duration in Korean adults. This study examined sleep patterns in Korean adults and identified factors associated with short and long sleep durations. This study analyzed cross-sectional data collected from 4,411 Korean adults aged 19 yr and older who participated in a community health survey conducted in Gwangju, Korea. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to identify associations between socio-demographic and health-related factors and short or long sleep durations. Of the population, 37.2% and 4.0% reported short and long sleep, respectively. Short sleep was associated with older age, lower levels of income, night or shift work, heavy smoking, and depression or anxiety; long sleep was associated with younger age, being divorced or widowed, heavy smoking, underweight, depression or anxiety, and poorer self-reported health. In conclusion, a relatively high prevalence of short sleep duration is identified in this population of Korean adults. Factors associated with short or long sleep may act as potential confounders of the relationship between sleep duration and health outcomes

Dietary patterns and metabolic syndrome risk factors among adolescents

PurposeUnbalanced diets and decreased physical activity have contributed to increased prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome in adolescents. We have performed a systematic review and data analysis to examine the association between dietary pattern and metabolic syndrome risk factors in adolescents.MethodsWe searched the PubMed and BioMedLib databases for appropriate articles published during the past 10 years and selected 6 articles. The studies reviewed applied factor analysis or cluster analysis to extract dietary patterns. For data analysis, we examined the association between dietary patterns and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome risk factors using data of 3,168 adolescents (13 to 18 years) obtained from 4 consecutive Korean Nutrition Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (1998, 2001, 2005, and 2007 to 2009).ResultsOur systematic review confirmed that western dietary patterns are positively associated with metabolic syndrome risk factors such as obesity and elevated triglycerides, while traditional dietary patterns were negatively associated. Data analysis found that the number of adolescents aged 16 to 18 years who had "Rice & Kimchi" dietary pattern decreased, while the number having western dietary patterns increased during the 1998 to 2009 time frame. There were no changes in the dietary patterns in adolescents aged 13 to 15 years. The risk of elevated serum triglycerides and reduced serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol was high in the "Rice & Kimchi" dietary pattern compared to the other dietary pattern groups.ConclusionBecause adolescents' dietary patterns are changing continuously and have long-term effects, further studies on the dietary patterns of adolescents and their health effects into adulthood are necessary

Diagnostic Accuracy of Notified Cases as Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Private Sectors of Korea

The diagnostic accuracy of the data reported in the Korean tuberculosis surveillance system (KTBS) has not been adequately investigated. We reviewed the clinical data of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cases notified from private medical facilities through KTBS between January and June, 2004. PTB cases were classified into definite (culture-proven), probable (based on smear, polymerase chain reaction, histology, bronchoscopic finding, computed tomography, or both chest radiograph and symptoms) or possible (based only on chest radiograph) tuberculosis. Of the 1126 PTB cases, sputum AFB smear and culture were requested in 79% and 51% of the cases, respectively. Positive results of sputum smear and culture were obtained in 43% and 29% of all the patients, respectively. A total of 73.2% of the notified PTB cases could be classified as definite or probable and 81.7% as definite, probable, or possible. However, where infection was not confirmed bacteriologically or histologically, only 60.1% of the patients were definite, probable, or possible cases. More than 70% of PTB notified from private sectors in Korea can be regarded as real TB. The results may also suggest the possibility of over-estimation of TB burden in the use of the notification-based TB data

Vaccination with a Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-16/18 AS04-Adjuvanted Cervical Cancer Vaccine in Korean Girls Aged 10-14 Years

The human papillomavirus (HPV)-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted cervical cancer vaccine has been demonstrated to be highly efficacious and immunogenic with a favorable safety profile. This study assessed the immunogenicity and safety of the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine in healthy Korean girls aged 10-14 yr. This multi-center, observer-blind trial randomly assigned 321 healthy girls to receive three doses (0, 1, 6-month schedule) of HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine or hepatitis A vaccine. Immunogenicity against vaccine antigens was assessed one month post-Dose 3. Solicited and unsolicited adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs (SAEs) were recorded. In the according-to-protocol analysis, all initially seronegative subjects vaccinated with the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine had seroconverted at Month 7, with a peak geometric mean titer (GMT) that was 600-fold higher than the natural infection titer of 29.8 EU/mL for HPV-16 and a peak GMT that was 400-fold higher than the natural infection titer of 22.6 EU/mL for HPV-18. The vaccine was well tolerated with no increase in reactogenicity with subsequent doses and no reports of vaccine-related SAEs. In conclusion, the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine is shown to be highly immunogenic and generally well-tolerated in Korean girls aged 10-14 yr