PHWR Public Health Weekly Report

Vol.15 No.12, March 24, 2022 Article TypeEpidemiology and SurveillanceNoncommunicable Disease StatisticsOriginal Articles

• Epidemiology and Surveillance 2022-03-24

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  Characteristics of the notified tuberculosis — the Republic of Korea, 2021

  Jinsun Kim, Hyewon Lee, Hyekyung In, Youmi Kim

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(12): 729-746

  

  

  Abstract

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  Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious health problem in the Republic of Korea. In 2021, among the 38 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries (OECD), the Republic of Korea ranked highest in TB incidence (49 per 100,000 population) and third highest in TB mortality (3.8 per 100,000 population). The aim of this paper was to examine the characteristics of notified TB cases in 2021. Findings indicated that, in 2021, the overall notification rate of new TB cases was 35.7 per 100,000 population, with a reduction of 8.8% from the 2020 rate. Also, 51.3% of new TB cases involved elderly patients aged 65 years or older and the new TB notification rate of the elderly was 109.7 per 100,000 population, with a reduction of 3.8% from the 2020 rate. The crude incidence in foreign-born TB patients decreased from 1,316 in 2020 to 1,242 in 2021. Beneficiaries of medical aid, the socioeconomically vulnerable population, had a 3.5 times higher rate of new TB notification compared to beneficiaries of mandatory social health insurance. The number of multidrug-resistant TB cases dropped from 399 in 2020 to 371 in 2021. In 2022, to reduce the TB burden, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency implemented the ‘Measures to Strengthen TB Prevention Management,’ which was established in 2019. To that end, Korea’s goal is to eradicate TB by 2030.

• Original Articles 2022-03-24

  0 73 42

  A comparison of the 2016 and 2020 smoking habits of Korean smokers

  Do-Yeon Lee, Kyoungin Na, Hopyeong Hwang, Shervin Hashemi, Jiyeon Yang, Wonseok Han, Yoojin Song, Youngwook Lim

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(12): 747-757

  

  

  Abstract

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  Worldwide, smoking is the main cause of approximately 8 million deaths per year. To control the death rate of smokers, the United Nations intends to strengthen the implementation of World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries following item 3.A of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3.A). Therefore, it is essential to prevent exposure to the harmful substances found in tobacco and to examine the smoking habits of smokers when setting up an effective program for smoking cessation.
  To analyze current (2020) Korean smoking habits, 100 smokers aged 20 and over (86 men and 14 women) were recruited on a nationwide scale. Study participants reported how many cigarettes they smoked daily through a topography measuring device for 24 hours. After collecting the data stored in the smoking topography measurement device, daily smoking amount, puff count, inhaled smoke volume, average flow, etc. were analyzed.
  Results indicated that the total inhaled volume of smoke per cigarette was three times more than the standard amount of inhaling volume of cigarette indicated in ISO 3308. Moreover, the puff counts per cigarette, puff volume, and average flow per puff were respectively 1.6, 2.1, and 2.8 times higher than the standard smoking topography of ISO 3308.
  In addition, when the smoking habits of 2020 Korean cigarette smokers were compared with those of smokers in 2016, the puff counts per cigarette increased by about 28%, the average puff volume increased by approximately 20%, and the average puff flow increased by about 19%. It was found that the total inhaled volume of smoke per cigarette increased by 48%.
  Consequently, by extrapolation of the results, the 2020 smoking habits of Koreans was significantly different from that of smokers in 2016 and smokers tended to be more exposed to toxic substances, which may increase the harmful effects of smoking, such as the occurrence of diseases. Accordingly, this study concluded that it is important to establish a new smoking policy to proceed with a beneficial smoking cessation program. Thus, it is necessary to continuously identify changes in behavior and health effects by measuring Korean smoking habits.

• Noncommunicable Disease Statistics 2022-03-24

  0 71 42

  Trends in proportion of people who use Nutrition Facts Label when purchasing processed foods, 2011-2020

  Public Health Weekly Report 2022; 15(12): 758-759

  

  

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