PHWR Public Health Weekly Report

Vol.16 No.26, July 06, 2023 Article TypeOriginal ArticlesQuickStatsReview & PerspectiveSurveillance Reports

• Original Articles 2023-07-06

  2 563 188

  Difference of Associating Factors of Happiness Index among Korean Adults by Life Cycle Age Brackets

  Roma Seol, Jin-Ho Chun*

  Public Health Weekly Report 2023; 16(26): 817-836 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2023.16.26.1

  Abstract

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  Life satisfaction, or happiness index (HI), is an important determinant of health and well-being and even affects mortality. The purpose of this study was to observe the level and associating factors of HI and influencing factors of Korean adults by life cycle. The data sources used were the results of the 2015 Community Health Survey, with a total of 226,545 people. The HI was surveyed with a single question that answered from 1 to 10 points, and more than 8 points, which is the top 25%, were expressed as the subjective happiness awareness rate. The life cycle age was divided 19–44 years old, 45–64, 65–74, and 75 years old or older, and factors affecting subjective happiness were observed by multi-logistic regression analysis. The average HI of the entire target group was 6.68±1.82 points, and the subjective happiness awareness rate was 34.7%. By life cycle, social activity participation and unmet health need were the most influential factors in all 4 life cycles, with participation in social activities being 65–74 years old (odds ratio [OR], 2.48; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.22–2.77), and unmet health need being 75 years old or older (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.38–0.53). In the above, participation in social activities, was a factor that significantly affected the increase in happiness, and the amount of influence of these factors varies depending on the life cycle. It encourages the creation of a supportive environment to promote participation in social activities at the community level, and emphasizes efforts to strengthen and improve infrastructure to address unmet health need demand.

• Surveillance Reports 2023-07-06

  2 1724 328

  A Community-based Study of Severe Trauma, Death, and Disability, from 2015 to 2020

  Sena Lee, Jisu Kim, Jungeun Lee, Woncho Bae*

  Public Health Weekly Report 2023; 16(26): 837-851 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2023.16.26.2

  

  

  Abstract

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  The Community-Based Severe Trauma Investigation System was established in 2019 to monitor the cases of severe traumas, non-traumatic severe injuries, and multiple casualties. Presently, it has released statistical results from 2015 to 2020. According to the investigation, total number of patients with severe trauma was 48,953 over six years, steadily increasing from 12.3 per 100,000 people in 2015 to 17.8 in 2019, and then decreasing to 16.4 in 2020. Categorized by age, the number of patients with trauma in their 50s was the highest until 2019, accounting for more than 20% of the total cases. However, the ranking changed in 2020, with patients in their 60s accounting for 20.44% and those in their 50s accounting for 20.36%. According to the mechanism of injury, traffic accidents accounted for more than 50% of injuries each year, followed by falls and slips, which were the second most common, at approximately 35%. The fatality rate of patients with severe trauma decreased from 65.5% in 2015 to 54.5% in 2020, and the rate of severe disability, which impairs daily life or causes a vegetative state, also decreased from 31.6% in 2015 to 25.4% in 2020. This investigation provides information on the occurrence and treatment outcomes of injuries, and presents regional results. As of 2020, the incidence rate (per 100,000 population) by province was the highest in Jeonnam (34.1 patients) and lowest in Seoul (8.9 patients). When standardized for age using the 2016 national population, Jeju (30.1 patients) had the highest incidence rate while Seoul (8.4 patients) had the lowest. Therefore, data from this investigation can be used to develop injury prevention measures tailored to the unique risk factors of each region.

• Surveillance Reports 2023-07-06

  6 5003 420

  Status of Malaria and Diagnosis Rate in the Republic of Korea, 2018-2022

  HyunJung Kim, So-dam Lee, Na-Ri Shin, Kyungwon Hwang*

  Public Health Weekly Report 2023; 16(26): 852-866 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2023.16.26.3

  Abstract

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  Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease designated as a Class-3 infectious disease in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Since the malaria outbreak in the military camps at Paju, an area near North Korea in 1993, the ROK has continuously witnessed the occurrence of malaria. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), the ROK is a malaria elimination target country, and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDA) is promoting a five-year (2019–2023) action plan to eliminate malaria. Over the past five years, the number of malaria cases in the ROK have decreased slightly every year since 1998. However, the ROK remains far from malaria elimination, which aims at zero indigenous cases. The action plan aims to analyze the diagnosis rate within five days and initiates epidemiological investigation rate. Most of the malaria cases in the ROK occur mainly between April and October. By region, 59.2% of all cases occur in Gyeonggi-do, and Incheon had the highest incidence rate (2.1) per 100,000 people. Altogether, 64.4% of the total malaria cases have been reported from 30 districts that have been designated as malaria-risk areas. The indicators were found to be 73.6% in the diagnosis rate within five days and 81.7% in the epidemiological investigation rate. In the malaria-risk areas, the disease diagnosis and epidemiological investigations took a shorter time than in other regions. It was confirmed that the time of diagnosis after the onset of malaria symptoms was 4.75 days across the nation. In countries that have been certified by WHO for malaria elimination, rapid diagnosis and treatment are major strategies that have contributed to disease eradication. Thus, various approaches for prevention, diagnosis, and medium management are necessary to eliminate malaria.

• Review & Perspective 2023-07-06

  0 366 98

  Lessons from Korean Childhood Asthma Study Cohort and Needs for Long-term Prospective Study

  Jinho Yu, Han Byul Jang, Hye-Ja Lee, Young Youl Kim

  Public Health Weekly Report 2023; 16(26): 867-879 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2023.16.26.4

  

  

  Abstract

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  Asthma has heterogeneous groups with various pathophysiological mechanisms, and the course and the prognosis of the disease may vary depending on the specific phenotype or endotype. However, to date, no study has comprehensively investigated the clinical characteristics and natural history of childhood asthma according to phenotype or endotype. To address this gap in knowledge, we established the Korean childhood asthma study (KAS), a nationwide pediatric asthma cohort consisting of 1,009 children with asthma recruited from 19 hospitals from 2016 to 2018. Cluster analysis of the KAS cohort identified four distinct clusters: (1) male-dominant atopic asthma, (2) early onset atopic asthma with atopic dermatitis, (3) puberty onset, female-dominant atopic asthma, and (4) early onset, less atopic asthma. Recently, we have attempted to overcome the problem of missing data during tracking periods by linking KAS cohort clinical data and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) data. We also found 4 clusters based on the frequency of asthma exacerbations in children aged 0–12 and the degree of asthma medication use in children aged 6–12, suggesting that frequent exacerbations during early childhood can affect airway growth during childhood. To establish evidence-based national policies for whole life asthma prevention and management, a long-term prospective follow-up study focusing on the remission of childhood asthma and its transition to adulthood is needed.

• QuickStats 2023-07-06

  0 1726 347

  Engagement of Korean Adolescents in Strength Training Trends, 2013–2022

  Public Health Weekly Report 2023; 16(26): 880-881 https://doi.org/10.56786/PHWR.2023.16.26.5

  

  

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