This study was conducted to estimate the socioeconomic costs of overweight and obesity in a sample of Korean adults aged 20 yr and older in 2005. The socioeconomic costs of overweight and obesity include direct costs (inpatient care, outpatient care and medication) and indirect costs (loss of productivity due to premature deaths and inpatient care, time costs, traffic costs and nursing fees). Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, ischemic heart disease, stroke, colon cancer and osteoarthritis were selected as obesity-related diseases. The population attributable fraction (PAF) of obesity was calculated from national representative data of Korea such as the National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC) cohort data and the 2005 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) data. Direct costs of overweight and obesity were estimated at approximately U$1,081 million equivalent (men: U$497 million, women: U$584 million) and indirect costs were estimated at approximately U$706 million (men: U$527 million, women: U$178 million). The estimated total socioeconomic costs of overweight and obesity were approximately U$1,787 million (men: U$1,081 million, women: U$706 million). These total costs represented about 0.22% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 3.7% of the national health care expenditures in 2005. We found the socioeconomic costs of overweight and obesity in Korean adults aged 20 yr and older are substantial. In order to control the socioeconomic burden attributable to overweight and obesity, effective national strategies for prevention and management of obesity should be established and implemented.

This study attempted to calculate and investigate the incidence of hospitalized acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke in Korea. Using the National Health Insurance claim data, we investigated patients whose main diagnostic codes included AMI or stroke during 2006 to 2010. As a result, we found out that the number of AMI hospitalized patients had decreased since 2006 and amounted to 15,893 in 2010; and that the number of those with stroke had decreased since 2006 and amounted to 73,501 in 2010. The age-standardized incidence rate of hospitalized AMI, after adjustment for readmission, was 41.6 cases per 100,000-population in 2006, and had decreased to 29.4 cases in 2010 (for trend P < 0.001). In the case of stroke was estimated at 172.8 cases per 100,000-population in 2006, and had decreased to 135.1 cases in 2010 (for trend P < 0.001). In conclusion, the age-standardized incidence rates of both hospitalized AMI and stroke in Korea had decreased continuously during 2006 to 2010. We consider this decreasing trend due to the active use of pharmaceuticals, early vascular intervention, and the national cardio-cerebrovascular disease care project as the primary and secondary prevention efforts.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC) are the major histological types of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Although both SCCs and ACs have been characterized histologically and clinically, the precise mechanisms underlying their migration and invasion are not yet known. Here, we address the involvement in NSCLC of the p21-associated kinase1 (Pak1)/LIM kinase1 (LIMK1)/cofilin pathway, which recently has been reported to play a critical role in tumor migration and invasion. The Pak1/LIMK1/cofilin pathway was evaluated in tumors from SCC (n=35) and AC (n=35) patients and in SCC- and AC-type cell lines by western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and in vitro migration and invasion assays. The levels of phosphorylated Pak1, LIMK1, and cofilin in lung tumor tissues from SCC patients were increased as compared to normal tissues. In addition, immunohistochemistry showed greater expression of phosphorylated cofilin in SCC tissues. Expression of phosphorylated Pak1 and LIMK1 proteins was also significantly higher in SCC-type cells than in AC-type cells. Moreover, migration and invasion assays revealed that a higher percentage of SCC type cells exhibited migration and invasion compared to AC type cells. Migration was also decreased in LIMK1 knockdown SK-MES-1 cells. These findings suggest that the activation of the Pak1/LIMK1/cofilin pathway could preferentially contribute to greater tumor migration and invasion in SCC, relative to that in AC.

KGU-NWI including six subfactors and 26 items is an applicable instrument to investigate nurse work environment in Korean hospital general inpatient unit.

OBJECTIVES:The incidence of hepatitis A infections among young adults has recently increased in South Korea. Although universal vaccination has often been suggested to mitigate the problem, its rationale has not been well-understood. Estimating the societal costs of hepatitis A infections might support the development of intervention strategies.METHODS:We classified hepatitis A infections into eight clinical pathways and estimated the number of occurrences and cost per case for each clinical pathway using claim data from National Health Insurance and several national surveys as well as assumptions based on previous studies. To determine the total costs of a hepatitis A infection, both direct and indirect costs were estimated. Indirect costs were estimated using the human-capital approach. All costs are adjusted to the year 2008.RESULTS:There were 30,240 identified cases of hepatitis A infections in 2008 for a total cost of 80,873 million won (2.7 million won per case). Direct and indirect costs constituted 56.2% and 43.8% of the total costs, respectively. People aged 20-39 accounted for 71.3% of total cases and 74.6% of total costs. Medical costs per capita were the lowest in the 0-4 age group and highest in the 20-29 age group.CONCLUSIONS:This study could provide evidence for development of cost-effective interventions to control hepatitis A infections. But the true costs including uncaptured and intangible costs of hepatitis A infections might be higher than our results indicate.

Investigation into the associations between various SEP indicators and health outcomes can provide a more complete understanding of mechanisms between SEP and health. The relationship between specific SEP indicators and specific health outcomes can vary by country due to the differences in the historical, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts of the SEP indicators.

BackgroundAlthough a number of studies have uncovered relationships between parental capital and the manifestation of depression in their children, little is known about the mechanisms that undergird the relationships. This study investigates the intergenerational effects of the cultural and economic capitals of South Korean parents on depressive symptoms in their adult children and the degree to which the capitals of the adult children explain them.MethodsWe employed nationally representative cross-sectional survey data from the 2006 Korea Welfare Panel Study. A sample of 11,576 adults over thirty years of age was used to investigate the intergenerational production of depression in South Korea. We applied binary logistic regression modelling to the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).ResultsParental education (institutionalized cultural capital) manifested an independent and statistically significant inverse association with depressive symptoms [OR = 1.680 (95% CI: 1.118-2.523) for men; OR = 2.146 (95% CI: 1484–3.102) for women]. Childhood economic circumstances (economic capital) had an independent and statistically significant inverse association with depressive symptoms among adult women only [OR = 2.009 (95% CI: 1.531-2.635)]. The education of the adult children themselves was strongly associated with depressive symptoms in the expected direction [OR = 4.202 (95% CI: 2.856-6.181) for men; OR = 4.058 (95% CI: 2.824-5.830)] and the most of the association between parental capitals and depressive symptoms was explained by the educational attainment of the children. Receipt of monetary inheritance from parents had a weak but statistically significant association with depression among men [OR = 1.248 (95% CI: 1.041-1.496)] but was unrelated to depression among women. A large portion of the association between respondent education and depressive symptoms was explained by household income. Finally, childhood economic circumstances were associated with depressive symptoms among women over and above the cultural and economic capitals held by the women themselves [OR = 1.608 (95% CI: 2.08-2.139)].ConclusionsOur study illuminates the importance of the intergenerational transmission of capitals for the development of depressive symptoms among adults in South Korea.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12939-016-0513-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

= ABSTRACT =Objectives: This study was conducted to estimate medical expenditure attributable to overweight and obesity in adults with hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia using Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination survey data and Korea National Health Corporation data. Methods:The medical expenditure of hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia related to overweight and obesity were composed of inpatient care costs, outpatient care costs and medication costs. The population attributable risk (PAR) of overweight and obesity was calculated from national representative data of Korea such as the National Health Insurance Corporation cohort data and 2005 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination survey data. Results:The medical expenditure attributable to overweight and obesity of hypertension were 456 billion won (men : 215 billion won, women : 241 billion won). Those of diabetes were 282 billion won (men : 148 billion won, women : 135 billion won), and of dyslipidemia were 17 billion won (men : 9 billion won, women : 8 billion won). Consequently, these costs corresponded to 33.3% of total medical expenditure due to hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia. Conclusions:We found a substantial medical expenditure due to overweight and obesity of hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia were very high. In order to reduce these costs, effective national strategies for prevention and management of overweight and obesity should be established and implemented.