Jae Ho Chung

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a worldwide pandemic that causes anxiety. Research on possible risk factors for anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic is scarce. In this study, we examined 54,890 participants’ web-based self-reported data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey in 2020. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire was used to measure anxiety levels. The prevalence of anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 score ≥ 10) was 11.2%. Anxiety in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly associated with female gender (odds ratio [OR] = 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.09), low family affluence scale (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.03–1.34), economic aid (OR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.01–1.23), financial difficulties caused by COVID-19 (OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.11–1.26), substance use (OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.05–1.37), asthma (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.08–1.37), allergic rhinitis (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01–1.15), atopic dermatitis (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01–1.17), severe stress (OR = 10.01, 95% CI: 8.40–12.03), perceived unhealthy status (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.52–1.82), perceived unhappiness (OR = 2.30, 95% CI: 2.12–3.11), internet addiction (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.85–2.10), school violence experience (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.29–1.97), depression (OR = 2.78, 95% CI: 2.60–2.97), suicidal ideation (OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.79–2.11), suicidal plan (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.30–1.69), and suicidal attempt (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.04–1.45). These results highlight the risk factors for anxiety and offer a straightforward method for identifying teenagers who are more likely to experience anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives Finding the associations between cohabitation status and sleep quality in caregivers of people with dementia (PLwD) was the goal of this study. Methods This cross-sectional study included 230,900 adults who participated in the 2024 Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS). Sleep quality evaluated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were compared between 3,709 cohabitating caregivers of PLwD, 21,080 non-cohabitating caregivers of PLwD, and 206,111 non-dementia caregivers. Multiple logistic regression were performed to evaluate the relationship between the cohabitation status caregivers of PLwD and sleep quality measured using the PSQI and PSQI subcomponents. Results Cohabitating and non-cohabitating caregivers of PLwD group was significantly poor psychosocial variables (stress, depression assessed by Patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)) and higher prevalence of poor sleep quality (PSQI score ≥ 6). than non-dementia caregivers. Multivariable logistic regressions adjusted for potential confounders revealed that cohabitating caregivers of PLwD (odds ratio (OR) 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13–1.20) and non-cohabitating caregivers of PLwD (OR 1.12, CI 1.04–1.20) were significantly associated with poor sleep quality. In addition, PSQI subcomponents showed that sleep quality (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.03–1.31), sleep latency (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.06–1.22), sleep duration (OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.07–1.15), sleep efficiency (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.12–1.39), sleep disturbance (OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01–1.26), sleep medication use (OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.44–1.80) and daytime dysfunction (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.32–1.51)) were associated with cohabitating caregivers of PLwD. Conclusion Our results showed that both cohabitating and non-cohabitating caregivers of PLwD experienced overall poorer sleep quality compared to non-dementia caregivers.

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the association between social isolation (SI) and falls in Koreans. Methods: The cross‐sectional study of the 2019 Korea Community Health Survey (KCHS) was conducted on 228,143 individuals aged 19 years or older. SI was defined using five indicators as “the presence of a spouse,” “social network,” “single‐person household,” “participation in social activities,” and “job status,” and SI group were defined as SI score ≥ 3. Multiple logistic regression after adjusting factors (socioeconomic status, health behavior and psychological factors) were used for association SI and falls. Results: Fall injury were significantly higher in the SI group (15.8%) than that in the non‐SI group (10.8%) ( p < 0.001), and subcomponent scores for nonspouse, single‐person household, nonsocial activity, nonsocial network, and no job were significantly higher in the falls group ( p < 0.001). The multivariate odds ratio (OR) after adjusting multiple confounding variables showed SI (SI score ≥ 3) was significantly associated with an increased risk of falls (OR: 1.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.19–1.27). The presence of falls according to the SI subcomponents was more likely to be associated with nonspouse (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.36–1.44), single‐person households (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.13–1.21), non‐social network (OR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.00–1.19) and nonjob (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.11–1.18), respectively. Conclusion: SI was associated with falls.

We aimed to determine the association between frailty and cognitive status of the elderly population in Korea. We examined data from 9920 elders who participated in the 2020 Survey of Living Conditions and Welfare Needs of Korean Older Persons. Frailty was assessed using the Korean version of the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses, and Weight Loss scale. The Korean mini-mental status examination was used to test cognitive function. Several logistic regression analysis was performed, with correction for several confounding variables (socioeconomic, health behavior, psychological characteristics, and functional status), to evaluate the relationship between frailty and cognitive state. Of the elderly population in Korea, 1451 (14.6%) were frail and 5977 (60.3%) were pre-frail. Compared to the non-frail group (20.3%), cognitive impairment was considerably higher in the pre-frail (33.1%) and frail (39.8%) groups. When compared to the non-frail group, cognitive impairment was substantially linked to a higher risk of frailty after adjustment (pre-frail odds ratio [OR]: 1.66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.47–1.88; frail OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.68–2.37). When cognitive impairment and frailty subcomponents were present, there was a higher likelihood of severe resistance (OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.70–2.11) and ambulation (OR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.32–1.63) issues. Frailty is associated with cognitive impairment.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between sleep quality and perceived noise. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 185,246 adults (81,854 men and 103,392 women) participating in the 2018 Korea Community Health Survey (KCHS) was conducted. Subjective sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while perceived noise pollutants were categorized into two groups: perceived noise pollution (n = 43,638) and perceived non-noise pollution (n = 141,608). We used chi-square tests and independent sample t tests to compare differences between the perceived noise group and the non-perceived noise group, as well as multivariate logistic regression analysis to calculate adjusted odds ratios (OR) for sleep quality variables. Results: The perceived noise pollution group had significantly poor psychosocial variables (stress, depression assessed by Patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)) than the perceived non-noise pollution group. Poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5) was associated with perceived noise pollution (OR 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.30–1.36, P < 0.001). In addition, sleep quality (OR 1.09; 95% CI 1.06–1.13, P < 0.001); sleep latency (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.09–1.14, P < 0.001); sleep duration (OR 1.10; 95% CI 1.07–1.13, P < 0.001); sleep efficiency (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.16–1.25, P < 0.001); sleep disturbance (OR 1.46; 95% CI 1.42–1.51, P < 0.001); sleep medication use (OR 1.13; 95% CI 1.07–1.20, P = 0.002); and daytime dysfunction (OR 1.23; 95% CI 1.20–1.26, P < 0.001) were associated with perceived noise pollution after confounding variables. Conclusion: Perceived noise pollution was significantly associated with poor sleep quality. Perceived noise annoyance could be used as a signal of health effects in the public community.

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between quality of life and dementia caregivers. The 2019 Korean Community Health Survey participants were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and SCD-related functional limitation, and EuroQol 5-dimension (EQ-5D). Sociodemographic and psychosocial variables were evaluated and compared between participants with dementia caregivers (n = 37,614) and non-dementia caregivers (n = 140,518). The dementia caregivers group reported significantly higher rates of depression, SCD, SCD-related functional restriction, and mean EQ-5D compared to the non-dementia caregivers group (P < .001). After adjusting for multiple confoundings, the odds ratio (OR) for depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 ≥ 10), SCD, SCD-related functional limitation, and lowest quartile of the EQ-5D index scores in the dementia caregivers group were 1.43 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29–1.59), 1.30 (95% CI: 1.24–1.36), 1.26 (95% CI: 1.20–1.32), and 1.22 (95% CI: 1.16–1.29), respectively. Physical activity (OR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.43–1.52), self-control (OR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.35–1.47), daily activity (OR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.50–1.60), pain (OR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.58–1.67), and anxiety/depression (OR: 2.17; 95% CI: 2.10–2.24) were all more common among participants in the dementia caregivers group than in the non-dementia family caregivers group. Depression, SCD, and a lower quality of life are linked to dementia caregivers, especially if there is moderate to severe anxiety or depression.

Since there is no certainty about when the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown will be affected by health risk behaviors, so we investigate the effect of COVID-19-related health risk behavior changes using school-based self-reported data from a nationally representative South Korean adolescent population. We analyzed web-based self-reported data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey in 111,878 participants (57,069 in COVID-19 prepandemic); 54,809 in during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study included 12 to 18-year-olds. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess socioeconomic status, health risk behaviors, and psychological factors. Health risk behaviors such as alcohol consumption, substance use, and sexual experience significantly decreased in COVID-19 pandemic than in COVID-19 prepandemic. Psychosomatic changes such as stress levels, violence experience, depression, suicidal ideation, suicidal plans, and suicide attempts were significantly lower in COVID-19 pandemic compared to COVID-19 prepandemic (P < .001). After adjusting for multiple confounding variables, less alcohol consumption (odds ratio [OR] = 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.88–0.93), less exercise (OR = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.89–0.94), less sexual experience (OR = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.77–0.86), less violence experience (OR = 0.61; 95% CI = 0.55–0.67), less stress (OR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.84–0.88), less depression (OR = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.83–0.88), less suicidal ideation (OR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.89–0.97), plans (OR = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.76–0.88), attempts (OR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.71–0.85) were significantly associated with the COVID-19 pandemic compared to COVID-19 prepandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with changes in health risk behaviors among Korean adolescents, resulting in alcohol drinking, sexual experience, drug use, violence experience, and suicidal behaviors (idea, plan, and attempts) being decreased during the lockdown period.

Background: In patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) have been linked to mortality and can be identified on computed tomography (CT) scans. In the present study we aimed to evaluate the predictive value of automatically quantified ILA based on the Fleischner Society definition in patients with stage I NSCLC.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 948 patients with pathological stage I NSCLC who underwent pulmonary resection between April 2009 and October 2022. A commercially available deep learning‐based automated quantification program for ILA was used to evaluate the preoperative CT data. The Fleischner Society definition, quantitative results, and interdisciplinary discussion led to the division of patients into normal and ILA groups. The sum of the fibrotic and nonfibrotic ILA components constituted the total ILA component and more than 5%.Results: Of the 948 patients with stage I NSCLC, 99 (10.4%) patients had ILA. Shorter overall survival and recurrence‐free survival was associated with the presence of ILA. After controlling for confounding variables, the presence of ILA remained significant for increased risk of death (hazard ratio [HR] = 3.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.91–5.00; p < 0.001) and the presence of ILA remained significant for increased recurrence (HR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.16–3.30; p = 0.012).Conclusions: The automated CT quantification of ILA, based on the Fleischner Society definition, was significantly linked to poorer survival and recurrence in patients with stage I NSCLC.

To find the effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related sleep behavior changes using school-based self-reported data from a nationally representative Korean adolescent population. We analyzed web-based self-reported data from the Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey in 98,126 participants (51,651 in 2019 [before the COVID-19 pandemic]; 46,475 in 2020 [during COVID-19 pandemic] 12 through 18 years old were included in this study. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess socioeconomic status, health behaviors, psychological factors, and sleep patterns. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Korean adolescents had a later weekend bedtime (≥1:00 am: 68.2% vs 71.5%, P < .001) and late weekend wake time (≤7:00 am: 13.3% vs 10.7%, P < .001) compared to before COVID-19 pandemic. Average sleep duration (434.7 ± 102.6 vs 428.2 ± 100.4 minutes; P < .001) was significantly lower during the COVID-19 pandemic and weekend catch-up sleep >2 hours (42.1% vs 43.7%; P < .001), late chronotype (17.1% vs 22.9%, P < .001) were significantly higher during COVID-19 pandemic. After adjusting for multiple confounding variables, short sleep duration (≦5 hours, odds ratio [OR] 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10–1.19), 6 hours, OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.03–1.12), long weekend catch-up sleep (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.06–1.11) and late chronotype (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.38–1.47) were significantly associated with COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with changes in sleep behavior among Korean adolescents, resulting in later bed and wake-up times, increased weekend catch-up sleep, and a shift of chronotype toward eveningness.

Background: The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of subjectively assessed hearing impairment on cognitive function in elderly Koreans living in the community. Methods: In the 2020 Survey of Living Conditions and Welfare Needs of Korean Older Persons Survey, 9920 subjects (5949 females; 60%) aged 65 or more years were examined. Using the Korean version of the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE-KC), cognitive function was evaluated. To investigate the relationship between hearing impairment and cognitive status, multiple logistic regression analysis was performed with adjustment for multiple confounding variables (socioeconomic, health behavior, psychological factors, and functional status). There were 2297 participants in the hearing impairment group (23.2%) and 7623 subjects in the no-hearing impairment group. Results: Cognitive impairment was significantly higher in the hearing impairment group (37.2%) compared to the no-hearing impairment group (27.5%). After adjusting for confounders, hearing impairment was significantly associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline (odds ratio [OR] 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08–1.35) compared to no-hearing impairment group. Conclusions: Although a cross-cectional design of this study does not allow a causal reasoning, our findings show a significant association between the hearing loss of older adults and their cognitive impairment. Hearing impairment should be regarded as a risk factor for cognitive disorders.