Jae-Hyun Park

In Korea, preventive medicine education has remained fragmented across the undergraduate curriculum, with limited longitudinal continuity and increasing pressure to incorporate population health, healthcare systems, community practice, planetary health, and digital health. This study aimed to develop an integrated 6-year preventive medicine curriculum for medical students that would support health promotion, disease prevention, and social accountability at the individual and population levels. We conducted an expert-informed deliberative curriculum development study framed by Walker’s deliberative (naturalistic) model and supplemented by Kern’s 6-step approach. The development process comprised a literature review and planning activities, 2 curriculum development workshops, 2 structured group deliberation sessions with preventive medicine faculty leaders, small-group meetings, a confirmation workshop, and signature course development meetings. Development records and curriculum artifacts generated through this process were subjected to descriptive synthesis. The final curriculum specified 1 educational purpose, 4 educational objectives, 7 competencies, 5 curricular domains, 3 learning levels, 102 instructional hours, Foundational and Applied course labels, 6 signature courses, and instructional guidebooks. It arranges healthcare systems, determinants of health and disease, planetary health, community-based preventive medicine practice, and integrative analysis of complex health issues along a progression from foundational concepts to advanced integrative application. Expert deliberation refined course terminology, clarified learning progression and course placement, and identified issues relevant to anticipated implementation feasibility. The proposed curriculum positions preventive medicine as a longitudinal, spiral, competency-linked component of undergraduate medical education. As a national reference framework, it is intended to help future physicians connect evidence, systems, communities, and emerging public health challenges with proactive health promotion and disease prevention.

Background/Objectives: The Korean Survey for Cancer Survivorship (KSCS) aims to comprehensively assess cancer survivors’ health behaviors, quality of life (QoL), and socioeconomic challenges. This study evaluated the feasibility of the KSCS protocol and identified key factors influencing psychological health and QoL among cancer survivors. Methods: The nationwide survey targeted survivors diagnosed with breast, colorectal, liver, lung, stomach, prostate, and gynecological cancers who had completed active treatment within 1 to 10 years. The respondents were given the option to participate in the survey either online or in-person. The questionnaire has 229 questions, including internationally validated tools such as the EQ-5D-3L, PHQ-9, and GAD-7. Results: A total of 983 cancer survivors completed the survey (92.7% online, 8.3% in-person) and were categorized by post-diagnosis duration. Survivors diagnosed within 1–3 years reported higher rates of moderate-severe depression (11.4% vs. 8.3%), moderate-severe anxiety (5.9% vs. 5.1%), and poorest QoL (63.0% vs. 50.9%) compared to those diagnosed more than 5 years ago. Employment changes, such as loss of job, change of workplace, or work leave, were significantly associated with worse health outcomes, including higher rates of moderate-severe depression (OR = 4.39; 95% CI 2.43–7.96), moderate-severe anxiety (OR = 3.63; 95% CI 1.68–0.88), and having extreme QoL problems (OR = 6.37; 95% CI 2.03–20.00). Conclusions: The KSCS protocol is feasible for nationwide implementation and provides comprehensive data on health, psychological, and socioeconomic challenges among cancer survivors. Preliminary findings highlight employment’s critical role in cancer survivors’ well-being and the need for survivorship care that integrates socioeconomic and clinical factors.

Lee HY, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2026 May;41:e133. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2026.41.e133

The Article Abstract is not available.

The Article Abstract is not available.

Cancer screening is the most cost-effective prevention strategy that enables improved cancer morbidity and mortality rates. However, there was a significant decline in cancer screening during the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. This study aimed to measure regional differences in cancer screening by comparing screening rates before and during COVID-19 and to examine factors explaining the regional difference in cancer screening. All variables including the differences in cancer screening rate before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were collected from 229 administrative subregions in South Korea and joined with each community in ArcGIS environment. Factors explaining regional difference in cancer screening were analyzed through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and interactive decision tree modeling. Cancer screening rates decreased in all regions during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. The findings revealed that national health insurance premiums, the number of cancer screening facilities, livelihood benefit recipients, and the population aged 65+ could be classified as variables highly affecting the decrease in cancer screening rate. These findings highlight the efforts to appraise different barriers to cancer screening in each community. In addition, it is important to promote sustainable cancer screening strategies from regional perspectives based on regional vulnerabilities and their complex impact on cancer screening.

In recent years in Korea, healthcare utilization has been increasing due to aging of people with disability. However, accessibility to usual source of care (USCs) for people with disabilities remains unimproved. This study aimed to analyze current usage of USCs by people with disabilities in Korea in comparison with people without disabilities. This study utilized data of the 2018 Korean Health Panel Survey, a representative longitudinal survey of the entire nation that included 12 880 participants with or without disabilities in South Korea. People with disabilities were classified into Mobility Disorder, Communication Disorder, Mental Disorder, and Others. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess satisfaction with the utilization of USCs among people with or without disabilities. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to examine difference in satisfaction between people with disabilities and those without. The proportion of people with disabilities utilizing USCs as their primary healthcare facility was only one-third of that of people without disabilities. In terms of overall satisfaction with USCs, respondents indicated insufficient consultation time and difficulty comprehending medical information during appointments. However, people with disabilities utilizing USCs as tertiary healthcare facilities reported higher satisfaction levels than people without disabilities, stating ease of understanding medical information, opportunities for asking questions, and ability to provide feedback. To enhance accessibility for people with disabilities to utilize USCs as their primary healthcare facility, it is necessary to strengthen accessibility through institutional mechanisms by providing disability-friendly physical facilities and auxiliary aids to facilitate communication with healthcare providers.

Objective: While depression associated with disability has been extensively studied, how depression could differ depending on whether the disability is congenital or acquired remains to be investigated. The objective of this study was to compare depression and related factors among people with congenital and acquired physical disabilities. Methods: We used the 2016 Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled in Korea, a population-based survey for people with disability registered with the Korean government. Among 4577 participants, a total of 2128 participants with physical disability were analyzed using chi-square and binary logistic regression analysis. Results: The prevalence of depression was 12.9% in those with congenital physical disability and 16.0% in those with acquired physical disability. Stress due to disability and family relationship satisfaction were associated with higher and lower odds of depression, respectively, in both disability groups. Discrimination due to disability, divorce, social participation, and subjective social status were significant predictors of depression only in people with acquired disability. Conclusions: Compared to those with congenital disability, individuals with acquired disability can be more susceptible to issues relating to social relationships, social standing and discrimination. Findings of this study suggest that acquired disability and adapting to changes associated with it can be a source of mental distress in addition to living with it. Efforts are needed to address discrimination, provide supportive social relationships, and provide supportive living conditions in order to reduce depression in persons living with disability, especially those with acquired disability.

OBJECTIVES: We estimated the population prevalence of antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), including unreported infections, through a Korea Seroprevalence Study of Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Retention and Transmission (K-SEROSMART) in 258 communities throughout Korea.METHODS: In August 2022, a survey was conducted among 10,000 household members aged 5 years and older, in households selected through two stage probability random sampling. During face-to-face household interviews, participants self-reported their health status, COVID-19 diagnosis and vaccination history, and general characteristics. Subsequently, participants visited a community health center or medical clinic for blood sampling. Blood samples were analyzed for the presence of antibodies to spike proteins (anti-S) and antibodies to nucleocapsid proteins (anti-N) SARS-CoV-2 proteins using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. To estimate the population prevalence, the PROC SURVEYMEANS statistical procedure was employed, with weighting to reflect demographic data from July 2022.RESULTS: In total, 9,945 individuals from 5,041 households were surveyed across 258 communities, representing all basic local governments in Korea. The overall population-adjusted prevalence rates of anti-S and anti-N were 97.6% and 57.1%, respectively. Since the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has reported a cumulative incidence of confirmed cases of 37.8% through July 31, 2022, the proportion of unreported infections among all COVID-19 infection was suggested to be 33.9%.CONCLUSIONS: The K-SEROSMART represents the first nationwide, community-based seroepidemiologic survey of COVID-19, confirming that most individuals possess antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and that a significant number of unreported cases existed. Furthermore, this study lays the foundation for a surveillance system to continuously monitor transmission at the community level and the response to COVID-19.