Association between Physical Activity and Hypertension in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have increased likelihood of hypertension, which may lead to increased mortality rates. This study investigated the incidence of hypertension in patients with COPD according to the levels of their physical activities. METHODS: This study used data from the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted from 2010 to 2012, including 1,243 people aged 40 years or older with COPD who were cross-classified according to their levels of physical activity. The relevance of morbidity associated with high blood pressure was also evaluated through cross and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: Among patients with COPD who performed moderate-intensity physical activities, the group without hypertension had 4.3% higher compared to the group with hypertension (P=0.012). Adjusted analysis for patient age, sex, body mass index, smoking, drinking habit, income, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and energy intake performed to determine the relationship between physical activity level and hypertension revealed that patients with moderate-intensity physical activity had 53.6% lower (95% confidence interval: 0.288-0.997) incidence of hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study suggest that patients with COPD who perform moderate-intensity physical activity have a lower incidence of hypertension.

Association between Actual or Perceptional Weight Status and Mental Health Issues in Adolescents in Korea

BACKGROUND: Mental health issues in adolescents have recently emerged as a social concern. Previous studies reported that there was a relationship between body image perception and mental health. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlations between actual or perceptional weight status and mental health issues in adolescents in Korea. METHODS: Data was based on the 5th National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data (2010-2012). The subjects were 1989 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. Depending on the actual or perceptional weight status, participants were divided into several groups. Mental health indicators included experiencing stress, depressed mood and suicidal ideation. RESULTS: The multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted controlling for age, abdominal obesity, smoking and alcohol use, potency of exercises, and household income. Although this study did not find a correlation between actual weight status and mental health variables, it did find that girls who perceived themselves as overweight were more likely to experience stress (odds ratio, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.41-3.56) and depressed mood (odds ratio, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.01-3.62). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent females in Korea who perceived themselves as overweight experienced significantly more stress and depressed mood.