Association Between Regional Levels of Particulate Matter and Recurrent Falls in Korea

Background@#We investigated the extent of regional disparity of recurrent falls. In addition, we examined the association between particulate matter (PM) and recurrent falls and the association between regional disparity of recurrent falls and regional PM levels.Method: We used data from Korea Community Health Survey 2019 that included 204,395 participants from 237 municipal districts. The independent variables were the annual average PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations measured at the air quality measuring stations in each municipal district. The outcome variable was the experience of falls more than twice in the previous year. Multilevel analyses were conducted to estimate the association between regional PM10 and PM2.5 levels and recurrent falls. @*Results@#The regional variation was greater in the young people than that in the older people. PM10 and PM2.5 levels were positively associated with recurrent falls after adjusting for individual and regional covariates. These associations were more evident in the older group than in the young. PM10 and PM2.5 explained 2.82% and 3.33% of the remaining regional variance in models with individual and regional confounders, respectively. These proportions were greater in the older group (PM10 and PM2.5; 4.73% and 5.27%) than those in the younger age group (PM10 and PM2.5, 0.80% and 1.39%). @*Conclusion@#PM concentration was associated with recurrent falls even after accounting for other regional variables and individual-level differences. Moreover, there were regional differences in the occurrence of falls, and the PM concentration explained a part of the gap, but the gap was explained more in the older group than in the young

Urban-Rural Differences in the Prevalence of Depressive Symptoms in Korean Adults / 전남의대학술지

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression among Koreans living in urban and rural areas, stratified by socioeconomic status. The study included 216,765 participants from the 2017 Korean Community Health Survey. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the PHQ-9, with a score of 10 or higher indicating depressive symptoms. Residences with the words Eup and Myeon in their addresses were categorized as rural areas, and residences with Dong in their addresses as urban areas. Socioeconomic status was evaluated by household income and education level. A Poisson regression analysis with sampling weights was conducted and adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and comorbidity. The adjusted prevalence rate of depressive symptoms was 3.33% (95% CI, 3.21-3.45) in urban areas and 2.59% (95% CI, 2.43-2.74) in rural areas. The prevalence of depressive symptoms in urban areas was 1.29 times (95% CI, 1.20-1.38) higher than in rural areas. The prevalence rate ratio for depressive symptoms in urban areas compared to rural areas sorted by monthly incomes was 1.39 (95% CI, 1.28-1.51) for less than 2 million won, 1.22 (95% CI, 1.06-1.41) for 2 to 3.99 million won, and 1.09 (95% CI, 0.90-1.32) for more than 4 million won, and the urban-rural difference was more evident in lower household income subjects (p for interaction=0.033). However, urban-rural differences did not differ according to sex, age, or education level. In conclusion, we found urban-rural differences in depressive symptoms in a representative sample of Koreans, and revealed that these differences may vary according to income level. These results suggest that mental health policy must consider the health disparities according to residence and income.

Causal Association Between Alcohol Consumption and Atrial Fibrillation: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Background and Objectives@#Previous observational studies presented a positive association between alcohol and atrial fibrillation (AF). However, previous studies using genetic polymorphisms on the causal relationship between alcohol consumption and AF have reported conflicting results. This study aimed to evaluate the causality between alcohol consumption and AF using the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) rs671 polymorphism, which is the genetic variant with the most potent effect on drinking behavior. @*Methods@#A total of 8,964 participants from the Dong-gu Study were included in the present study. The causal association between alcohol consumption and AF was evaluated through a Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using the ALDH2 rs671 polymorphism as an instrumental variable. @*Results@#No significant relationship between alcohol consumption and AF was found in the observational analysis. However, the genetic analysis using the ALDH2 polymorphism showed a significant association in men. In the MR analysis, genetically predicted daily alcohol consumption was positively related to AF. @*Conclusions@#MR analysis revealed a significant association between the amount of alcohol consumption and AF, which suggests that the association may be causal.

Non-linear Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Korean Males / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between body mass index (BMI) and severe lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in Korean males. METHODS: This study was conducted on males aged ≥50 years who participated in the 2011 Korean Community Health Survey. LUTS severity was assessed using the Korean version of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire, and was dichotomized as severe (IPSS >19) and non-severe (IPSS ≤19). BMI was divided into 6 categories: <18.5, 18.5-22.9, 23.0-24.9, 25.0-27.4, 27.5-29.9, and ≥30.0 kg/m². To evaluate the relationship between BMI and LUTS, a survey-weighted multivariate Poisson regression analysis was performed to estimate prevalence rate ratios (PRRs). Age, smoking status, alcohol intake, physical activity, educational level, household income, and comorbidities were adjusted for in the multivariate model. RESULTS: A U-shaped relationship was detected between BMI and severe LUTS. Compared with a BMI of 23.0-24.9 kg/m², the PRR for a BMI <18.5 kg/m² was 1.65 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35 to 2.02), that for a BMI of 18.5-22.9 kg/m² was 1.25 (95% CI, 1.09 to 1.44), that for a BMI of 25.0-27.4 kg/m² was 1.20 (95% CI, 1.00 to 1.45), that for a BMI of 27.5-29.9 kg/m² was 1.11 (95% CI, 0.83 to 1.47), and that for a BMI ≥30.0 kg/m² was 1.85 (95% CI, 1.18 to 2.88). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that both high and low BMI were associated with severe LUTS.

Non-linear Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in Korean Males / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES@#The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between body mass index (BMI) and severe lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in Korean males.@*METHODS@#This study was conducted on males aged ≥50 years who participated in the 2011 Korean Community Health Survey. LUTS severity was assessed using the Korean version of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire, and was dichotomized as severe (IPSS >19) and non-severe (IPSS ≤19). BMI was divided into 6 categories: <18.5, 18.5-22.9, 23.0-24.9, 25.0-27.4, 27.5-29.9, and ≥30.0 kg/m². To evaluate the relationship between BMI and LUTS, a survey-weighted multivariate Poisson regression analysis was performed to estimate prevalence rate ratios (PRRs). Age, smoking status, alcohol intake, physical activity, educational level, household income, and comorbidities were adjusted for in the multivariate model.@*RESULTS@#A U-shaped relationship was detected between BMI and severe LUTS. Compared with a BMI of 23.0-24.9 kg/m², the PRR for a BMI <18.5 kg/m² was 1.65 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35 to 2.02), that for a BMI of 18.5-22.9 kg/m² was 1.25 (95% CI, 1.09 to 1.44), that for a BMI of 25.0-27.4 kg/m² was 1.20 (95% CI, 1.00 to 1.45), that for a BMI of 27.5-29.9 kg/m² was 1.11 (95% CI, 0.83 to 1.47), and that for a BMI ≥30.0 kg/m² was 1.85 (95% CI, 1.18 to 2.88).@*CONCLUSIONS@#This study showed that both high and low BMI were associated with severe LUTS.