Independent and Synergistic Associations of Aerobic Physical Activity and Resistance Exercise with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Background/Aims@#This study aimed to examine the independent and synergistic association of aerobic physical activity and resistance exercise with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using a nationwide representative database. @*Methods@#This was a cross-sectional study using data from the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey between 2007 and 2010. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the independent and synergistic (additive interaction) associations of aerobic physical activity and resistance exercise with NAFLD after adjusting for multiple covariates. @*Results@#The prevalence of NAFLD was 26.2% for men and 17.6% for women. In the fully adjusted multiple logistic regression model to examine the independent association of aerobic physical activity or resistance exercise with NAFLD, the odds ratios for NAFLD were significantly decreased in both men (p=0.03) and women (p<0.01) who had highly active aerobic physical activity. Regarding the frequency of resistance exercise, the odds ratio for NAFLD was decreased in men who did resistance exercise ≥5 days per week (p=0.04), but not in women (p=0.19). How-ever, when investigating the synergistic associations of aerobic physical activity and resistance exercise, the odds ratios for NAFLD significantly decreased when the frequency of both exercises increased together in both men (p for interaction <0.01) and women (p for interaction<0.01). @*Conclusions@#Combining aerobic physical activity and resistance exercise had a synergistic preventive association for NAFLD in Korean men and women.

Korean medical students' attitudes toward academic misconduct: a cross-sectional multicenter study / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE@#This study investigated medical students' attitudes toward academic misconduct that occurs in the learning environment during the pre-clinical and clinical periods.@*METHODS@#Third-year medical students from seven medical schools were invited to participate in this study. A total of 337 of the 557 (60.5%) students completed an inventory assessing their attitudes toward academic misconduct. The inventory covered seven factors: scientific misconduct (eight items), irresponsibility in class (six items), disrespectful behavior in patient care (five items), dishonesty in clerkship tasks (four items), free riding on group assignments (four items), irresponsibility during clerkship (two items), and cheating on examinations (one item).@*RESULTS@#Medical students showed a strict attitude toward academic misconduct such as cheating on examinations and disrespectful behavior in patient care, but they showed a less rigorous attitude toward dishonesty in clerkship tasks and irresponsibility in class. There was no difference in students' attitudes toward unprofessional behaviors by gender. The graduate medical school students showed a stricter attitude toward some factors of academic misconduct than the medical college students. This difference was significant for irresponsibility in class, disrespectful behavior in patient care, and free riding on group assignments.@*CONCLUSION@#This study indicates a critical vulnerability in medical students' professionalism toward academic integrity and responsibility. Further study evidence is needed to confirm whether this professionalism lapse is confined only to this population or is pervasive in other medical schools as well.

Korean medical students' attitudes toward academic misconduct: a cross-sectional multicenter study / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: This study investigated medical students' attitudes toward academic misconduct that occurs in the learning environment during the pre-clinical and clinical periods. METHODS: Third-year medical students from seven medical schools were invited to participate in this study. A total of 337 of the 557 (60.5%) students completed an inventory assessing their attitudes toward academic misconduct. The inventory covered seven factors: scientific misconduct (eight items), irresponsibility in class (six items), disrespectful behavior in patient care (five items), dishonesty in clerkship tasks (four items), free riding on group assignments (four items), irresponsibility during clerkship (two items), and cheating on examinations (one item). RESULTS: Medical students showed a strict attitude toward academic misconduct such as cheating on examinations and disrespectful behavior in patient care, but they showed a less rigorous attitude toward dishonesty in clerkship tasks and irresponsibility in class. There was no difference in students' attitudes toward unprofessional behaviors by gender. The graduate medical school students showed a stricter attitude toward some factors of academic misconduct than the medical college students. This difference was significant for irresponsibility in class, disrespectful behavior in patient care, and free riding on group assignments. CONCLUSION: This study indicates a critical vulnerability in medical students' professionalism toward academic integrity and responsibility. Further study evidence is needed to confirm whether this professionalism lapse is confined only to this population or is pervasive in other medical schools as well.

A Survey of Medical Students' Social Participation and Direction in Medical Education / 의학교육논단

In the ever-changing medical environment, the social participation of medical doctors is becoming more necessary. Currently, there is not enough participation or action by doctors within our society due to reasons such as a lack of educational curriculum in this area. This study aimed to investigate medical students' opinions and attitudes about social participation and action. A total of 438 medical students were surveyed about their attitudes toward doctors' relations with the public, social participation, social action, and medical education for social participation or action. Regarding doctors' relations with the public, participants responded that the government (73.5%) and the media (82.0%) were causing social distrust of doctors, and more than 70% of the respondents answered that doctors were passive when it comes to social participation. When asked about social participation and social action, 76.7% of the students surveyed had experienced social participation, and 28.3% had experienced taking social action. A total of 73.4% of the students answered that medical education needs to be changed, and it is necessary to introduce subjects such as sociology and law to improve social participation and action. The results are significant in that they show medical students' thoughts on social participation and social action as doctors in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We believe that a change of medical curriculum to promote active and collaborative social participation by doctors is necessary.

Calf Circumference as a Simple Screening Marker for Diagnosing Sarcopenia in Older Korean Adults: the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study (KFACS)

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to explore the optimal cut-off point of calf circumference (CC) as a simple proxy marker of appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) and sarcopenia in the Korean elderly and to test the criterion-related validity of CC by analyzing its relationships with the physical function. METHODS: The participants were 657 adults aged 70 to 84 years who had completed both dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and physical function test in the first baseline year of the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. RESULTS: ASM and skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) were correlated positively with CC (male, ASM, r = 0.55 and SMI, r = 0.54; female, ASM, r = 0.55 and SMI, r = 0.42; all P < 0.001). Testing the validity of CC as a proxy marker for low muscle mass, an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.81 for males and 0.72 for females were found and their optimal cut-off values of CC were 35 cm for males and 33 cm for females. In addition, CC-based low muscle groups were correlated with physical functions even after adjusting for age and body mass index. Also, the cut-off value of CC for sarcopenia was 32 cm (AUC; male, 0.82 and female, 0.72). CONCLUSION: The optimal cut-off values of CC for low MM are 35 cm for males and 33 cm for females. Lower CC based on these cut-off values is related with poor physical function. CC may be also a good indicator of sarcopenia in Korean elderly.

A study of satisfaction of medical students on their mentoring programs at one medical school in Korea / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness levels of medical students regarding the characteristics of each function within a mentoring program conducted within Kyung Hee University and to ultimately suggest points for reformation. Medical students’ awareness levels were determined using a 29-item questionnaire. METHODS: The questionnaire was conducted on 347 medical students, excluding 25 students who either marked multiple answers or did not reply. The assessment of the program was based on a questionnaire with the use of a 5-point Likert scale using SPSS version 22.0. Multiple regression was conducted to examine the relationship between the satisfaction level, regarding functions of mentoring programs, and characteristics of mentoring programs. Interviews were conducted to supplement additional information that was hard to gain from the questionnaire. RESULTS: The results on demographic and functional characteristics revealed that there was no statistically significant differences in satisfaction levels across gender, whereas there were significant differences across grade levels. In addition, there were significant differences in the frequency of meetings and topics of conversation while the length of meetings and meeting place were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: For the improved mentoring programs for medical students, the program should focus on the frequency of meetings and the topics of conversation. Furthermore, mentoring programs of high quality can be expected if professors take interview results into consideration. Also, students want to be provided with psychosocial advice from mentors in various ways such as role model function.

Reliability and validity test of the Korean version of Noe's evaluation / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: This study aims to demonstrate whether the functionalities between the widely used questionnaire in other countries and the Korean-translated version show similarity. Also, it intends to verify their reliability and validity. METHODS: The original questionnaire was first developed by professor Noe at the University of Minnesota with 29 items named as “mentoring functions” to identify the participants' psychological and career-development functions. Using the Korean-translated version of the original questionnaire, the study was conducted on total 288 Kyung Hee University medical students, ranging from the first-year students to the third-year students on December 2015. In order to investigate if the survey form could be applied to the Korean participants, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted, using varimax rotation. Cronbach α statistics and the figures of standardized regression weights were analyzed respectively to indicate construct, convergent, and discriminant validities. RESULTS: The result of exploratory factor analysis shows there are a total of three functions, including the additional “friendship function” (Eigen value, 1.152; significant level if higher than 1.0) with its high emphasis. The result of confirmatory factor analysis also demonstrates the similarity (p=0.000). As the whole reliability scale of the three functions is significantly high (Cronbach α , 0.971), each reliability scales of the three functions are shown to be high (0.814-0.955) as well. CONCLUSION: The model, with its three functions, proved the significant statistics regarding the reliability and validity. According to this ground, the conclusion is that the adapted questionnaire used in this study could be applied to Korean medical students.

Returning students' perspectives on adjusting to medical graduate school in Korea: an interview study / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: The recent trend of switching from medical graduate school to medical school in Korea raises questions about the adjustments that students must make in medical education. We examined the perceptions of medical graduate students with regard to their adaptation in medical education. METHODS: Sixteen semistructured, in-depth interviews were administered to medical graduate students who received their first degrees in foreign countries. The interviews addressed their perceptions of their experience in medical graduate school and on how well they adjusted to medical education. RESULTS: Students perceived their adaptation to medical graduate school in two dimensions: academic achievement and cultural adjustment. In academic achievement, a limited student-teacher relationship was recognized by students. Students tended to be passive in the classroom due to an uncomfortable atmosphere. They also reported witnessing culture shock in relation to the paucity of information on entrance into medical graduate school. Freshmen voiced many difficulties in adjusting to the unique culture in medical graduate school, in contrast to upper classmen. However, only 32% of students experienced helpful mentoring for their problems. CONCLUSION: Students' perspectives should guide all decisions made about medical education in an altered educational system. Self-regulated learning and a good mentoring program can help prepare students for medical education and professional life.

Educational effect of intraosseous access for medical students / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the educational effects of intraosseous (IO) vascular access for medical students and analyze the possibility of including IO access in medical education. METHODS: A before-and-after study was conducted in a course with 50 participating medical students. The course comprised a 1-hour didactic lecture and a 1-hour hands-on session with a battery-operated EZ-IO device (Vidacare Corp.) and artificial tibia. After the course, the participant skills were tested (final success rate, mean procedural time, and detailed skills) with regard to IO access. Before and after the course, the knowledge, possibility of clinical use, and adequacy of medical education on IO access were examined in a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: The final success rate of insertion was 88% (n=44), and the mean procedural time for the first trial was 78.1+/-20.6 seconds. "Combination needle with drill" and "proper angle during insertion" were the procedures that were performed the best, and "dressing on insertion site" was the worst-performed procedure. "Proper location of landmarks" was the only significant skill factor that was related to the success of IO access between those who succeeded and failed (p<0.05). In the analysis of the structured questionnaire, median knowledge score, possibility for clinical use, and adequacy of IO access in medical education increased significantly after the course (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The educational effect of IO access for medical students was tremendous, and the knowledge of and attitude toward IO access improved significantly after the training course. We consider IO access to be adequate for medical education in Korea.

Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Early Menarche of Adolescent Girls in Seoul / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: The object of this study was to determine the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and early menarche in adolescent girls in Seoul. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with 144 middle school students in Seoul who provided informed consent. We measured their body composition, and used the questionnaire survey method for data collection from November to December 2008. Past elemental body composition data were collected from elementary school health records of first year of middle school. RESULTS: The early menarcheal group was taller and heavier than the late menarcheal group (p<0.05 from 8-12 years old). The body fat percentage (%), BMI were higher in the early menarcheal girls than the late-menarcheal girls (p<0.05, age at 13). In the result of multiple logistic regression, the BMI at the age of 8 and 9 was associated with early menarche after adjusting for birth weight, breast feeding and age at menarche of the mother (BMI at the age of 8: p for trend=0.01, BMI at the age of 9: p for trend=0.04). An increase in BMI from 7 to 8 year was associated with early menarche after adjusting for birth weight, breast feeding, age at menarche of the mother (p for trend=0.048). CONCLUSIONS: The BMI at the age of 8 and 9 was associated with the early menarche of girls and increase in BMI from 7 to 8 year was associated with the early menarche of girls. These results suggest that BMI and increase in BMI before menarche cause early menarche. Although this study does not represent all Korean adolescent girls, it is one of the few studies that have investigated the temporal relationship between BMI and early menarche.

Socioeconomic Costs of Overactive Bladder and Stress Urinary Incontinence in Korea / 대한배뇨장애요실금학회지

PURPOSE: We quantified and described the economic burden of overactive bladder and stress urinary incontinence in Korea. We calculated direct costs by identifying public and private data sources that contain population-based data on resource utilization by patients with stress urinary incontinence and overactive bladder. METHODS: For estimating indirect costs (productivity loss), the human capital approach was applied. Data were collected from several institutes, including the Health Insurance Review Agency. RESULTS: The estimated total economic cost in treating overactive bladder was 117 billion Korean Won (KRW, the currency of South Koea) in 2006 and 145 billion KRW in 2007. The estimated total cost in treating stress urinary incontinence was 122 billion KRW in 2006 and 59 billion KRW in 2007. CONCLUSIONS: By quantifying the total economic costs of overactive bladder and stress urinary incontinence, this study provides an important perspective in Korea. Because the average age of the Korean population is rapidly increasing, this study provides important information on the direct and indirect costs of overactive bladder and stress urinary incontinence for an aging society.

The Relation of Menarcheal Age to Anthropometric Profiles in Korean Girls

The aim of this study was to represent the trend of early menarche and to assess the association of age at menarche with anthropometric profiles of Korean children and adolescents. A cross sectional survey was conducted with 13,371 girls aged 10 to 18 yr, recruited nationwide from April, 2005 to March, 2006. Height, weight and waist circumference of the subjects were measured; and the subjects self-reported their ages at menarche. We found that the menarcheal girls were taller (P<0.05 for the girls between 10 and 14 yr) and heavier (P<0.05 for the girls between 10 and 18 yr) than non-menarcheal ones. Menarcheal girls also showed higher body mass index (BMI), and greater waist circumference than non-menarcheal ones. Significant differences were represented according to the age at menarche in terms of BMI, waist circumference, % body fat mass, waist hip ratio and neck circumference as well as height and weight (P<0.05). In conclusion, girls who matured early were taller and heavier in early adolescence than those who matured later.

A Systematic Review of Training That Use an Integrated Patient Simulator / 한국의학교육

The purpose of this article is to systematically review the literature that describes training and assessment that use an integrated patient simulator (IPS). We also tried to determine how to train learners with simulators, plan, and perform research on simulator-based education. Literature searches were conducted to identify articles from PubMed, EMBASE, and KMbase that were related to training and assessment that use an IPS, published from January 1999 to September 2008. Forty articles met the criteria and were analyzed. The results were as follows: Studies on IPS are the most common in graduate medical education (GME). The impact of IPS-based education is relatively greater in GME versus undergraduate medical education (UME) or continuing medical education (CME). IPS research in GME is characterized by addressing the effectiveness of clinical application, the training of procedures, and algorithms, rather than knowledge or simple skills. And research design is more elaborate in GME than UME or CME. IPS training in CME focuses mostly on specific clinical skills. Most training sessions in UME are offered to groups, but assessment is performed for a single student. Also, inter-rater reliability is checked unsatisfactorily in UME. IPS research in UME is characterized by limitations in design due to connections to the regular curriculum. According to findings above, we propose that: more detailed research design should be performed to overcome the limitations of UME research. For GME, increasing simulator-based training opportunities is desired, because its effectiveness and adaptability are relatively high.

The Relationship between Empathy and Medical Education System, Grades, and Personality in Medical College Students and Medical School Students / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: This study investigated the relationship between empathy and medical education system, grades, and personality in medical college (MC) students and medical school (MS) students. METHODS: One hundred fifty-five MC students and 137 MS students participated in this study, completing questionnaires on sociodemographic data, Jefferson Scale of Empathy, S-version, Korean edition (JSE-S-K), and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). RESULTS: Reward Dependence (RD), Cooperativeness (C), and Self-directedness+ Cooperativeness (SC), which are subscales of the TCI, correlated significantly with JSE-S-K score. Third-year students had significantly higher scores on the JSE-S-K than first-year students. MS students had significantly higher scores on the JSE-S-K and the SC subscale of the TCI than MC students. However, there were no significant differences in empathy with regard to age, sex, motivation toward medical science, club activity, and applied specialty. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that empathy is associated with personality traits, such as RD, C, and SC, and medical education curriculum contributes incrementally to empathy for students. The difference in test scores for empathy between MC students and MS students might be due to differences in personality traits, such as SC.

Comparison of Learning Styles between Medical College Students and Professional Graduate Medical School Students / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: The Professional Graduate Medical School (PGMS) was established in 2003 in South Korea to train doctors that had better humanities and various educational backgrounds. By comparing the learning styles between students of the Medical College (MC) and PGMS, we investigated the characteristics of these students. METHODS: The Kolb Learning Style Inventory (LSI) is used to determine learning preferences. It is composed of 12 statements on concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. Six hundred nine students from all years of the 2 medical schools completed the Kolb LSI between June 1st and June 30th, 2008 (response rate: 91.4%). RESULTS: MC students preferred Kolb's 'assimilator (56.3%)' and 'diverger (25.6%)', and PGMS students preferred Kolb's 'assimilator (61.2%)' and 'converger (19.3%)'. PGMS students showed a higher preference for abstract conceptualization compared with MC students (adjusted Odds Ratio=2.191; 95% Confidence Interval=1.115~4.306). CONCLUSION: This study showed that the learning styles of PGMS and MC students differed. We can use this result not only in developing curricula and teaching strategies, but also in providing support to students.

Association between the Physical Activity of Korean Adolescents and Socioeconomic Status / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVES: The physical activity of Korean adolescents and its distribution based on social characteristics have not yet been fully assessed. This study intends to reveal the distribution of physical activity by its subgroups and offer possible explanatory variables. METHODS: The 3rd Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey was analyzed for this study. The appropriateness of physical activity was defined by Korea's Health Plan 2010 and physical inactivity was assessed independently. Family affluence scale, parents' education levels, subjective economic status, grade, and school location were considered explanatory variables. All statistical analysis was conducted using SAS ver. 9.1. RESULTS: The proportion of participants engaging in vigorous physical activity was high in males (41.6%), at a low grade (38.5%), within the high family affluence scale group (35.5%). The distribution of participants engaging in moderate physical activity showed similar patterns, but the overall proportion was lower (9.8%). Low family affluence and students with lower subjective economic status reported a higher prevalence of physical inactivity. In multiple logistic regression analysis for physical activity, significant factors included family affluence scale (p<0.05). For physical inactivity, family affluence scale, parents education levels, and subjective economic status were included as significant factors (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the physical activity and inactivity of adolescents may be affected by socioeconomic variables, such as family affluence scale. This implies the need to take proper measures to address these socio-economic inequalities.

Inter-rater Reliability in a Clinical Performance Examination Using Multiple Standardized Patients for the Same Case / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: The "standardization" of standardized patients (SP) is one of the most crucial factors for a successful clinical performance examination (CPX). This study aimed to examine the inter-rater reliability among SPs who portrayed the same case during a CPX. METHODS: The context was a CPX conducted under the supervision of CPX Seoul-Gyeonggi Consortium in K medical school in August 2007. K medical school ran 12 stations consisting of duplicated sets of 6 cases. In total, thirty SPs participated with 5 SPs acting each of the 6 cases. The SPs evaluated the student's performances in addition to portraying the cases. ANCOVA (analysis of covariance) was used to compare scores rated by the different SPs. The dependent variables were the case scores and the 4 subcomponent (history taking, physical examination, Clinical courtesy, and Patient-physician interaction) scores for each case; the independent variable was the SPs; and the covariate was the CPX total score. RESULTS: The Headache and Cough stations showed an acceptable level of reliability. Otherwise, Weight Loss and Facial Flushing failed to show consistent scores in all 4 subcomponents. Diarrhea and Lt. hemiparesis showed partial consistency. In terms of the subcomponents, the physical exam scores were most consistent and the patient-physician interaction scores were most inconsistent. CONCLUSION: This study tested the level of "standardization" of one set of CPX cases with mixed results. The authors hope that our results will contribute to quality assurance of CPX.

The Effects of Coping Style on Subjective Well-Being Among Medical Students / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: This study aims to explore which coping strategies medical students use more often, and how coping styles account for medical students' subjective well-being. METHODS: Subjects included 249 medical students from undergraduate and Graduate Entry Programme of a medical school in Seoul, Korea. Coping style was measured using the Ways of Coping Checklist. Subjective well-being was measured with Positive/Negative Affect Scale and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Analysis of Variance(ANOVA) was used to compare four coping strategies, and stepwise multiple regression was used to analyze the accountability of each of the coping strategy for subjective well-being. RESULTS: Medical students used avoidance and problem-focused coping strategy more often than they used emotion-focused coping strategy and seeking social support. Graduate Entry Programme students used avoidance less often and seeking social support more often than undergraduate students. Among subscales of subjective well-being, positive affect can be accounted for by problem-focused coping and seeking social support, and negative affect can be accounted for by problem-focused coping and avoidance. Life satisfaction can be accounted for by problem-focused coping as well. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that medical students had high adaptability as well as strong anxiety toward stressful situations in medical school. Moreover, three among the four coping strategies accounted for medical students' subjective well-being. These findings should be considered as a baseline for future research looking into additional variables affecting medical students' well-being.

Association of Anthropometric Indices with Prevalence of Hypertension in Korean Adults / 예방의학회지

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between hypertension prevalence and the four commonest anthropometric measurements for obesity(body mass index(BMI), wasit-hip ratio(WHR), waist circumference(WC) and body fat in Korean adults. METHODS: We studied the cross-sectional association of the anthropometric indices and blood pressure in 1,197 individuals( who were participants in the population-based cohort study). Hypertension was defined as blood pressure 160/95 mmHg or current use of antihypertensive medication. Informations on life-style factors were obtained from personal interview. RESULTS: There were close associations between BMI, WHR and WC with blood pressure in both men and women. After age adjustment, BMI and WC showed significantly positive correlation with systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels in both men and women. Odds ratio(ORs) of being hypertensive were estimated comparing the highest to the lowest quantile, adjusting for age, smoking status, alcohol intake levels, education attainment. The simultaneously adjusted ORs of being hypertensive, comparing the highest vs the lowest categories, was for BMI 2.0(95% confidence interval(CI)=0.9-3.2) in men and 3.2 (95% CI=1.7-6.1) in women, for WC 2.1(95% CI=1.0-4.4) in men and 3.1(95% CI=1.6-5.9) in women, for fat(%) 4.2(95% CI=1.9-9.5) in men and 2.1(95% CI=1.2-3.6) in women. CONCLUSION: In addition to measures of overall obesity(BMI) as well as central obesity(WHR, WC), body fat(%) was independently associated with prevalence of hypertension. Among obesity indices, body fat was the most predictor variable in hypertensive state in male and BMI was in female.

The Seroepidemiologic Study for Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus Type I(HTLV-I) Infection in Residents of Cheju-Do / 감염

BACKGROUND: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is a retrovirus that has been identified as a cause of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and tropical spastic paraparesis. HTLV-I infection is highly endemic in the southwestern islands of Japan, Caribbean basin, South America, and Africa. In 1993, we showed that the seroprevalence of antibodies to HTLV-I was 0.13% among blood donors in Korea, but surprisingly, 0.80% in Cheju-Do adjacent to endemic areas of Japan. So this study was designed to reevaluate the seroprevalence of antibodies to HTLV-I among residents in Cheju-Do. METHODS: Total 2,372 residents in Cheju-Do were tested from December 1995 to March 1996. Anti-HTLV-I antibodies were detected by the microtiter particle agglutination test. RESULTS: Among total 2,372 residents, 19 were anti-HTLV-I positive. So the overall positive rate of anti-HTLV-I antibodies was 0.80%. The positive rate in females was higher than in males (0.82% vs 0.78%). The positive rate was 1.45% in the age group of 20-29 years, 1.41% in 40-49 years, 0.91% in 0-9 years, 0.70% in 30-39 years, and 0.54% in 50-59 years. The mean age of seropositive cases is 35.2 in males and 35.4 in females, with a mean of 35.3. Geographically, high positive rate was observed in Sogwipo-City (1.37%) and Namcheju-Gun (0.83%) compared to those of Pukcheju-Gun (0.64%) and Cheju-City (0.61%), which showed high seroprevalence in districts adjacent to endemic areas of Japan. Any specific risk factors or associated disorders of HTLV-I infection could not be found among the seropositive cases. CONCLUSION: The seroprevalence of antibodies to HTLV-I in Cheju-Do was noted to be very high by the microtiter particle agglutination test. So henceforth serosurvey by confirmative laboratory tests is needed, and if high seroprevalence is showed from it, screening of blood donors for HTLV-I in Cheju-Do should be considered to prevent transfusion-associated HTLV-I infection.