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Background More research is needed to fully understand the efficacy and applicability of technology-enhanced interventions for addressing both chronic disease management and mental health concerns simultaneously across diverse populations and healthcare settings. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of health checkup services provided by the community-based smart home healthcare project in reducing depressive symptoms among older adults with chronic diseases in Siheung-si, South Korea. Methods The study population comprised older adults with chronic diseases residing in a single residential complex. The intervention used Internet of Things health measurement devices located at the Eungye Community Care Center. Results A total of 93 older adults participated in the study. Participation in health checkup services was significantly associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms (β=-0.74, standard error = 0.16, p  < 0.001). Social support was found to partially mediate this relationship (indirect effect estimate=-0.21, p  < 0.001). Conclusions Engaging in community-based health checkup services may not only directly reduce depressive symptoms but also indirectly mitigate their impact by enhancing social support. This study highlights the potential of integrated, technology-enhanced community health services in addressing both physical and mental health needs of older adults with chronic conditions. However, further research with extended study periods is needed to fully assess the long-term effectiveness of these services and their applicability in diverse settings.

Climate change has caused extreme weather events, including frequent summer heat waves. We examined how the effects of high air temperatures on mortality have changed between the two study periods (1991–1995 and 2015–2019), including 1994 and 2018, the worst heat wave years in the meteorological history of South Korea. Temperature data from the Korea Meteorological Administration and mortality data from Statistics Korea were used in this study. We used distributed lag nonlinear models to estimate the cumulative relative risks (CRRs) to determine the association between daily maximum temperature in summer (June to September) and mortality. CRRs were estimated for each province and pooled using a random-effects meta-analysis for all provinces. Maximum temperature and annual average days in heat wave were 37.7°C and 11.8 in 1991–1995 and 38.3°C and 18.8 in 2015–2019. The slope of the CRR for mortality increases with increasing temperature and has been steeper in the past than in recent years and steeper in those over 65 than in those under 65. Excess mortality has recently declined compared with that in the past. The impact of high summer temperatures on mortality changed between the two periods, suggesting improved population resilience.

Background People with disabilities (PWD) may be more vulnerable to the adverse health effects of air pollution than the general population. This study examined the association between long-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and mortality risk in PWD considering disability type and severity. Methods Data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service and Statistics Korea were analyzed in this retrospective cohort study, including 2,880,265 individuals (41,501,709 person-years), of which 176,410 were PWD (2,011,231 person-years). PM 2.5 exposure was estimated using simulated data from 2006 to 2019. Causes of death included all causes, non-accidental causes, respiratory disease, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality associated with PM 2.5 stratified by disability type and severity. Results PWD, particularly those with severe disabilities or specific impairments such as kidney problems or brain lesions, showed significantly high mortality risks from all causes, non-accidental causes, and cardiovascular diseases due to PM 2.5 exposure. For individuals with kidney impairment, the HR (95% confidence interval) for mortality on increasing PM 2.5 by 10 µg/m 3 was 1.79 (1.27–2.52) from all causes, while for those with brain lesions, it was 1.10 (1.00–1.22) from cardiovascular disease. PWD were not susceptible to mortality from respiratory causes. Conclusions This study highlights the increased vulnerability of PWD, especially those with severe disabilities or specific impairments, to the adverse effects of PM 2.5 exposure. Targeted interventions tailored to disability type and severity, along with stricter air quality standards and specialized healthcare approaches, are needed.

To determine the relationship between shift work and mental health, particularly insomnia, depression, and suicidal ideation, among electronics production workers. A survey was conducted with 14,226 workers from an electronics manufacturer in South Korea. After excluding 112 individuals with incomplete responses, 14,114 respondents were analyzed. As part of a larger project, we collected data on respondents' general characteristics, work-related characteristics, and health status; however, in this study, we focused on the data related to shift work and mental health. Insomnia, depression, and suicidal ideation were set as dependent variables and working schedule as set as the independent variable. We performed multiple logistic regression analysis with daytime workers as the reference group. The model was adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, workplace, educational level, and marital status with or without children under 6 years of age. Relative to daytime workers, shift workers had 2.35, 1.23, and 1.17 greater odds of insomnia, depression, and suicidal ideation, respectively. Within the shift worker group, we found that the odds of depression and suicidal ideation increased dramatically when respondents had insomnia. The ORs for depression and suicidal ideation were 4.899 and 7.934, respectively. Our findings suggest that shift work is related to an increased risk of mental health problems in production workers, and the sleep disturbance related with shift work is a central mechanism for this relationship. Since these results suggest that proactive management of sleep problems might attenuate their detrimental effects on shift worker's mental health.

Background Conducting a distinct comparison between the life expectancy (LE) and healthy life expectancy (HALE) of people with disabilities (PWDs) and the general population is necessary due to the various environmental and health conditions they encounter. Therefore, this study aimed to develop the life table for PWDs and calculate those of LE and HALE based on sex, severity, and disability types among the registered Korean PWDs. Methods We used aggregated data of registered PWDs from the Korea National Rehabilitation Center database between 2014 and 2018. Overall, 345,595 deaths were included among 12,627,428 registered PWDs. First, we calculated the LE for total PWDs and non-disabled people using a standard life table, extending the old age mortality among nine models. Subsequently, we calculated the LE for each type of disability using the relationship between the mortality of total PWDs and those of each type of disability. Finally, HALE was calculated using the Sullivan method for three types as follows: disability-free and perceived health (PH) using the National Survey, and hospitalized for  ≥ 7 days using the Korea National Health Insurance System (NHIS) database. Results The calculated LE/HALE–NHIS (years) at registration in males and females were 81.32/73.32 and 87.38/75.58, 68.54/58.98 and 71.43/59.24, 73.87/65.43 and 78.25/67.51, and 61.53/50.48 and 62.41/49.72 years among non-disabled, total PWDs, mild disabled, and severe disabled, respectively. LE/HALE-NHIS was lowest and highest in respiratory dysfunction and hearing disabilities, respectively. Conclusions Males with disabilities had shorter LE and HALE at registration than females, except for those with severe disabilities, and there were variabilities in the LE based on the disability types.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), underscoring the need for reliable biomarkers for early identification. Here, we employed an automated nanoparticle-enrichment sample preparation platform combined with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) to facilitate comprehensive and unbiased detection of low-abundance proteins (LAPs). Through profiling of plasma proteomes from 42 individuals with MCI and 13 cognitively normal controls (NC), we identified 35 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), of which four prioritized candidates were significantly correlated with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. Composite panels of candidate proteins showed potential to discriminate MCI, APOE4 -carrier MCI, and amnestic MCI subtypes cases from NC, potentially providing insight into pathophysiological mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment. These findings highlight novel blood-based protein candidates uncovered by overcoming key limitations of conventional plasma proteomics, with potential to support MCI diagnosis.

This panel study aimed to evaluate the associations between short-term exposure to indoor and outdoor PM 2.5 and anxiety in schoolchildren. During 3 waves in March, July, and November 2018 with 7 days per wave, 52 children aged 10 years were recruited from two schools in a city in Korea. To assess outdoor exposure, we used PM 2.5 concentration measures for every hour at the national measurement station (NMS) closest to the two participating schools. To assess indoor exposure, we measured PM 2.5 concentration at the children’s homes and in classrooms, based on 30-min average. Based on time-activity logs, personal average daily exposure values were calculated for each participant, according to exposure values assessed at 30-min intervals by location. Children’s anxiety was assessed via the Korean version of the State Anxiety Inventory for children every day during each wave. Linear mixed effects model was conducted to analyze the association between PM 2.5 exposure and anxiety using repeated measurements. Personal exposure to PM 2.5 by time-activity log was the highest in March and at home. A low correlation coefficient was observed between PM 2.5 concentrations at home and at the NMS ( ρ  = 0.36, p  < 0.0001) whereas a high correlation coefficient was observed between PM 2.5 concentrations in classrooms and at the NMS ( ρ  = 0.64, p  < 0.0001). There was no association between PM 2.5 exposure and anxiety in children based on the analysis of repeated measurements during the study period. Since previous studies reported controversial results, long-term follow-up studies are needed in various regions to further investigate the associations between PM 2.5 exposure and children’s mental health.

There have been many efforts to find modifiable risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the perioperative period of total knee arthroplasty (TKA), while no study has investigated the relationship between the muscle mass and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism frequency following TKA. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between muscle volume and the prevalence of symptomatic and radiologically confirmed venous thromboembolism (VTE) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). A total of 261 consecutive patients who underwent primary TKA between 2013 and 2015 were enrolled. Computed tomographic venography with pulmonary angiography (CTVPA) was performed between the 5th and 7th postoperative days to assess the presence of VTE. Four parameters of muscle volume at three levels were evaluated on CTVPA: (i) the cross-sectional area of all skeletal muscles (skeletal muscle index) and total psoas area at the level of the third lumbar vertebrae; (ii) the vastus lateralis muscle at the thigh level; and (iii) the posterior crural muscle at the lower leg level. The relationship between the muscle volume at each level and the prevalence of VTE after TKA was evaluated with multivariate adjusted logistic regression models. The CTVPA scan showed no proximal DVT, and all thrombi were located in muscular, peroneal, and posterior tibial veins. In unilateral TKA, patients with lower muscle volume of the vastus lateralis at the thigh level in the nonoperated limb had significantly higher prevalence of distal DVT in the operated limb (adjusted OR: 2.97 at subclinical DVT revealed by CTVPA and adjusted OR: 2.68 at symptomatic DVT). This finding was also discovered in patients who underwent simultaneous bilateral TKA (adjusted OR: 1.73-2.97 at subclinical DVT and adjusted OR:1.76-1.86 at symptomatic DVT). The relative muscle volume of the vastus lateralis at the thigh level was negatively associated with the prevalence of symptomatic and radiologically confirmed DVT, suggesting that low thigh muscle mass is an independent risk factor for VTE in the postoperative period of TKA.

This study aims to quantifiably evaluate the trend of the suicide rate among Korean adolescents from 1997 to 2012 according to urbanity. We used national death certificates and registration population data by administrative district for 15–19 years-old adolescents. The annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (AAPC) were estimated by the Joinpoint Regression Program. The suicide rate in the rural areas was higher than that in the urban areas in both genders (males (/100,000), 12.2 vs. 8.5; females (/100,000), 10.2 vs. 7.4 in 2012). However, the trend significantly increased only in the urban area (AAPC [95% CI]: males 2.6 [0.7, 4.6], females 3.3 [1.4, 5.2]). In urban areas, the suicide rate by jumping significantly increased in both genders (AAPC [95% CI]: males, 6.7 [4.3, 9.1]; females, 4.5 [3.0, 6.1]). In rural areas, the rate by self-poisoning significantly decreased by 7.9% per year for males (95% CI: −12.5, −3.0) and the rate by hanging significantly increased by 10.1% per year for females (95% CI: 2.6, 18.2). The trend and methods of suicide differ according to urbanity; therefore, a suicide prevention policy based on urbanity needs to be established for adolescents in Korea.

PurposeThe Hebei Spirit Oil Spill occurred on 7 December 2007 and resulted in the spillage of 12 547 kl of crude oil on the coastline near Taean. Historically, this was the largest oil spill in Korean water. The health effect research on Hebei Spirit Oil Spill (HEROS) is a prospective cohort study that aimed to evaluate the long-term health effects of oil spill exposure on residents in the affected community.ParticipantsThe Taean Environmental Health Center initially enrolled adults, adolescents and children living in Taean in 2009 and 2010. Follow-up surveys of participating adults and children were conducted every other year. By 2017, a total of 9585 adults and 2216 children and adolescents were enrolled. Of these, 294 adults and 102 children and adolescents were included in all subsequent surveys.Findings to dateChildren who lived closer to the oil spill site exhibited a lower level of pulmonary function and higher prevalence of allergic rhinitis, than those who lived further away from the oil spill site. Adults who lived in a highly exposed area or participated in clean-up work had higher urine levels of the oxidative stress biomarkers malondialdehyde and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine. Changes in haematological parameters during a 3-year period were observed in residents of both sexes in highly exposed areas, in addition to increases in respiratory diseases and mental health problems in female and male participants, respectively.Future plansThe findings of this study will better enable policy makers to develop environmental health policies intended to prevent adverse health effects in residents of communities affected by oil spills, as well as policies regarding the management of future oil accidents. The HEROS study will continue to follow participants in future and will be updated to enable an investigation of long-term health effects.