• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.513-520
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• 2000

Objectives : To estimate the prevalence of hypertension, rates of awareness, treatment modalities, and control of hypertension, and also to identify factors in rural Korea that are related to these aspects of hypertension. Methods : A cross-sectional survey, including blood pressure(BP) measurements and interviews, investigating the variables in the health belief model was peformed from August to November, 1999 on 1,426 (79.4%) study subjects out of 1,797 registered residents over 30 years old in Ibansong-Myun, Chinju City. A second survey was peformed from January to March, 2000 on 376 (80.0%) subjects out of 470 hypertensive (or suspected hypertensive) subjects found in the first survey. Two BP readings were taken in each survey using a standard mercury sphygmomanometer. Hypertension was defined as either a BP reading $\geq$ 140/90 mmHg in both surveys, or as subjects on oral hypertensive medication. Results : Estimated hypertension prevalence was 24.9% for men, and 30.4% for women. Rates of hypertension awareness, treatment (the regular use of oral hypertensives), and control (reduction of BP to <140/90 mmHg) were 52.5%, 34.4%, and 12.9%, respectively. The factors related to lower hypertension awareness in the logistic regression analysis were male gender, farming occupation, and higher perceived barrier to medical treatment (those for whom visiting health professionals is a burden). Conclusions : To improve the low awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension, a more active and out-reaching hypertension control program, including routine BP measurements for every visitor to primary care facilities, is needed in rural Korea.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.24 no.3 s.35
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• pp.363-372
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• 1991

We used the health screening data of some rural and urban residents to examine the cross-sectional association between leukocyte count and hypertension. The 206 male and 203 female rural residents were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method in Kyungsan-Kun area of Kyungbuk province in 1985 and 600 urban residents were selected by the same sampling method as the rural residents in Daegu city of the same province in 1986 compatible with age-sex distribution of Daegu city of 1985 census, but of whom 384 actually responded. The rest of 600 were replaced by age and sex with those who were members of the medical insurance plan visiting the health management department of the university hospital to get the biannual preventive medical checkups. Excluded in the analysis were those having hypertensive history, diseases and extreme outlying values of the screening tests, leaving 373 rural and 571 urban residents. Leukocyte count was measured with ELT-8 Laser shadow method and the unit $cells/mm^3$, Blood pressures were determined with an aneroid sphygmomanometer with pre-standardized method and hypertensives were defined as those showing systolic blood pressure more than 140mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure more than 90mmHg. Total residents pooled (N=944) showed a significant difference between hypertensives and normotensives ($6965.93{\pm}1997.01\;vs\;6490.61{\pm}1941.32,\;P=0.00$) and in rural residents was noted the similar significant difference (P=0.03). None of significant differences were noted in any stratum stratified by residency and sex. Compared to the lowest quintile of WBC, 2/5 quintile showed odds ratio 0.99 (95% Confidence interval, Ci 0.62-1.59), 3/5 quintile 1.41 (95% CI 0.90-2.21), 4/5 quintile 1.76 (95% CI. 1.14-2.72), and highest quintile 1.80 (1.15-2.82) in the total residents. Likelihood ratio test for linear trend for it indicated a significant trend ($X^2_{trend}=5.53,\;df=1,\;P<0.05$). There were no other significant odds ratios compared to the lowest quintile of WBC in strata stratified by residency and sex. The odds ratios in total residents which had showed significant odds ratios became nonsignificant and of reduced magnitude after controlling age, frequency of smoking and drinking with multiple logistic. regression. In each stratum, it changed magnitudes of odds ratios slightly and unstably. None of the trend tests showed any significant trend. These results suggest that the Friedman et al's finding of association between leukocyte count and hypertension may be due to an statistical type I error resulting from the data dredging in an exploratory study, in which more than 800 variables were screened as possible predictors of hypertension.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.24 no.1 s.33
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• pp.8-15
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• 1991

This study was carried out in order to examine the urinary excretion of electrolytes (Na, K) and their relationship with blood pressure, and to estimate the amount of daily salt intake in a rural community. From January to March in 1987, a mobile screeing team visited 40 villages, and carried out health screening of 537 adult volunteers whose age were over 30 years and collected 12-hours overnight urine. To determine the completeness of collection, the urinary creatinine was measured. If the creatinine excretion was beyond the range given to the age group, the sample was excluded from the analysis as an incomplete collection : 345 samples were remained for analysis. This study revealed the following results. 1. The mean excretion amounts of urinary electrolytes for 12 hours were Na 193.5 mEq, K 20.8 mEq, creatinine 1.0 g. The mean ratio of electrolytes were Na/K 9.84, Na/creatinine 0.44, K/creatinine 0.046. 2. Both the mean excretion amount of K and the mean ratio of K/creatinine were less in hypertensives than in normotensives. K excretion also showed a tendency towards a decrease in inverse proportion to systolic blood pressure when it exceeded 120 mmHg. There was no significant difference between the hypertensives and normotensives in Na excretion. The sodium to potassium ratio increased in poportion to systolic blood pressure. 3. The mean daily salt excretion amount was 22.4 g. Assuming that 90% of the intake was excreted, the estimated amount of daily salt intake was 24.9 g.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.229-242
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• 1998

Face-to-face interviews were carried out to investigate the relationship between social networks and hypertension in 958 rural residents(males=440, females=518) aged 60-64 of a community-dwelling sample of Dalsung County from April to September in 1996. Eight elements of social network were measured : marital status, regular religious attendance, membership in groups, number of friends, relatives, siblings, children, grandchildren. Hypertensives were defined as meeting at least one of following criteria : hypertension history, systolic blood pressure more than 160 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure more than 95 mmHg. In univariate logistic regression for males, having 1-4 friends vs. none showed odds ratio 0.43 (95% Confidence interval CI 0.19-0.96) and having 2-3, 4 and more than 5 children had reduced prevalence of hypertension with odds ratios 0.21 (95% CI 0.06-0.72), 0.14 (95% CI 0.04-0.49), 0.24 (95% CI 0.07-0.82), respectively when compared with persons without children. In females, there was no elements of social network statistically significant. Having 5-9 grandchildren vs. none showed a marginally significant odds ratio 0.42. In multivariate logistic regression models for males with adjustment for age, education, body mass index, smoking and drinking, number of friends and children showed increased odds ratios and number of close relatives gained a statistically significant odds ratios (0.44-0.50). In females, the adjustment yielded little changes of odds ratios except number of grandchildren which gained a statistically significance. These results suggest that only a certain elements of social network may be associated with reduced risk of hypertension and they may be different between genders in rural resident aged 60-64.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.625-638
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• 1993

The purpose of this study was to observe the relationship of dietary factors to blood pressure in 5th and 6th grade school children. Salt threshold, salt preference and nutrition knowlege about blood pressure were tested. Twenty-four hour urines were collected for the measurements of the volume and concentrations of sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, phosphorus, creatinine and urea nitrogen. 1) Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure of elementary school children were 106.8/67.6mmHg in males and 108.7/69.5mmHg in females. Seven children(4%) of total subjects were found to be hypertensive. Their mean blood pressure was 130.0/86.4mmHg. 2) Urinary excretions of creatinine and urea nitrogen during twenty-four hours were 621.1mg and 1524mg, respectively. The mean daily urinary sodium excretion was 2940mg, which is equivalent to 7.37g NaCl. 3) The daily urinary excretions of other minerals were as follows; potassium was 1301mg, chloride, 4991mg, calcium, 55.7mg and phosphorus, 700.03mg. 4) Salt preference of hypertensive children90.473$\pm$0.275) was significantly higher than those of normotensive children(0.473$\pm$0.213%), but salt threshold was lower in hypertensives(0.105$\pm$0.04%) than normotensives(0.081$\pm$0.022%) (p<0.05). INdices for assessing obesity, such as body weight, triceps skinfold, weight for heigth and body surface area, were high in hypertensive children than normotensive children(p<0.05). But there was no significant difference in energy and nutrient intakes between two groups. 5) Various anthropometric measurements had positive correlations with blood pressure, but body muscle mass(%) had a negative correlation with blood pressure. And daily energy and nutrient intakes were not related to blood pressure. 6) Blood pressures-both systolic and diastolic-were significantly correlated with urinary excretions of potassium and chloride. Daily sodium excretion was related to systolic blood pressure, but no related to diastolci blood pressure. There was no relationship of salt threshold to salt preference, and neither threshold nor preference was related to blood pressure. Results of this study suggest that nutrition education program for children including the information about desirable food habits for the prevention of hypertension should be developed.