Background Observational studies and randomized controlled trials have yielded inconsistent findings about the association between the use of acid-suppressive drugs and the risk of pneumonia. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize this association. Methods We searched three electronic databases (MEDLINE [PubMed], Embase and the Cochrane Library) from inception to Aug. 28, 2009. Two evaluators independently extracted data. Because of heterogeneity, we used random-effects meta-analysis to obtain pooled estimates of effect. Results We identified 31 studies: five case–control studies, three cohort studies and 23 randomized controlled trials. A meta-analysis of the eight observational studies showed that the overall risk of pneumonia was higher among people using proton pump inhibitors (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11–1.46, I² 90.5%) and histamine₂ receptor antagonists (adjusted OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.09–1.36, I² 0.0%). In the randomized controlled trials, use of histamine₂ receptor antagonists was associated with an elevated risk of hospital-acquired pneumonia (relative risk 1.22, 95% CI 1.01–1.48, I² 30.6%). Interpretation Use of a proton pump inhibitor or histamine₂ receptor antagonist may be associated with an increased risk of both community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia. Given these potential adverse effects, clinicians should use caution in prescribing acid-suppressive drugs for patients at risk.

Background: Adolescence is a period during which physical, social, and mental abilities are rapidly developed, and during this time the family environment plays an important role. Differences in health behaviors, mental health, and academic achievement by family structure may affect future families, income, and employment. The purpose of the study was to investigate the association of family structure with health behaviors, mental health, and academic achievement in Korean adolescents. Method: Data from the 2018 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey were analyzed. The study sample was comprised of 59,096 adolescents. Logistic regression, t-tests, and a variance analysis of a complex sample general linear model were used to examine the association of family structure with health behaviors, mental health, and academic achievement. The significance level was set at P < 0.05. Results: Non-intact families (single-mother families, single-father families, and restructured families) had significantly higher odds of smoking a cigarette, drinking a sip of alcohol, internet use, physical activity, and sexual experience, and mental health issues such as depression, suicidal ideation, perceived stress, and poor perceived health status than intact families (two-parent families). Also, non-intact families were significantly related to low perceived academic achievement compared to intact ones. Conclusion: This study showed that family structure is a significant factor in adolescent health behavior, mental health, and perceived academic achievement. Adolescents who experience a transition in their family structure may be more vulnerable to health risks and exhibit lower academic achievement than those in an intact family.

This study investigated the effect of applying a customized diabetes education program through pattern management (PM), using continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) results, on individual self-care behaviors and self-efficacy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients with type 2 diabetes who had never received diabetes education, enrolled from March to September 2017, were sequentially assigned to either PM education or control groups. In the PM education group, the CGMS test was first conducted one week before diabetes education and repeated three times by PM in order to obtain data on self-care behaviors and self-efficacy. These results were then compared before and after education at three and six months. The control group received the traditional diabetes education. Self-efficacy showed statistically significant interactions between the two groups over time, indicating a significant difference in the degree of self-efficacy between the PM education and control groups. Diabetes education by PM using CGMS result analysis improved life habits with a positive influence on self-care behaviors and self-efficacy for diabetes management. Further studies are needed to further develop and apply individual diabetes education programs in order to sustain the effects of self-care behaviors and self-efficacy in patients with diabetes who experience a decrease in self-efficacy after three months of education.

Background: The prevalence of Korean adolescents with depression was 25.1% in 2017, and the suicide rate among Korean teens increased from 4.2 deaths per 100,000 in 2015 to 4.9 deaths per 100,000 in 2016, suggesting that a high prevalence of depression and suicide among adolescents is a serious social problem in South Korea. Owing to the rapid growth of e-cigarettes in the last several years, it is important for research on smoking and mental health to distinguish different uses of tobacco products. Objectives: To examine the relationship between depression and suicidality among Korean adolescents, classified into nonusers, conventional-cigarette-only users, e-cigarette-only users, and dual users. Methods: Data were examined from the 2017 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. The study included 62,276 students. A multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the association of depression and suicidality with electronic and conventional cigarette use. Results: There were significant differences among the users: dual users had a higher prevalence of depression and suicidality for both lifetime and current use; e-cigarette-only users had higher levels of depression and suicidality than nonusers; and among female adolescents, conventional-cigarette-only users, e-cigarette-only users, and dual users had a higher prevalence of depression and suicidality than male adolescents. Conclusions: This is the first study to assess the association of depression and suicidality with conventional and e-cigarette use using a nationally representative Korean adolescent sample. These findings suggest an urgent need for evaluation of and intervention for e-cigarette use by health professionals providing smoking cessation programs for adolescents.

The increasing use of new and emerging tobacco products has raised public health concern worldwide. This study aimed to assess the association between tobacco product use and the risk of allergic diseases. We used cross-sectional data of 58,336 students aged 12–18 years from the 2018 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey. This study considered three tobacco products, namely cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), and heated tobacco products. Descriptive analyses, as well as simple and multinomial logistic regression analyses with a complex sampling design, were performed. Multiple tobacco use had an association with the risk of each allergic disease. Use of each tobacco product was significantly associated with an increased risk of multi-morbidity of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis. Furthermore, lifetime use of each tobacco product was associated with the prevalence of atopic dermatitis. This highlights the importance of paying close attention to smoking by adolescents and its association with allergy epidemics. Future research should consider intensity of smoking and/or severity of allergic symptoms.

We examined the relationship between Problematic Internet Use (PIU), sleep (sleep satisfaction, sleep duration), and experience of oral disease symptoms in Korean adolescents by gender. This cross-sectional study utilized the 6th (2010) Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. Participants comprised 74,980 students from 400 middle schools and 400 high schools nationwide. Among these, 73,238 students from 799 schools (38,391 boys, 34,847 girls, aged 13–18 years) were included in the analysis (inclusion rate = 97.7%). Multiple logistic regression and analysis of moment structures (AMOS) analyses were performed to identify meaningful relationships between the three factors. The “high risk group” of problematic internet usage had increased experience of oral disease symptoms (boys: adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.63–2.28, girls: AOR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.50–2.63) compared to the general group. Boys who used the Internet for “5–6 h” had a higher risk of oral disease symptoms compared to those who used it for “less than 1 h” (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.01–1.53); however, this difference was not significant in Models II and III. For girls, the risk of 5–6 h of use (Model I: OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.40–2.04) was higher than that of the boys. In addition, the difference was significant in Models II and III for girl students who used the Internet for 5–6 h. In subgroup analysis, the high-risk group had a higher odds ratio for mild symptoms of bad breath to severe symptoms such as sore and bleeding gums. In addition, in the path analysis, PIU affected sleep and indirectly affected oral health. Direct and indirect causal relationships between the three factors were confirmed. Therefore, it is important to recognize that PIU can have a detrimental effect on mental, physical, and oral health.