As Koreans adopt more Westernized diets, consumer demands for processed food products are growing. The Korean government implemented a food labeling system to help people reasonably choose processed foods. This study investigated the utilization of these food labels among Koreans, as well as demographic differences between users and non-users of food labels, ultimately presenting foundational data for strategies to enhance dietary lifestyles by facilitating the use of food labeling. Data from the 2014-2017 Community Health Survey were used. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was performed to investigate whether food labeling awareness and utilization increase over time; a data mining technique called decision tree analysis was then used to examine the effects of sociodemographic factors on the use of food labeling for each of the 4 years. Food labeling awareness increased by 4.5% over 4 years; the Cochran-Armitage trend test showed that this increase was statistically significant (χ² = 1,068.21; P < 0.001). Food labeling utilization increased significantly but marginally, by 0.3%, over 4 years (χ² = 20.154; P < 0.001). Decision tree analysis showed that food labeling users comprised mainly women in their 30s-50s currently in graduate school or with a graduate degree; the non-user group comprised mainly divorced/widowed/separated people in their 70s who were elementary school grads or below. Education level, which could be related to health literacy, substantially affected the use of food labeling. Education level is a typical socioeconomic index, and if people who are less educated tend not to use food labeling, it can lead to health inequity. Thus, food labeling should be reformed with consideration of health literacy among the less-educated social classes. From a health communication perspective, images and pictures can boost consumers' understanding, which should be considered to improve comprehensibility of food labeling.

Choung JT, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2017 Jul;32(7):1077-1082. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2017.32.7.1077

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the causes of obesity among middle-ageed women in rural areas through a socio-ecological approach and propose strategies of obesity management. Methods: We selected two rural areas called the I and Y counties. For the quantitative aspect, secondary data and geospatial-analysis were used, whereas for the qualitative aspect, focus group interviews and official documents reviews were conducted. Results: Obesity was related more to low levels of physical activity (OR=1.811, p.01) than to high levels. Groups that utilized nutritioin labels less tended to be more obese (OR=1.564, p.05) than the other groups. The number of fast-food stores in the I county was twice as high as that in the Y county. The I county had poor conditions than the Y county in terms of public resources. The related factors could be divided in the following categories: (1) Body weight self-management; (2) Peers to exercise together; (3) Access to fresh food and exercise facility; (4) Health budget and lack of leisure programs. Conclusion: There were various obesity causes, and, thus, intervening one factor cannot be a proper solution. Therefore, a social-ecological approach should be utilized to address the obesity issues.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with a high readmission rate and poses a significant disease burden. South Korea initiated pilot projects on transitional care services (TCS) to reduce readmissions. However, evidence from cost-effectiveness analyses remains undiscovered. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of TCS in patients with COPD from the healthcare system’ perspective. Method: A cost-utility analysis was conducted using a Markov model containing six components of possible medical use after discharge. Transition probabilities and medical costs were extracted from the National Health Insurance Service Senior Cohort (NHIS-SC), and utility data were obtained from published literature. Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the results. Results: Conducting TCS produced an incremental quality-adjusted life years gain of 0.231, 0.275, 0.296 for those in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, respectively, and cost savings of $225.16, $1668, and $2251.64 for those in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, respectively, per patient over a 10-year time horizon. The deterministic sensitivity analysis indicated that the TCS cost and the cost of readmission by other diseases immensely impact the results. The probabilistic sensitivity analyses showed that the probability that the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio is below $23,050 was over 85%, 93%, and 97% for those in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, respectively. Conclusions: TCS was the dominant option compared to usual care. However, it is advantageous to the healthcare budget preferentially consider patients aged over 70 years with severe TCS symptoms. In addition, it is essential to include the management of underlying comorbidities in TCS intervention. Trial registration: Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS), KCT0007937. Registered on 24 November 2022

Objectives: There is an increase in the rate of obesity in South Korea as a result of changing dietary habits and decreasing physical activity. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between eating rate and obesity. Methods: Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted using raw data from the Korean Community Health Survey 2017 for Gangwon Province data to evaluate the relationship between eating rate and obesity. Results: Among men, the major factor affecting obesity was an eating rate of ≤0 min (odds ratio=1.16 (1.02, 1.33); p<.05). In women, factors affecting obesity were an eating rate of ≤0 min (odds ratio=1.14 (1.02, 1.28); p<.05), and irregular mealtimes (odds ratio=1.15 (1.02, 1.29); p<.05). Eating out was found to be a significantly important factor among both genders when participants eat-out once a day or less. Conclusion: Implementing simple strategies to improve dietary and lifestyle habits may assist in weight and obesity management. These findings provide useful information for developing future strategies in obesity prevention.