Objectives: This study evaluated the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) according to the number of metabolic syndrome (MetS) components. Methods: Using health checkup and insurance claims data of 6,365,409 subjects, the occurrence of CRC according to stage of MetS by sex was determined from the date of the health checkup in 2009 until December 31, 2018. Results: Cumulative incidence rates (CIR) of CRC in men and women was 3.9 and 2.8 per 1000 (p < 0.001), respectively. CIR of CRC for the normal, pre-MetS, and MetS groups in men was 2.6, 3.9, and 5.5 per 1000 (p < 0.001) and CIR in women was 2.1, 2.9, and 4.5 per 1000 (p < 0.001), respectively. Compared with the normal group, the hazard ratio (HR) of CRC for the pre-MetS group was 1.25 (95% CI 1.17–1.33) in men and 1.09 (95% CI 1.02–1.17) in women, and the HR of CRC for the MetS group was 1.54 (95% CI 1.43–1.65) in men and 1.39 (95% CI 1.26–1.53) in women after adjustment. Conclusions: We found that MetS is a risk factor for CRC in this study. Therefore, the prevention and active management of MetS would contribute to the prevention of CRC.

The working environment of nurses contains numerous hazards that can be particularly harmful to pregnant women. In addition, pregnancy-induced changes can themselves cause discomfort. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze pregnant nurses’ experiences of clinical work. This qualitative study analyzed data collected through in-depth interviews. From January to June in 2020, 12 shift-work nurses who had experienced pregnancy within three years were interviewed. The main question was “Could you describe your clinical work experience during pregnancy?” Qualitative data from field notes and transcriptions of the interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. Six categories were extracted that described the nurses’ clinical work experience during pregnancy, as follows: “enduring alone,” “organizational characteristics of nursing,” “risky work environment,” “strengths that sustain work during pregnancy,” “growth as a nurse,” and “methods to protect pregnant nurses.” Pregnant nurses experienced various difficulties due to physical and mental changes during pregnancy, and the clinical working environment did not provide them with adequate support. The findings of this study will be helpful for developing and implementing practical maternity protection policies and work guidelines.

Hearing loss is considered one of the most common symptoms of aging worldwide, and age-related hearing loss is one of the three major chronic illnesses that affect older adults. This study examined social isolation among age-related hearing loss patients and its influencing factors. This cross-sectional descriptive study collected data from older adults with hearing loss from March 2019 to February 2020 at a university hospital. Social isolation, subjective hearing handicap, and communication-related life satisfaction were measured using a structured questionnaire. Objective hearing function was evaluated using an audiometer (Madsen Asterao 2). The independent t test, one-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist was used for reporting this study. Almost half (49.9%) of 203 age-related hearing loss patients aged 60 to 92, with a mean age of 71.6 ± 7.95 years, experienced social isolation. Factors predicting social isolation were communication-related life satisfaction (P < .001), religiosity (P = 001), experience using hearing aids (P = .006), and subjective hearing handicap (P = .047). The explanatory power of the model was 58.2%. Interventions to reduce social isolation among age-related hearing loss patients should be implemented in an effort to develop effective, appropriate, and comprehensive strategies targeting this high-risk group.

This study aims to identify and synthesize recent literature on the effect and strategies of flipped learning in the health professions education. Participant–intervention-comparator-outcome (PICO) strategies were used to identify articles from published peer-reviewed papers from January 2017 to March 2020 in Korea Med, Korean Citation Index, National Digital Science Library, and Korean Studies Information Service System. Of the 83 screened articles, 10 published articles met all the inclusion criteria. Most of articles targeted nursing students and focused on practicum classes. The effects of flipped learning were measured based on satisfaction, self-motivated learning, information literacy, and critical thinking disposition. Further, pre-class, in-class, and post-class activities were analyzed. The findings revealed that flipped learning improved class performance, overall evaluation, self-motivated learning, self-efficacy, and problem-solving abilities. The study suggests implementing a tailored flipped learning design based on class characteristics and appropriate post-class activities for enhancing students’ learning abilities.

This study aimed to identify the level of mothers’ smartphone dependency and determine its correlation with preschoolers’ problem behavior and emotional intelligence. From 1 November to 30 December 2020, 141 mothers of preschool children (aged three to six years) were recruited to complete questionnaires that assessed their smartphone dependency and their child’s problem behavior and emotional intelligence. The result revealed that the younger the mother and the higher the perception of boredom in daily living, the higher was the level of her smartphone dependency. Maternal smartphone dependency was also significantly correlated with the aggression, oppositional, and emotional instability subscales of the tool assessing children’s problem behavior. To prevent problem behaviors among preschoolers, strategies to reduce mothers’ smartphone dependency are needed.

This study aimed to identify post-traumatic growth and successful aging and the mediating effects of resilience and intolerance of uncertainty in breast cancer survivors. This study employed a descriptive survey approach. Data were collected from 143 breast cancer survivors between 27 January and 10 December 2021, at a cancer center in Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. SPSS/WIN 25.0 and PROCESS Macro version 3.5 were used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics were analyzed with SPSS. PROCESS was used to conduct a mediation analysis and the significance of the mediating effect was evaluated using 95% confidence intervals. Successful aging was significantly associated with post-traumatic growth, resilience, and the intolerance of uncertainty. The impact of post-traumatic growth on successful aging was mediated by resilience in breast cancer survivors. Resilience should be considered when developing nursing interventions to enhance post-traumatic growth and promote successful aging in breast cancer survivors.