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Yun Mi Song 6 Articles
Socioeconomic Differentials in Mortality: A Cohort Study in 759,665 Korean men.
Yun Mi Song
Korean J Epidemiol. 1998;20(2):219-225.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND
The relationship between Socioeconomic status(SES) and mortality, commonly studied in the developed countries but not in the less developed countries, was evaluated in a cohort of 759,665 Korean male public servants aged 30-64.
METHODS
Data on the biological and social characteristics, SES defined as the grade of monthly salary were obtained from the Korea Medical Insurance Corporation. Vital status of the study subjects was followed-up from 1992 to 1996 through the dataset of the Korea National Statistical Office. The risk of ortality associated with SES was estimated using Cow proportional hazard model.
RESULTS
There were total 13,330 deaths during the five-year follow-up period. Lowest-SES group had significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality compared to the highest-SES group(Relative risk [RR]: 1.52). Mortality from cancer(RR=1.19) and cerebrovascular disease(RR=1.58) were also significantly increased in the lowest SES group. Mortality from ischemic heart desease, however, had no relationship with SES.
CONCLUSIONS
Socioeconomic differentials in mortality were reconfirmed in Korean men. The differences in the relationship between mortality and SES according to the specific cause of death suggest that SES influence health through the various pathways.
Summary
The Relationship Between Cholesterol Level and Mortality in Korean Women.
Yun Mi Song, Joo Hon Sung, Jai Jun Byeon, Joung Soon Kim, Oh Young Park
Korean J Epidemiol. 1997;19(2):131-146.
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AbstractAbstract PDF
Abstract
BACKGROUND
There were many efforts to evaluate the relationship between cholesterol and mortality. But almost all of them have been performed on male western people who have higher mean cholesterol concentration than oriental people and have different disease pattern from women's. So, upto now, the relationship of cholesterol to mortality in women with low cholesterol concentration was not well known. We carried out this study to investigate the relationship in Korea women whose mean cholesterol level was lower than that of western people and men.
METHOD
Study subjects included in were 100,363 Korean women aged 30-65 years. They undertook multiphasic health examination provided by Korea Medical Insurance Corporation between March 1990 and July 1990, and had no history of cancer and no significant medical illnesses which could change blood cholesterol level. Study subjects were followed for 5.5 years until December 1995 and it was determined whether each subject was dead or alive using the mortality data from the Korea National Statistical office and the Korea Medical Insurance Corporation. Nonlinear ralationship between serum total cholesterol and mortality was investigated with the use of quadratic regression and with dummy variables using the 158-180mg/dl group as the comparison group. To analyzing the relationship between cholesterol concentra-tion and mortality with controlling for age, smoking, alcohol drinking, exercise, diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, pay level, Cox propor-tional hazard model was used.
RESULT
During the follow-up period, there were 369 deaths. Mean cholesterol concentration of study subjects was 182.8mg/dl There was no significant association between serum cholesterol and total mortality, but women with cholesterol concentrations below 130mg/dl showed slightly increased risk of death(RR=1.20). Cholesterol had an inverse relationship with mortality from stroke, and women with cholesterol concentrations below 130mg/dl had higher risk of death from stroke(RR=3.28). Although there was no statistical significance,risk of mortality from hemorrhagic stroke in women with very low cholesterol concentration was markedly higher than in women with cholesterol concentrations above 130mg/dl. Mortality relationship with cholesterol. And women with cholesterol concentrations higher than 203mg/dl had abruply increased risk for death from ischemic heart disease.
CONCLUSION
Through this study, we could observe an inverse J shaped relationship between cholesterol concentration and mortality in Korean women. The increased risk of mortality from hemorrhagic stroke in people with very low cholesterol concentration supports the previous report which proposed low cholesterol level as a significant risk factor of hemorrhagic stroke. In spite of the lack of statistical signi-ficance, greately increased risk of mortality from ischemic heart disease in people with cholesterol higher than 203mg/dl suggests that cholesterol concentration at the upper end of distribution can be a significant risk factor of ischemic heart disease in women.
Summary
The Accuracy of Self-Reported Weight and Height.
Yun Mi Song, Jong Lull Yoon
Korean J Epidemiol. 1995;17(2):257-268.
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Abstract
The use of self reported height and weight is very common in epidemiologic studies and clinical settings. In this study we assessed the accuracy of selfreported weight, height and body mass index by comparing with measured data. Data were obtained from 1065 persons(657 men, 358 women) who visited a health care center for routine medical check-up during the period September 1994-February 1995. The correlation between reported and measured height and weight was very strong. There were some discrepancies between two data, however, and men and women differ ed somewhat in their pattern of misreporting. Weight was overestimated by 0.27kg in men and underestimated by 0.09kg in wo men whereas height was overestimated in men(0.88cm) and women(2.15cm). These misreported data resulted in an underestimation of body mass index and low sensitivity for diagnosing overweight in men and women. The size of error was larger in women than in men. So it suggests that the self reported height and weight data could be used as a continuous variable with little error, but misclassification could be occured when the self reported data were used as a categorical variable. Errors in self reported weight and height, BMI were related to a person's over-weight status. The more people overweighed the more they underestimated their weight. Educational level and age, exercise, marri age had no relationship with the accuracy of self reported data. In conclusion, the use of self reported weight and height in epidemiologic studies and clinical settings could result underestimation of obesity, especially in obese female group.
Summary
A study on the health status of the inhabitants exposed to cementdust.
Hae Kwan Cheong, Joung Soon Kim, Byung Soon Choi, Chung Bum Kim, Sung Il Cho, Yun Mi Song, Hyun Sul Lim
Korean J Epidemiol. 1992;14(1):59-69.
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Abstract
A health impact of environmental cement dust exposure among inhabitants around a cement factory was carried out with special emphasis on finding bronchial asthma cases in this area. Questionnaire survey and physical examination were done on 437 persons in two villages located within 1km distance from the cement factory. On the basis of questionnaire survey and physical examination, 56 persons with suspicion of bronchial asthma were screened, who were further examined to establish diagnosis by physical examination, pulmonary function test and bronchodilator test.
Results
are as follows : 1. Inhabitants in surveyed area had high prevalence of acute and chronic diseases, particularly respiratory diseases and dermatologic diseases. 2. Respiratory symptoms complained were sputum(23.9%), cough(23.0%), dyspnea(19.1%), chest tightness(14.6%), and wheezy breath sound(13.1%). On physical examination, pterygium(29.5%), decreased breath sound(3.0%), wheezing(3.3%), and rales(2.7%) were found. 3. On diagnostic examination, 32 cases (prevalence rate 7.3%) of bronchial asthma and 10 current cases (prevalence rate 2.3%) of bronchial asthma were confirmed. Thus it is postulated that high prevalence of bronchial asthma and respiratory diseases in this area may be related to environmental exposure to the cement dust. Further study, however, such as bronchial provocation test may be necessary to establish definite conclusion on causal relationship between bronchial asthma and environmental cement dust exposure.
Summary
Avoidable' causes of death in Korea 1982-1991.
Yun Mi Song, Chang Yup Kim
Korean J Epidemiol. ;15(2):160-172.
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Abstract
For the basic study of the impact of qulaity of health care services on the health status of population, mortality from potentially avoidable causes of death in Korea for the period of 1982-1991 was analyzed, based on a list which was revised from the original version by Rutstein et al(1976). The conditions listed were suggested to serve as negative indicatiors of the quality care services provided to target populations. Data for analysis were from the Annual Report on the Causes of Death Statistics 1982-1991 by the Korea National Statistical Office. In 1991, 24.9% of death were classified as avoidable. There was large decline for avoidable causes of death by 37.4% of 1982. Mortality from all other causes, however, showed a smaller decline of 24.6%. Mortality from avoidable causes decreased more remarkably for male than female. As for age groups, decrease in avoidable deaths was more prominent than unavoidable deaths in the population of age more than 65 years, while in younger age groups deaths due to unavoidable causes were more sharply decreased. The most rapidly declined cause of mortality was acute respiratory disease, and nutritional deficiency, pneumonia and influenza, meningitis, and hypertension showed similar decreasing tendencies. Among causes, mortality from epilepsy and rheumatic diseases was not so markedly lessened. In Korea, compared to other developed countries, the rate of decrease in deaths from avoidable causes was rather lower. Additional analyses, however, should be performed for more valid information on the features of mortality patterns, offer validation of existing mortaling data. In the consecutive studies, the change of health services factors would be correlated with mortality changes.
Summary
Spouse concordance of plasma cholesterol, blood pressure and body mass index.
Yun Mi Song, Jung Soon Kim
Korean J Epidemiol. ;15(2):149-159.
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AbstractAbstract PDF
Abstract
To know the role of environmental factors upon the blood concordance for those factors. 20-29 years. And it was highest and significant for the spouse pairs married over 30 years 2. Concordance for hypertension was significantly positive for spouse pairs. Degree of concordance increased with the increase of the duration of marriage except for the spouse pairs married over 30 years. And it was highest and significant for the spouse pairs married for 10-29 years. 3. Concordance for body mass index was significantly positive (P<0.05) for spouse pairs. Degree of concordance increased with the increase of the duration of marriage except for the spouse pairs married over 30 years. And it was highest and significant for the spouse pairs married for 20-29 years. The data presented here suggested some environmental effect on serum cholesterol, blood pressure and obesity, although it was very little and appeared after long period.
Summary

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