ObjectivesThe present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of and factors associated with H1N1 preventive behaviors in a community-based population.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in three urban and two rural communities in Korea. Interviews were conducted with 3462 individuals (1608 men and 1854 women) aged ≥ 19 years during February–March 2010. Influenza-related information including anxiety, preventive behaviors and their perceived effectiveness, vaccination status, past influenza-like illness symptoms, and sources of and trust in information was obtained.ResultsAmong 3462 participants, 173 reported experiencing influenza-like illness symptoms within the past 12 months. The mean H1N1 preventive behavior score was 25.5 ± 5.5 (out of a possible 40). The percent of participants reporting high perceived effectiveness and high anxiety was 46.2% and 21.4%, respectively. After controlling for potential confounders, H1N1 preventive behavior scores were predicted by a high (β = 3.577, p < 0.001) or moderate (β = 2.529, p < 0.001) perception of their effectiveness. Similarly, moderate (β = 1.516, p < 0.001) and high (β = 4.103, p < 0.001) anxiety scores predicted high preventive behavior scores.ConclusionEffective methods of promoting population behavior change may be nationwide campaigns through mass media, as well as education and promotion by health care providers and broadcasters.

BackgroundAbdominal obesity predisposes individuals to cardiovascular disease, but the data in adults with normal body mass index (BMI) are relatively rare. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of subjects with normal BMI and abdominal obesity and to identify the relationship between central obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in normal BMI adults in Korea.MethodsTen thousands six hundred thirty-four adults with BMI between 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2 who participated in the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included. Abdominal obesity was defined as a waist circumference of ≥90 cm in males and ≥85 cm in females. Through logistic regression, we analyzed the factors influencing abdominal obesity and the relationship between abdominal obesity and cardiovascular risk factors.ResultsThe prevalence of abdominal obesity in adults with normal BMI was 6.9% for males and 7.7% for females, and this prevalence tended to increase with age. When adjusted for age and BMI, daily excessive alcohol consumption increased the risk of abdominal obesity in adults of normal weight. Women with lower socioeconomic status and men in need of walking exercise also had a higher risk of abdominal obesity. In the model adjusted for age and BMI, abdominal obesity was associated with fasting glucose intolerance and diabetes in men and hypertriglyceridemia and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in women.ConclusionCardiovascular risk factors were associated with abdominal obesity in Korean adults with normal BMI. These results suggest that more careful management of abdominal obesity in those with normal weight is necessary.

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OBJECTIVES:Responses to health-related items on the Community Health Survey (CHS) provide evidence that is used to develop community-based health policy. This study aimed to assess the test-retest reliability of selected health behavioral items on the CHS according to item category, response period, and response scale.METHODS:A sample of 159 men and women 20 to 69 years of age participated in a test-retest with an interval of 14 to 21 days. A total of 28 items relating to smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and weight control, and mental health were selected. We evaluated the test-retest reliability of the items using kappa statistics.RESULTS:Kappa values ranged from 0.44 to 0.93. Items concerning habits had higher kappa values (mean, 0.7; standard error, 0.05) than items concerning awareness or attitudes (p=0.012). The kappa value of items with two- to four-point scales was 0.63, which was higher than the value of 0.59 for items with scales involving five or more points, although this difference was not statistically significant. Different kappa values were observed for each reference period, but no statistically significant differences were noted.CONCLUSIONS:The test-retest reliability of the CHS items that we studied was associated with item category. Further study of the relationship between item category and reliability in domains other than health behaviors is required.