BackgroundThe evidence from prospective studies on whether greater usual alcohol consumption is associated with a higher risk of death by suicide in the general population is inconclusive.Methods6163 participants (2635 men; 3528 women) in a 1985 survey among rural residents in Korea aged 55 years and above were followed until 2008. A Cox model was used to calculate HRs of suicide death after adjustment for demographic, socioeconomic and health-related confounders.Results37 men and 24 women died by suicide. Elderly persons who consumed alcohol daily, 70 g alcohol (5 drinks) or more per drinking day, or 210 g alcohol (15 drinks) or more per week had higher suicide mortality (p<0.05), compared with non-drinkers. An increase of one drinking day per week (HR=1.17, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.31), 70 g (5 drinks) additional alcohol intake per drinking day (HR=1.38, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.70), and 140 g (10 drinks) additional alcohol intake per week was associated with a 17%, 38% and 12% higher risk of suicide death, respectively. Women had a higher relative risk of suicide death associated with alcohol consumption, compared with men.ConclusionsA greater frequency and amount of usual alcohol consumption was linearly associated with higher suicide death. Given the same amount of alcohol consumption, women might have a higher relative risk of suicide than men. Our findings support ‘the lower the better’ for alcohol intake, no protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption, and a sex-specific guideline (lower alcohol threshold for women) as actions to prevent suicide death.

Purpose:The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of a local community based multi-factorial program for high-risk younger and older elderly people. Methods: The quasi-experimental research design (pretest-post test) was employed. Participants were recruited in Seoul and a total of 98 elders completed an 8-week multifactorial program for preventing frailty. Descriptive statistics, x 2 -test and GLM were used in the data analysis with SPSS/WIN 15.0. Results: The high-risk elderly people in the younger and older stages showed differences in IADL, TUG and BMI, and after being provided with the multi-factorial program for preventing frailty, some effects were shown on improving the total score of frailty, a physical function, TUG, BMI, depression, subjective feeling of health, and social interaction. Conclusion: The 8-week multi-factorial program for preventing frailty had positive effects on improving physical, emotional and social functions of the high-risk elderly people. It is necessary to evaluate the effects after individual intervention as well as group intervention and to evaluate the effects of the program by setting a control group in the future.

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Purpose:The purpose of this study was to identify effects of Artemisia A. Smoke(Ssukjahun) on primary dysmenorrhea. Method: This study was a pretestposttest design with a nonequivalent control group. Data were collected from May 1, 2007 to May 27, 2008. A total of 40 women with dysmenorrhea participated in the study. Among them, 20 women were assigned to an experimental group and the other 20 to a control group. Artemisia A. Smoke(Ssukjahun) was provided daily for 4 days, starting 7 days prior to next expected menses in the experimental group. The instruments used in this study included MDQ (Moos' Menstrual Distress Questionnaire) by Kim (1995), Visual Analogue Scale by Keele (1948), and PGF2α by urine. Result: The results of this study are as follows; The experimental group was lower than the control group in the degree of menstrual distress (t=5.25, p=0.000), intensity of dysmenorrhea (t=7.71, p=0.000), and prostaglandin F2α levels (t=4.56, p= 0.000). Conclusion: Artemisia A. Smoke (Ssukjahun) was proved as an effective nursing intervention to reduce dysmenorrhea in young women. Its convenience and accessibility may make it a useful intervention in nursing practice and education.

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