Does Drinking Culture Induce Problematic Alcohol Use? Evidence From a Military Representative Survey in Korea.

Objective: To examine the relationship between problematic alcohol use and contributing factors among Korean professional soldiers.

Methods: Cross-sectional data of 2,646 participants collected by 2014 military-wide representative health survey was analyzed. Multivariate logistic models were used to identify contributing factors for problematic alcohol use.

Complementing conventional infectious disease surveillance with national health insurance claims data in the Republic of Korea.

Surveillance remains an important tool for timely outbreak detection and response. Many countries, including Korea, have established national infectious disease surveillance systems with clinical notification. We aimed to evaluate the National Health Insurance Claims-based Surveillance (NHICS) compared to conventional passive report-based National Infectious Diseases Surveillance (NIDS).

The Infectivity of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Korean Army Units: Evidence from Outbreak Investigations.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) causes substantial health burden to the Korean military. This study aims to assess the impact of infectious TB cases on close and casual contacts in the Korean Army settings based on contact investigation data.

Methods: Six Army units with infectious TB cases from September 2012 to May 2013 were enrolled in the study.

Malaria control and chemoprophylaxis policy in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces for the previous 20 years (1997-2016).

Background: Vivax malaria reemerged along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Republic of Korea (ROK), in 1993. While it was hypothesized that vivax malaria would spread throughout the peninsula, nearly all cases were due to exposure near the DMZ. To reduce spillover of vivax malaria to the civilian community, the ROK Ministry of National Defense (MND) initiated malaria prevention policies including a large-scale chemoprophylaxis programme in malaria high-risk areas in 1997.

Social capital as a key determinant of willingness to join community-based health insurance: a household survey in Nepal.

Objectives: Although community-based health insurance (CBHI) schemes have been considered as an intermediate stage to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) in low-resource settings, there is a knowledge gap on ways to make it better.

Study Design: More than 4000 Nepalese households were randomly selected and surveyed.

Methods: Logistic and multivariate multinomial regressions were estimated.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Malaria Chemoprophylaxis and Early Diagnosis for Korean Soldiers in Malaria Risk Regions.

Background: Chemoprophylaxis has been used to prevent malaria among soldiers and secondary transmission, as it effectively facilitates a decline in disease occurrence and secondary prevention. However, poor compliance and decreased risk of exposure to malaria necessitate that control strategies be reestablished.

Methods: To predict the incidence of malaria according to a control strategy, we proposed a mathematical model for its transmission using epidemiological data from 2010 to 2012.

Occupational Risk of Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Health Workers of 14 Military Hospitals.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a known occupational risk to health workers. Identifying risk factors in health care settings is critical to the prevention of TB for health workers and patients. In 2014, we carried out a TB screening and survey for 902 health workers from 14 selected military hospitals to determine the prevalence rate of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) as well as occupational risk factors.

Urologic Diseases in Korean Military Population: a 6-year Epidemiological Review of Medical Records.

We sought to describe the incidence rate of the urologic disease in the Korean military by reviewing diagnoses made in active duty soldiers from 2008 to 2013. A total of 72,248 first visits were generated in the Defense Medical Statistics Information System (DMSIS) with its gradually increasing trend over 6 years. A sharp increase of first visit was observed after implementation of the regular health check-up for all conscripted soldiers since 2013.

Syndromic Surveillance System for Korea-US Joint Biosurveillance Portal: Design and Lessons Learned.

Driven by the growing importance of situational awareness of bioterrorism threats, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States have constructed a joint military capability, called the Biosurveillance Portal (BSP), to enhance biosecurity. As one component of the BSP, we developed the Military Active Real-time Syndromic Surveillance (MARSS) system to detect and track natural and deliberate disease outbreaks. This article describes the ROK military health data infrastructure and explains how syndromic data are derived and made available to epidemiologists.

Clinical Characteristics and Factors Influencing the Occurrence of Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia in Korean Military Personnel.

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) is an uncommon inflammatory lung disease, and limited data exist concerning the clinical characteristics and factors that influence its occurrence. We retrospectively reviewed the records of AEP patients treated at Korean military hospitals between January 2007 and December 2013. In total, 333 patients were identified; their median age was 22 years, and all were men.

Do Working Hours and Type of Work Affect Obesity in South Korean Female Workers? Analysis of the Korean Community Health Survey.

Background: The prevalence of obesity and the female labor participation rate have been rapidly increasing in South Korea. To examine the relationship between these factors, we investigated the association between timing and type of work and obesity in the Korean female working population.

Methods: Data collected by the 2008 Community Health Survey (CHS) were analyzed using a complex, stratified, multistage, probability cluster sampling method.

Vaccination policy in Korean armed forces: current status and future challenge.

Infectious diseases have historically resulted in suspended or cancelled military operations. Vaccination for disease prevention is a critical component of the military's force readiness doctrine. Until recently, Korea had not recognized the importance of vaccinating military personnel.

Influence of illness and unhealthy behavior on health-related early retirement in Korea: Results from a longitudinal study in Korea.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of illness and unhealthy behavior on early retirement due to health problems (ERdHP) using Korean longitudinal data.

Methods: This study used data collected from 3,508 subjects enrolled in the first to fourth phases of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA). This study was conducted from 2006 to 2012 using structured questionnaires on retirement, morbidities, and health-related behaviors.