A longitudinal study of cognitive trajectories and its factors for Koreans aged 60 and over: A latent growth mixture model.

Objective: The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to identify cognitive trajectories of older Koreans in a population-based longitudinal panel survey and, second, to investigate the main characteristics of the identified heterogeneous classes of cognitive trajectories.

Methods: Data came from 2445 cognitively healthy persons aged 60 or older in the 2006 to 2012 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. Using Korean-mini mental status examination (K-MMSE) as a measure of global cognitive function, the latent growth mixture modeling approach examined potential heterogeneity of longitudinal changes over the 6 years.

Validation of the K6/K10 Scales of Psychological Distress and Their Optimal Cutoff Scores for Older Koreans.

This study aims to assess the psychometric properties of the Korean versions of the Kessler 6 and 10 (K-K6/K10) to validate the two scales in relation to the Korean versions of the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form (K-GDS-SF) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (K-CES-D) and to propose optimal cutoff scores appropriate for the elderly Korean population (n=331). Psychometric performance was assessed with sensitivity, specificity, receiver operating characteristic curves, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Cutoff scores were estimated from the Youden index, the closest-to-(0,1), and the balanced score.

Trends in income-related health inequalities in self-assessed health in Korea, 1998-2011.

This study assesses income-related health inequalities in self-assessed health (SAH) and its trend from 1998 to 2011 in Korea that covers important time periods of financial crisis and post-crisis. Data came from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1998 to 2011. A population-representative sample aged 46 years and older was analysed.

Comparative analysis on determinants of self-rated health among non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, and Asian American older adults.

The purpose of the study is (1) to compare the effects of factors on self-rated health (SRH) among older non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), Hispanic, and Asian Californians and (2) to provide estimated influence size of each factor on SRH. This study analyzed secondary data drawn from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey. Binary logit regressions were used to analyze data with the Jackknife replication sampling weights.

Blood alcohol concentrations among bar patrons: A multi-level study of drinking behavior.

This paper presents data from a study that collected observational data, survey data, and breath samples to estimate blood alcohol concentrations (BrAC) from patrons attending 30 bars. The study examines: (1) drinking behavior and settings prior to going to a bar; (2) characteristics of the bar where respondents are drinking; (3) person and environmental predictors of BrAC change (entrance to exit). Purposive sampling of bars that cater to young adults gave a sample of 30 bars.

Cultural values and caregiver preference for Mexican-American and non-Latino White elders.

This study examined caregiver preferences in the event of hip fracture between Mexican-American and non-Latino White elders. The differential effects of ethnicity and a cultural factor were also examined to elucidate the role of culture on caregiver preference.Data came from a cross-sectional survey of 89 Mexican-American and 30 non-Latino White elders.

Person and environment predictors of blood alcohol concentrations: a multi-level study of college parties.

Aims: This study builds upon previous research by assessing the relationship of breath blood alcohol concentrations (BrAC) to environmental and individual characteristics.

Design: We conducted a multi-level study of college parties. Our design included observational measures of party environments, a brief self-administered questionnaire, and the collection of breath samples from partygoers.

Environmental and individual predictors of error in field estimates of blood alcohol concentration: a multilevel analysis.

Objective: Using self-report survey data and measures of breath alcohol concentration (BrAC), this study examined the validity of an estimate of blood alcohol concentration (eBAC). Differences between eBAC and BrAC were modeled to identify sources of error related to survey-derived eBAC. Further, using hierarchical multilevel analyses, environmental event characteristics were examined as sources of eBAC error.

Preference for long-term care arrangement and its correlates for older Korean Americans.

Objective: Care preference is important for both client's satisfaction and quality of life in long-term care. This study examines preference for long-term care arrangement and its correlates for older Korean Americans.

Methods: Data on two disability scenarios of hip fracture and stroke from a cross-section survey of 144 older Korean Americans were used to examine preferred care arrangement in terms of caregiver and care location, using multinomial logistic regression.