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Background: Among the older adults, hearing impairment is a common problem and may contribute to dementia. Objective: Therefore, we aimed to examine the association between hearing impairment and the risk of dementia among older adults in South Korea. Methods: Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Senior Cohort from 2005 to 2019, we collected data of 44,728 patients. Hearing impairment was determined using the national disability registry. Propensity score matching (1:1) was performed to match patients with and without hearing impairment (case: 22,364, control: 22,364). A Cox proportional hazards regression model was built to analyze the association between hearing impairment and dementia. Results: Patients with hearing impairment had a higher risk of dementia than those without hearing impairment (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23–1.34). Assessing the degree of disability, both severe (HR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.16–1.35) and mild conditions (HR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.23–1.35) had an increased risk of dementia, respectively. Conclusions: Older patients with hearing impairment exhibit an increased risk of dementia, thereby warranting a new approach to dementia care among these patients regardless of the degree of hearing impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine whether significant associations exist between multicultural families and adolescent smoking risks in South Korea. Data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based survey from 2016 to 2020 were analyzed. Participants were classified into four family types (South Korean mother–foreign father, South Korean father–foreign mother, both foreign parents, and both South Korean parents) according to their parents' country of birth and smoking was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire. A logistic regression analysis was used to examine the significance of the associations. Overall, 194,259 participants (boys: 94,793, girls: 99,466) enrolled in this study. Adolescents whose parents were born overseas were more likely to smoke than native South Korean adolescents (boys: odds ratio [OR] = 2.61, confidence interval [CI] = 1.79–3.81, girls: OR 3.94, CI 2.42–6.43). When the mother's country of birth was a developing country, there was an increased likelihood of girls smoking, and there was an increased likelihood of smoking among boys when the mother's country of birth was North Korea. When both parents were born abroad, and the mother's country of birth was a developing country, the likelihood of smoking risks among their multicultural teenage children increased. Policies and interventions need to be established and implemented to lower the smoking rate among multicultural teenagers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies investigating the association between migraine and dementia have reported inconsistent findings. This study aimed to evaluate whether patients with migraine have an increased risk of dementia compared to individuals without migraine. Methods: We obtained data from the 2002–2019 Korean National Health Insurance Health Screening Cohort. Non-migraine controls were selected using a 1:1 risk-set matching with a time-dependent propensity score. The main outcome was the development of all-cause dementia, and the secondary outcome was the development of each cause of dementia (Alzheimer's, vascular, mixed or other specified, and unspecified dementia). The incidence rate of dementia was calculated using Poisson regression, and the association between migraine and dementia was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Among 88,390 participants, 66.1% were female, and the mean baseline age was 55.3 ± 9.4 years. During the study period, dementia cases were identified in 4,800 of the 44,195 patients with migraine and 3,757 of the 44,915 matched controls. The incidence rate of dementia was 139.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 135.7–143.5) and 107.7 (95% CI, 104.3–111.1) cases per 10,000 person-years in patients with migraine and matched controls, respectively. Patients with migraine had a 1.30 (hazard ratio [HR], 1.30; 95% CI, 1.25–1.35), 1.29 (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.23–1.35), 1.35 (HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.19–1.54), 1.36 (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.00–1.83), and 1.30 (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.17–1.45) times higher risk of developing all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's dementia, vascular dementia, mixed or other specified dementias, and unspecified dementia than their matched controls, respectively. Conclusion: Our results suggest that migraine is associated with an increased risk of subsequent dementia. Further research is warranted to confirm these findings and to reveal the underlying mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Smoking or weight loss is a risk of tuberculosis (TB) development. However, the impact of weight change after smoking cessation on the occurrence of TB remains elusive. We aimed to determine the relationship between weight change after smoking cessation and the risk of TB development. Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study using the national database in Republic of Korea. Of the 10,490,491 subjects who underwent health check-up in 2009, we enrolled 9,953,124 subjects without a previous TB history and followed them until 2017. We divided all study participants into the following three groups: never, former, and current smokers. The primary endpoint was newly developed TB. Results: Among 9,953,124 subjects analyzed, 5,922,845 (59.5%) were never smokers, 1,428,209 (14.4%) were former smokers, and 2,602,080 (26.1%) were current smokers. The risk of TB development was significantly higher in current smokers than in never smokers (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.158; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.131–1.186). Among current smokers, individuals who stopped smoking and maintained weight after baseline evaluation had a significantly lower risk of TB development compared with those who continued to smoke (aHR 0.771; 95% CI 0.741–0.892). However, even after smoking cessation, individuals who lost weight were at a significantly higher risk of TB development compared with those who continued to smoke (aHR 1.327; 95% CI 1.119–1.715). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that smoking is a risk factor for TB and weight maintenance (neither gaining or losing) after quitting smoking might reduce the risk of TB development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sleep problems increase the risk of premature illness and death. We evaluated the association between sedentary time and sleep quality among South Korean adults.Methods: The data of adults (aged ≥ 19 years) from the 2018 Korea Community Health Survey were analyzed. Sedentary time, which included hours spent sitting or lying down daily, was categorized into four standardized groups. Poor sleep quality was defined using the global cutoff point (> 5 points) of the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the association between sedentary time (≤ 3.9, 4.0-5.9, 6.0-7.9, and ≥ 8 hours /day) and sleep quality, by sex.Results: Of the 224,118 participants, 35,784/100,454 men (35.6%) and 58,271/123,664 women (47.1%) had poor sleep quality. Compared with ≤ 3.9 h/day, sedentary times 4.0-5.9, 6.0-7.9, and ≥ 8 h/day were associated with worse sleep quality among men (odds ratio [OR]: 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-1.16; OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.14-1.25; OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.25-1.34, respectively) and women (OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.03-1.10; OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.08-1.16; OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.18-1.26, respectively). In subgroup analyses of sleep quality, subjective sleep quality, latency, disturbance, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction showed a strong dose-response relationship with increasing sedentary time in both sexes.Conclusions: Regardless of sex, the longer the sedentary time, the stronger the association with poor sleep quality. Nationwide efforts are required to recommend standards for sedentary time and develop evidenced-based healthy behavior guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Housing is an important social determinant of health. We investigated effects of changes in housing tenure and affordability on depressive symptoms.Methods: Data of 9,956 individuals aged >20 years from the Korea Welfare Panel Study (2015-2020) were analyzed. Housing tenure was categorized as homeowners or tenants. Individuals with housing-related expenditures exceeding 30% of household income were defined as having housing unaffordability. Analyses using generalized estimating equations were conducted to evaluate the relationship between changes in housing tenure and affordability on depressive symptoms measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.Results: Individuals who became tenants (β = 0.326, p = 0.027) or were persistent tenants (β = 0.542, p<0.001) demonstrated significantly more severe depressive symptoms than persistent homeowners. Individuals with new (β = 0.562, p < 0.001) or consistent housing unaffordability (β = 1.032, p = 0.036) showed increased depressive symptoms compared with those with persistent housing affordability. Depressive symptoms were reduced in new homeowners and those who left housing unaffordability status (β = -0.807, p = 0.031). The interaction between housing tenure and affordability on depressive symptoms differed by age and household composition. Housing tenure at post-retirement age and single-person households were associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms, respectively.Limitations: All housing-related factors, especially different domains of housing insecurity including unstable neighborhoods or reasons for moving, have not been identified.Conclusions: Changes in housing tenure, affordability, and the two combined were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the degree of interactive effect varied among age groups and household composition. Housing welfare policies that can stabilize housing tenure and affordability might help prevent depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Arthritis can negatively affect physical and mental health, especially among middle-aged and older people. This study investigated the longitudinal association between changes in arthritis status and depressive symptoms among Korean adults aged ≥45 years.Methods: We analyzed data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging 2008-2018, using a generalized estimating equation model to investigate associations between arthritis status change and depressive symptoms, which were assessed using five categories according to measurements based on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10).Results: Both men and women whose arthritis status changed to "worse" or remained "same" scored higher for depressive symptoms than those who reported "no symptoms of arthritis" (men, worse = β: 1.07, P ≤ .001, same = β: 0.25 P = .031; women, worse = β: 0.99, P ≤ .001, same = β: 0.13, P = .049). Conversely, men with a "better" arthritis status (β: -0.71, P ≤ .001) and women with a "recovered" arthritis status (β: -0.56, P = .031) scored lower for depressive symptoms than those who reported "no symptoms of arthritis."Conclusions: Arthritis status changes are associated with depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older Koreans. Therefore, mental health evaluation and management interventions are recommended for patients with arthritis and changes in disease status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The smartphone usage time was associated with abnormal social jetlag in adolescents. • This association gradually increased as the smartphone usage time increased. • The COVID-19 pandemic significantly strengthened this relationship. • The association was prominent in female adolescents. This study aimed to use social jetlag to determine how smartphone overuse by adolescents before and after the COVID-19 pandemic might be associated with their circadian rhythm. We used 2017 and 2020 Korea Youth Risk Behavior web-based Survey data and conducted a survey analysis on 100,976 adolescents. The dependent variable was abnormal social jetlag. Based on the times recorded by the survey, we calculated the weekday midpoint and weekend sleep time. The main independent variable was smartphone usage time (<2h/day, 2–3.9 h/day, 4–5.9 h/day, and ≥ 6 h/day). Multiple logistic regression and relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) were performed. Abnormal social jetlag was most prevalent in male and female adolescents who used smartphones ≥ 6 h/day (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.60, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 2.47–2.74). The longer the smartphone usage time, the higher the association with abnormal social jetlag. This association was more prominent in female adolescents. The additive interaction between longer smartphone usage time and post-COVID-19 year was statistically significant (total: RERI = 0.92, 95 % CI = 0.90–0.95; males: RERI = 0.83, 95 % CI = 0.80–0.87; females: RERI = 1.13, 95 % CI = 1.08–1.18). Our results clearly indicated that increased smartphone usage time tended to result in greater social jetlag, an association that was more pronounced in female. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly strengthened this relationship. Further research is needed regarding the proper use of smartphones to ensure good sleep-in adolescents after the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]