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OBJECTIVE: To propose directions for future research on menopause, we analyzed and critiqued 158 studies on the menopausal experience of a group of Korean women. In this paper, we take a feminist stance that the menopausal experience of Asian women does not come from pure biology, but from their continuous interactions with their environment. DESIGN: Systemic review. SETTING: NA. POPULATION: Menopausal Korean women. INTERVENTIONS: An extensive literature search on menopause in Korean women was conducted using the MEDLINE and MELVYL data retrieval systems. Korean literature was searched through four major university libraries in South Korea. A total of 158 studies were reviewed, and the collected articles were analyzed and critiqued in terms of biases present in the research process. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Issues in conceptualization included biomedical oriented perspectives and underlying assumptions and language differences. Issues related to research methods included inadequate instruments, passive relationships between researchers and research participants, culturally inappropriate communication style, inadequate study designs, limited contextuality, and homogeneous research participants. Issues related to interpretation of results included misinterpretation of symptoms and communication of study findings. The analyses of research on the menopausal experience of Korean women indicate limitations of the research process from conceptualization to interpretation. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The analyses of research on the menopausal experience of Korean women indicate limitations of the research process from conceptualization to interpretation. This suggests that interpretation, understanding, and generalization of the findings of the previous studies on menopausal experience of Asian women during menopausal transition should be undertaken with caution. [CINAHL abstract] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of otitis media and other otolaryngologic disorders in children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) compared to those without OSA in a large cohort., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was carried within the US Collaborative Network within TriNetX. The OSA group was defined by ICD-10 code G47.33 and non-OSA group excluded patients with OSA. Both groups were required to have a CPT code for an outpatient visit to act as a control: 99202-99215. Propensity score matching for age, sex, and race was performed. Prevalence of otitis media (ICD-10H65, H66), chronic otitis media (ICD-10H66.1, H66.2, H66.3, H65.2, H65.3, and H65.4), tympanostomy (CPT 69433, 69436), adenoidectomy (CPT 42830, 42831), tonsillectomy (CPT 42825, 42826), adenotonsillectomy (CPT 42820, 42821), and allergic rhinitis (ICD-10 J30.9) were compared in this cohort., Results: Propensity score matching yielded 165,665 (M = 95949, F = 69901) patients with a mean age of 10.7 (SD = 4.07) for each cohort. Children with OSA were 1.27x and 3.86x more likely to be diagnosed with otitis media and chronic otitis media, respectively (P<.0001). They were 3.81x more likely to undergo a tympanostomy (P<.0001). Children with OSA were 4.1x, 18.2x, and 24.7x more likely undergo an adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy, and adenotonsillectomy, respectively (P<.0001). Children with OSA were also 2.03x as likely to have a diagnosis of allergic rhinitis (P<.0001)., Conclusion: Children with OSA experience otitis media and related surgical intervention more than children without OSA. Since allergic rhinitis and adenoid hypertrophy are contributors to both OSA and AOM, their increased prevalence in children with OSA may explain their increased frequency of AOM., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A number of studies on cancer pain have been conducted but the researchers rarely considered gender and ethnic differences in cancer pain. In this article, nursing research on cancer pain is critiqued from a feminist perspective, and directions for future nursing research are proposed. A total of 82 nursing articles published in the United States were retrieved through MEDLINE and MELVYL data retrieval systems, and analyzed and critiqued in terms of four basic elements of research from a feminist perspective (bias as resources, dependability, credibility and adequacy, and intersubjectivity). In this article, the critique is presented with four themes that may provide reasons why nursing research on cancer pain rarely incorporated gender and ethnic differences: absence of participants' own views and experiences, androcentrism and ethnocentrism, lack of consideration on contextual factors, and distant relationships between researchers and research participants. To overcome the limitations, six critical elements including gender and ethnic sensitivity, avoidance of distorted views, respectfor participants' own views and interests, trust and openness, empowerment, and multiple methods are suggested to be incorporated in future nursing research on cancer pain.

The purpose of the study was to explore women's own needs for and attitudes toward physical activity among Korean immigrant women in the US using feminist approach and transition theory. This was a cross-sectional study consisting of quantitative and qualitative phases. Using convenience sampling methods, 54 Korean immigrant women were recruited for the quantitative phase, and 15 women among them were recruited for the qualitative phase. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis. The findings indicated that the women's needs for and attitudes toward physical activity were influenced by the contexts of their culture and immigration, and deeply associated with the women's daily experiences. Some implications for future research and nursing practice are proposed based on the findings.

Purpose: To describe how Korean immigrant women tend to describe their work experiences within their daily lives and how they relate their work to the symptoms experienced during midlife., Design: Cross-sectional study using methodological triangulation. Using a convenience sampling method, 119 Korean immigrant women were recruited for the quantitative phase, and 21 among the 119 women were recruited for the qualitative phase. Data were collected using both questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS: The symptoms that the women experienced during midlife were influenced by their work experience, which was complicated by their cultural heritage, gender issues embedded in their daily lives, and immigration transition., Implications: Complexities and diversities in women's work need to be incorporated in menopausal studies.

The symptoms experienced during menopausal transition of a vulnerable group of women, low income Korean immigrants, are described in this paper. The findings demonstrated that (a) the types of the symptoms that the women reported were different from those reported by Western women; (b) the women tended to normalize their symptoms; and (c) their symptom experience was influenced by immigration transition and its contextual variables. We suggest that symptom experience of immigrant women during menopausal transition be understood within the contexts of their immigration transition, and that their own views of normality of the menopausal transition be respected.

Purpose: To extend the previous model of transitions by including the experiences of low-income Korean immigrant women in the United States during their menopausal transition. The extension results in a situation-specific theory of Korean immigrant women's menopausal transition., Design: Findings from a study of menopausal transition among Korean immigrant women were used as a main source for modification of the conceptual properties of transitions, conditions shaping the transitions, and indicators of healthy transitions. The study was cross-sectional with methodologic triangulation. Quantitative analysis was based on data from 119 first-generation Korean immigrant women who engaged in low-status or low-income work outside their homes; qualitative study using theoretical sampling method included 21 women., Methods: Analyses included descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis. Integrative conceptual analysis using deductive and inductive reasoning was conducted to determine modifications in theory based on the descriptions of menopausal transition of Korean immigrant women., Findings: Three main themes were identified: (a) the women gave their menopausal transition far less attention than they did to their immigrant and work transition; (b) menopause was a hidden experience in cultural background; and (c) the women "normalized," ignored, and endured symptoms. The findings indicated additions of the following concepts: (a) number, seriousness, and priority of transitions; (b) socioeconomic status; (c) gender; (d) context; (e) attitudes toward health and illness; (f) interrelationships among all conditions shaping transitions; and (g) symptom management., Conclusions: The proposed situation-specific model is limited in scope. However, it provides understanding of the menopausal transition of Korean immigrant women in context, and is a guide for nursing interventions for immigrant women experiencing transition.

The menopausal transition needs to be understood in terms of the multiple mediating factors within the context in which women experience it. For immigrant women especially, the menopausal experience is complicated by multiple transitions and social marginality, so it cannot be adequately explained without considering this complexity. In this paper we review the literature on the menopausal transition of a group of vulnerable immigrant women in two ways: describing the transitions themselves (menopause, immigration, and housewife to employee), and describing factors that mediate the menopausal transition experience (family norms, meaning of menopause and women's work, and health practices). We emphasize the context and suggest areas of needed research.