Epidemiology and Health最新文献

{"title":"Epidemic characteristics of measles and efforts to control measles infections in Zhejiang Province, China.","authors":"Rui Yan, Mengya Yang, Hanqing He, Yan Feng, Yang Zhou, Xuewen Tang, Xuan Deng, Yao Zhu, Yuxia Du, Can Chen, Cao Kexin, Shigui Yang","doi":"10.4178/epih.e2024075","DOIUrl":"10.4178/epih.e2024075","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Several countries have successfully eliminated measles, and China is making significant strides toward achieving this goal. This study focused on investigating the patterns of measles infections in Zhejiang Province, China, as well as control measures. The objective was to provide valuable insights that could contribute to the development of nationwide elimination strategies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We analyzed measles surveillance data from 2005 to 2022 in Zhejiang Province. We utilized a joinpoint regression model to examine trends in measles. Additionally, we employed SaTScan version 9.5 to identify spatial-temporal clusters. Finally, we used an age-period-cohort model to assess the effects of age, period, and cohort.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of measles infection in Zhejiang Province from 2005 to 2022 was 5.24 per 100,000, showing a consistent and significant downward trend with an annual percentage change of -24.93% (p<0.05). After 2020, the ASIR for measles infection fell to below 0.1 per 100,000. The majority of measles cases occurred in individuals either without an immunization history or with an unknown immunization status, representing 41.06% and 41.40% of the cases from 2010 to 2022, respectively. According to data from the National Measles Surveillance System, the annual rate of discarded measles cases from 2009 to 2014, and the annual rate of discarded measles and rubella cases from 2015 to 2022, were both above 2 per 100,000, indicating the high sensitivity of the measles surveillance system.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The significant reduction in measles incidence from 2005 to 2022 demonstrates substantial progress in Zhejiang Province towards the elimination of measles.</p>","PeriodicalId":48543,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology and Health","volume":" ","pages":"e2024075"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11826004/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142298940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gender-specific associations among neck circumference, the rs9939609 FTO gene polymorphism, and the 14-year risk of metabolic syndrome in the Korean adult population.","authors":"Inkyung Baik","doi":"10.4178/epih.e2024072","DOIUrl":"10.4178/epih.e2024072","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Limited data exist on the relation between neck circumference (NC) and the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MS). This study investigated gender-specific associations between NC and the 14-year risk of MS and explored the impact of the FTO rs9939609 polymorphism on these associations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This population-based prospective cohort study involved 2,666 participants (1,301 men and 1,365 women), who were free of MS at baseline (2005-2006). Incident MS cases, defined by the presence of 3 or more criteria regarding blood pressure and blood levels of glucose, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, were identified through biennial examinations until 2020. NC measurements taken at baseline and between 2013 and 2014 were analyzed using Cox proportional hazard regression to determine gender-specific associations with MS risk.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Controlling for potential confounders such as waist circumference (WC), significant associations were observed in both genders. Individuals in the highest NC quartile exhibited more than a 2-fold higher MS risk than those in the lowest quartile; with hazard ratios of 2.37 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.74 to 3.22) for men and 2.65 (95% CI, 1.89 to 3.72) for women (p for trend <0.001). No significant interaction was found between the FTO polymorphism and NC. In diagnostic test analyses, NC and WC demonstrated comparable area under the curve values in both genders.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings suggest that NC is as effective as WC for predicting the incidence of MS.</p>","PeriodicalId":48543,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology and Health","volume":" ","pages":"e2024072"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11826040/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142113582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association between the safety climate and occupational injury in the Korean working population: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Jeehee Min, Tae-Won Jang, Hye-Eun Lee, Mo-Yeol Kang, Seong-Sik Cho","doi":"10.4178/epih.e2024082","DOIUrl":"10.4178/epih.e2024082","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Preventing occupational injuries remains a significant challenge in Korea. A positive safety climate can contribute to reducing workplace injuries. However, the impact of safety climate on preventing occupational injuries among the Korean workforce has not been adequately explored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between the perceived safety climate and occupational injuries within the Korean working population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study used baseline data from the Korean Work, Sleep, and Health Study (KWSH). The safety climate was measured using the brief version of the Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire. Occupational injury was determined by whether injuries or accidents had occurred at workplaces in the past year. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between the safety climate and occupational injury.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants who reported an unfavorable workplace safety climate were more likely to experience occupational injuries. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for occupational injuries in an unfavorable safety climate was 2.20 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38 to 3.51) compared to a favorable safety climate. Specifically, factors such as \"not encouraging employees to follow safety rules when on a tight schedule\" (OR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.25 to 3.24) and \"not helping each other work safely\" (OR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.17 to 3.25) were significantly associated with occupational injuries.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>An unfavorable safety climate was associated with increased occupational injuries among Korean workers. Improving the safety climate in the workplace may reduce occupational injuries in Korea.</p>","PeriodicalId":48543,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology and Health","volume":" ","pages":"e2024082"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11832241/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142373277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characteristics of imported and domestic malaria cases in Gyeonggi Province, Korea.","authors":"Sunghee Hong, Jihye Kim, Soo-Nam Jo, Jong-Hun Kim, Boyoung Park, Bo Youl Choi","doi":"10.4178/epih.e2024087","DOIUrl":"10.4178/epih.e2024087","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study explored 11 years of malaria data from mandatory reporting in Gyeonggi Province, Korea, to provide information for prevention strategies by linkage to nationwide health claims data.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Reported malaria cases in Gyeonggi Province from 2011 to 2021 were linked to medical usage data from the National Health Insurance Database. Data about hospitalization, antibiotic prescription and duration, malarial species, and sociodemographic information of the cases were included.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Between 2011 and 2021, a total of 3,011 malaria cases were reported, consisting of 2,828 domestic (93.9%) and 183 imported (6.1%) cases. Over 80% of the cases involved males, with the majority of patients being in their 20s. Both domestic and imported cases peaked between June and August over the years. Imported cases had a higher hospitalization rate (66.9%) compared to domestically-acquired cases (54.9%). There was a significant variation in treatment rates, with 80.7% of imported cases and 74.6% of domestic cases receiving treatment. For domestic cases, chloroquine combined with primaquine was the most commonly prescribed treatment (77.0%), while atovaquone-proguanil was frequently used for imported cases (25.9%). Plasmodium vivax was the predominant species in domestic cases (94.9%), whereas P. malariae was more common in imported cases (62.3%). The overall number of reported malaria cases declined following a sharp decrease in imported cases in 2020 and 2021.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite a decreasing trend in malaria cases reported in Gyeonggi Province, imported cases exhibited higher hospitalization rates and different antibiotic prescription and treatment patterns, reflecting the presence of a different malarial species.</p>","PeriodicalId":48543,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology and Health","volume":" ","pages":"e2024087"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11832236/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142630693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Handgrip strength thresholds associated with metabolic syndrome risk in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Hye Ah Lee, Seunghee Jun, Hyesook Park","doi":"10.4178/epih.e2024047","DOIUrl":"10.4178/epih.e2024047","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Certain studies have reported that handgrip strength (HGS) is associated with metabolic health risks in children and adolescents, and some studies have suggested HGS thresholds for identifying poor metabolic health. Therefore, we aimed to determine the HGS thresholds associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children and adolescents through a systematic review.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We searched 3 electronic databases from their inception until October 2023 to identify original papers that focused on children and adolescents and assessed their risks of MetS according to specific HGS values. Studies were selected for inclusion through a planned screening process based on specific criteria. The Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies version 2 (QUADAS-2) was used to evaluate quality, and a meta-analysis was performed using the diagmeta R package to suggest the optimal thresholds.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From the search, 8 studies were selected for this systematic review. For detecting MetS risk, the optimal threshold for HGS (defined as relative HGS by adjusting for body mass) was found to be 0.422, with a sensitivity of 76.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 64.0 to 85.8) and a specificity of 62.9% (95% CI, 56.9 to 68.5). The stratification analysis by sex resulted in optimal thresholds of 0.416 for boys and 0.376 for girls. Additionally, when the data were stratified by age, the thresholds were 0.356 for children and 0.416 for adolescents.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results provide practical information for detecting high-risk groups and encouraging strength-related activities that may reduce the risk of MetS in children and adolescents.</p>","PeriodicalId":48543,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology and Health","volume":" ","pages":"e2024047"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11573490/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140867139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seasonal impact of diurnal temperature range on intracerebral hemorrhage in middle-aged and elderly people in central China.","authors":"Shiwen Wang, Jinyu Yin, Hao Zhou, Jingmin Lai, Guizhen Xiao, Zhuoya Tong, Jing Deng, Fang Yang, Qianshan Shi, Jingcheng Shi","doi":"10.4178/epih.e2024053","DOIUrl":"10.4178/epih.e2024053","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study investigated the seasonal impact of diurnal temperature range (DTR) on hospitalization rates for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in middle-aged and elderly adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We collected data on the DTR and hospitalization records of ≥45-year-old patients with ICH in 2019 in Hunan Province, central China. Time-series analyses were performed using a distributed lag non-linear model.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 54,690 hospitalizations for ICH were recorded. DTR showed a non-linear relationship with ICH hospitalization in both middle-aged and elderly populations (45-59 and ≥60 years, respectively). During spring, a low DTR coupled with persistently low temperatures increased ICH risk in both age groups, while a high DTR was associated with an increased risk in the middle-aged group only (relative risk [RR], 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21 to 1.27). In the summer, a low DTR combined with persistently high temperatures was linked to a higher risk exclusively in the middle-aged group. A high DTR in the autumn was correlated with increased risk in both age groups. In winter, either a low DTR with a continuously low temperature or a high DTR elevated the risk solely in the elderly population (RR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.69). In the elderly group, the impact of DTR on hospitalization risk manifested within a 5-day period.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The impact of DTR on ICH hospitalization risk differed significantly across seasons and between age groups. Elderly individuals demonstrated greater sensitivity to the impact of DTR. Weather forecasting services should emphasize DTR values, and interventions targeting sensitive populations are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":48543,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology and Health","volume":" ","pages":"e2024053"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11573486/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141433140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cohort profile: the Taiwan Initiative for Geriatric Epidemiological Research - a prospective cohort study on cognition.","authors":"Pei-Iun Hsieh, Te-Hsuan Huang, Jeng-Min Chiou, Jen-Hau Chen, Yen-Ching Chen","doi":"10.4178/epih.e2024057","DOIUrl":"10.4178/epih.e2024057","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Taiwan Initiative for Geriatric Epidemiological Research (TIGER) was founded in 2011 to elucidate the interrelationships among various predictors of global and domain-specific cognitive impairment, with the aim of identifying older adults with an increased risk of dementia in the preclinical phase. TIGER, a population-based prospective cohort, recruited 605 and 629 (total of 1,234) older adults (aged 65 and above) at baseline (2011-2013 and 2019-2022) of phase I and II, respectively. Participants have undergone structured questionnaires, global and domain-specific cognitive assessments, physical exams, and biological specimen collections at baseline and biennial follow-ups to date. By 2022, TIGER I has included 4 biennial follow-ups, with the participants comprising 53.9% female and having a mean age of 73.2 years at baseline. After an 8-year follow-up, the annual attrition rate was 6.1%, reflecting a combination of 9.9% of participants who passed away and 36.2% who dropped out. TIGER has published novel and multidisciplinary research on cognitive-related outcomes in older adults, including environmental exposures (indoor and ambient air pollution), multimorbidity, sarcopenia, frailty, biomarkers (brain and retinal images, renal and inflammatory markers), and diet. TIGER's meticulous design, multidisciplinary data, and novel findings elucidate the complex etiology of cognitive impairment and frailty, offering valuable insights into factors that can be used to predict and prevent dementia in the preclinical phase.</p>","PeriodicalId":48543,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology and Health","volume":" ","pages":"e2024057"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11417447/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141471706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association between smoking status and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in asymptomatic Korean individuals.","authors":"Hyeji Lee, Jinhee Ha, Kyung Sun Park, Young-Jee Jeon, Sangwoo Park, Soe Hee Ann, Yong-Giun Kim, Yongjik Lee, Woon Jung Kwon, Seong Hoon Choi, Seungbong Han, Gyung-Min Park","doi":"10.4178/epih.e2024064","DOIUrl":"10.4178/epih.e2024064","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>In this study, we sought to evaluate the association between smoking status and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, as detected by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), in asymptomatic individuals.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We retrospectively analyzed 9,285 asymptomatic participants (mean age, 53.7±8.0 years; n=6,017, 64.8% male) with no history of coronary artery disease (CAD) who had undergone self-referred CCTA. Of these participants, 4,333 (46.7%) were considered never smokers, 2,885 (31.1%) former smokers, and 2,067 (22.3%) current smokers. We assessed the degree and characteristics of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis using CCTA, with obstructive CAD defined as a diameter stenosis of at least 50%.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared with never-smokers, former smokers exhibited no significant differences in the probabilities of obstructive CAD, any coronary plaque, calcified plaque, or mixed plaque, as determined using adjusted odds ratios (aORs; p>0.05 for all). However, the risk of non-calcified plaque was significantly higher in former smokers (aOR, 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00 to 1.78; p=0.048). Current smokers had significantly higher rates of obstructive CAD (aOR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.96; p=0.010), any coronary plaque (aOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.65; p<0.001), calcified plaque (aOR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.55; p=0.001), non-calcified plaque (aOR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.28 to 2.32; p<0.001), and mixed plaque (aOR, 2.00; 95% CI, 1.39 to 2.86; p<0.001) compared to never smokers.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This cross-sectional study revealed a significant association between current smoking and subclinical coronary atherosclerosis, as detected on CCTA. Additionally, former smoking demonstrated an association with non-calcified plaque, indicating elevated cardiovascular risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":48543,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology and Health","volume":" ","pages":"e2024064"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11576522/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141761720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Korea Nurses' Health Study and the health of reproductive-aged women: a cohort profile.","authors":"Chiyoung Cha, Heeja Jung, Sue Kim, Jung Eun Lee, Kwang-Pil Ko, Eunyoung Cho, Hyun-Young Park, Joong-Yeon Lim, Bo Mi Song, Sihan Song, Soojin Park, Aram Cho","doi":"10.4178/epih.e2024048","DOIUrl":"10.4178/epih.e2024048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Korea Nurses' Health Study (KNHS) is an ongoing, large-scale, prospective cohort study of women nurses, focusing on the effects of occupational, environmental, and lifestyle factors on the health of women. The first KNHS survey was performed in 2013-2014 (n=20,613). As of December 2023, 11 follow-up surveys have been conducted. Participants who were pregnant were asked to participate in the early pregnancy survey (n=2,179) and postpartum survey after giving birth (n=2,790). The main variables included socio-demographic, work-related, lifestyle, physical, mental, and women's health factors. Blood, urine, and toenail samples were collected from a participant subgroup of the first survey (n=1,983). The subgroups of the second survey completed a food frequency questionnaire in 2019 (n=300) and 2021 (n=871). In 2020, a subgroup of the first survey answered a coronavirus disease 2019-related survey (n=975). To examine various health-related factors in young adults, new participants were added to the KNHS cohort in the 11th (n=1,000) and 12th (n=1,002) surveys. The KNHS cohort will help identify health and illness determinants in Korean women. Data can be accessed at https://coda.nih.go.kr/frt/index.do.</p>","PeriodicalId":48543,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology and Health","volume":" ","pages":"e2024048"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11417448/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140866779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Associations of depressive symptoms with lower extremity function and balance in Korean older adults.","authors":"Bong Jo Kim, Kyupin Ha, Hyun Soo Kim, Hye Ran Bae, Minkook Son","doi":"10.4178/epih.e2024021","DOIUrl":"10.4178/epih.e2024021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The relationship of depressive symptoms to lower extremity function and balance, especially in older adults without a depression diagnosis, remains unclear. Therefore, our study analyzed this relationship using a large sample of Korean older adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service's Health Screening Program database. Individuals aged 66 years who had undergone the National Screening Program for Transitional Ages in Korea and were without a diagnosis of depressive disorder were included. The lower extremity function and balance were evaluated using 2 physical tests, while depressive symptoms were assessed using a 3-question survey. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between depressive symptoms and lower extremity function and balance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 66,041 individuals, those with depressive symptoms showed significantly higher rates of abnormal lower extremity function and abnormal balance. The adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of depressive symptoms to abnormal lower extremity function and abnormal balance were (aOR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.25 to 1.44) and (aOR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.29 to 1.48), respectively. Assessment of the relationship based on depressive symptom scores revealed that higher scores were associated with higher aORs (p for trend <0.001). Subgroup analyses further confirmed this relationship, especially among patients with cerebrovascular disease or dementia.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study revealed an association between depressive symptoms and the abnormal lower extremity function and balance of 66-year-old individuals without a diagnosis of depressive disorder.</p>","PeriodicalId":48543,"journal":{"name":"Epidemiology and Health","volume":" ","pages":"e2024021"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11099568/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139565111","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}