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Moon Ho Park

Publications and source records attributed to Moon Ho Park.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Usefulness of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in the Korean elderly population.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic validity of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in the elderly and to suggest an optimal cut-off score in order to screen major depressive disorder. METHODS: The BDI and an elderly health questionnaire were administered to 2729 subjects over the age of 60 chosen by stratified random sampling in a Ansan City, South Korea. The BDI and geriatric depression scale (GDS) were examined at about a two-year interval. A reliability and validity test, a factor analysis and an ROC curve analysis were performed. RESULTS: Eighty-four subject had depression and 2645 subjects were rated as normal. The BDI showed significant positive internal consistency (r = 0.88) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.60). Convergent validity with GDS was significantly positive (r = 0.59), and an exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors. We suggest a score of 16 as the optimal cut-off point for the BDI when screening for major depression. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that the Korean version of the BDI is appropriate for screening for depression and 16 is the optimal cut-off score for the Korean elderly. Screening of elderly depression with BDI in the community would be valuable when comparing with younger adults and with their former BDI data which were taken when they were young.

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PubMed2006

Subjective memory complaints and clinical characteristics in elderly Koreans: a questionnaire survey.

OBJECTIVES: The overall objectives of the Ajou-Bundang Study for the Elderly (AB study) were to describe the current geriatric diseases and health behaviors, and to improve the visiting health service in South Korea. The particular objectives of the current study were to describe the AB study and to investigate the associations between subjective memory complaints (SMCs) and objective cognitive function, to assess the clinical characteristics of SMCs, and to measure possible differences between elderly people with and without cognitive dysfunction. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of a sample of people from the AB study was constructed to study the association between SMCs and demographic variables. SMCs, cognitive function, and demographic characteristics were ascertained. A total of 9,477 subjects aged 65 years or over were recruited from the residents of Bundang, Korea. RESULTS: SMCs were reported by 57.3% of the study participants. SMCs were correlated with advanced age and with being female. Further analyses of cognitive functions revealed that associated factor profiles differed between the participants with and without cognitive dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that age is associated with SMCs, irrespective of the level of cognitive function. Longitudinal SMC studies should be undertaken to investigate potentially associated clinical parameters.

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PubMed2006

No difference in stroke knowledge between Korean adherents to traditional and western medicine - the AGE study: an epidemiological study.

BACKGROUND: Effective stroke intervention and risk reduction depend on the general public's awareness and knowledge of stroke. In Korea, where both traditional Oriental medicine and Western medicine are practiced, estimates of the general public's awareness and knowledge of stroke are poor. The present study sought to describe the inception cohort of the Ansan Geriatric Study (AGE study) and to determine baseline stroke awareness and preferred medical treatment for stroke in this Korean sample. METHODS: A total of 2,767 subjects selected randomly from the Ansan Geriatric Study in South Korea were questioned about stroke. Their answers were compared with their sociodemographic data and other variables. RESULTS: Only 44.8% of participants correctly identified stroke as a vascular disease in the human brain. Sudden numbness or weakness was the most frequently identified stroke warning sign (60.2%). Hypertension (66.7%) and mental stress (62.2%) were most frequently identified as stroke risk factors. The contributions of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease to stroke were underestimated; they were identified as risk factors by 28.3% and 18.6% of participants, respectively. The predictors for poor knowledge of stroke warning signs and risk factors were similar irrespective of preference for Western or Oriental medical treatment, and included those with lower levels of education and inaccurate definition of stroke. Television and radio (40.3%) were the most frequent sources of stroke information for both groups. CONCLUSION: This study shows that knowledge of stroke is similar among Koreans with preferences for either Western or Oriental medical treatment and that misunderstandings about stroke are common among the Korean elderly. In order to prevent and manage stroke effectively, public health education regarding basic concepts of stroke is necessary. This should target those with a lower level of education and a misunderstanding of the definition of stroke.

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PubMed2005

Helicobacter pylori infection and the CD14 C(-260)T gene polymorphism in ischemic stroke.

INTRODUCTION: There is increasing evidence that infective pathogens such as Helicobacter pylori is linked to atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels. As an independent contributing factor, the CD14 receptor-lipopolysaccharide complex plays an important role in activating inflammatory reactions. In particular, the C(-260)T polymorphism in the CD14 receptor may be implicated in atherosclerotic disease. In this study, we investigated a possible association between H. pylori infection and the polymorphism of CD14, and ischemic stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 125 patients with ischemic stroke and 125 age- and sex-matched controls were included in the study. The stroke subtype of each of the patients was characterized based on the underlying etiology. H. pylori serologic status and the CD14 genotype were determined in both patients and controls. RESULTS: H. pylori seropositivity was more common in the stroke patients than in the controls (80.0% vs. 60.0%, P=0.001). Moreover, H. pylori seropositivity was more common in the stroke subtype of large artery disease (87.7%, P<0.001). The distribution of CD14 genotypes was as follows: patients, T/T 21.6%, C/T 63.2%, C/C 15.2%; controls, T/T 19.2%, C/T 57.6%, C/C 23.2%. There was no significant difference between these two CD14 genotype distributions. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that H. pylori infection is a risk factor for ischemic stroke and that CD14 polymorphism is not.

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PubMed2005

The PHC-cog: a brief cognitive function screening test for the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive dysfunctions such as dementia have emerged as a leading public health problem among the elderly. Its early detection is important for the management of patients, and for the educational support of other family members. Although cognitive dysfunction screening tests are available, they have not been widely utilized in community or primary care settings. AIM: To validate the PHC-cog (Public Health Center Cognitive Dysfunction Test) and to assess it as a simple and brief method for massive screening of cognitive dysfunctions in the primary care setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised 137 community-dwelling patients with dementia and 134 age, sex, and education-matched controls. The PHC-cog was made combining patients' and informants' questionnaires to improve performance. The PHC-cog patient's section briefly assessed the patient's cognition. RESULTS: The PHC-cog Patient's Section had a sensitivity and specificity of 0.75 and 0.92, respectively. The PHC-cog Informants' Section had a sensitivity and specificity of 0.79 and 0.83, respectively. The total method of administering the PHC-cog had a sensitivity and specificity of 0.96 and 0.82, and the two-stage method had a sensitivity and specificity of 0.92 and 0.76, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The PHC-cog test is a simple, accurate and reliable, performance-based tool in the screening for cognitive dysfunction. The PHC-cog test is quick, and easy-to-use, and will hopefully become widely used in the cognitive screening of the aging population in the primary public medical institutions of Korea.

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PubMed2004

Cerebral white matter lesions and hypertension status in the elderly Korean: the Ansan Study.

There is evidence of an association of hypertension with white matter lesions (WMLs), leukoaraiosis, in the human brain in the United States, Europe and Japan. However, no study on this association has been reported in Korea. Community-dwelling elderly subjects aged over 61 years were randomly selected from samples of the Ansan Health Study, while their blood pressures (BPs) were measured using a highly standardized protocol. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP> or =140 mmHg or a diastolic BP> or =90 mmHg or as reported treatment with hypertensive medication, and further subclassified with respect to its subtypes and control status. WMLs were determined by a 1.5-T MRI scan and further categorized into five subgroups with respect to its severity. Hypertension status, such as uncontrolled hypertension even after antihypertensive medication (adjusted odd ratio [OR]=6.07; 95% CI, 2.08-17.78), isolated systolic hypertension before medication (OR=2.66; 95% CI, 1.08-6.57), and hypertension before medication (OR=2.55; 95% CI, 1.19-5.46) were significantly and independently correlated with the presence and severity of WMLs. Advancing age (OR=1.76; 95% CI, 1.38-2.25), lacunar infarction (OR=3.19; 95% CI, 1.83-5.58), and cigarette smoking (OR=1.10; 95% CI, 1.03-1.18) were significantly related to the presence and severity of WMLs. Regular and tight control for hypertension should be exercised to prevent WMLs among the elderly with hypertension.

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