Kyungrim Shin

Prevalence of restless legs syndrome and associated factors in the Korean adult population: The Korean Health and Genome Study

Abstractu2002 The present study was purposed to identify the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) and its associated factors in the Korean adult population. Among a total of 9939 participants derived from the Korean Health and Genome Study, 12.1% of subjects (men, 8.5%; women, 15.4%) suffered from RLS. Factors independently related with RLS were older age and frequent fatigue in both men and women.

Prevalence of insomnia and its relationship to menopausal status in middle-aged Korean women

Abstractu2002 Although the prevalence of insomnia and the association of insomnia with menopause have been well reported, not much work has been conducted in population‐based research on insomnia and menopause in Korea. The purpose of the present report was to determine overall and different prevalence of insomnia by menopausal status, and the relationship between insomnia and menopause in a population‐based sample of middle‐aged Korean women. A total of 96.1% of 2497 randomly selected middle‐aged Korean women participated. Insomnia was defined as occurring three times a week or more in the previous month. Subjects were categorized into three groups: premenopaues, perimenopause, and postmenopause. The overall prevalence of insomnia in middle‐aged Korean women was 14.3%. The most common symptom of insomnia was difficulty maintaining sleep (9.7%), followed by difficulty initiating sleep (7.9%), and early morning awakening (7.5%). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that menopause was independently associated with insomnia after adjusting for confounding factors such as age, income, and depression. Perimenopause was significantly associated with a dramatic increase in the risk of insomnia, but there was no significant association for postmenopause. The major finding is that insomnia is significantly associated with the menopausal transition. The prevalence of insomnia increases significantly by the transition from premenopause to perimenopause, but not to postmenopause. A further prospective study is needed to investigate the influence of menopause on insomnia.

Development of the Sleep Quality Scale

Sleep quality affects health and the overall quality of life. As the factors that influence sleep quality and their relative importance vary among individuals, a self‐report method is essential. Although various questionnaires have been used to assess sleep quality, few all‐inclusive assessment scales have been developed. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop an instrument for measuring sleep quality and to study its validity and reliability. A Sleep Quality Scale (SQS) was developed using item analysis and factor analysis on items with content validity. SQS, composed of 28 items and six factors, accounted for 62.6% of the total variance. The difference of SQS score between insomniacs and normal subjects confirmed the construct validity (tu2003=u2003−13.8, Pu2003=u20030.000). Concurrent validity was identified by the significant correlation of SQS with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (ru2003=u20030.72, Pu2003=u20030.000). The Cronbachs alpha coefficient was 0.92 for internal consistency and the correlation coefficient was 0.81 for test–retest reliability at a 2‐week interval. The developed SQS was therefore confirmed to be a valid and reliable instrument for the comprehensive assessment of sleep quality.

Short-term incidence rate of hypertension in Korea middle-aged adults.

Objectives Despite recent increasing trends in cardiovascular morbidities and mortality in Asia, studies on short-term changes in cardiovascular risks remain limited. This study estimated 2-year incidence rates of hypertension in middle-aged Korean adults aged 40–69 years, and investigated the impact of baseline levels of blood pressure, body mass index, and other conventional risk factors on the progression to hypertension. Methods Blood pressures of participants were evaluated twice with a 2-year interval, measured by mercury sphygmomanometer according to the standardized protocol. Hypertension was defined when either the systolic and diastolic blood pressures were greater than 140 and 90 mmHg, respectively, or when a participant was treated with antihypertensive medications. Results The crude 2-year incidence (calculated per 100) of hypertension was 12.2; 13.0 for men and 11.6 for women. For those who had higher blood pressure at baseline examination, incidence rates were two-fold or five-fold higher compared with those with optimal blood pressure. Older age and overweight were also major predictors for hypertension, even in Koreans with a low serum cholesterol level. Conclusion This is the first investigation of short-term incidence rates of hypertension in Asia. The results are consistent with the recently reported increasing trends in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in Asia.

Validity and reliability of Sleep Quality Scale in subjects with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

OBJECTIVEnThe present study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of Sleep Quality Scale (SQS) in subjects with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).nnnMETHODSnThe known group technique was used for construct validity. The study sample was composed of 40 persons with OSAS and 37 normal subjects. OSAS was defined as an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of > or =5 plus an Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score of >10. Control group was composed of subjects who had no history of depression and sleep problems as identified by self-report and polysomnography. A Cronbachs alpha coefficient was used for internal consistency.nnnRESULTSnThe total SQS score of the OSAS subjects was significantly higher than that of the normal subjects. The SQS score homogeneity was high with a Cronbachs alpha coefficient of 0.90 in all subjects, 0.87 in the OSAS subjects, and 0.70 in the normal subjects.nnnCONCLUSIONnSQS was confirmed to be an instrument with validity and high reliability for measuring sleep quality in OSAS subjects.