Background
: Real performance in practice is one of the criteria by which residency training program can be evaluated. We surveyed the difficult problems in which family physicians underwent in their practices after a university hospital training program to evaluate our family physician training program.

Methods : The study subjects were all physicians who fulfilled our family physician residency training program in a university hospital from February 1993 to February 1999. Data on facing difficult problems were collected via questionnaire which was distributed in advance and answered by practicing physicians. The study period was the first week of each month from March 1999 to December 1999.

Results : The participating physicians were 13 among 20. Total collected cases were 179. The reasons why family physicians faced difficulty in their practices were persistent symptoms of patients, lack of knowledge, lack of skills and facilities, vague symptoms, multiple symptoms of patients, low compliance, negative feelings, and patients' economic problems. Common difficult problems were abdominal pain (15), low back pain (14), cough (14), arthralgia and myalgia (12), skin rash (11), dyspnea (8), multiple somatic complaints (8), otitis media (7), nasal stuffiness (6), and dizziness (6) among 179 cases. Rare diseases comprised 22.2% of difficult problems.

Conclusion : The problems of difficulty that family physicians faced in their practices were persistent symptoms of chronic diseases despite active treatment, lack of knowledge and skills in differential diagnosis of acute illness, and rare diseases in the communities.

Background
: Community-acquired pneumonia is one of the main causes of hospitalization and death, especially in elderly patients. There have been many studies on prognosis for community-acquired pneumonia, but few in Korea. We sought to identify characteristics on admission predicting mortality in elderly patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia and to compare mortality rates by PORT score with PORT study's ones.

Methods : We performed a retrospective study of 267 patients aged 65 years and over admitted with community- acquired pneumonia from January 2000 to December 2002. We reviewed demographic, clinical, laboratory, microbiological and radiologic data and identified independent factors associated with the mortality using logistic regression analysis. We classified patients into risk classes by PORT score and calculated the mortality rate.

Results : Among of 267 patients, 48 (18.0%) died. We identified six independent predictors of mortality; male (OR, 2,496; 95% CI, 1,012∼6,153), lung cancer (OR, 3,409; 95% CI, 1,302∼8,920), general weakness (OR, 5.218; 95% CI, 2,140∼12,718), unable to walk (OR, 9,232; 95% CI, 2,228∼38,257), BUN ≥30 mg/dL (OR, 3,327; 95% CI, 1.072∼10.327), albumin ＜3 g/dL (OR, 3,219; 95% CI, 1,351∼7,670) and pleural effusion (OR, 3.135; 95% CI, 1,052∼9,342). Mortality rates of risk class II-V by PORT score were 6.7%, 9.5%, 30.4% and 34.4%, respectively.

Conclusion : There were factors that were associated with mortality in elderly patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia.

Background
: Recently, childhood obesity has been increased and has resulted in serious health problems. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of childhood obesity and its risk factors in elementary students.

Methods : One thousand nine hundred and eleven children were selected from an elementary school in Seoul. We measured children's height, weight, waist to hip ratio, and the obesity rate (%). The risk factors associated with childhood obesity were assessed by a self-written questionnaire answered by their parents. In moderate and severe obese children, we checked their blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, ALT, AST, uric acid, total cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Results : The prevalence of childhood obesity was 14.0%. We found that the factors associated with childhood obesity were the number of siblings, class, parent's obesity, and the preference for fish and meat (P=0.030, 0.022, ＜0.001, 0.003, respectively). In moderate and severe obese children, the prevalence of obesity related diseases was 77.6% and 92.3%, respectively.

Conclusion : The childhood obesity was strongly associated with parent's obesity and the preference for fish and meat. The prevalence of obesity related diseases were very high in moderate and severe obese children.

Background
: There have been bone mass studies for the treatment of osteoporosis, nonetheless, little attention has been paid to the management of osteopenia. This study was to evaluate the effects of estrogen, alendronate and their combination on bone mineral density and bone metabolism in the postmenopausal women with osteopenia.

Methods : A total of 150 healthy regional patients with osteopenia from Busan were enrolled in prospective randomized clinical trial and randomly assigned to receive conjugated equine estrogen (group I), alendronate (group II), or combination of the two (group III). Assessments included BMD of L2-4 spines and femur neck by DEXA and markers of bone turnover including serum osteocalcin, total alkaline phosphatase and urine Deoxypyridnoline (Dpd). BMD and markers of bone turnover were re-evaluated at 6 and 12 months after the treatment.

Results : BMD of the lumbar spines increased significantly at 12 months after treatment in the three groups (P＜0.05). BMD of the femur neck increased at 12 months after treatment in the three groups, but significantly in group III (P＜0.05). Serum osteocalcin decreased at 12 months after treatment in the three groups, but only significantly in group III. Urine Dpd decreased at 12 months after treatment in three groups, but significantly in group, II and III (P＜0.05). Serum total alkaline phosphatase decreased at 12 months after treatment in only group III (P＜0.05). There was more favorable benefit for group III in BMD of the lumbar spines and serum osteocalcin and urine Dpd at 12 months after treatment compared to group, II and III (P＜0.05).

Conclusion : These results indicated a favorable benefit of conjugated equine estrogen, alendronate, or combination of the two in BMD and important markers of bone turnover. The combined treatment with conjugated equine estrogen and alendronate was more effective in postmenopausal women with osteopenia. Long-term studies are required to confirm these results.

Background
: Breastfeeding is not common in Korea despite its known benefits. The role of family physicians is important in promoting breast-feeding since they can provide prenatal and postnatal care on lifelong basis. This paper analyzed a survey of family physicians on their knowledge, attitude, experience, and training concerning breastfeeding.

Methods : The survey was carried out by e-mail enquiry to the residents and board-certified physicians registered in the Korean Academy of Family Medicine. The enquiry was developed by Gary L. Freed composed of 18 questions about knowledge, attitudes, experience, and training. The answers to the questions were analyzed to give frequency and the associations between the variables.

Results : Among the total, 64% of the residents and 76% of the physicians answered yes to whether breastfeeding was the best means of feeding an infant under 6 months of age. Also, 83% of the residents and 85% of physicians answered it was right to quit breastfeeding completely when breast abscess developed. The breastfeeding promotion was done more frequently by those who had personal experience. They had higher rate of educating patients than those who did not (28% vs. 9%, P＜0.0001). Despite its importance, 86.5% of the residents and 77.6% of the physicians answered that they did not have enough opportunity to learn about breastfeeding during their training years.

Conclusion : Although family physicians are required to play a role in promoting breastfeeding, they are insufficiently trained under the current system. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a training program to educate the residents on breastfeeding.

Background
: In an effort to use cigarette warning labels as a means for reducing smoking rates, this study examined current cigarette warning messages and newly designed pictorial warning labels.

Methods : From June 15, 2005, to June 22, 2005 we conducted an e-mail survey of 1,200 civilians to examine the effect of cigarette warning labels. For statistical analysis, we used chi-square test with SPSS 11.0 software.

Results : Among all the respondents, 78.7% indicated that current cigarette warning labels did not have any effect. However, most of the respondents indicated that pictorial warning labels are effective in raising public awareness (84.6%) or knowledge (81.5%) of the harmful effects of cigarettes. They also responded that pictorial warning labels would help them quit smoking (75.9%) or keep them from buying cigarettes (64.1%). Over 80% of the respondents and over 70% of the smokers responded that they would welcome the use of pictorial warning labels as an anti-smoking measure.

Conclusion : The results of this study showed that current cigarette warning labels are not effective in curbing smoking rates. Also, the results suggest that current cigarette warning labels need to be improved if they are to be used as an effective anti-smoking measure.