Citations

• Unlocking the potential of primary care: addressing systemic challenges in chronic disease prevention
  Jose Eric Mella Lacsa
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(2): 120.     CrossRef

Increased mechanization and technological advances have simplified our lives on the one hand and increased sedentary behaviors on the other hand, paving the way for emerging global health concerns, i.e., sedentarism, which could be the leading cause of all major chronic health problems worldwide. Sedentarism is a habitual behavior of choosing and indulging in low-energy expenditure activities (≤1.5 metabolic equivalents), such as chairtype (sitting, studying, traveling) or screen-type activities (TV, computers, mobile). With technological advancements, there is a significant transition in the lifestyles of people from being active (walking) to being more deskbound (sitting). Prolonged sitting can have unintended consequences for health with sitting time >7 h/d, leading to a 5% increase in all-cause mortality with each additional hour spent sitting (i.e., +7 h/d), while considering physical activity levels. This review will highlight how sedentarism is emerging as a major risk factor for the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases, especially among young adults and adults. Chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and cancer, are the leading causes of death worldwide. Hence, there is an urgent need for collective action to mitigate the burgeoning public health crisis posed by sedentarism in the 21st century. This paper intends to set in motion a call for all policymakers and public health professionals placed nationally or internationally to reach a consensus on ending sedentarism and provide viable resolutions for effective management of excessive sedentary behaviors and healthy adoption and maintenance of active lifestyles among individuals of all age groups.

Citations

• The Impact of Avatar Appearance on the Persuasiveness of a Short Video Encouraging Physical Activity: A Randomized Observational Study
  Momoko Tohyama, Ryo Momosaki, Kazuma Tora, Tsuyoshi Okuhara
  Cureus.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Associations of the Social Determinants of Health and Lifestyle Components with Dietary Patterns in a Population of Reproductive Age
  Anca-Elena Crăciun, Adriana Rusu, Cornelia Bala, Dana Mihaela Ciobanu, Cristian-Ioan Crăciun, Adriana Fodor, Gabriela Roman, Camelia Vonica, Georgeta Inceu
  Nutrients.2025; 17(6): 950.     CrossRef
• A Neutral Risk Framework for Active Participation Across the Lifespan: A Call to Action for Using Risk in Movement Contexts as a Tool for Human Flourishing
  Melanie Stuckey, Brandy Tanenbaum, Dean Kriellaars
  Sports Medicine.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Applying Multi-criteria Decision Analysis Methods to Explore the Key Factors in Using Interactive Intelligent Health Promotion Equipment
  Tsu-Ming Yeh, Hsiao-Yuan Lu, Fan-Yun Pai
  SAGE Open.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
• Efeitos da musculação na saúde e bem-estar de pessoas sedentárias
  Jardel Nimet, Aline Rosa Marosti, Carmem Patrícia Barbosa
  Arquivos do Mudi.2025; 29(1): e75704.     CrossRef
• Assessment of cardiac outcomes of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and developmental coordination disorder: A systematic review
  Jorge Lopes Cavalcante-Neto, Ricele da Silva Brito, Lucinete Sena de Oliveira Silva, Antonio Roberto Zamunér
  Research in Autism.2025; 125: 202604.     CrossRef
• Primary Care Physicians’ Important Role: Lifestyle Modification for Chronic Disease Management
  Su-Min Jeong
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2024; 45(5): 237.     CrossRef

Metformin is widely used drugs in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the mechanisms of action are complex and are still not fully understood yet. Metformin has a dose-dependent blood sugar-lowering effect. The most common adverse reactions of metformin are gastrointestinal symptoms, and women tend to be more experienced than men. A positive correlation between the administration of duration and the daily dose of metformin and the risk of vitamin B12 deficiency is confirmed. Novel glucose-lowering mechanism through the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase and alteration of gut microbiota composition is identified. In addition, metformin has immunomodulatory properties in various mechanisms, including anti-inflammatory actions, and so forth. Metformin improves insulin sensitivity, which may reduce the risk of tumor growth in certain cancers. The antiviral effects of metformin may occur through several mechanisms, including blocking angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor, and so forth. These potential mechanisms of metformin are promising in various clinical settings, such as inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and coronavirus disease 2019.

Citations

• USING BIOPELLETS WITH METFORMIN IN THE EXPERIMENTAL METABOLIC SYNDROME
  N. I. Voloshchuk, V. G. Zolotareva, A. V. Hara, O. S. Pashynska, I. V. Taran, A. V. Melnyk, V. O. Denysiuk
  World of Medicine and Biology.2024; 20(89): 220.     CrossRef
• Metformin in Antiviral Therapy: Evidence and Perspectives
  Iryna Halabitska, Pavlo Petakh, Oleh Lushchak, Iryna Kamyshna, Valentyn Oksenych, Oleksandr Kamyshnyi
  Viruses.2024; 16(12): 1938.     CrossRef

Background
Osteoporosis is one of the inevitable diseases affecting an aging society, substantially impacting the quality of life of its population. Protein intake has been shown to be beneficial in reducing the incidence of osteoporosis, and the effects of both animal and vegetable proteins have been studied. However, the relationship between processed meat consumption and osteoporosis has not been studied in Korea. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the correlation between processed meat consumption and incident osteoporosis in adults.
Methods
Our analysis included 1,260 adults aged 50 years and older from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES), recruited between 2005 and 2020. Participants were categorized into two groups according to their processed meat intake, assessed using a semi-quantitative 103-food item food frequency questionnaire. Diagnosis of osteoporosis was based on questionnaire answers. Multiple Cox hazard regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between processed meat intake and incident osteoporosis.
Results
During an average follow-up period of 8.8 years, 230 participants developed osteoporosis. According to the Cox proportional regression models, the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of incident osteoporosis in the high intake group was 0.62 (0.41–0.94), compared to the low intake group after adjusting for confounding variables.
Conclusion
These findings reveal that processed meat protein intake is inversely related to the incidence of osteoporosis in adults aged 50 years and older. This in turn suggests that processed meat intake can be proposed as an additional strategy to prevent osteoporosis.

Background
This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators of iron and folic acid supplementation and deworming programs among school-going adolescents.
Methods
A mixed-method observational study was conducted among adolescents in the 8th to 10th standards and their teachers across four schools in Deoghar, Jharkhand, India, using simple random sampling. The study included a questionnaire on socio-demographics, knowledge (34 items) (α=0.894), attitudes (2 items) (α=0.711) toward iron deficiency anemia, awareness of the Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFS) program and deworming (20 items) (α=0.783), and practices related to iron folic acid supplementation (IFS) and deworming, along with qualitative components. Data were analyzed using jamovi.
Results
Compliance rates for IFS and deworming were 27.5% and 67.9%, respectively. The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that sex, religion, caste, father’s educational status, per capita monthly family income (PCMI), diet type, adequate knowledge, and positive attitude toward anemia influenced IFS compliance. Religion, PCMI, and prior information on the importance of deworming facilitate compliance. Implementation barriers included irregular medication supply and a lack of student awareness.
Conclusion
Periodic evaluation, regular sensitization, and a consistent drug supply are necessary to effectively implement WIFS and deworming programs in the study area.

Citations

• Reflecting on progress and challenges: the Korean Journal of Family Medicine in 2024
  Seung-Won Oh
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(2): 55.     CrossRef

Background
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted healthcare services, including chronic disease management, for vulnerable groups, such as older individuals with hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate hypertension management in South Korea’s elderly population during the pandemic using treatment consistency indices such as the continuity of care (COC), modified, modified continuity index (MMCI), and most frequent provider continuity (MFPC).
Methods
This study used the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency-COVID-19-National Health Insurance Service cohort (K-COV-N cohort) from the National Health Insurance Service between 2017 and 2021. The research included a total of 4,097,299 hypertensive patients aged 65 years or older. We defined 2018 and 2019 as the baseline period before the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 and 2021 as the COVID-19 period and calculated the indices of medical continuity (number of visits, COC, MMCI, and MFPC) on a yearly basis.
Results
The number of visits decreased during the COVID-19 period compared to the baseline period (59.64±52.75 vs. 50.49±50.33, P<0.001). However, COC, MMCI, and MFPC were not decreased in the baseline period compared to the COVID-19 period (0.71±0.21 vs. 0.71±0.22, P<0.001; 0.97±0.05 vs. 0.96±0.05, P<0.001; 0.8±0.17 vs. 0.8±0.17, P<0.001, respectively).
Conclusion
COVID-19 had no significant impact on the continuity of care but affected the frequency of outpatient visits for older patients with hypertension. However, this study highlights the importance of addressing healthcare inequalities, especially in older patients with hypertension, during pandemics and advocates for policy changes to ensure continued care for vulnerable populations.

Citations

• Reflecting on progress and challenges: the Korean Journal of Family Medicine in 2024
  Seung-Won Oh
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(2): 55.     CrossRef
• The impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on hypertension phenotypes (ESH ABPM COVID-19 study)
  Aleksandra Ostrowska, Wiktoria Wojciechowska, Marek Rajzer, Thomas Weber, Michael Bursztyn, Alexandre Persu, George Stergiou, Grzegorz Kiełbasa, Marzena Chrostowska, Michaelis Doumas, Gianfranco Parati, Grzegorz Bilo, Guido Grassi, Giuseppe Mancia, Andrze
  European Journal of Internal Medicine.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef

Background
This study aimed to examine the effects of different types of skipped meals on cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRF) in Korean adults.
Methods
We analyzed 14,062 adults from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2016 and 2018. The irregularity of breakfast, lunch, and dinner consumption was assessed using 24-hour recall data, and we categorized the habit of skipping regular meals into eight types. Multiple linear regression was used to estimate the association between each type of meal skipping and the CMRF. We also presented the estimated effects of individual types of meal skipping on the CMRF based on their predicted values and mean differences.
Results
Korean adults tended to have irregular meal consumption habits when they had one or more of the following characteristics: female sex, under the age of 50 years, middle-high to high household income, high school or college or higher education levels, alcohol consumption, and current smoking. Compared to regular eaters, we have observed significantly higher total cholesterol in the following types of meal skipping: irregular breakfast (IB) (P<0.001), irregular lunch (P=0.005), irregular breakfast and lunch (IBL) (P=0.001), irregular breakfast and dinner (P=0.001); higher low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in IB (P=0.009); higher triglyceride in IB (P=0.005) and IBL (P=0.034); and higher fasting glucose in IB (P=0.046).
Conclusion
Different types of meal skipping were associated with CMRF. Regular breakfast and lunch consumption should be emphasized to prevent and manage cardiometabolic disorders. However, skipping dinner showed no significant association with CMRF.

Citations

• Primary Care Physicians’ Important Role: Lifestyle Modification for Chronic Disease Management
  Su-Min Jeong
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2024; 45(5): 237.     CrossRef

Citations

• Primary Care Physicians’ Important Role: Lifestyle Modification for Chronic Disease Management
  Su-Min Jeong
  Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2024; 45(5): 237.     CrossRef