TY - JOUR
T1 - The Korea Nurses' Health Study
T2 - A Prospective Cohort Study
AU - Kim, Oksoo
AU - Ahn, Younjhin
AU - Lee, Hea Young
AU - Jang, Hee Jung
AU - Kim, Sue
AU - Lee, Jung Eun
AU - Jung, Heeja
AU - Cho, Eunyoung
AU - Lim, Joong Yeon
AU - Kim, Min Ju
AU - Willett, Walter C.
AU - Chavarro, Jorge E.
AU - Park, Hyun Young
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
PY - 2017/8
Y1 - 2017/8
N2 - Background: The Korea Nurses' Health Study (KNHS) is a prospective cohort study of female nurses, focusing on the effects of occupational, environmental, and lifestyle risk factors on the health of Korean women. Materials and Methods: Female registered nurses aged 20-45 years and living in the Republic of Korea were invited to join the study, which began in July 2013. They were asked to complete a web-based baseline survey. The study protocols and questionnaires related to the KNHS are based on the Nurses' Health Study 3 (NHS3) in the United States, although they were modified to reflect the Korean lifestyle. Participants were asked about demographic, lifestyle factors, disease history, occupational exposure, reproductive factors, and dietary habits during their adolescence: Follow-up questionnaires were/will be completed at 6-8 month intervals after the baseline survey. If a participant became pregnant, she answered additional questionnaires containing pregnancy-related information. Results: Among 157,569 eligible female nurses, 20,613 (13.1%) completed the web-based baseline questionnaire. The mean age of the participants was 29.4 ± 5.9 years, and more than half of them were in their 20s. Eighty-eight percent of the participants had worked night shifts as a nurse (mean, 5.3 ± 4.3 nights per month). Approximately 80% of the participants had a body mass index below 23 kg/m2. Gastrointestinal diseases were the most prevalent health issues (25.9%). Conclusions: The findings from this prospective cohort study will help to identify the effects of lifestyle-related and occupational factors on reproductive health and development of chronic diseases in Korean women.
AB - Background: The Korea Nurses' Health Study (KNHS) is a prospective cohort study of female nurses, focusing on the effects of occupational, environmental, and lifestyle risk factors on the health of Korean women. Materials and Methods: Female registered nurses aged 20-45 years and living in the Republic of Korea were invited to join the study, which began in July 2013. They were asked to complete a web-based baseline survey. The study protocols and questionnaires related to the KNHS are based on the Nurses' Health Study 3 (NHS3) in the United States, although they were modified to reflect the Korean lifestyle. Participants were asked about demographic, lifestyle factors, disease history, occupational exposure, reproductive factors, and dietary habits during their adolescence: Follow-up questionnaires were/will be completed at 6-8 month intervals after the baseline survey. If a participant became pregnant, she answered additional questionnaires containing pregnancy-related information. Results: Among 157,569 eligible female nurses, 20,613 (13.1%) completed the web-based baseline questionnaire. The mean age of the participants was 29.4 ± 5.9 years, and more than half of them were in their 20s. Eighty-eight percent of the participants had worked night shifts as a nurse (mean, 5.3 ± 4.3 nights per month). Approximately 80% of the participants had a body mass index below 23 kg/m2. Gastrointestinal diseases were the most prevalent health issues (25.9%). Conclusions: The findings from this prospective cohort study will help to identify the effects of lifestyle-related and occupational factors on reproductive health and development of chronic diseases in Korean women.
KW - Nurses' health study
KW - Republic of Korea
KW - cohort
KW - occupational exposure
KW - women's health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85028076389&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1089/jwh.2016.6048
DO - 10.1089/jwh.2016.6048
M3 - Article
C2 - 28771383
AN - SCOPUS:85028076389
SN - 1540-9996
VL - 26
SP - 892
EP - 899
JO - Journal of Women's Health
JF - Journal of Women's Health
IS - 8
ER -