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Cohort Profile
Cohort profile: the Korean Youth Health Behavior Panel Survey (KYHPS)
Jun Hyun Hwang, Inho Park, Soon-Woo Park
Epidemiol Health. 2026;48:e2026017.   Published online April 22, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2026017
  • 2,110 View
  • 70 Download
AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDF
Abstract
The identification of factors that predispose adolescents to adopt healthy lifestyles is essential because this developmental stage shapes long-term health trajectories. To address the lack of longitudinal data on adolescent health in Korea, the Korean Youth Health Behavior Panel Survey (KYHPS) was established in 2019. The KYHPS recruited 5,051 sixth-grade students from 260 elementary schools nationwide, excluding Jeju, and follows them annually for 10 years using a stratified multistage probability sampling design. Data were collected using tablet-assisted self-interviews, and the questionnaires were developed on the basis of the ecological model of health behaviors. The survey focused on 4 major domains—tobacco use, alcohol consumption, diet, and physical activity—along with psychosocial and contextual factors at the individual, family, peer, school, and community levels. Panel retention was 93.1% in Wave 2 and 82.0% in Wave 6. The KYHPS is the first national longitudinal survey specifically focused on adolescent health behaviors in Korea and provides a unique opportunity to examine health trajectories and their determinants across adolescence and into early adulthood, with important implications for prevention and policy.
Summary
Korean summary
청소년건강패널조사는 질병관리청이 2019년부터 전국 초등학교 6학년 5,051명을 10년간 추적하는 우리나라 최초의 청소년 건강행태 종단조사입니다. 본 조사는 흡연, 음주, 식생활, 신체활동 등 주요 건강행태와 이에 영향을 미치는 개인·가족·또래·학교·지역사회 요인을 반복적으로 측정하여 청소년기 건강행태의 변화과정과 결정요인을 규명할 수 있는 기반을 제공한다. 향후 청소년 건강정책 수립과 근거 기반 연구를 위한 핵심 자료원으로 활용될 것으로 기대된다.
Key Message
The Korean Youth Health Behavior Panel Survey (KYHPS) is the first national longitudinal study of adolescent health behaviors in Korea, conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). Since 2019, the survey has followed 5,051 sixth-grade students nationwide over a 10-year period. The KYHPS repeatedly assesses major health behaviors, including tobacco use, alcohol consumption, dietary behaviors, and physical activity, as well as individual, family, peer, school, and community factors that influence these behaviors. By providing longitudinal data on the development and determinants of adolescent health behaviors, the KYHPS serves as a valuable resource for future research and evidence-based adolescent health policy.
Methods
Plan and operations of the 10th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2025–2027)
Sun-Ja Kim, Sihyun Park, Sunja Kim, Suyeon Park, Yoonjung Kim, Yunjung Choi, Sungha Yun, Kyungwon Oh
Epidemiol Health. 2026;48:e2026001.   Published online January 2, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2026001
  • 5,093 View
  • 105 Download
AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDFSupplementary Material
Abstract
The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) is a national health survey mandated by Article 16 of the National Health Promotion Act to assess the health and nutritional status of the Korean population. Over the past 2 decades, the survey has continuously introduced timely survey components while strengthening its survey methodology and operational systems to enhance both the policy relevance and scientific utility of its findings. The 10th KNHANES (2025–2027) preserves the statistical representativeness of its sampling design while expanding the use of web-based self-administered questionnaires to improve participant convenience. In response to Korea’s transition into a super-aged society, the 10th KNHANES incorporates enhanced older-adult health surveys, including osteoporosis assessment and older adults’ life functioning, and newly introduces items addressing social support as part of the social determinants of health. In addition, a longitudinal follow-up survey system has been established to monitor long-term changes in population health. Collectively, these changes are expected to improve understanding of aging-related health issues, support evidence-based national health policy development, and expand the applicability of KNHANES data for academic research.
Summary
Korean summary
국민건강영양조사는 국민건강증진법 제16조에 근거하여 1998년부터 우리 국민의 건강 및 영양 수준을 파악해 온 국가 단위 건강조사이다. 제10기(2025–2027) 국민건강영양조사는 통계적 대표성을 유지하면서 온라인 조사로의 지속적인 개선·확대, 초고령 사회 등 사회·보건환경 변화에 대응한 신규 조사항목 도입, 추적조사 체계 구축을 통해 국가 건강정책 및 만성질환 예방·관리 전략 수립을 위한 근거 생산을 강화하고자 한다.
Key Message
The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) is a national health survey mandated by Article 16 of the National Health Promotion Act that has assessed the health and nutritional status of the Korean population since 1998. The 10th KNHANES (2025–2027) maintains statistical representativeness while further improving and expanding web-based self-administered surveys, incorporating new survey components in response to social and public health changes such as the transition to a super-aged society, and establishing a longitudinal follow-up system to strengthen the evidence base for national health policy development and chronic disease prevention and management.
Original Articles
Age-related trajectories of blood lipids and lipoproteins by sex, region, and waist circumference changes in Korea: a longitudinal cohort study
Mi Kyoung Son, Nam-Kyoo Lim, Joong-Yeon Lim, Hyun-Young Park
Epidemiol Health. 2025;47:e2025066.   Published online December 9, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2025066
  • 3,751 View
  • 89 Download
AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDFSupplementary Material
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to evaluate the longitudinal trajectories of lipid and lipoprotein levels with aging according to sex and changes in waist circumference (ΔWC) from midlife to late life.
METHODS
We included 4,345 male and 4,804 female participants aged 40-69 years at baseline from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (2001-2018). The annual ΔWC was estimated using linear regression. Marginal models were fitted using mixed-effects regression.
RESULTS
The trajectories of total cholesterol (TC), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels displayed an increasing trend until the 60s age range in females (approximately 10-15 mg/dL) and the late 40s in males (approximately 3-5 mg/dL), with a subsequent decline. In females, HDL-C levels increased until the early 50s, declined thereafter, and rose again from the 70s onward, with a more pronounced rise in urban than in rural areas, while remaining relatively stable in males. Triglyceride (TG) levels decreased with advancing age in males, whereas in females they increased up to the age of 70 years, followed by a decrease. Females exhibited greater increases in TC, non-HDL-C, HDL-C, LDL-C, and TG across all ages compared with males. Both males and females with a decrease in waist circumference (WC) during follow-up showed improvements in lipid and lipoprotein profiles relative to those with stable or increased WC.
CONCLUSIONS
Trends in lipid and lipoprotein levels vary according to age and sex, and a decrease in WC significantly improves lipid and lipoprotein profiles.
Summary
Korean summary
• 40세 이상 한국 성인을 대상으로 한 전향적 코호트에서 지질 및 지단백 궤적은 연령, 성별, 지역에 따라 상이한 양상을 보였으며, 총콜레스테롤, 저밀도 지단백 콜레스테롤, 비고밀도 지단백 콜레스테롤 수준은 농촌 지역에 비해 도시 지역에서 전반적으로 불리한 양상으로 나타났다. • 여성은 남성에 비해 5개 지질 및 지단백 지표 전반에서 더 큰 증가 폭을 보였으며, 여성의 고밀도 지단백 콜레스테롤은 폐경 이행기를 전후로 감소한 이후 다시 증가하였다. • 허리둘레의 지속적인 감소는 지질 및 지단백 프로파일의 개선과 관련되었으며, 이러한 결과는 복부비만 관리에 있어 연령과 성별을 고려한 맞춤형 접근의 중요성을 시사한다.
Key Message
• In a prospective cohort analysis of Korean adults aged 40 years and older, lipid and lipoprotein trajectories varied by age, sex, and region, with total cholesterol, low- density llipoprotein cholesterol, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels generally showing less favorable patterns in urban than rural areas. • Females exhibited greater increases across all five lipid and lipoprotein measures than males, while high-density cholesterol levels in females declined around the menopausal transition and increased again in later life. • A sustained decrease in waist circumference was associated with improvements in lipid and lipoprotein profiles, highlighting the importance of age- and sex-specific approaches to abdominal obesity management.
Age-specific findings on lifestyle and trajectories of cognitive function from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging
Seungju lim, Eunyoung Yoo, Ickpyo Hong, Ji-Hyuk Park
Epidemiol Health. 2023;45:e2023098.   Published online November 2, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2023098
  • 18,941 View
  • 209 Download
  • 9 Web of Science
  • 8 Crossref
AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDF
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Few longitudinal studies have explored age-related differences in the relationship between lifestyle factors and cognitive decline. This study investigated lifestyle factors at baseline that slow the longitudinal rate of cognitive decline in young-old (55-64 years), middle-old (65-74 years), and old-old (75+ years) individuals.
METHODS
We conducted an 11-year follow-up that included 6,189 older adults from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, which is a cohort study of community-dwelling older Koreans. Lifestyle factors, including physical activity, social activity (SA), smoking, and alcohol consumption were assessed at baseline. Cognitive function was measured at 2-year intervals over 11 years. Latent growth modeling and multi-group analysis were performed.
RESULTS
The influence of lifestyle factors on the rate of cognitive decline differed by age. Smoking at baseline (-0.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.11 to -0.00, per study wave) accelerated cognitive decline in young-old individuals, whereas frequent participation in SA at baseline (0.02; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.03, per study wave) decelerated cognitive decline in middle-old individuals. None of the lifestyle factors in this study decelerated cognitive decline in old-old individuals.
CONCLUSIONS
Cognitive strategies based on modifiable lifestyle factors such as smoking cessation in young-old individuals and frequent SA participation in middle-old age individuals may have great potential for preventing cognitive decline. Because the influence of lifestyle factors varied by age group, age-specific approaches are recommended to promote cognitive health.
Summary
Korean summary
본 연구는 국내 노인인구를 연령대별로 구분하여 연소노인(55-64세), 중고령노인(65-74세), 고령노인(75세+)의 인지저하 기울기를 가속 혹은 감속시키는 라이프스타일 요인을 파악하였다. '흡연'은 연소노인의 인지저하를 가속, '사회활동 참여 빈도'는 중고령노인의 인지저하를 감속시키는 것으로 나타났으며, 고령노인의 경우 유의미한 변수가 나타나지 않았다. 본 결과는 노인의 인지건강에 있어 연령대별 차별화된 라이프스타일 전략이 필요할 것을 시사한다.
Key Message
This study aimed to identify lifestyle factors that accelerate or decelerate the cognitive decline slope in the older population in South Korea, categorized by age groups: young-old adults (55-64), middle-old adults (65-74), and old-old adults (75+). The findings indicated that 'smoking' accelerates cognitive decline in young-old adults, while 'frequency of social activity participation' decelerates cognitive decline in middle-old adults. However, no significant lifestyle variables were identified for old-old adults. These results suggest the necessity of differentiated lifestyle strategies based on age groups for promoting cognitive health in the older population.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
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    Kyungae Kim
    Medicine.2026; 105(1): e46141.     CrossRef
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    Irene Brianzoni, Michele Rossi, Mauro Colombo, Antonio Guaita, Elena Rolandi
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    Y. Feng, S. Jia, W. Zhao, X. Wu, Y. Zuo, S. Wang, L. Zhao, M. Ma, X. Guo, C.S. Tarimo, Y. Miao, Jian Wu
    The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease.2024; 11(5): 1513.     CrossRef
Long working hours and the risk of hypothyroidism in healthy Korean workers: a cohort study
Yesung Lee, Woncheol Lee, Hyoung-Ryoul Kim
Epidemiol Health. 2022;44:e2022104.   Published online November 8, 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2022104
  • 21,622 View
  • 248 Download
  • 2 Web of Science
  • 2 Crossref
AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDFSupplementary Material
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Long working hours have been reported to cause various health problems, but are currently practiced in many countries. Building upon a previous cross-sectional study, the authors aimed to elucidate the causal relationship between long working hours and hypothyroidism through a longitudinal study.
METHODS
Data were collected at baseline from 45,259 participants without thyroid disease and with consistent weekly working hours (36-40, 41-52, 53-60, and >60 hours) during the follow-up period. Hypothyroidism was defined using the reference limits of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone and free thyroxine levels. By estimating hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, the risk of incident hypothyroidism was evaluated with 36-40 hours of work per week as the reference.
RESULTS
During 138,261.7 person-years of follow-up, 2,914 participants developed hypothyroidism (incidence density, 2.11/102 person-years). The multivariable-adjusted HRs of incident hypothyroidism for 41-52 hours, 53-60 hours, and >60 hours of work per week were 1.13 (95% CI, 1.03 to 1.24), 2.53 (95% CI, 2.17 to 2.95), and 2.57 (95% CI, 2.09 to 3.15), respectively. In dose-response analyses, long working hours had an approximately linear relationship with hypothyroidism incidence. The risk of incident hypothyroidism in those who worked 53-60 hours and >60 hours per week compared with the reference group was significantly higher among the older age group (≥36 years, stratified by median age), men, and daytime workers.
CONCLUSIONS
This large-scale cohort study demonstrated the association between long working hours and an increased risk of incident hypothyroidism with a dose-response relationship.
Summary
Korean summary
대규모 코호트연구를 통해 장시간노동을 수행한 노동자들에서 갑상선기능저하증의 위험이 높아지는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 특히 연령, 성, 교대근무 유무에 따라 층화하여 분석한 결과에서 고연령, 남성, 교대근무를 하지 않는 노동자에서 관련성의 크기가 증가하였다.
Key Message
This large-scale cohort study (The Kangbuk Samsung Health Study), which used 45,259 participants without thyroid disease at baseline and estimated hazard ratios (HRs) using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, demonstrated the association between long working hours and an increased risk of incident hypothyroidism with a dose-response relationship especially in older age group, men, and daytime workers.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
  • Effectiveness of Physical Activity-Led Workplace Health Promotion Interventions: A Systematic Review
    Shichao Zhang, Mingjian Nie, Jiale Peng, Hong Ren
    Healthcare.2025; 13(11): 1292.     CrossRef
  • Association between shift work and the risk of hypothyroidism in adult male workers in Korea: a cohort study
    Seonghyeon Kwon, Yesung Lee, Eunhye Seo, Daehoon Kim, Jaehong Lee, Youshik Jeong, Jihoon Kim, Jinsook Jeong, Woncheol Lee
    Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2023;[Epub]     CrossRef
Cohort Profile
Cohort profile: Singapore’s nationally representative Retirement and Health Study with 5 waves over 10 years
Reuben Ng, Yi Wen Tan, Kelvin Bryan Tan
Epidemiol Health. 2022;44:e2022030.   Published online February 21, 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2022030
  • 52,768 View
  • 313 Download
  • 8 Web of Science
  • 8 Crossref
AbstractAbstract AbstractSummary PDF
Abstract
The Retirement and Health Study (RHS) is Singapore’s largest nationally representative cohort with over 15,000 participants (aged 45-85 years) followed across five timepoints in 10 years (2014-2024). Accounting for sample weights, the sample represents 1.2 million Singaporeans and permanent residents of a total population of 5.5 million. The RHS sought consent to link survey responses to relevant administrative data, enabling the cross-validation of self-reports with national databases. There are 10 sections in the RHS with over 400 questions, 50% of which are on respondents’ physical and mental health, healthcare utilization and insurance; the remaining 50% are about employment history, retirement adequacy, wealth, and household expenditure. The RHS was set up to provide microdata to compliment administrative data for whole-of-government policy making given that Singapore will reach super-aged status by 2026. Sample findings include a need for older adults to balance between immediate financial needs and investments regarding their pension funds. Also, 86% of older adults preferred to transit into partial retirement by reducing workloads. On the health front, existing studies utilising the RHS have revealed latent classes of disabilities, and that intentions to seek employment can mitigate disability developments. Another study reported that physical disability and social isolation was projected to increase, with ethnic disparities in social functioning. Overall, the RHS will be used for evidenced-informed policy agenda setting and evaluation across domains of health, finance, retirement adequacy, social and family development.
Summary
Key Message
The Retirement and Health Study (RHS) is Singapore’s largest nationally representative cohort with over 15,000 participants (aged 45-85 years) followed across five timepoints in 10 years (2014-2024). Sample findings include a need for older adults to balance between immediate financial needs and investments regarding their pension funds. Overall, the RHS will be used for evidenced-informed policy agenda setting and evaluation across domains of health, finance, retirement adequacy, social and family development.

Citations

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