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Aim To examine the prevalence of adult atopic dermatitis according to occupational status. Background While atopic dermatitis is more prevalent among children, some adults also suffer from it. The disease causes considerable difficulty in these adults' social lives at school or work, suggesting that they require high-quality health care. Given the chronic nature and environmental determinants of atopic dermatitis, its associations with occupational characteristics must be clarified. Design An exploratory cross-sectional analysis using secondary data. Method Participants were 662 people diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, all 19 years old or older; raw data were taken from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey V (2010-2012) and VI (2013-2014). Results Manual workers (adjusted odds ratio 2.50, 95% confidence interval, 1.30-4.83), paid workers (1.70, 1.15-2.51), regular workers (1.83, 1.18-2.85), and full-time workers (1.88, 1.23-2.89) all showed increased odds of currently suffering from atopic dermatitis. Conclusion Prevalence rates of atopic dermatitis differed by occupational characteristics, which suggests the need for interventions seeking to prevent symptom recurrence that are tailored to occupational characteristics. We expect this study to provide helpful baseline data for better policy-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) has continuously increased throughout the world in every age group, and the recent increase in AD in Korean adults may be related to changes in nutrient intakes due to westernization of dietary patterns. We hypothesized that the prevalence of AD is associated with the different dietary patterns and fermented food intakes of the Korean adult population. We examined the hypothesis using 9763 adults 19 years or older using the 2012-2013 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We identified 4 dietary patterns in addition to that including fermented foods using principal component analysis on data obtained from a 116-item validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire: meat and processed foods; vegetables, fruits, legumes, seafood, and seaweed; rice and grains; and coffee, chocolate, and ice cream. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for AD were calculated according to dietary patterns after adjusting for potential confounders. High levels of consumption (>92 times/month) of fermented foods such as doenjang, chungkookjang, kimchi, fermented seafood, makgeolli, and beer were associated with a lower prevalence of AD (OR, 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37-0.84). In contrast, high levels of consumption of meat and processed foods were strongly associated with the prevalence of AD (OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.48-3.94). Interestingly, the consumption of coffee, chocolate, and ice cream was significantly negatively associated with the prevalence of AD (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.34-0.82). In conclusion, the hypothesis was accepted. The results can be applied to nutrition education programs for the general population to decrease risk factors for AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to examine the association between smoking type and the prevalence of atopic dermatitis and asthma in men and women. Background: Cases of allergic diseases have been steadily increasing worldwide. Smoking is associated with serious diseases. Only a few studies have assessed the association between smoking and atopic dermatitis and asthma in adults, and gender difference studies are scarce despite a significant difference in smoking rates. Methods: We conducted a secondary cross‐sectional analysis of 17 886 adults with atopic dermatitis and 17 889 with asthma aged ≥19 years, using raw data from the Fifth Korea national Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010‐2012). Results: The prevalence of atopic dermatitis in men was not associated with active or passive smoking, whereas asthma prevalence in men was associated with indoor passive smoking exposure at home. We found that atopic dermatitis prevalence in women was associated with current smoking status, whereas asthma prevalence in women was associated with the presence of an indoor daily smoker at home and indoor passive smoking exposure at home. Conclusion: Asthmatic adults should be informed of the hazards of passive smoking, and women with atopic dermatitis should in particular be dissuaded from smoking. What is already known about this topic? The number of cases of allergic diseases has been steadily increasing worldwide over the past few decades.The association between allergic diseases and smoking remains controversial, and further clarification is required.There is a significant difference between the smoking rates of men and women. What this paper adds? There were associations between smoking types and the prevalence of atopic dermatitis and asthma for men and women.The prevalence of atopic dermatitis in men was not associated with active or passive smoking, whereas asthma prevalence in men was associated with indoor passive smoking exposure at home.We found that atopic dermatitis prevalence in women was associated with current smoking status, whereas asthma prevalence in women was associated with the presence of an indoor daily smoker at home and indoor passive smoking exposure at home. The implications of this study: Asthmatic adults should be informed of the hazards of passive smoking.Women with atopic dermatitis should especially be dissuaded from smoking.Education is also needed to explain the hazards of passive smoking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]