Purpose
This study aimed to examine the effects of a post-discharge tailored telephone (TATE) follow-up program for patients with low health literacy (LHL) who had undergone percutaneous coronary intervention.
Methods
This pilot study employed a non-equivalent control group pretest–posttest design to evaluate the preliminary effects of a TATE follow-up program at a university hospital in Seoul. Data were collected from July 2020 to September 2021. A total of 51 patients were recruited, and 46 completed the study. Patients were divided into three groups: an intervention group with LHL, a control group with LHL, and a control group with high health literacy. The intervention group received two 15-minute phone calls as part of the TATE follow-up program.
Results
The TATE follow-up program significantly improved disease- related knowledge in the intervention group compared with the control groups (p=.001). The intervention group also reported significantly higher satisfaction with nursing services than the other two groups (p=.006). However, there were no significant differences in changes in health behavior adherence among the groups, although the intervention group with LHL showed the greatest increase of 17.5 points after the intervention.
Conclusion
This pilot study demonstrated that the TATE follow-up program was effective and feasible for improving disease-related knowledge and satisfaction with nursing services among patients with LHL. These findings highlight the importance of tailored transitional care interventions to support cardiovascular disease management and secondary prevention.

Purpose
Middle-aged women often experience weight gain, particularly as visceral fat, due to hormonal changes associated with menopause. Visceral fat, which accumulates in the abdomen, poses significant risks to cardiometabolic health. This cross-sectional study aimed to compare the cardiometabolic risks associated with Visceral Fat Obesity (VFO) and Subcutaneous Fat Obesity (SFO) in middle-aged Korean women and to identify factors that influence VFO.
Methods
Women aged 40 to 64 with overweight or obesity were recruited from March to April 2019. The study involved anthropometric measurements, fasting blood tests, and low-volume abdominal computed tomography. Additionally, participants provided self-reported sociodemographic, health-related, and lifestyle information, including Physical Activity (PA) and dietary intake.
Results
Of all participants, 70.8% were post-menopausal, and 55.1% had VFO. Those with VFO exhibited significantly higher mean values for waist circumference, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and the Framingham risk score compared to those with SFO. The factors influencing VFO were age (odds ratio (OR)=1.14; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.032~1.247), body mass index (OR=1.47; 95% CI, 1.151 ~1.875), days of vigorous PA per week (OR=0.42; 95% CI, 0.244~0.735), and intake of animal calcium (OR=0.99; 95% CI, 0.988~0.997).
Conclusion
The findings indicate that middle-aged women with VFO face increased cardiometabolic risks. Since menopause is inevitable in women, targeting modifiable behaviors to reduce weight, particularly visceral fat, is crucial for lowering cardiometabolic risk.

Citations

• Literature Review on the Effects of Functional Food Ingredients for Blood Glucose and Body Fat Reduction on Glycemic Control in Insulin Resistance and Diabetes
  Nohyeon Kim, Minhee Lee, Yoo Kyung Park, Jeongmin Lee
  Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition.2025; 54(10): 805.     CrossRef