J Korean Med Sci.  2008 Dec;23(6):969-974. 10.3346/jkms.2008.23.6.969.

Treatment-Seeking Behaviors and Related Epidemiological Features in Korean Acne Patients

• Suh DH
• Shin JW
• Min SU
• Lee DH
• Yoon MY
• Kim NI
• Kye YC
• Lee ES
• Ro YS
• Kim KJ

• KMID: 1107519
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2008.23.6.969

Abstract

Little is known about the treatment-seeking behaviors of acne patients, especially Asian acne patients. This study was performed to obtain detailed information about the treatment-seeking behaviors in Korean acne patients. Patients who visited the dermatology departments at 17 university hospitals completed a self-administered questionnaire. Most patients obtained information about acne from doctors or the Internet. The most important criteria for selecting a treatment method or choosing a particular clinic were effectiveness and accessibility. Patients used traditional medicine, visited beauty clinics, drank more water, and used over-the-counter topical agents more frequently than they sought doctors during the worsening period. The degree of satisfaction in treatment was found to depend on the total cost of treatment, number of places visited, site affected by acne, and emotional stress. Those who had experienced a side effect tended to have been treated for longer, to have paid more for treatment, and to have an associated skin disease. Treatments prescribed by dermatology clinics had the lowest aggravating rate, although improvement rates for family medicine clinics were also fairly high. This is the first study to investigate in detail the demographic features and characteristics of the treatmentseeking behaviors of acne patients in Asia.

Keyword

Acne Vulgaris; Therapy; Epidemiology

MeSH Terms

Acne Vulgaris/epidemiology/*psychology/therapy
Adult
Demography
Female
Health Behavior
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Hospitals, University
Humans
Korea
Male
*Patient Satisfaction
Questionnaires
Sex Factors
Stress, Psychological
Young Adult

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Sources of information. *p<0.05 between male and female acne patients.

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  Fig. 2 Acne treatment during the worsening period. A statistically significant difference between acne patients who had been treated and those who had never been treated in a hospital. *, p<0.05 between two groups; †, p<0.01 between two groups.

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  Fig. 3 Maintenance method after improvement. A statistically significant difference between male and female acne patients (*p<0.05 between male and female).

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  Fig. 4 Maintenance method after improvement. Statistical difference between acne patients that had been treated or had never been treated in a hospital. †, p<0.05 between two groups.

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  Fig. 5 Differences between patients who were satisfied or dissatisfied with treatment results. *p<0.05 and †p<0.01 between the groups.

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  Fig. 6 Differences between patients who had or had not experienced side effects (*p<0.05 and †p<0.01).

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  Fig. 7 Results of treatment at previously visited centers. Percentages of patients who were aggravated by treatment were the lowest for dermatology clinics.

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  Fig. 8 Difference between male and female patients by previous treatment. *p<0.05 and †p<0.01 between male and female acne patients.

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