Table 4. Prevalence of tinnitus according to physical health, mental health, and lifestyle factors.
(the Enforcement Rule of Health Screening at School, according to the School Health Act of South Korea).
| No | Yes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | Severe Tinnitus n (%) | n (%) | Severe Tinnitus n (%) | Pa | ||
| Condition | Catch a cold easily | 864 (74.6) | 69 (8.0) | 295 (25.5) | 48 (16.3) | < 0.0001 |
| I lack strength and I get tired easily | 807 (69.6) | 57 (7.1) | 352 (30.4) | 60 (17.1) | < 0.0001 | |
| I think I am not healthy | 1010 (87.1) | 91 (9.0) | 149 (12.9) | 26 (17.5) | 0.0014 | |
| Respiratory System | My Nose and eyes are itchy, I sneeze, and sometimes I have a runny nose. | 808 (69.7) | 71 (8.8) | 351 (30.3) | 46 (13.1) | 0.0249 |
| I experience shortness of breath and I hear whistles from my chest. | 1094 (94.4) | 105 (9.6) | 65 (5.6) | 12 (18.5) | 0.0212 | |
| I have yellow sputum when I cough. | 994 (85.8) | 91 (9.2) | 165 (14.2) | 26 (15.8) | 0.0091 | |
| I usually have trouble breathing through my nose because my nose is blocked. | 904 (78.0) | 81 (9.0) | 255 (22) | 36 (14.1) | 0.0158 | |
| I am told that I often snore badly. | 1087 (93.8) | 106 (9.8) | 72 (6.2) | 11 (15.3) | 0.1317 | |
| I often have fever and a sore throat. | 1063 (91.7) | 91 (8.6) | 96 (8.3) | 26 (27.1) | < 0.0001 | |
| There is a lump in my neck. | 1118 (96.5) | 108 (9.7) | 41 (3.5) | 9 (22.0) | 0.0103 | |
| Circulatory System | I get out of breath, even after a little exercise, compared with others. | 970 (83.7) | 88 (9.1) | 189 (16.3) | 29 (15.3) | 0.0088 |
| My complexion is bad and my heart pounds even when I am at rest | 1139 (98.3) | 115 (10.1) | 20 (1.7) | 2 (10.0) | 0.9887 | |
| Digestive | I have a burning feeling or pain in my stomach | 862 (74.4) | 55 (6.4) | 297 (25.6) | 62 (20.9) | < 0.0001 |
| I feel stuffy or full. | 891 (76.9) | 60 (6.7) | 268 (23.1) | 57 (21.3) | < 0.0001 | |
| My lower belly is painful, or I often have diarrhea. | 946 (81.6) | 77 (8.1) | 213 (18.4) | 40 (18.8) | < 0.0001 | |
| My stomach fells tight or bloated. | 985 (85.0) | 77 (7.8) | 174 (15) | 40 (23.0) | < 0.0001 | |
| Mental Health | I feel hopeless because I am sad or depressed. | 1022 (88.2) | 90 (8.8) | 137 (11.8) | 27 (19.7) | < 0.0001 |
| I often do not want to go to school. | 951 (82.1) | 80 (8.4) | 208 (18) | 37 (17.8) | < 0.0001 | |
| I have seriously considered suicide or attempted suicide. | 1132 (97.7) | 112 (9.9) | 27 (2.3) | 5 (18.5) | 0.1415 | |
| I often feel nervous as if I am going crazy. | 1111 (95.9) | 110 (9.9) | 48 (4.1) | 7 (14.6) | 0.2918 | |
| I am not calm. I am too active, which can interfere with the activities of other children. | 1075 (92.8) | 98 (9.1) | 84 (7.3) | 19 (22.6) | < 0.0001 | |
| Blood | I often have nosebleeds and the bleeding does not stop quickly if I am injured. | 1097 (94.7) | 106 (9.7) | 62 (5.4) | 11 (17.7) | 0.0399 |
| I get bruised easily. | 998 (86.1) | 84 (8.4) | 161 (13.9) | 33 (20.5) | < 0.0001 | |
| Other Symptoms | My headache or migraine is severe. | 1006 (86.8) | 79 (7.9) | 153 (13.2) | 38 (24.8) | < 0.0001 |
| My ears are sore, or I have an ear discharge. | 1129 (97.4) | 109 (9.7) | 30 (2.6) | 8 (26.7) | 0.0023 | |
| My jaw joints are sore, or I cannot open my mouth well. | 1109 (95.7) | 109 (9.8) | 50 (4.3) | 8 (16) | 0.1565 | |
| I have a throbbing pain in my neck/waist/knee etc. | 968 (83.5) | 77 (8.0) | 191 (16.5) | 40 (20.9) | < 0.0001 | |
| (For girls) My menstrual cramps are severe. | 473 (79.4) | 43 (9.1) | 123 (20.6) | 28 (22.8) | < 0.0001 | |
| Diet | I eat breakfast regularly. | 382 (33) | 43 (11.3) | 777 (67) | 74 (9.5) | 0.3573 |
| I drink milk or dairy products every day. | 465 (40.1) | 55 (11.8) | 694 (59.9) | 62 (8.9) | 0.1089 | |
| I eat vegetables and fruit every day. | 315 (27.2) | 37 (11.8) | 844 (72.8) | 80 (9.5) | 0.2543 | |
| I rarely eat sweet or salty food. | 894 (77.1) | 93 (10.4) | 265 (22.9) | 24 (9.1) | 0.5229 | |
| I consume soft drinks, hamburgers, pizza, or snacks almost every day. | 942 (81.3) | 86 (9.1) | 217 (18.7) | 31 (14.3) | 0.0230 | |
| I skip meals or take drugs to lose weight. | 1108 (95.6) | 109 (9.8) | 51 (4.4) | 8 (15.7) | 0.1752 | |
| Personal Hygiene | I wash my hands with soap before eating or after going out. | 346 (29.9) | 40 (11.6) | 813 (70.2) | 77 (9.5) | 0.2799 |
| I brush my teeth more than twice a day. | 80 (6.9) | 5 (6.3) | 1079 (93.1) | 112 (10.4) | 0.2368 | |
| Exercise | I exercise intensely at least three times a week. | 650 (56.1) | 75 (11.5) | 509 (43.9) | 42 (8.3) | 0.0653 |
| I allocate study and exercise time well. I feel refreshed after sleeping. | 677 (58.4) | 83 (12.3) | 482 (41.6) | 34 (7.1) | 0.0037 | |
| Safety | I wear a seat belt when I ride in a car. | 404 (34.9) | 38 (9.4) | 755 (65.1) | 79 (10.5) | 0.5690 |
| I wear a helmet or protective gear when I use inline skates, roller blades, skateboards, bicycles, etc. | 812 (70.1) | 86 (10.6) | 347 (29.9) | 31 (8.9) | 0.3910 | |
| Internet | I used the internet or play games more than 2 hours a day. | 715 (61.7) | 70 (9.8) | 444 (38.3) | 47 (10.6) | 0.6621 |
| I often watch pornography or chat on adult sites. | 1124 (97) | 111 (9.9) | 35 (3) | 6 (17.1) | 0.1599 | |
| Home & School Life | I have been bullied or isolated by my friends over the past year. | 1134 (97.8) | 111 (9.8) | 25 (2.2) | 6 (24) | 0.0196 |
| I have a person to talk to when I have worries or problems. | 209 (18) | 23 (11) | 950 (82) | 94 (9.9) | 0.6296 | |
| I am worried about problems in my family. | 1030 (88.9) | 99 (9.6) | 129 (11.1) | 18 (14) | 0.1228 | |
| I have seriously considered running away from home during the past year. | 1105 (95.3) | 105 (9.5) | 54 (4.7) | 12 (22.2) | 0.0024 | |
| My safety is threatened by violence at home or school. | 1153 (99.5) | 116 (10.1) | 6 (0.5) | 1 (16.7) | 0.5921 | |
| I have carried a knife/club/nunchaku as a weapon. | 1151 (99.3) | 114 (9.9) | 8 (0.7) | 3 (37.5) | 0.0098 | |
| I have used marijuana or psychotropic drugs to hallucinate. | 1157 (99.8) | 117 (10.1) | 2 (0.2) | 0 (0) | 0.6353 | |
| Sexuality | I worry about gender issues. | 1142 (98.5) | 114 (10) | 17 (1.5) | 3 (17.7) | 0.2978 |
| I have been abused physically, mentally, and/or sexually. | 1155 (99.7) | 116 (10) | 4 (0.4) | 1 (25) | 0.3216 | |
a Chi-squared tests were performed, and p-values in bold indicate significance after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (P < 0.0009).