Yi-Hua Chen

Taipei Medical University | TMU · School of Public Health

Background: Self-medication with over-the-counter (OTC) drugs is an important public health concern, especially in the vulnerable population of pregnant women due to potential risks to both the mother and fetus. Few studies have studied how factors, such as knowledge, affect self-medication. This study investigated self-medication and its associat...

Introduction In malaria-endemic countries, malaria during pregnancy is associated with adverse birth outcomes, including low birth weight (i.e., <2.5 kg). However, the effects of the widely promoted and recommended approaches of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in pregnancy and insecticide-treated nets for pregnant women on low birth w...

Background Malawi is a malaria-endemic country. A national malaria communication strategy was adopted to disseminate malaria messages with the aim of improving knowledge and adoption of malaria interventions. Objective To examine the effect of maternal exposure to malaria messages and the medium through which such messages are delivered on insecti...

Background Alcohol-involved riders tend to engage in other risk-taking behaviours such as un-helmeted riding which could further increases injury severity. The combined effect of alcohol-involved and un-helmeted riding on fatal injuries is rarely investigated. This study investigated the interaction effect between blood alcohol concentration and he...

Introduction Although an array of maternal and child-centered risks have been researched, considerably less is known about the effects of paternal influences on child's birth outcomes and early development. This longitudinal study thus examined the effects of paternal influences (parental stress, partner support, childcare and nursing, and father–c...

Background: Findings concerning nitric oxide (NO) in children and adolescents with obesity are scant. Objective: This study examined the links of NO with obesity and psychological traits (ie, self-concept, anxiety, depression, anger and disruptive behaviour) in children and adolescents in Taiwan. Methods: A total of 564 first, fourth and seven...

Malaria continues to be among the top causes of death in children and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are considered among the most effective malaria control methods. However, information on the association between universal ITN coverage and infant mortality is limited. A Cox proportional hazard model was applied to Malawi Demographic and Health Su...

Introduction This study aims to analyse the non-tax-induced price increasing strategies adopted by tobacco industry in Taiwan, a high-income country with comprehensive tobacco control policies but low tobacco taxes and a declining cigarette market. Methods Using governmental tax, price and inflation data, we analysed cigarette sales volume, afford...

Early diagnosis and treatment of childhood fever, an important sign of potentially serious infections such as malaria, is essential for controlling disease progression, and ultimately, preventing deaths. This study examined individual- and community-level factors associated with treatment-seeking behaviors and promptness in these behaviors among ca...

A growing literature indicates that electronic cigarette use increases the risk of subsequent initiation of conventional smoking among cigarette-naïve adolescents in several Western countries. This research assesses the same relationship in an Asian country, Taiwan. The Taiwan Adolescent to Adult Longitudinal Study is a school-based survey that was...

Introduction Adult smoking prevalence in Taiwan rapidly declined from 26.5% in 2005 to 20.0% in 2015. Nevertheless, future projections on smoking-attributable deaths and current per capita consumption do not paint an equally bright picture. Methods We used SimSmoke, a tobacco control simulation model to assess the impact of tax increases and other...

Background: Mental distress patterns in first-time or experienced mothers and fathers during the transition to parenthood have been inadequately studied. This longitudinal study thus investigated changes in depression, anxiety, and health-related quality of life in both parents from early pregnancy until 1 year postpartum. Parity effects were spec...

The increasing popularity of e-cigarettes, especially among adolescents, has alarmed health advocates and government officials, dominating the tobacco control narrative in the past few years. According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, the percentage of Taiwanese teenagers reporting use of e-cigarettes in the past 30 days rose from 2.01% (95% con...

The objective of the study was to introduce the methodology and report on cohort description of Taiwan Adolescent to Adult Longitudinal Study (TAALS). TAALS is the first nationwide longitudinal survey among Taiwan adolescents, linked with the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) to obtain complete medical records of respondents in th...

Although evidence suggests that homocysteine levels are elevated in severe mental illness in children, findings regarding homocysteine levels in youth with anxiety and depression are scarce. Therefore, this study examined the association of homocysteine levels with anxiety and depression in a community sample of students aged 6–13 years. In total,...

The goal of the present study was to compare the influence of the methylation capacity of arsenic, as well as insulin resistance on psychological characteristics of school students from elementary and junior high school. 296 elementary and 318 junior high school students participated in health examinations, completed questionnaires and determined t...

Background: Recently, studies have begun emphasizing paternal involvement during the perinatal period and its impact on maternal health. However, most studies have assessed maternal perception and focused on adolescents or minority groups in Western countries. Therefore, the current study investigated the association between paternal involvement a...

The aims of study were to investigate risk factors associated with attempted and completed suicide. This nested case–control study was conducted using the medical and death data of nearly all pregnant women for the period 2002–2012 in Taiwan. A total of 139 cases of attempted suicide and 95 cases of completed suicide were identified; for each case,...

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between perforated appendicitis and patient with diabetes using a population-based data set. Methods: This study used data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005 in Taiwan. We identified 4,806 patients hospitalized with acute appendicitis. The independent var...

Evidence of associations between psychopathology and obesity in childhood remains inconsistent, and most studies have been conducted in Western countries. This study investigated psychological and physiological correlates of obesity in a community sample of children in Taiwan. In total, 302 children (157 overweight/obese and 145 healthy-weight chil...

Compared to data on adolescents and adults, limited research has been conducted on biological correlates among young children with possible psychological difficulties, especially in Asian countries. By focusing on various peripheral biochemical indicators, we investigated potential biological correlates of psychological states in a community sample...

This study aimed to investigate the most prescribed medications and principle diagnoses for category D and X drugs during pregnancy using a population-based dataset in Taiwan. The data for the present study were sourced from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. We selected 14 125 women who had live singleton births between 1 Janu...

To investigate the effects of various measures of prenatal care on adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with a history of infertility. A retrospective cohort study. Data were derived by linking 2 large nationwide population-based datasets, the National Health Insurance Research Database and Taiwan Birth Certificate Registry. The study sample include...

Purpose The influence of mental illness early in life on the subsequent risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) and its clinical picture remain obscure. This study investigated the effects of psychiatric diseases on a subsequent PD diagnosis. Methods We used the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000 of Taiwan to identify 73 597 patients who visited...

Background: Based upon traditional Chinese postpartum rituals, women should be confined to home and obey restrictive regimen (e.g., special diet, avoiding bath) for one month. Although some evidences suggested confinement practices reduced postpartum depression, there was little consensus. Almost none of these studies examined the impact of prenata...

Empirical findings on the prospective link between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and subsequent depression are mixed. This nationwide, population-based study thus aimed at assessing the risk of depressive disorder within the first year following a diagnosis with OSA. Gender effects were further examined. Cohort study. Taiwan. This study used data f...

People with schizophrenia have been demonstrated to have higher overall morbidity and all-cause mortality rates from general medical conditions. However, little attention has been given to the urinary system of people with schizophrenia. As no direct evidence has been reported demonstrating a link between schizophrenia and urinary calculi, this stu...

The impact of anti-hypertensive treatment on fetus was unclear, and hence, remains controversial. We set out in this study to estimate the prevalence of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including low birth weight, preterm delivery and small for gestational age amongst women with chronic hypertension, and to determine whether the use of anti-hypertensive...

The study aims to discover risk factors significantly correlated with insulin resistance among adolescents in Taiwan. A total of 339 study subjects were recruited in this cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire and physical examinations including anthropometrics and biochemistry profiles were collected. Insulin resistance was asses...

Purpose: We aimed to explore the relationship between physician characteristics and their prescribing behavior regarding category D and X drugs for pregnant women by using a population-based data set in Taiwan. Methods: The sampled population for the study included 14,430 women. These women received a total of 198,420 prescriptions during pregna...

This study set out to explore the association between obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and prior chronic periodontitis (CP) by utilizing a population-based data set with a case-control design in Taiwan. We included 7673 subjects with OSA as cases, and randomly selected 21,963 subjects without a history of OSA as controls. We performed conditional log...

Using 2 nationwide population-based datasets, this study aimed to assess the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including low birthweight (LBW), preterm birth, small for gestational age (SGA), cesarean section (CS), lower Apgar score, and preeclampsia/eclampsia, between women with and without pneumonia. This study included 1462 women who had been...

Objective: Using two large-scale nationwide population-based data sets, this study aimed to assess the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes between mothers with and without urinary calculi. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Taiwan. Sample: This study included 3694 women who had live singleton births and received a diagnosis of urinary ca...

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? With the increased use of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) and robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP), a growing number of publications have sought to compare these more advanced techniques to retropubic RP (RRP). Many...

To date, the occurrence of erectile dysfunction (ED) associating with herpes zoster (HZ) is only based on limited case reports. This case-control study aimed at examining the association between HZ and ED using a population-based dataset in Taiwan. A total of 6429 adults newly diagnosed with ED were identified as cases, and 38,574 subjects without...

This population-based study in Taiwan aimed to investigate the risk of having a diagnosis of malignant brain tumors within 3 years after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study used data from the Traumatic Brain Injury Registry and the National Health Insurance Research Database. The study cohort comprised 5007 patients who had visited ambulator...

We examined the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, including low birthweight (LBW), preterm birth, small for gestational age (SGA), cesarean section (CS), low Apgar score (at 5 minutes after delivery), and preeclampsia in pregnant women with and without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Our subjects included 791 women with OSA and 3955 randomly selec...

There is no increased risk for sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) among people who have experienced a recent herpes zoster attack, compared with a matching population. The pathogenesis of SSNHL remains unknown, but viral infection is considered to be one of the main causes. The objective of this case-cohort study was to investigate the frequ...

Objectives, The objectives of this study were to report the City and the County levels' breastfeeding rates by participants in the maternity experience survey of the Taiwan. Including hospitalization and at 1 and 2 months after delivery. Methods. The 11,015 eligible Women were selected from a randomly selected sample of infants born 4-8 months befo...

Pemphigus is a potentially life-threatening autoimmune blistering disease. However, little is known about the all-cause and cause-specific mortality among patients with pemphigus compared with the general population. The incidence of pemphigus in Taiwan has not been described previously. The objective of this study was to estimate the incidence of...

Previous studies have identified an array of morbidities following traumatic brain injury (TBI), including certain neurological disorders. However, no direct evidence has been reported on the link between TBI and stroke. This population-based study was designed to estimate the risk of stroke during a period of 5 years following a TBI, compared with...

This population-based study aimed to compare the risk of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) for patients who underwent cesarean section delivery (CS) with general vs spinal/epidural anesthesia. We identified 67,328 women who had live singleton births by CS by linking the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Dataset and the national birth certificate...

Empirical findings on the association between a history of depression and subsequent cancer incidence are mixed and inconclusive. A link between depression and cancer would gain greater credence if it can be sustained across cultures. This nationwide, population-based study aimed to prospectively examine the relationship between a psychiatric diagn...

The imbalanced autonomic nervous system present in hyperthyroidism may cause lower urinary tract symptoms. Urinary incontinence (UI) is the most bothersome lower urinary tract symptom; however, in the literature, reports regarding urinary dysfunction and/or incontinence among hyperthyroid patients are scarce. This population-based cohort study aime...

As habitual heavy alcohol consumption is one of the major causes of cirrhosis in the western world, the majority of studies on the relationship between cirrhosis and stroke have focused on patients with alcohol-related liver diseases. Using a nationwide population-based dataset, this study therefore aimed to examine the risk of stroke among non-alc...

Some studies suggest that hospitalizations for certain conditions, called ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs), are potentially avoidable. However, almost no study has addressed the risk of ACSC hospitalizations specifically for patients with severe mental illness. Our study examines the risk of ACSC hospitalizations among patients with sch...

This study examines issues related to the formation of alliances by using the cyclical model of technological change constructed by Tushman and Anderson (1986). Within each of the four stages of the model, motivations and the selection of partners when forming strategic alliances are analysed. Motives of firms to form alliances are innovation-drive...

Although previous research reveals that cardiovascular events and thromboembolic diseases are important causes of death in patients with bullous pemphigoid (BP), the risk of stroke after the diagnosis of BP relative to the general population remains unknown. Using a randomly selected nationwide population-based sample, this study investigates the r...

Background Systemic inflammation and dysregulated immune function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is hypothesized to predispose patients to development of herpes zoster. However, the risk of herpes zoster among patients with COPD is undocumented. We therefore aimed to investigate the risk of herpes zoster among patients with COPD. M...

Objective: The Taiwan National Health Insurance Program covers 10 prenatal visits during maternal pregnancy. This study aimed to examine the effects of timing and frequency of prenatal visits on high-risk pregnancies and pregnancy outcomes, using a nationwide population-based dataset. Possibilities of amending prenatal care visits for ultimate heal...

Aims: The possibility of a relationship between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and asthma has been controversial. Using a nationwide population-based data set, this study aims to investigate the prevalence and risk of concurrent asthma among GERD patients, compared with patients without GERD in Taiwan. Methods: This study used the National...

Axillary osmidrosis is a benign disorder that causes functional and emotional problems in Asian patients. Surgical treatments have proven effective in treating this disease, but changes in quality of life after surgical procedures have not been investigated so far. To evaluate quality of life in patients with osmidrosis before and after surgery wit...

Previous research regarding pregnancy outcomes in women with psoriasis either used selective hospital-based data, or analyzed obstetric, but not infant-specific, outcomes. We sought to investigate whether maternal psoriasis was associated with increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, compared with unaffected mothers, in an unselected nationwid...

Background: Whether traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an independent risk factor for the subsequent development of schizophrenia has evoked considerable controversy. No evidence has been previously reported from Asia. This study estimated the risk of schizophrenia during a 5-year period following hospital admission for TBI relative to a comparison g...

This population-based study aimed to assess the relation between herpangina and adverse pregnancy outcomes: low birthweight (LBW), small for gestational age (SGA), and preterm delivery. A total of 242 pregnant women who had singleton births and who visited ambulatory care centers for the treatment of herpangina were assessed, together with 1936 mat...

Paternal characteristics have never been considered in the relation between maternal schizophrenia and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The aim of our study was to consider different paternal ages while investigating the relation between maternal schizophrenia and low birth weight (LBW), using a nationwide population-based dataset. Our study used data f...

This study investigated 6-year follow-up mortality rates and cause of death for persons younger than 45 years old with a history of hospitalisation for major psychiatric disorders after the introduction of the National Health Insurance (NHI). Linkage data combining death certificates with Taiwan NHI research claims data were used. The study cohort...

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a systemic inflammatory disease that can result in chronic pain and disability. This study aimed to analyse the prevalence and risk of medical comorbidities in patients with AS compared with the general population. 11 701 patients with AS and 58 505 matching controls were selected for analysis from the National Health...

The aim of the present study was to estimate the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among patients who received a first hospital diagnosis of schizophrenia during a 6 year follow-up period. Data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database were used. The study cohort consisted of 7353 patients who were hospitalized with a prin...

Social acceptance of smoking is associated with smoking prevalence. Higher smoking rates and ETS exposure might be considered as important indicators for pro-tobacco social norms or social climate. Among studies indicating the association between youth smoking and adult smoking behaviors, most were from individual-level study designs. An ecological...

Despite the recent attention to patient safety and quality of care, no prior studies have addressed outcomes of hospitalization for pneumonia among patients with schizophrenia. This study investigated the extent to which clinical outcomes of pneumonia were different among patients with schizophrenia. This study used data from the Taiwan National He...

The objective of the study was to determine whether maternal peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is associated with increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, using a nationwide population-based dataset. We identified a total of 2120 women who gave birth from 2001 to 2003 with a diagnosis of PUD during pregnancy. Then 10,600 unaffected pregnant women wer...

To explore whether panic disorder (PD) increases the risk for stroke, using a nationwide, population-based dataset. Our study used data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. The study cohort included patients who received ambulatory psychiatric care for PD between 2002 and 2003, inclusive (n = 3891). We selected our comparison...

Limited evidence reveals an elevated mortality risk in offspring of psychiatric patients after infancy. This nationwide population-based study in Taiwan aimed to investigate mortality risk in preschool children up to age 5 whose parents have severe mental illness. Three nationwide population-based data sets were linked. A total of 3,166 children wi...

This study compared the risk of adverse pregnancy outcome-including preterm births, low birth weight (LBW), large-gestational-age (LGA), and small-gestational-age (SGA)-among mothers with schizophrenia receiving typical, atypical, and no antipsychotics during pregnancy. They were all compared with control subjects. We used population-based data fro...

To investigate the effect of supportive care on healthcare and support needs for women with suspected breast cancer during the diagnostic period. A quasiexperimental design with two nonrandomly assigned groups. Two general surgery outpatient departments at a large teaching hospital in Taiwan. Experimental and control groups included 62 and 60 women...

As the prevalence of ulcerative colitis (UC) is much higher in Western countries than in Asian countries, previous investigations of pregnancy outcomes for women with UC were limited to people of European descent. This study was aimed at examining the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes (low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth, small for gestational a...

Varicella zoster virus-induced vasculopathy and postherpes zoster attack stroke syndromes have been reported previously; nevertheless, data regarding the exact prevalence and risk of stroke occurring postherpes zoster attack are still lacking. This study aims to investigate the frequency and risk of stroke after a herpes zoster attack using a natio...

To assess whether seizures in women with epilepsy during pregnancy contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes. A retrospective cross-sectional study. Taiwan. Patients This study linked 2 nationwide population-based data sets: Taiwan's birth certificate registry and the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Data set. A total of 1016 women with epi...

Using a 3-year nationwide population-based database, this study examines the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes [lower birthweight, preterm gestation and babies small for gestational age (SGA)] in pregnant women with uterine leiomyoma. This study linked two data sets: Taiwan's birth certificate registry and its National Health Insurance Research Da...

To compare the number of prenatal care visits for women with and without schizophrenia and to explore the relationship between the level of prenatal care and adverse pregnancy outcomes (low birth weight [LBW], preterm gestation, and small-for-gestational-age [SGA] babies). We identified a total of 607 women who gave birth from 2001 to 2003, who had...

To examine prospectively the relationship between a diagnosis of panic disorder and the risk of acute myocardial infarction within 1 year of follow-up. Panic disorder is associated prospectively with coronary artery disease, but the risk of acute myocardial infarction associated with panic disorder has not been specifically investigated. This natio...

Although teachers are the key participants in health-promoting schools (HPS) programme delivery, it is still unknown whether teachers are appropriate health information resources and role models for students with respect to healthy diets. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of implementing HPS programmes on teachers' nutrition knowle...

The objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes among the epileptic and general populations, including small for gestational age (SGA), low birth weight (LBW) and preterm delivery, using two large-scale nationwide population-based databases, and (2) to compare the risk of these adverse pregnancy outc...