농촌노인의 성과 연령에 따른 신체적.정신적.사회적 건강의 상호관계

Physical, Mental and Social Health of Korean Rural Elderly with a Focus on Gender and Age-group Differences

The purpose of this study is to examine how the rural elderly assess the multi-dimensions of health. This includes the physical, mental and social dimensions of health, correlations among them, and whether there are gender differences and age-group (60's, 70's, 80 and over) differences. For this purpose, survey data was gathered from 881 rural elderly who live in a village. The statistical methods used for data analysis were descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and correlations. The major findings of this study are as follows: Physical health was measured by self-rated health, ADL, IADL, and farmer symptoms. The respondents classified as 80 and over and female perceived their physical health more negatively. Mental health was perceived somewhat positively in general but female participants perceived their mental health more negatively than males. Social health of the rural elderly was relatively positive in comparison to the other dimensions of health. The rural elderly engaged in many social activities, and the majority of them had many social support networks composed of more than 12 persons. Relationships among the physical, mental and social health dimensions were different. The correlation of physical and mental health and the correlation of social and psychological health were statistically significant. However, the correlation of physical and social health had no significant meanings.