Purpose: The primary goal of this study was to develop a case management with exercise program for community dwelling elders who live alone, and examine the effects of the program. Method: The design of this research was a one group pre-post test study. The participations were 85 elders diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes mellitus and who lived alone as residents of D city. The case management with exercise program included exercise and counseling as the intervention and was provided for 12 weeks. Data were collected before and after the intervention which lasted from September 3 to November 26, 2009. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and paired t-test. Results: There were significant differences in blood pressure (t=-5.24, p<.001, t=-1.94, p= .040), fasting blood sugar (t=-4.41, p<.001), ADL (t=-5.43, p=.022) and cognitive function (t=7.41, p=.008) between pre- and post intervention. Conclusion: These results indicate that the case management program is an important intervention for health promotion for community-dwelling elders, and exercise improves functional status of older persons with diseases. Therefore, now is the time to develop new supportive community-based programs for elders who live alone. However, it is also necessary to do further longitudinal studies to confirm the results of this study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the present status of institutionalized persons and personnel of nursing homes for elders. Method: A survey questionnaire was distributed to 520 nursing homes nationwide, of which 308 nursing homes responded by completing the questionnaire. The data were collected from November 1 to November 14, 2008. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Results: Most home care facilities were situated in small or medium sized cities (46.8%, 56.6% respectively). About half of the nursing homes had 50-99 institutionalized persons (43.4~42.5%). Most of the nursing homes were operated by social welfare ownership. Average number of institutionalized persons was 41.7 and operation ratio of facilities was 93.9%. For severity of problems, 30% of institutionalized persons were assessed as third grade indicating mid-point severity. The average number of personnel was 18.6. The number of full-time positions was greater than that of part-time positions. The average income for the director was 2,600,000 Korean won, for nurses, 2,000,000, for social workers, 1,940,000, for physical therapists, 1,820,000, and for care workers, 1,560,000. Conclusion: Strategies need to be developed to maximize the value of the existing workforce without impacting on the quality of care delivered.

Purpose: This study was conducted to estimate the relationship between health behavior and follow-up needed for results of health examinations. Methods: The participants were 2,245 adults over age 19. Data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey VI-1 was used. Health behavior was defined as smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, hours of sleep and BMI. Those who needed follow-up care after a health examination were defined as having abnormal blood pressure, abnormal blood sugar, or abnormal blood cholesterol. Results: The proportion needing follow-up was 77.4%. The odds ratio (95%CI) for needing follow-up for blood pressure for men was 1.59 (1.18-2.15) with excessive alcohol consumption over one month, and 2.33 (1.73-3.13) with obesity, and for women, 3.55 (2.66-4.74) with obesity. For blood sugar in men it was 1.59 (1.18-2.15) with excessive alcohol consumption and 2.33 (1.73-3.13) with obesity, and for women, 3.55 (2.66-4.74) with obesity. For low HDL-C in men it was 0.53 (00.40-0.72) with excessive alcohol consumption and 2.39 (1.81-3.15) with obesity, and in women, 0.73 (0.57-0.94) with excessive alcohol consumption and 1.66 (1.29-2.14) with obesity. For high triglycerides it was 2.37 (1.42-2.39) with smoking and 2.34 (1.70-3.22) with obesity in men and in women, 1.51 (1.05-2.16) with obesity. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that obesity is associated with high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low HDL-C, and high triglycerides.

Purpose: This study was done to verify the effects of a self-regulation program for management of hypertension. Method: Thirty patients with hypertension registered in a community health center were selected as the experiment group, and control group were patients in another community health center, matched for age and gender. The self-regulation program included daily blood pressure checks, periodic counseling, and health education. A self-check digital device with instructions was provided for self-monitoring of blood pressure, and the participants were interviewed before they took part in the program. Results: The first hypothesis was supported: There will be a greater reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure for patients with hypertension who participate in the self-regulation program compared to patients in the control group. The second hypothesis was also supported: Patients with hypertension who participate in the self-regulation program will perform self-care activities better than those in the control group. Conclusion: The findings indicate that a self-regulation program reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure and improves self-care in patients with hypertension. It is recommended that this self-regulation program be used in community health clinics for management of hypertension and prevention of complications.