• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.273-305
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to understand and explore the essence of the self-care experiences of middle-aged one-person households considering their individual circumstances and situational context. In this study, 10 middle-aged people in one-person households were interviewed. The interview data were analyzed using the phenomenological analysis. In result, middle-aged one-person households considered self-care as 'means to protect themselves', 'preparation for their single life in late adulthood', and 'behavior to feel gratitude and happiness in the present.' Their motives for self-care were 'being aware of their physical aging and possibility of illnesse', 'feeling threatened about their safety', 'sensing that their daily livings may be at a risk', 'absence of a caregiven person who can take care of them', 'maintaining of their psychological health', 'being burned out from busy working schedules', and 'to lessen their own and their family's worries and anxiety.' Their specific ways of self-care were 'physical health care', 'private activities for emotional care', and 'meeting people.' Consequently, the self-care of middle-aged people had a positive impact on their work and relationships, lessened their sense of isolation, and brought comfort to their lives. Based on the results of the study, this study proposed the implications, limitations, and suggestions for further research.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.15 no.1 s.54
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• pp.88-97
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to provide a guideline for the bathroom fixtures of the aged by examining current status. The study has been carried out by measuring physical size of 50 aged peoples over 65 years old and their bathroom fixture status. The results were revealed as follows; 1. The height of washstand is $0.46\~0.52$ time of person's height. Adequate height of wash stand is proposed as $74\~80$ cm. The height of current market available wash stand is very close to the proposed size. 2. The height of toilet is $0.23\~0.27$ time of person's height. Adequate height of toilet is proposed as $38\~41$ cm. The height of current market available toilet is also very close to the proposed size. 3. The height of bathtub is $0.26\~0.35$ time of person's height. Adequate height of bath tub is proposed as $45\~49$ cm. The proposed height is higher than that of current bath tub available in the market. However, it should be noted that the proposed height is the sum of bath tub it self and elevation during actual installation. As stated above, it is revealed that the physical dimensions of the bathroom fixtures in the current market are properly sized. However, to draw more practical guideline for the bathroom fixture, more studies including actual experimentation will be required in the future.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.25-50
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• 2017

Recently, concern about family safety is rising again as an important issue with the context of family healthiness and well-being in Korean society despite of the dramatic economic growth. The purpose of this study is to examine the status of family safety of singles and single-parent households and to investigate the effect of social capital on the level of their family safety. Data are from the 10th wave of Korea Welfare Panel Study analysing one-person households(N=2,017) and single-parent households(N=172). One-person households were categorized as three groups by age(the youths/middle-aged/the elderly) and single-parent households were also three by family types(mother-child/fahter-child/grandparent-child). The major results were as follows: First, the mean of family safety index was highest among middle-aged, while single youths had the fewest problems in terms of family safety. Second, social capital was found to vary by family structure. In the one-person households, all the levels of the social capital variables, including trust, bond, acceptance, and participation, differed significantly; only two variables, bond and embracement, differed in the single-parent households. Third, social capital differed between the low-income households and others significantly. Forth, the positive effects of social capital on overcoming family safety problems were investigated. In conclusion, social capital represents an alternative resource for overcoming economic hardship for low-income one-person/single-parent households, especially for middle-aged singles and father-child single-parent households. Based on these empirical results, theoretical implications were discussed with regard to family policy and programs.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.337-349
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• 2021

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between eating behaviour and healthy dietary competency of single and multi-person households, to improve healthy eating behavior. Methods: This study was conducted on 6,355 adult household members who participated in the Food Consumption Behavior Survey 2020. The subjects were divided into age groups comprising young people in their 20s and 30s, middle-aged people in their 40s and 50s, and the elderly in their 60s and above. The eating behavior and healthy dietary competency of single-person and multi-person households were then analyzed. Results: The average age of the members in the single-person households was found to be higher. Single-person households were also found to have a lower marriage rate and lower monthly household income than multi-person households across the age groups of young, middle-aged, and elderly people (P < 0.05). Among each of the age groups, single-person households had significantly higher rates of skipping breakfast and eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner alone than multi-person households (P < 0.05). Young single-person households had lower average scores on healthy dietary competency than multi-person households (P = 0.032). When adjusted for age, gender, marriage, education, occupation, and household income, single-person households had a higher risk of delivery/take-out, eating out, or skipping meals compared to multi-person households (P < 0.05). In multi-person households, the risk of skipping meals, eating alone, eating out, or delivery/take-out decreased as healthy dietary competency improved (P < 0.05). On the other hand, in single-person households, as healthy dietary competency increased, the risk of delivery/take-out or eating alone decreased (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that healthy dietary competency and eating practices can be improved by providing customized dietary education by age group for single and multi-person households.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.49 no.10
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• pp.584-598
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• 2011

The age structure has been experiencing substantial change due to the decreased birth rate as well as the increased life expectancy. Gorge Magnus, an English economist, casts warnings of population ageing which has the potential of huge socioeconomic impact human society has never experienced before. The prediction that proportion of elderly people in need of oral health care will increase substantially is a new challenge to dentists in the future. The old paradigm that the aged person is just the person who was born earlier and needs the same conventional oral health care should be shifted to the new one. Elderly people tend to express their political interest related with health care system by actively participating in the national elections. The need to sustain economic status for the extended life span makes them seek eagerly esthetic health care to maintain sound social function. Most of them are under multiple chronic diseases and take related medicines. In addition, many studies report about mental change as well as physical change among the aged people. Since the prevalence of dental diseases among the aged is higher than other chronic devastating diseases, the aged seeking oral health care will increase. The aged who has different physical and psychological status as well as chronic disease and related medicine will show unexpected response to the conventional oral health care. In addition, the impact of tooth loss is substantial physically, mentally and emotionally. Dentist should prepare different approaches for the elderly dental patient.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.316-329
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between dietary quality based on the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI), and the prevalence of chronic conditions among middle-aged individuals (40-60 yrs of age) living alone. MATERIALS/METHODS: The participants were selected (1,517 men and 2,596 women) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2016-2018 and classified into single-person households (SPH) and multi-person households (MPH). Nutrient intake, KHEI, and the prevalence of chronic conditions were compared according to household size. The odds ratios (ORs) of chronic conditions were analyzed according to the tertile levels of KHEI by gender within each household size category. RESULTS: Men in SPH had a significantly lower total KHEI score (P < 0.0001) and a lower prevalence of obesity (OR, 0.576) than those in MPH. For men, the adjusted ORs for obesity, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia in the first tertile (T1) of KHEI scores within SPH compared with the third tertile (T3) were 4.625, 3.790, and 4.333, respectively. Moreover, the adjusted OR for hypertriglyceridemia in the T1 group compared to the T3 group within the MPH was 1.556. For women, the adjusted ORs for obesity and hypertriglyceridemia in T1 compared to T3 within the SPH were 3.223 and 7.134, respectively, and 1.573 and 1.373 for obesity and hypertension, respectively, within MPH. CONCLUSIONS: A healthy eating index was associated with a reduced risk of chronic conditions in middle-aged adults. Greater adherence to a healthy eating index could lower the risk of chronic conditions in middle-aged adults living alone.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to explore university students′ perceptions about the elderly before and after an introductory course for gerontology. Sixty-two male and female undergraduate students participated in the study as a part of the course requirement. Throughout the semester, theme students received a series of classroom lectures on gerontology, as well as participated in diverse activities to experience elderly lives. A survey was administered with the students at the beginning of the first day of class and at the end of the semester. By the end of the unit university students were more likely to have accurate conceptions of and positive attitudes toward aging and the aged. More specifically, they were more likely to (1) perceive "old" and "getting old" as a positive one, (2) seem older adults spend their time on active self-development and social activities, (3) view older adults are important, (4) change opinions about what an old person and young person do together, and (5) have a positive outlook on their own future lives as older adults.

• The Journal of Korea Assosiation for Disability and Oral Health
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.127-132
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• 2011

In Korea, the elderly is defined as the person aged over 65 and the disabled is defined as the person who is registered with Ministry of Health and Welfare. In 2008, the elderly with disabilities was about 770,000. Korea was already poised for an aging society in 2000 and is ahead of and aged society in 2018 and a super aged society in 2026. So, the number of the elderly with disabilities will continue to grow. Various oral diseases can be seen in the elderly with disabilities due to the systemic disease and impaired self oral care, in addition to the physiological aging. Particularly, we should be care for the aspiration pneumonia, which is the major cause of the death of the elderly. As a professional for the special care dentistry, we should understand the general and dental, individual characteristics of the elderly with disabilities and do proper oral care and treatment. Thereby, the quality of life of the patients might be improved.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 2004

Safety, accessibility and distinguishment as the concept of architectural planning and design are demanded in staircases due to increase of the old aged people and disabled people's enlarged social participation. In this research is tried to provide the importance of vertical walking function at the design for the staircases. For this reason, structural elements of the staircases are studied in the ergonomic aspect for barrier-free environment and a comparative study is made on the regulations of the staircases in the inside and outside of the country in disabled & aged people's view. Based on this study, the quality of the staircases in public facilities and Apartments is analyzed. As the result, it has been proved that the vertical walking function of the staircases is the most fundamental characteristic of the staircases design before everything else.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.125-139
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• 1993

Korea has successfully achieved a lowered fertility level owing to the strong population control policy and effective family planning program. Along with fertility decline and decreased number of children in family, average number of household members has decreased and nontraditional households such as one person household and households composed of unrelated individuals have prolifirated, even though the absolute number of them are found minimal in Korea. However in recent years several data and survey results suggest that one person households are gradually in the increasing trend. The study aimed at investigating the real state of one person households in Korea and next analyzing the proportional distribution of one person households by a few socioeconomic characteristics, thus providing basic for eatablishing far-singhted population and social welfare policy in the future. Korea has experienced high growth rate of economy through government-led development plans starting from the 1960s. During the past three decades, Korea has shifted from the agricultural state to the industrialized one. In compliance with the economic growth, urbanization and industrialization have brought about rural-to-urban migration and a great bulk of young population migrated to urban areas, who are seeking for educational and job opportunities. Korean society has also been under drastic change in every aspect of life involving norms, tradition, and attitude, etc. Therefore, in spite of the prejudice on 'living alone' still remaining, young people gradually leave parents and home, and further form nontraditional households in urban areas. Current increase in the number of one person households is partly attributable to the increase in high female educational attainment and female participation in economic activities. As the industrial structure in Korea changes from primary into secondary and tertiary industries, job opportunities for service/sales and manufacturing are opened to young female labor force in the process of industrialization. Contrary to the formation of one person households by young people, the aged single households are composed when children in family leave one by one because of marriage, education, employment. In particular, a higher proportion of aged female single households occur in rural areas due to the mortality difference by sex. Based on the data released form the 1990 Population and Housing Census and National Fertility and Family Health Survey in 1985 and 1991, the study tried to examine the state of one person households in Korea. According to Census data, the number of one person households increased to 1, 021, 000 in 1990, comprising 9.0 percent of total households. And the survey reveal that among total 11, 540 households, 8.0 percent, 923 households, are composed of one person households. Generally, the proportion of female single households is greater than that of male ones, and a big proportion of one person households is concentrated in the 25-34 age bracket in urban areas and 65 years and more in rural areas. It is shown than one person householders in urban areas have higher educational attainment with 59.2 percent high schooling and over in 1991, Job seeking proved to be the main reason for leaving home and forming one person households. The number of young female single households with higher education and economic self-reliance are found nil and the study did not allow to analyze the causal realtionship between female education and employment and one person household formation. However more research and deep analysis on the causal facors on one person household formation using statistical method are believed to be necessary.