• 한국노년학
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.169-185
• /
• 2021

This study investigated whether the increased Basic Pension amount in 2014 affect the level of depression of recipients and whether the effect differs according to three groups by household type(living-alone male, living-alone female, and couple households). Data from two waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA) in 2012 (before the introduction of the Basic Pension) and 2016 (after the introduction of the Basic Pension), the elderly aged 65 years or older as of 2012 and the recipients of the basic pension in 2016 (N=2,277) were analyzed. Using the statistical package SPSS 25, mean comparison and multiple regression analyses were implemented. The results confirmed that the level of depression in female elderly living alone and married couples significantly decreased after the introduction of the Basic Pension, while there was no significant change in the level of depression in male elderly living alone. As results of regression analysis in the whole sample, the increased Basic Pension amount had an effect on the depression level of recipients in 2016, the higher the Basic Pension increase, the lower the depression level. Also, the regression analyses among the three groups by household type found that the significant effect of raising the basic pension on depression was reported only in elderly women living alone. Based on the main results of this study, implications were presented.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.782-793
• /
• 2022

The rise in chronic disease not only has a negative effect on people's lives, but it also increases the cost of medical care owing to the increased usage of medical care as health and medical technology improves, life expectancy rises, and rapid population ageing. In such context, this study examined the difference in the disease cost of hypertension according to demographic information and the effect of the initial diagnosis age and treatment period on the cost. This study used the Korean Health Panel Survey from 2010 to 2017, and selected subjects based on health insurance beneficiaries between the ages of 30 and under 80. With the selected data, the direct and indirect costs of disease loss were calculated according to the cost of illness approach, and we constructed a disease-loss ratio cohort considering the age of diagnosis and time of treatment for hypertension. From the results of the study, the annual cost of disease loss for hypertensive patients differed by gender by 110,107 won, and it was found that the cost increased by 1.8 times as the treatment time increased. In addition, when comparing disease loss ratios between the same age groups, it was found that the disease loss ratios between those in their 60s and 70s were affected by treatment time. This study confirmed that hypertension significantly affects the cost of the disease, and not only requires early diagnosis and management, but also preventive efforts to lower the incidence of hypertensive disease must be strengthened.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.31-48
• /
• 2021

The purpose of this study was to provide an understanding of the trajectories of multidimensional health among older adults, including depression, chronic diseases, and cognitive function. Data were drawn from the 1-6 waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA), and a sample of 2,059 respondents aged 65 and older at baseline was used for the analyses. Latent growth curve models and growth mixture models were used to explore the changes in depression, chronic diseases, cognitive function, and heterogeneous trajectories among them. One-way ANOVAs with Scheffé post-hoc analysis and chi-square tests were used to find differences in sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, and life satisfaction across the latent trajectory classes. Latent growth curve models revealed that depressive symptoms and the number of chronic diseases increased over time, while cognitive function showed gradual decreases. Three heterogeneous patterns of multidimensional health trajectories were identified: normal aging, increase in chronic diseases, and chronic deterioration. Significant differences were observed in sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, and life satisfaction across the three latent classes. In particular, low educational attainment, household income, and life satisfaction were associated with the chronic deterioration class. Based on the findings, we discussed suggestions for health promotion education targeting older adults. This study also emphasizes the importance of home economics education in promoting health literacy across the life course.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.1479-1500
• /
• 2009

This study examined BMI distributions among older adults in three different countries: the U.S., Japan, and Korea. The paper also explored differences in the factors predicting BMI in the three countries using three data sets: the U.S. Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA II, 8,589 persons), the Nihon University Japanese Longitudinal Study of Aging (NUJLSOA, 2,888 persons), and the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA, 2,397 persons). Descriptive analysis and multiple regression were performed. Japanese older adults were somewhat lighter than Koreans with fewer people at the upper end of the BMI distribution. Distributions of BMI among both Koreans and Japanese are shifted leftward relative to Americans. There is less dispersion in the distribution of BMI for Koreans and Japanese than among Americans. The association between socioeconomic variables and BMI is stronger in the U.S. and Japan than in Korea. Demographic variables are strong predictors of BMI in Korea. In Japan, all health behaviors have significant effects on BMI. It is concluded that the relationships between behavioral, demographical, and socioeconomic factors and BMI are not the same across countries. Results have policy implications for the involvement of health practitioners in helping older adults to control weight.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.1083-1101
• /
• 2011

The purpose of this study is to describe how the structural and functional features of social network change among widowed middle and older adults and to examine the effect of personal predictors of the social network change. Data was obtained from men and women between 45 to 98 years of age(N=118) who were bereaved by the death of their spouse since the first wave survey and participated in the second wave survey of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA). The main findings are as follows: First, their social network after the bereavement was strengthened centered around children; for example, the number of adult children living in proximity to the parent, frequency of contact with children, and the financial and non-financial support from children generally increased. Second, the social network change pattern was categorized into four types such as "overall increased type," "children-centered increased type," "children/close relationship-centered increased type," and "stagnation type." Finally, the health condition of the widowed middle and older adults was a strong predictor of the social network change.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.971-986
• /
• 2009

This research investigated how the participation of various social activities affects cognitive function in middle-aged and elderly population. To examine the relation between the participation of various social activities and cognitive function, we used data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Social activities were classified into four types as religious ritual, leisure, public association and ascriptive association activities, and MMSE-K score was used to measure cognitive function. Results from multiple regression analyses after adjusting for socio-economic status and health status show that the participation in religious and leisure activities have positive effects on cognitive function in middle-aged and elderly population. Participation in leisure activities in middle-aged male group helps preserve cognitive function, and leisure activity and ritual activity are significantly related to cognitive function in middle-aged female group. Meanwhile the participation in religious and leisure activities have positive effects on cognitive function in elderly male and female group. Based on these findings, we suggest that various programs to support the participation of elderly population in social activities should be developed for healthy life for the elderly.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.195-209
• /
• 2011

This study examined the prevalence of and factors associated with unmet care need among community-dwelling middle-aged and older people in Korea. Data were from the 2006 Korean Longitudinal Study on Ageing (KLoSA), a national survey of 10,254 non-institutionalized adults aged 45 or older. Having unmet care needs was defined as needing personal assistance with activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) but having no available helper. Weighted logistic regressions were fitted to examine factors associated with unmet care needs. Overall, 7.3%, 14.5%, and 41.8% of subjects among the middle-aged, younger old, and older old, respectively, reported care needs of these, 34%, 33%,and 24% had unmet needs. Factors associated with unmet needs differed among the three groups: Education and income level were negatively associated with unmet needs among the middle-aged, but living alone was the only factor positively associated with unmet needs in both the younger and older old. The prevalence of and factors associated with unmet care needs differ by life-stage. Needed are home- and community-based care and services to meet the need for personal assistance among the elderly living alone in a community.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.93-108
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of absolute / relative poverty on the life satisfaction focusing on mediation effect of subjective social status by type of elderly residents. In order to analyze the distinct characteristics of the elderly, analysis was conducted with 3,327 the elderly living together and 668 the elderly living alone using 'Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA)' from 3rd to 5th wave data provided by the Korea Employment Information Service. The main analysis results are as follows. First, each poverty rate for the elderly living together accounted for 43.5 percent and 51.4 percent, while 63.8 percent and 77.2 percent for the elderly living alone respectively. Second, life satisfaction was higher among the elderly living together than living alone, However, life satisfaction was not related to condition of poverty among the elderly living alone. Third, absolute / relative poverty were associated with life satisfaction of the elderly living together, and subjective social status had a mediating effect. However, relative poverty was not related to life satisfaction among the elderly living alone, which indicated that it needs to support not only the financial approach to overcome absolute poverty but also the multi-dimensional poverty perspective in the intervention of the elderly living alone Based on the results, the study suggested to make a tool to measure of poverty using multi-dimensional poverty indicators.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
• /
• v.12 no.5_spc
• /
• pp.169-203
• /
• 2006

The purpose of this study is to compare happiness between Korean elderly residing in South Korea and those residing in New York City area in United States (Korean American elderly), and to investigate important factors determining their happiness. We collected data from 1,988 elderly residing in Chuncheon and Seoul in South Korea and 173 elderly residing in New York City area. All samples were over 65 years old in 2005. In general, Korean American elderly seemed happier than Korean elderly. Our specific data analysis showed that Korean American elderly had higher scores in non-agitation, satisfaction for aging, and satisfaction for life than Korean elderly. And they showed secure attachment more and insecure attachment less than Korean elderly. Social support network, satisfaction in psychological need, health, daily routines, and social background predicted happiness significantly for both Korean American elderly and Korean elderly. For American Korean elderly, satisfaction in psychological need predicted satisfaction for aging, satisfaction for life, and secure attachment significantly when social background, health, and daily routine were controlled. For Korean elderly, satisfaction in psychological need predicted all sub-factors of happiness significantly, and social support network also predicted happiness significantly when social background, health, and daily routine were controlled. Additional data analysis compared social support network, satisfaction in psychological need, health, daily routine, and social background between Korean American elderly and Korean elderly. Korean American elderly seemed to have more solid social support network and to have higher satisfaction in psychological needs than Korean elderly. Korean American elderly perceived themselves as healthier, and their life style related health was much healthier than Korean elderly. In social background, Korean American elderly had higher education and economic level than Korean elderly. Roles of social support network and satisfaction in psychological need for happy aging were discussed in terms of previous theoretical explanation of successful aging.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.11 no.9
• /
• pp.323-334
• /
• 2011

The purpose of this study is to grasp the actual condition for social exclusion for the elderly, to understand the predictive factors of social exclusion. To achieve this objective, the social exclusion for the elderly was examined targeting 4,040 old people in more than 65 years old by using the second data for Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA) in 2008 by Korea Labor Institute. First, as a result of examining the actual condition for social exclusion for the elderly, the old people were indicated to be 45.4% for economic exclusion, 78.7% for working exclusion, 17.8% for residing exclusion, 43.8% for health exclusion, 33.7% for educational exclusion, and 34.3% for social-activity exclusion. Second, the possibility to be excluded economically was indicated to be bigger in the older age, in a case of not residing in a city and in the more number in household members. The possibility to be excluded from working was indicated to be higher in a case that old person is woman, in the older age, in a case that old person’s religion is christianity, in a case without spouse, in the more residing in a city, in a case that a household type is poor, in a case of dwelling in apartment, in the more number in household members. The possibility to be excluded from residing was indicated to be higher, in a case without spouse, in the more residing in a city, in a case that a household type is poor, in a case that a residing house type is general house, and in the less number in children. The possibility to be excluded from education was indicated to be higher in a case that old person is woman, in the older age, in a case that religion is not Christianity, in a case without spouse, in a case of not residing in a city, in a case that a household type is poor, in a case of the more children alive. The possibility to be excluded from health was indicated to be higher in a case that old person is woman, in the older age and in a case that a household type is poor. The possibility to be excluded from social activity was indicated to be higher in a case that old person is woman, in the older age, in a case that religion is not Christianity, in a case that a household type is poor, in a case of dwelling in apartment. This study has value as a basic research on social exclusion for the elderly.