• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.149-164
• /
• 2021

Purpose: To identify the factors associated with poor self-rated health in individuals with acquired visual impairment through classification of such individuals into severe and mild visual impairment groups. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional, survey-based study analyzed data from 563 individuals with visual impairment due to acquired causes who had been recruited in the 2017 Korean National Survey on Persons with Disabilities. Results: Individuals with severe visual impairment reported poorer self-rated health. Mild depression (p=.003), and low smartphone use (p=.045) were associated with poorer self-rated health in those with severe visual impairment. The factors associated with poor self-rated health in those with mild visual impairment were comorbidities, low smartphone use (p=.006), needed health information (p=.020), unbalanced diet (p<.001), low weight (p=.024), and lack of health checkups (p=.001). Conclusion: Depression was found to be a predictor of poor self-rated health in individuals with severe visual impairment, which highlights the need for nursing and related healthcare intervention to lower depression in this specific population. Further, promoting social network building and providing health information using smartphones may serve to encourage appropriate health behavior in people with severe visual impairment who have reduced mobility and health literacy.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.69-77
• /
• 2009

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate health problems and factors related to work impairment of nurses working at community health centers. Method: Data were collected from May 2008 to July 2008 using a structured, self - reported questionnaire for general characteristics, work-related characteristics, health problems and work impairment. The subjects were composed of 434 nurses from 25 community health centers in Seoul. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. Results: For present health problems, shoulder, back and neck pain were ranked the highest at (54.6%), followed by cold, GI trouble, and visual disorders. The average score of work impairment was 24.71($\pm7.14$) out of 50.0. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the major factors that affect work impairment were age and number of health problems, and that these factors explained 15% of the work impairment. Conclusion: Age and number of health problems are the factors that have the greatest influence on work impairment. These findings indicate that the health condition of nurses at community health centers must be considered to improve the overall quality of nursing service.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.111-122
• /
• 2024

Purpose: Visual impairment, hearing impairment, and masticatory discomfort each influence quality of life (QoL). However, little is known regarding the impact of their coexistence on QoL. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the influence of the coexistence of visual impairment, hearing impairment, and masticatory discomfort on QoL among middle-aged adults aged 40-64. Methods: This study involved a secondary data analysis utilizing the data from years 1 and 2 of the eighth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. To evaluate the influence of the coexistence of visual impairment, hearing impairment, and masticatory discomfort on QoL, we conducted a complex sample hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results: When visual impairment, hearing impairment, and masticatory discomfort coexisted, the QoL was significantly lower than in individuals without any of these conditions. Conclusion: The coexistence of visual impairment, hearing impairment, and masticatory discomfort was negatively correlated with QoL. Therefore, it is important to prepare for old age through appropriate health management during middle age.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.41 no.6
• /
• pp.397-406
• /
• 2008

This paper reviews the published literature that is concerned with color vision impairment from industrial and environmental exposure to neurotoxic substances, and we evaluated whether testing for color vision impairment could be an affordable procedure for assessing these neurotoxic effects. In general, most cases of congenital color vision impairment are red-green, and blue-yellow impairment is extremely rare. However, most of the acquired color vision impairment that is related to age, alcohol or environmental factors is blue-yellow impairment. Therefore, many studies have been performed to identify this relationship between exposure to neurotoxic substances, such as organic solvents and heavy metals, and the prevalence of blue-yellow color vision impairment. The test for color vision impairment is known to be very sensitive to the early signs of nervous system dysfunction and this can be useful for making the early diagnosis of neurotoxic effects from exposure to very low concentrations of toxic substances.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.218-230
• /
• 2018

According to the burst of aged people, researchers have focused on aging-related diseases. Cognitive impairment including Alzheimer's disease (AD), one of the representative diseases related to aging, has no treatment option until now. Recently, it has been revealed that systemic inflammation plays a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of AD. Previous studies have suggested the association between poor oral health and cognitive impairment. Poor oral health can cause dental caries, chronic periodontitis, multiple tooth loss, and poor chewing ability, etc. Especially, periodontitis is a well-known chronic inflammatory disease and affects cognitive impairment directly and indirectly by inflammatory products mediators. Therefore, reduction of pathogenic microbial burden and inflammatory products by treating periodontitis can be a therapeutic modality to prevent cognitive impairment or to slow down the progression of it. Future studies are necessary to elucidate the causal relations and plausible mechanisms between poor oral health and cognitive impairment.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.503-509
• /
• 2003

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to survey the prevalence rate of cognitive impairments and to identify the factors influencing cognitive impairment in the elderly in rural communities of Jeju Province. Methods. 590 elderly in 6 rural communities of Jeju Province were interviewed, using a questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic characteristics, health behavior, quality of life, and MMSE-K Results. Prevalence of cognitive impairment was 33.1 % (39.1 % of females, 16.76% of males). Prevalence of dementia was 12.4% (16.3% of females, 2.87% of males). Factors related to cognitive impairment were age, sex, education, standard of living, employment status, and subjective health state. Conclusions. In community health care for the elderly, factors relating to cognitive impairment have to be considered. When planning community health care, priority should be given to the elderly; who need care but live alone; who lack social support; who have a low standard of living; who experience discomfort in the activities of daily living; who believe they are not in a good state of health; or whose life satisfaction is low.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2023

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with subjective memory impairment in patients with diabetes mellitus in a metropolitan city. Methods: The subjects of this study were 351 patients with diabetes mellitus aged 50 and over from five districts of Gwangju who participated in the 2018 Community Health Survey. We analyzed general characteristics, health-related behaviors and health related conditions and subjective experience of memory impairment. To find factors associated with subjective memory impairment, the chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis were used. Results: Of all subjects, 31.3% was reported subjective experience of memory impairment. The odds ratios (ORs; 95% confidence interval (CI)) for subjective memory impairment according to age were statistically significant at 1.9 (0.9-4.3) in patients in 60s and 2.2 (1.1-4.7) in patients in beyond 70s compared to those in 50s. The OR (95% CI) of ex-smoker compared to the non-smoker was 0.3 (0.8-0.9). The OR (95% CI) of depressive symptom compared to no depressive symptoms was 4.9 (95% CI: 1.8-13.7). Conclusion: In this study, subjective memory impairment in patients with diabets mellitus was associated with age, smoking, and depressive symptoms. Based on the results of this study, subjective memory impairment should be detected early through periodic cognitive function evaluation for elderly patients with diabetes mellitus, and a program for healthy cognitive function should be included in diabetes management program.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.89-98
• /
• 2023

Purpose: This study proposes preventive strategies for factors affecting the work impairment of international medical tourism coordinators. Methods: Data for this study were collected via an online questionnaire survey involving 296 international medical tourism coordinators in South Korea, considering the impact coronavirus disease 2019. The survey was conducted from 25th April 2022 to 22nd July 2022 and data were analyzed SPSS/WINdows software version 22, including statistical, reliability, factor and regression analyses. Results: This study focused on occupational stress, health problems and job efficacy among international medical tourism coordinators in medical tourism research. The main objective was to examine the factors that influenced their work impairment. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of factors such as occupational stress, health problems and job efficacy in influencing work impairment among international medical tourism coordinators. The identified factors account for 30% of explanation power. An intervention program tailored to the characteristics of domestic and international medical tourism coordinators is recommended.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.174-181
• /
• 2004

Objective : To examine the association between dietary factors and cognitive impairment in older Korean women living in the community. Methods : Wave 2 data, from the Suwon Longitudinal Aging Study (SLAS), of 365 women aged 65 years or over, were used. The Korean version of the 30-point Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K) was used to assess cognitive impairment (score$\geq$19). Dietary habits and frequencies of food group consumption were also examined. Results : A total of 67 women (18.4%) were found to be cognitively impaired. In bivariate analyses, nondietary factors, such as age, marital status, education, income, self-rated health, depression, emotional support, social activity, exercise, and dietary factors, such as self-rated nutritional status, frequency of beans and bean products and milk and dairy products consumption were associated with cognitive impairment. In the multivariate analysis, a higher frequency ($\geq$1 vs. <1 time/day) of beans and bean products (OR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.23-0.99) and milk and dairy products (OR=0.25, 95% CI: 0.10-0.61) consumption was inversely associated with cognitive impairment, after adjustment for non-dietary factors. Conclusion : These results suggest that dietary factors may play a significant role in cognitive impairment of older Korean women.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.53 no.6
• /
• pp.487-491
• /
• 2020

Objectives: Reproductive health education is essential for adolescents with hearing impairment. Since they communicate using specialized language (i.e., sign language), specialized reproductive health services in sign language is a necessity. This study aimed to describe the needs, availability, and expectations of reproductive health services among adolescents with hearing impairment. Methods: This study used a qualitative approach. It was carried out at a school for children with special needs in the city of Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Data were collected by in-depth interviews. The informants were 6 adolescents with hearing impairment aged 16-17 years and 4 other key informants, including school staff and health officers. The data were then analyzed using the thematic method. Results: We found that the informants had insufficient knowledge regarding reproductive health. There was no specific subject in the curriculum regarding this issue. Teachers did not specifically provide reproductive health information. The health service unit in the school had not been utilized well for this purpose. Furthermore, no reproductive health services were provided due to the limited number of healthcare workers who could use sign language. Conclusions: The awareness and intentions of adolescents with hearing impairment regarding access to reproductive health services remain low. Health service units at schools should be optimized to enable schools to provide reproductive health information and services for these adolescents.