This study is carrying out a before and after experiment design for the non-equal comparative group to identify the effects of the breast self-examination education on breast self-examination participant education compliance and health promotion in women. The subject of this study was 58 women residing in Chungju. Their age ranged from 20 to 40. These women were not pregnant or did not breast feed, as well as they did not have any breast disease, at the time of survey. They were available for the response to the questionnaires, and understood the purpose of this study. They also agreed to participate in the study, and responded to the 3rd time questionnaires to the end. Thus, brochures and lectures were provided side by side to a group of 19 of those women, and only brochures were provided to another group of 39 of those women. With regard to education, a brochure and a program using a breast model were applied. Then, the frequency of the breast self examination compliance, breast self examination capability and the relations between the breast self examination and activities to promote health were measured, before the education, after 4 weeks of education and after 12 weeks of education. Before education and after 4 weeks of education. I collected the questionnaires myself visiting them, and after 12 weeks of education, the questionnaires were collected by mail. In relation to the study tool, the breast self examination activity was measured by two measuring tools: breast self examination activity frequency and breast self examination compliance capability. As for the frequency, the number of self examination for the period of 3 months, before the questionnaire survey, was measured in the form of self report. In relation to the tool to measure the breast self examination capability, the BSEPRI tool, which was developed by Wood in 1994, was used. Here, as the score was higher, the capability was indicated to be higher. The translated and revised version of Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (Walker, Sechrist & Pender. 2002) was used as a tool for health promotion. As the measured score was higher, the health promoting activity was indicated to be higher. The results of this study were as follows: 1. As a result of checking the breast self examination compliance frequency between the experiment group that received the breast self examination participant education and the comparative group that did not receive the education, there was a significant difference in interaction between groups by time, as time passed by. 2. As a result of checking the breast self examination compliance capability between the experiment group and the comparative group, there was a significant difference in interaction between groups by time, as time passed by. 3. As a result of carrying out a repetitive measurement analysis, between the experiment group that received the breast self examination education and the comparative group that did not receive the education, which was carried out to validate the hypothesis that the former would have higher health promoting activities than the latter, there was no significant difference after the breast self examination education was conducted.
Recent improvements in living standard and development in medical care led to an increased interest in life expectancy and personal health, and also led to a more demand for higher quality of life. Thus, the problem of women's health draw a fresh interest nowadays. Since late-middle aged women experience various physical and socio-psychological changes and tend to have chronic illnesses, these women have to take initiatives for their health control by realizing their own responsibility. The basic elements for a healthy life of these women are understanding of their physical and psychological changes and acceptance of these changes. Health promoting behaviors of an individual or a group are actions toward increasing the level of well-being and self-actualization, and are affected by various variables. In Pender's health promoting model, variables are categorized into cognitive factors(individual perceptions), modifying factors, and variables affecting the likelihood for actions, and the model assumes the health promoting behaviors are affected by cognitive factors which are again affected by demographic factors. Since Pender's model was proposed based on a tool broad conceptual frame, many studies done afterwards have included only a limited number of variables of Pender's model. Furthermore, Pender's model did not precisely explain the possibilities of direct and indirect paths effects. The objectives of this study are to evaluate Pender's model and thus propose a model that explains health promoting behaviors among late-middle aged women in order to facilitate nursing intervention for this group of population. The hypothetical model was developed based on the Pender's health promoting model and the findings from past studies on women's health. Data were collected by self-reported questionnaires from 417 women living in Seoul, between July and November 1994. Questionnaires were developed based on instruments of Walker and others' health promotion lifestyle profile, Wallston and others' multidimensional health locus of control, Maoz's menopausal symptom check list and Speake and others' health self-rating scale. IN addition, items measuring self-efficacy were made by the present author based on past studies. In a pretest, the questionnaire items were reliable with Cronbach's alpha ranging from .786 to .934. The models for health promoting behaviors were tested by using structural equation modelling technique with LISREL 7.20. The results were summarized as follows : 1. The overall fit of the hypothetical model to the data was good (chi-square=4.42, df=5, p=.490, GFI=.995, AGFI=.962, RMSR=.024). 2. Paths of the model were modified by considering both its theoretical implication and statistical significance of the parameter estimates. Compared to the hypothetical model, the revised model has become parsimonious and had a better fit to the data (chi-square =4.55, df=6, p=.602, GFI=.995, AGFI=.967, RMSR=.024). 3. The results of statistical testing were as follows : 1) Family function internal health locus of control, self-efficacy, and education level exerted significant effects on health promoting behaviors(