• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.281-290
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• 2020

Objectives: Stress is the cause of several illnesses, in older people, stress may also cause various social problems. The oral health of older adults is closely related to the quality of life, and chewing ability is particularly important for their general health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between stress, the number of teeth remaining, and the chewing ability, which reflects the oral health status among older adults. Methods: This study evaluated the stress level and chewing ability of adults older than 65 years using the 6th (2014-2015) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination data. The total number of remaining teeth was determined based on the data of the teeth conditions. Results: There was an association between stress and chewing ability among older adults. The odds ratio of chewing function increased by 2.67 times (crude OR=2.67; 95% CI=1.88-3.79) with increased stress. After adjusting, the odds ratio increased to 2.74 times (adjusted OR=2.74; 95% CI=1.88-3.98). Conclusions: Reducing stress may facilitate effective oral health management and improve the overall quality of life in older adults. The findings of this study may help in the discovery of various approaches s to reducing stress in older adults and provide relevant information for oral health education.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.261-274
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aims to understand the current use of and demand for assistive eating devices. These device improve the self-feeding abilities in older adults. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional study design. Descriptive statistics were performed using SPSS 22.0 for Windows. The survey participant of 282 older people(47.7%), 42 family caregivers(7.4%), and 266 staff members(44.9%). Results: Whereas most of the older adults living in their home(87.3%) did not experience difficulty while eating, older adults residing in facilities(26.4%) expressed difficulty with the process of putting food into a spoon. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant(p<.001). Wile the older adults living in home considered assistive eating devices(34.5%) as the most important requirement for self-feeding, older adults in facilities considered receiving help(39.3%) as their biggest requirement(p<.009). Older adults, family caregivers, and nursing home staff were not familiar with assistive eating devices and were not aware of their necessity. Conclusion: The study could help increase awareness about assistive eating devices and the importance of self-feeding in research and nursing educational settings. Improvement in self-feeding ability may future enhance the daily quality of life of older adults.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.17-34
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• 2006

This study was done to suggest directions for research and interventions of health promoting behaviors in Korean older adults in the future. Thirty seven articles for health promoting behaviors in Korean older adults were reviewed and analyzed. Findings are summarized as follows: 1) The total scores of the HPLP in Korean older adults were 2.30-2.44 out of 4 points. In the subscale, the highest degree of performance is nutrition, following interpersonal support, self actualization, stress management, health responsibility and the lowest degree of performance was exercise. 2) The total scores of the Health Behavior Assessment Tool of the Korean Elders were 2.87-3.2 out of 4 points. 3) Among the characteristics of older adults, monthly pocket money, previous job had consistently significant relationships with health promoting behaviors. Sex, job and presence of disease were consistently insignificant relationships with health promoting behaviors. 4) Perceived health status, self efficacy, self esteem, family support and social support had consistently significant correlations with health promoting behaviors. 5) In regression analysis, self efficacy, family support, depression, self esteem were the most powerful predictors of health promoting behavior in more than two articles. Predictors accounted for 14.2-65.2 % of the variance in health promoting behaviors of Korean older adults. On the basis of above findings, It is necessary to develop the interventions for more regular practice of the health promoting behaviors in Korean older adults. The interventions are recommended to focus increasing the exercise & health responsibility and to use the strategies to increase self esteem, self efficacy, social support including family support.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.749-758
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• 2001

The purpose of the study was to analyze the functional status of low income elderly living at home according to their socio-economic factors, sensory function, health status, medical service utilization, commodity and types of chronic disease. Method: Functional status was defined by the level of mobility, ADL and IADL categorized as independently functional, mildly impaired, moderately disabled, and severely disabled. The data was collected by home-visit interviews with 567 community dwelling adults who were 65 years of age or more with low a income status subsidized by government in ChonAn. Results: 9.9% of community dwelling older adults were severely disabled, and 44.4% were moderately disabled in their functional status. There were significant differences in the functional status by age, education, religion, and types of family structure. The older adults with hearing impairment or dental problems had a significantly higher rate of severe disability. Self-rated health status and medical service utilization were also significant factors to the differences in functional status. The functional status of older adults was also significantly related to the presence of chronic health problems such as chronic back pain, stroke, and Alzheimer-dementia. Conclusion: The results confirmed that community dwelling older adults with low income status were more functionally disabled in comparison to general older adults at national level, while the relating factors to their functional status seemed similar to other studies on older adults. Further studies were suggested to look into functional status longitudinally and focus on the changes of functional status by managing modifiable influencing factors.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.26-34
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• 2004

Hypertension is prevalent among older adults, and nutrition is important for hypertension management. However, there are few nutrition education materials developed for older adults. The purpose of this study was to develop a booklet for prevention and management of hypertension for older adults. Based on lesson plans, topics for the booklet included introduction to hypertension, hypertension prevention through weight management, nutritional management of hypertension, and lifestyle modifications. After several revisions of the draft were made, illustrations and icons appropriate to the text were designed by a graphic designer using Illustrator 9.0 and Photoshop 6.0. The booklet consisted of four chapters and 40 pages. The first chapter dealt with information on hypertension, risk factors, complications and dietary guidelines. These were mainly explained by illustrations and characters of older adults. The second chapter included assessment of obesity, reducing fat intake and behavioral change strategies. The third chapter focused on practical tips for reducing salt, eating more fiber and calcium, and sample menus. The fourth chapter presented information for quitting smoking and drinking, and stress management. Finally, games, meal planning and quizes, were presented as reinforcement. Based on pilot testing with 10 adults aged 50 and older, minor changes were made in wording, expressions and information. This booklet is characterized by using simple and specific messages, providing tips for dietary and lifestyle changes, and using illustrations and characters of older adults to increase understanding. The revised booklet is self-explanatory and can be used by older adults or in nutrition education for older adults.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.12-17
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• 2024

Dry mouth is common among older adults and significantly affects the oral health-related quality of life. It is a significant risk factor for dental caries, particularly root caries, in older adults due to concurrent periodontal disease and age-related comorbidities. Clinicians managing patients with dry mouth must be aware of preventive measures against dental caries. This clinical review aims to update our knowledge on the use of fluoride for caries prevention in order to establish better strategies for the management of dry mouth in older adults.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.67-84
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• 2023

In this study, Korean older adults (70-75 yrs) were divided into two groups according to the degree of reading exposure, and real-time data were collected through a reading eye movement tracking experiment. Then, overall reading patterns and word frequency ef ects were compared with two groups of older adults and younger adults (20-28 yrs). Furthermore, through the results of the eye movement tracking experiment of older adults with rich reading exposure and older adults with poor reading exposure, we tried to find out whether reading performance af ects not only changes in age but also reading exposure. As a result of the experiment, the older adults with poor reading exposure group generally had a longer fixation time and a shorter saccade than the younger adults group, and the older adults with rich reading exposure group showed the same reading patterns as the younger adults group. The word frequency ef ect was confirmed in all groups, and the fixation time was short in the order of older adults with rich reading exposure group and older adults with poor reading exposure group. In addition, an interaction ef ect was shown in the two elderly groups according to reading exposure, but no interaction could be confirmed in the dif erence between the younger adults group and the older adults with rich reading exposure group. This suggests the possibility that reading performance is not af ected by age itself, but by the reading experience of the elderly.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.92-100
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• 2019

Objectives: Young adulthood represents a critical developmental period during which the use of tobacco may begin or cease. Furthermore, differences in smoking behaviors between younger (aged 18-24 years) and older (aged 25-34 years) young adults may exist. This study aimed to characterize patterns related to current smoking in younger and older young adults. Methods: This study used data acquired from the Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 2013 to 2014. A total of 2069 subjects were categorized as younger (712 subjects) and older (1357 subjects) young adults. The chi-square test was used to assess the relationships between smoking status and socio-demographic, health-related, and smoking-related factors. Multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to assess the factors affecting current smoking in these age groups. Results: The current smoking prevalence was 18.3% among the younger young adults and 26.0% among the older young adults. Sex, education level, occupation, perceived health status, alcohol consumption, and electronic cigarette use were related to current smoking in both age groups. Secondhand smoke exposure at home and stress levels showed significant relationships with smoking in younger and older young adults, respectively. Conclusions: Strong correlations were found between the observed variables and smoking behaviors among young adults. Determining the factors affecting smoking and designing interventions based on these factors are essential for smoking cessation in young adults.

• 한국노년학
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.763-781
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• 2017

This study explores the relationship between indirect contacts of older adults and ageism related behaviors by investigating adults' exposure to portrayals of older people and their images in media. This study also investigates how indirect contacts of older adults influence ageism related behaviors such as avoidance and discrimination against older adults through attitudes and social norms about older adults. Using an online survey collected from 252 adults aged 18-64 years, the authors found that indirect contacts of older adults through media predicted attitude toward older adults as well as social norms. The results also revealed that social norm predicted both avoidance and discrimination behavior against older adults while attitude toward older adults only predicted avoidance behavior. Finally, the findings indicated that attitude toward older adults mediated the relationship between indirect contacts through media and avoidance behavior. However, social norm mediated the relationships between indirect contacts through media and discrimination as well as avoidance behaviors. Implication and limitation of the findings are discussed.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.227-239
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the differences in the reciprocal causal relationship between cognitive function and depressive symptoms depending on whether older adults lived with others or alone. Methods: We used panel data retrieved from the sixth (Time 1) and seventh (Time 2) waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). The study sample included 2,638 older adults living with others and 628 older adults living alone. We conducted cross-lagged panel analyses (CLPA) to identify the bidirectional causal relationship between cognitive function and depressive symptoms in the groups of older adults living with others and those living alone. Results: In the group of older adults living with others, cognitive function and depressive symptoms showed significant reciprocal relationships. In the group of older adults living alone, although the CLPA confirmed that higher levels of depressive symptoms at Time 1 influenced lower levels of cognitive function at Time 2, cognitive function at Time 1 was not associated with depressive symptoms at Time 2. Conclusion: The results suggest that the strategies for preventing cognitive decline and depressive symptoms should be developed according to whether the older adults live alone. Moreover, further studies should identify factors influencing depressive symptoms among older adults living alone, which will ultimately enable the management of depressive symptoms.