• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.179-188
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the relationship among emotional happiness, spiritual need, and healthy aging and to identify the factors affecting healthy aging in middle-aged and elderly population. Method: The participants were 100 middle-aged and elderly individuals. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires from March 9 to May 27, 2020. Collected data were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 26.0 program. Results: There was a positive correlation between healthy aging and emotional happiness (r=.70, p<.001) and spiritual need (r=.52, p<.001). The factors influencing healthy aging were gender (β=.13, p=.026), subjective health status (β=.19, p=.002), emotional happiness (β=.60, p<.001), and spiritual need (β=.34, p<.001). These variables explained 67% of healthy aging. Conclusion: Healthy aging had a significant impact on women than on men when subjective health status was good and when emotional happiness and spiritual need were high. Healthy aging of the middle-aged and elderly population has confirmed the importance of physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Therefore, development and operation of programs that include various aspects of physical, emotional, and spiritual for healthy aging should be considered to confirm their effectiveness.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.460-470
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and test the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the expectations regarding aging(ERA-12) among middle-aged and elderly women. Methods: The study was conducted as a cross-sectional survey which used a self-report questionnaire. A convenience sampling method was utilized, and data on 298 middle-aged and elderly women were collected. Korean version of ERA-12 was articulated through forward-backward translation methods. Internal consistency reliability, construct and criterion validity were analyzed using PASW WIN (20.0) for testing the use of Korean version of ERA-12. Results: ERA-12 consisted of three factors - expectations regarding physical health, mental health and cognitive function, explaining 56.0% of the total variance in ERA-12. The ERA-12 total score showed positive correlation with RSES (r=.33). The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was .81 for the overall instrument and .68-.73 for three factors. Conclusion: Korean version of ERA-12 has high validity and reliability. Therefore, this instrument may be utilized to assess expectations regarding aging for Korean middle-aged and elderly women.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.207-218
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• 2013

Social capital theory provides a framework for analyzing the economic well-being. The purpose of this study is to analyze the age effect of social capital by comparing middle aged and the elderly, as well as to investigate the independent effects of social capital on their subjective economic well-being, respectively. The two concepts of "trust" and "social network" were used to measure the level of social capital. Comparisons between the age groups were made regarding the relationships between social capital and economic well-being of four age groups, including younger middle-aged, older middle-aged, younger elderly, and older elderly. Data from the $2^{nd}$ wave of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA) were used. The final sample for this analysis is 8,406 respondents aged 45~84. The major findings are as follows. First, the level of social capital, trust and social network, is statistically different by age groups. Second, the model fits in the case of model including social capital variables are all larger than their counterparts in the four age groups. Third, social capital is "resource" that can contribute to increasing the subjective economic well-being. Based on the empirical results, implications for welfare policies related with issues of social security for the elderly in Korea are provided.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.192-202
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• 2007

Purpose: This study was to examine the degree of anxiety about aging for middle aged and elderly women and to identify the overall degree of anxiety about aging and general characteristics of middle aged and elderly women. Method: The subjects of the study were 674 women who lived in Busan city, Korea. The sampling was at the researcher's convenience and data was collected from April to August, 2007. The instrument for the study was questionnaires consisting of the general characteristics, and Anxiety about Aging for Elderly by Watkins, Coates, and Ferroni(1998). Descriptive statistics, t-test or ANOVA with Scheffe's test were used for data analysis. Result: The results of this research were as follows: The mean score of anxiety about aging was 50.32$\pm$5.75. The results reveal that middle aged women are more anxious about aging than old women. Anxiety about aging was the most common psychological dimension of the six factors. According to the general characteristics, there was a significant difference in education, subjective economic status, composition of family and job status in anxiety about aging. Conclusion: The results of this study help in explaining psychological health. In addition, development of adequate interventions to decrease anxiety about aging in women is needed.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.592-605
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• 2007

Undernutrition could be a significant deterrent to healthy aging and could negatively affect health outcomes in elderly. This study aimed to assess health-related factors which are associated with nutritional risks in middle-aged and elderly individuals by a cross-sectional study. Interviews were conducted with 2660 subjects (847 males, 1813 females), aged 50 years and over, in 15 cities in Korea. Data on food intake were obtained through a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires. Nutritional status were analyzed according to health-related factors including cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, exercise, stress and depression level. Less regular exercise was associated with a higher likelihood of a poor nutrition [odds ratio (OR) 1.94; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.43-2.65] of middle-aged and elderly male subjects. Cigarette smoking (OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.24-2.71), less exercise (OR 2.58; 95% CI 2.07-3.21), stress (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.36-2.22), and depression (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.08-1.67) of middle-aged and elderly female subjects was associated with a higher likelihood of a poor nutrition. The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that less exercise proved to be the strongest predictors for the poor nutrition, followed by stress, smoking, and depression (model $R^2= 9.0%$). It suggests that guidance to promote regular exercise, to quit smoking, to minimize stress and depression level might help to improve nutritional status of middle-aged and elderly in Korea. These findings also suggest that having recommendable health behaviors are beneficial to the good nutrition of subjects aged 50 years and over.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.297-310
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to investigate the user characteristics in different age groups by investigating the level of satisfaction and preference of design and function of mobile phone. 160 subjects participated in the experiment. Subjects with different ages were selected and divided into four groups: young age group (20 to less than 45), $1^{st}$ middle age group (45 to less than 55), $2^{nd}$ middle age group(55 to less than 65), and elderly group(over 65). A questionnaire was developed based on the previous design guideline, and additional questions were made to test newly developed function and design of the mobile phone. In particular, depth interviews were conducted in order to have a proper response from old subjects who have difficulties in completing written questionnaire. In result, it was found that except for price the major criterion to purchase mobile phone was the design, and the function of phone was the next except for elderly group. In the case of elderly group, the screen size is the first. Statistical results indicated that 37.5% of the young age group, 22.5% of $1^{st}$ middle age group, 22.5% of $2^{nd}$ middle age group and 10.0% of the elderly group preferred the design to function when they purchase mobile phones. Most elderly people were not satisfied with the supplementary function of the mobile phone. The $1^{st}$ middle age group did not know exactly how to use the supplementary service although they were willing to use it. Regarding the emotional preference on the type of phone, the sliding type was preferred most. Current results can be used to anticipate the future trend of mobile phone and design a user-friendly product for the aged population.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.1135-1153
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• 2011

The study aims to examine the interaction of socio-economic status in education and income in the difference of the level of subjective health, physical health, and mental health of middle-age and the elderly of Korea. While there have been various discussions in precedent study with respect to the serious increase in the number of dependent life alongside with increasing elderly population, research on the health level according to socio-economic status is highly limited, and also how the health level of middle-age and the elderly - whom will arrive at senescence in just a few years - is different. The study aims at analyzing the health level by hierarchy and age based on data targeting the whole nation. As for analysis data, the study utilized 1st Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA) implemented by Korea Labor Institute, and carried out a path analysis to verify whether income and academic background serve as a parameter to the level of subjective health, physical health, and mental health. As a result, while the subjective health level decreases, the study confirmed an increase in chronic diseases, and extremely low level of mental health when people in middle-age enter the elderly. In addition, the higher the education and income, the more the health levels both on middle-age and the elderly; the result suggests that education background and income have mediated effects in all health level of middle-age and the elderly.

• Industry Promotion Research
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.43-58
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to explore and identify the factors influencing the suicidal ideation among middle-aged and elderly people with disabilities. For this, the study has used the panel data of the 7th (2012) through 11th sessions (2016) of the Korea Welfare Panel Survey. In the middle-aged (40 years old to 64 years old), it was found that ordinary income and family life stress significantly affected Suicidal ideation. In the elderly aged 65 to 74, the marital status, ordinary income, depression, family life stress, and satisfaction with family life significantly influenced Suicidal ideation. In the elderly aged 75 or older, depression was the decisive factor affecting Suicidal ideation This study has suggested an effective social welfare intervention plan to prevent the occurrence of suicide among middle-aged and elderly people with disabilities, which emerges as a serious social issue in Korea.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.411-417
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• 2018

Last year, the elderly population aged 65 years and over exceeded 14.2 percent of the total population, and Korea has entered the ageing society. At the same time, social interest in improving the health level and quality of life in the elderly has also increased. In particular, pain is one of the most common diseases experienced by middle-aged and elderly people and is one of the factors that closely affect the quality of life. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors affecting the pain level and pain region of Korean medicine users and the use of Korean medicine in the Korean middle aged and elderly using the 6th Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA) panel. As a result, the main influencing factors of Korean medical care were subjective factors such as gender, subjective health status, and education level. In particular, half of the middle-aged and elderly who used Korean medicine experienced back and knee pain, and generally complained of low level of pain. This study suggests the need for research and development of Korean medicine that can control and relieve the pain of the middle-aged and elderly.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.39-55
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• 2001

Concerns about paid-facilities for the elderly with dementia from middle and upper class families have been discussed lately in Korea. Small-scale, home-like group homes for the elderly with dementia were developed in Sweden in the 1980, but they have not been effectively introduced in Korea where they remain a comparatively new concept. The group home, however, would provide a good alternative to Koreans who feel guilty when they have to leave their frail parents in large-scale facilities or hospitals instead of caring for them at home. The aim of this paper is, first, to define the care of the demented elderly who come from upper and middle class families in Korea and, secondly, to discuss the need for group homes to help care for them. A survey was done by questionnaire and was answered by 577 respondents who belonged to middle and upper class families living in Korea in December 2000. Methods of analysis were frequency, mean, and Chi-square. The results of this study were as follows: 1) the traditional notion that the eldest son should be burdened with the primary responsibility for a demented parent has weakened remarkably; 2) a small-scale long-term care facility was considered the most desirable living environment for the demented elderly; 3) the facilities families needed for professional hospitals for victims of dementia, senior citizen centers, large and small-scale long-term care facilities, day-care centers, and short-stay and service housing. The study also revealed that there was low awareness of the group home. The most preferred type of structure for group homes was a single-family detached house, and the most preferred management system was small-scale that could create home-like atmosphere. Additionally the respondents wanted group homes to consist of 6-8 residents with 2-4 persons per room. The results of this study strongly suggest that policy makers should encourage the development of smallscale group homes as an alternative form of housing for the elderly with dementia.