• Title/Summary/Keyword: Physical experience

Search Result 2,096, Processing Time 0.033 seconds

Wearable Computers

  • Cho, Gil-Soo;Barfield, Woodrow;Baird, Kevin
    • Fiber Technology and Industry
    • /
    • v.2 no.4
    • /
    • pp.490-508
    • /
    • 1998
  • One of the latest fields of research in the area of output devices is tactual display devices [13,31]. These tactual or haptic devices allow the user to receive haptic feedback output from a variety of sources. This allows the user to actually feel virtual objects and manipulate them by touch. This is an emerging technology and will be instrumental in enhancing the realism of wearable augmented environments for certain applications. Tactual displays have previously been used for scientific visualization in virtual environments by chemists and engineers to improve perception and understanding of force fields and of world models populated with the impenetrable. In addition to tactual displays, the use of wearable audio displays that allow sound to be spatialized are being developed. With wearable computers, designers will soon be able to pair spatialized sound to virtual representations of objects when appropriate to make the wearable computer experience even more realistic to the user. Furthermore, as the number and complexity of wearable computing applications continues to grow, there will be increasing needs for systems that are faster, lighter, and have higher resolution displays. Better networking technology will also need to be developed to allow all users of wearable computers to have high bandwidth connections for real time information gathering and collaboration. In addition to the technology advances that make users need to wear computers in everyday life, there is also the desire to have users want to wear their computers. In order to do this, wearable computing needs to be unobtrusive and socially acceptable. By making wearables smaller and lighter, or actually embedding them in clothing, users can conceal them easily and wear them comfortably. The military is currently working on the development of the Personal Information Carrier (PIC) or digital dog tag. The PIC is a small electronic storage device containing medical information about the wearer. While old military dog tags contained only 5 lines of information, the digital tags may contain volumes of multi-media information including medical history, X-rays, and cardiograms. Using hand held devices in the field, medics would be able to call this information up in real time for better treatment. A fully functional transmittable device is still years off, but this technology once developed in the military, could be adapted tp civilian users and provide ant information, medical or otherwise, in a portable, not obstructive, and fashionable way. Another future device that could increase safety and well being of its users is the nose on-a-chip developed by the Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee. This tiny digital silicon chip about the size of a dime, is capable of 'smelling' natural gas leaks in stoves, heaters, and other appliances. It can also detect dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. This device can also be configured to notify the fire department when a leak is detected. This nose chip should be commercially available within 2 years, and is inexpensive, requires low power, and is very sensitive. Along with gas detection capabilities, this device may someday also be configured to detect smoke and other harmful gases. By embedding this chip into workers uniforms, name tags, etc., this could be a lifesaving computational accessory. In addition to the future safety technology soon to be available as accessories are devices that are for entertainment and security. The LCI computer group is developing a Smartpen, that electronically verifies a user's signature. With the increase in credit card use and the rise in forgeries, is the need for commercial industries to constantly verify signatures. This Smartpen writes like a normal pen but uses sensors to detect the motion of the pen as the user signs their name to authenticate the signature. This computational accessory should be available in 1999, and would bring increased peace of mind to consumers and vendors alike. In the entertainment domain, Panasonic is creating the first portable hand-held DVD player. This device weight less than 3 pounds and has a screen about 6' across. The color LCD has the same 16:9 aspect ratio of a cinema screen and supports a high resolution of 280,000 pixels and stereo sound. The player can play standard DVD movies and has a hour battery life for mobile use. To summarize, in this paper we presented concepts related to the design and use of wearable computers with extensions to smart spaces. For some time, researchers in telerobotics have used computer graphics to enhance remote scenes. Recent advances in augmented reality displays make it possible to enhance the user's local environment with 'information'. As shown in this paper, there are many application areas for this technology such as medicine, manufacturing, training, and recreation. Wearable computers allow a much closer association of information with the user. By embedding sensors in the wearable to allow it to see what the user sees, hear what the user hears, sense the user's physical state, and analyze what the user is typing, an intelligent agent may be able to analyze what the user is doing and try to predict the resources he will need next or in the near future. Using this information, the agent may download files, reserve communications bandwidth, post reminders, or automatically send updates to colleagues to help facilitate the user's daily interactions. This intelligent wearable computer would be able to act as a personal assistant, who is always around, knows the user's personal preferences and tastes, and tries to streamline interactions with the rest of the world.

  • PDF

Design Strategies for Regionality in Contemporary Landscape Architecture (현대 조경 설계에서 지역성 구현 전략)

  • Choi, Jung-Mean
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
    • /
    • v.44 no.6
    • /
    • pp.98-106
    • /
    • 2016
  • This paper has attempted to reexamine current international circumstance and the meaning of regionality and discover the practical design strategy in the process of observing the trend of contemporary landscape architecture from the perspective of regionality. Contemporary landscape architecture has started to discover possibility in the local value and create identity. This tendency can be classified as follows: First, regionality is re-examined as a medium which can integrate nature, culture and city. As a concept which contains time and spatial continuity, landscape is a matter of the identity of land and area. Second, regionality has been reinterpreted and recreated by designers. Landscape designers attempt to restore the past memories and traces instead of adding a new concept after erasing previous physical features. This design attitude has spatialized time continuity. Third, site is seen as a palimpsest, not tabula rasa in contemporary landscape architecture. It has been attempted to visually materialize the natural and ecological processes and spatial features. Fourth, site is approached in a tectonic approach instead of analytical approach. It is attempted to organize and restore the geological and archeological memories and ecological processes. Differentiation has emerged as a critical design strategy in contemporary landscape architecture. However, regionality is also formed through an interaction with continuity as well as through differentiation. In this sense, the following possibilities can be reviewed as practical design strategies to realize regionality: First, a terra-tectonic approach discovers and selects possibility in the site and expresses the site, creating practical possibility which strengthens regionality. If the memory and conditions of the site are different, the identity would different as well. Second, continuity of region itself is a gene pool with comparative advantage. As a rough sketch of design, it acts as a loose conformity on designers' experience and practice. Of course, this approach is not absolute with some limitations. It is necessary to explore practical strategies.

A Survey on Dietary Habits in Gyeongnam and the Development of the Nutrition Education Curriculum with Teacher's Guide for Obese Elementary School Children (경남지역 일부 초등학교 비만아동의 식습관 분석 및 영양교육을 위한 교수학습과정안 개발)

  • Jo, Min-A;Lee, Kyung-Hea;Her, Eun-Sil;Kim, Jung-A
    • Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
    • /
    • v.15 no.2
    • /
    • pp.97-112
    • /
    • 2009
  • The purpose of this study was to develop a nutrition education curriculum with teacher's guide which includes discretionary activities for obese children. A survey was carried out to investigate the recognition of body image and food behaviors according to the obesity index (mild, moderate, severe) in school children (4~6th grade, 158 boys and 60 girls) who were selected based on a physical examination in May, 2006 in the Gyeongnam province. Next, a nutrition education curriculum with teacher's guide was developed on the basis of the findings from the survey and from preceding researches. The results are summarized as follow. The results of this study showed the existence of some nutritional problems such as overeating, prejudice, skipping meals, snacking patterns, etc, which indicate the need for nutritional management for obese children. Most overweight children (80.3%) showed the most interest in the nutrition education program, particularly with regards to dieting for weight control (64.7%). The developed nutrition education curriculum consisted of 8 main subjects and 13 subtitles. The curriculum was prepared for 13 lessons and included songs and singing, making-up lyrics, games about nutrition, discussions of the experience of eating (satiety, thirst, hunger), debates on dietary habits, writing and others to promote the interest for learning. We aimed to develop this program in an attempt to improve the dietary habits of obese school children. This is very important because once a dietary habit is formed in adults, it is difficult to change and the best adjustable stage is during childhood. Therefore, early nutrition education during elementary school can change and build-up the awareness of health in young elementary school children.

  • PDF

A Study on the Working Environment Recognition and the Caracter Disposition of Nurse Aides (간호조무사의 근무환경인식과 성격성향에 관한 연구)

  • Lee Sun Yi
    • Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
    • /
    • v.4 no.1
    • /
    • pp.57-74
    • /
    • 1990
  • As the whole world took on the tendency to be highly industrialized, it became necessary for each field of occupation to require professional man power. Especially, since the World War n, the participation of woman power in economic activities has been continually increasing. In our country also, because of the rapid economic growth, change in the way of thinking of women as well as their participation in economic activities are increasing. Thus, woman power is being utilized in various occupational fields from simple physical labor to those that require high-professional skill. Also, continued economic development policies, by setting the establishment of welfare society as the ideology to be fulfilled, brought expansion of medical facilities in the field of public health and increase in man power in that field. As for the nursing specialists, more than 6000 have been being produced per year and as of the end of 1988, the total number of nursing specialists, reached 123, 115. Therefore, this study is done to recognize the professional knowledge and ability of nursing specialists, who take up $40\%$ of the total public-health related man power in our country, through evaluating their working environment and their disposition of character. This study, which was done from September 18th to September 30th 1989, took on the method of using formed questionnaires that had been amended and supplemented during two preparatory investigations, 322 of such questionnaires were used as an analytical material. In the formation of questionnaires, 12 questions were related to the working environment, and 26 in fortotal were related to the disposition of character, 5 for wise-disposition, 11 for activedisposition and 10 for open-disposition. The measuring method, which used 5-point-standard, allowed 5 points for affirmative recognition of the working environment, also 5 points for showing wise, active and open disposition of character and only point in opposite cases. Collected materials were analyzed, through an electronic calculation, into the average value, the standard deflection percentage, pearson corelative number and stepwise multiple regression. Summarizing the results from this study is as follows: 1. It was shown that the nursing specialists with the average of 3.07 have affirmative recognition of their working environment. The questions which drew most affirmative reaction were those concerning finance-management system such as hand, the questions that received negative reaction were those concerning communication method with the average of 2.49. Such reaction seems to have resulted from the cramming regulation by the superior authorities. Concerning the recognition of working environment in relation to employment conditions, more affirmative recognition is shown with the average of 3.14. at hospitals where injection job is not performed. The nursing specialists working at regular hospitals show more affirmative recognition than those at general hospitals, the averages being respectiely 3.16 and 3.03. 2. As for the disposition of character of the nursing specialists, active-disposition was highest with the average of 3.38, next was wise-disposition with 3.20 and the lowest was open-diposition with 2.98. Variable-wise disposition of character shows that wise-disposition and academic background are beneficially correlated by 0.12. Ative-disposition and open-disposition show correlation to the office term by respectively 0.16 and 0.21. In other words. better academic background leads to higher wise-disposition and more - experience results in higher active and open disposition. Also, the class that performs the injection job, in relation to the working environment, might cause change in the self-conceit that identify those in that class with the nurses; however, as far as professional judgment and action, in dealing with nursing job, being wise, active and open is concerned, not much effect is made. 3. The relation between the recognition of the working environment and the disposition of character is that more afirmative recognition- a nursing specialist has about her working environment, the higher the active-disposition becomes by 0.13. The degrees of the relation between recongnition of environment and wise and open dispositions show respectively 0.06 and -0.06 and -0.06. That is to say that when having more affirmative recognition of the working environment, a nursing specialist shows wise but closed disposition of character. This, howerver, didn't mean much statistically. When observing the results mentioned above, it is conspicuous that the nursing specialists, working as substitutes for the nurse at medical institutions of various sizes, get the feeling of being somewhat equal to the nurses and to some extent, fulfill their desire to accomplish their ego; however, as far as professional ability expansion if concerned. they lack wise and open dispositions. Therefore, considiering upon the results of this study, in medical institutions where the work of nursing specialists is regaded equal to that of the nurses, as a medical member who deals with human lives, it is desirable to make the nursing specialists work under the supervision of the nurses and to offer them continuous education to strengthen and improve their natural dispositions.

  • PDF

Research on Visitor Behavior and Satisfaction with the Nature Trail in Hallasan National Park (한라산국립공원 자연학습탐방로의 이용행태와 이용객만족에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Jeong-Min
    • Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
    • /
    • v.21 no.3
    • /
    • pp.223-234
    • /
    • 2007
  • The study, executed with Hallasan National Park, which deserves to be a typical ecotourism destination, aims to provide basic information on park management for early establishment of ecotourism in a national park by assessing its visitors' behavior and satisfaction with a nature trail established as a series of an environmental interpretation program. The questionnaire survey was conducted at Eorimok Square in the weekday and on the weekend for two months of August and September in 2006, and finally 144 valid samples were used for the analysis. As a result of the research, it revealed that the demographic characteristics of the visitors to Hallasan National Park tended to coincide with those of the visitors to other national parks In Korea. On the whole, it showed their low recognition level of nature trails built up in national parks and less experience in using them. However, the visitors' satisfaction level and intention of re-visit, and recommendation to others were comparatively higher after actually using the nature trail at the site of Hallasan National Park, which hints at the possibility of national parks' much weightier role as the ground for ecology education and the functional expansion of the environmental interpretation-related facilities and programs. As for the attributes having effects on users' satisfaction with a nature trail, substantial aspects such as accessibility, safety, uniqueness and interest in environmental interpretation, and educational quality as well as physical facility management were revealed to have equal effects on users' satisfaction level, so there still remain a lot of pending issues over the reality of national parks in the initial stage of ecotourism staying at the level of the introduction and establishment of the facilities for environmental interpretation. This research had surveyed visitors to Hallasan National Park and limited to the nature trail only. For more systematic and practical ecological management of a national park, the in-depth understanding of the attributes affecting satisfaction of ecotourists, including nature trails and other environmental interpretation programs, and more sophisticated measuring tools are needed.

Understanding of the Workers in the North Area of Ulsan on the Oral Health and Hygienic Status (울산시 일부 생산직 근로자의 구강보건 인식에 대한 조사연구)

  • Lee, Ga-Ryeong
    • Journal of dental hygiene science
    • /
    • v.4 no.3
    • /
    • pp.117-126
    • /
    • 2004
  • For a month of September, 2004, a questionnaire regarding dental hygiene was distributed to 165 workers of Ulsan area. A total of 125 questionnaire were analyzed: 102 collected of the distributed 165 pieces, and 23 questionnaires reported by patients of a dental clinic in Dong-gu, Woolsan. The result is as follows; (1) Labor workers of Ulsan have thought that they are in good dental health, 44.1% of respondents, following by those who they believe they are in moderate health and those who they think are in poor condition. 89.0% of total workers have experienced dental treatment. (2) Regarding the location of dental treatment, 85.0% of respondents have pointed out dental hospitals and clinics, while 3.9% have indicated that they had treatment from unlicensed dentists. Specifically, workers in their 40s over have ever experienced dental treatment by unlicensed dentists. Those who think they are in poor dental condition have tended to have more dental treatment by unlicensed dentists. (3) Regarding the reason that they put off the treatment, 59.1% of respondents have indicated that they have no time to have the treatment, following by economic burden and the lack of confidence in dentists. When they have tooth aches or the gum ache, 60% of respondents have suggested that they endure the ache or take a medicine to alleviate the pain, showing a lower understanding of early dental treatment. (4) Regarding the reason why they are unwilling to go to dentists, respondents have revealed the anxiety against pain, 50.4%, following by the difficulty of scheduling and unsatisfied services. (5) 47.2% of respondents have brushed their teeth 3 times everyday, following by those who have done it 2 times a day and those one a day. Regarding how to brush the teeth, most of respondents have brushed their teeth in the upper, lower, and the both side, 61.4%. The younger respondents and those who think they are in good dental health have tended to brush their teeth up and down. (6) Regarding the cause of the gum disease, 67.7% of respondents have thought that it is caused by poor dental hygiene, following by natural occurrence due to age, hereditary nature, and physical predisposition. (7) 67.7% of respondents have experienced dental scaling, while 32.3% of them have had no experience in it. 53.5% of workers have thought that scaling may not be recommended since they have the teeth scaled periodically once they had dental scaling, a higher rate than 46.5% who think scaling is good for the gum health.

  • PDF

The Study on the Family Functionality and Spousal Relationship of Middle-aged Women to Develop Health Promoting Program (중년여성의 건강증진 프로그램 개발을 위한 기초연구 -가족기능과 부부관계를 중심으로-)

  • Yang, Kyung-Hee;Kim, Young-Hee
    • Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
    • /
    • v.12 no.3
    • /
    • pp.680-695
    • /
    • 2001
  • The purpose of this study was to provide basic data for developing nursing intervention for middle-aged women. This study identified health status, family functionality and spousal relationship and analyzed relationship between individual characteristics and family functionality/ spousal relationship. The subjects, of this study were 1.723 women from 45 to 55 years of age, who lived in J city. Data were analyzed using percentages, means, t-tests, ANOVA and Pearson's correlation coefficients with the SPSS statistical program. The results of the study were as follow: 1. The rate of women who perceived themselves to be healthy was 36.6%, those who did not was 30.8%. The most frequent health problem was a disease of the skeletal system (13.2%). 2. The mean score of family functionality was $3.25{\pm}.60$, with cohesion score of $3.58{\pm}.66$ and adaptability score of $2.99{\pm}.63$. 3. The mean score of total spousal relationship was $3.22{\pm}.42$; the relationship with in-laws was 3.78; sexual relationship, 3.74; life style, 3.44; and recreational activity. 3.39. 4. The women who experienced menopause perceived themselves to be unhealthier than those who did not. 5. Healthy women had a high score at total spousal relationship. personality of spouse. life style, recreational activity, and children's influence. 6. The women from 40 to 50 years of age. and women who graduated from middle or high school and had medium economic status showed a high score in family functionality. There was no correlation between family functionality and experience of the menopause. 7. Lower aged women were not good in personality of spouse (p<.05), sexual relationship (p<.05), and relationship with relatives (p<.05), Inexperienced women's menopause was influenced by their children (p<.05), Women who graduated from middle or high school (p<.001) and had medium economic status (p<.05) showed a high score in spousal relationship. 8. The higher the family functionality score. the higher spousal relationship. score (p<.001): love and communication (p<.001), personality of husband (p<.05), and religion (p<.001). relationship with relatives (p<.05), but the lower the score of recreational activity (p<.05), and share of role (p<.001) in the spousal relationship. 9. In the family functionality, the higher the cohesion score. the higher was the adaptability score (p<.001). l) The higher the cohesion score, the higher were love and communication, personality of husband. life style. sexual relationship. and children's influence, but the lower were share of role in spousal relationship(p<.001). 2) The higher the adaptability score, the higher were love and communication, religion, but the lower were the personality of husband, life style. sexual relationship, recreational activity, relationship with relatives, share of role(p<.001), and children's influence in spousal relationship (p<.05). 10. Variables within the spousal relationship have relationships with other variables. 1) The higher the love and communication score. the higher personality of husband religion, life style, communication. relationship with relatives, and children s influence (p<.001). 2) The higher personality of husband life style sexual relationship. recreational activity, relationship with relatives, share of role, and children's influence (p<.001). 3) The higher the religion score, the lower the recreational activity score (p<.05). 4) The higher the life style, the higher were the sexual relationship, recreational activity. relationship with relatives. share of role, and children's influence (p<.001). 5) The higher the sexual relationship score. the higher were recreational activity. relationship with relatives, share of role. and children's influence (p<.001). 6) The higher the recreational activity, the relationship with relatives, share of role. and children's influence (p<.001). 7) The higher the relationship with relatives, the higher were the share of role. the higher children's influence (p<.001). In conclusion. the spousal relationship was not good in unhealthy women, and the family functionality was related with the age of women and educational level. Also the spousal relationship was related with the age of women, personality of husband, sexual relationship. relationship with relatives by marriage and influence of sons and daughters. Menopause was related with spousal relationship, not related with family functionality. And the family functionality not related with perceived health status. but was correlated with spousal relationship. Therefore, the health management program for middle-aged woman should take place before menopause and must be based on promoting the family functionality and spousal relationship as well as physical health.

  • PDF

Analyses of User Behavior and Preference Factors in the Outdoor Spaces of Psychiatric Hospitals (정신병원 옥외공간의 이용행태 및 선호요인 분석)

  • Ahn, Deug-Soo
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
    • /
    • v.42 no.6
    • /
    • pp.72-88
    • /
    • 2014
  • This study was conducted in order to analyze user behavior and preference factors in the outdoor spaces of mental hospitals. Among hospitals with 250 or more beds, 5 hospitals were selected in consideration of size of garden and diversity of garden elements. The subject of the study was restricted to mild cases of schizophrenia while 30~50 patients were selected on the recommendation of their doctor from 5 hospitals, respectively. The physical environment was analyzed, focusing on space components, after visiting the sites of study. A face to face interview method was selected in consideration of patients' cognitive abilities, a total of 230 questionnaires were used for the analysis. The results of the study can be summarized as follows. Rest facilities occupy the largest numbers in the components of garden, and those are followed by landscape facilities, walking/exercise facilities, and experience facilities. Outdoor walking/exercise programs are classified into group walks and free walks with most patients taking group walks. Most of the patients visit these outdoor spaces every day but some of them rarely use the outdoor areas. In order to increase the efficiency of using these outdoor spaces, the percentage of space for ensuring a sense of control should properly harmonize with the percentage of space to facilitate patients in having social contact. With regard to the reasons for preferring the most widely-used outdoor spaces, landscape/environment property was the most important, followed by functionality and then accessibility. Major activities in the preferred space are mainly composed of walking/exercise and rest. The preferred facilities are waterscape facilities such as ponds, waterfalls and fountains, rest facilities such as pergolas and shade trees, and lawn. It was understood that naturalness should be considered to be the most important factor in constructing a new healing garden, followed by aesthetics and amenities. Single facilities rated by preference for introduction were flower beds, trails, and lawn. According to type, waterscape facilities such as fountains, ponds, waterfalls and waterwheels were most preferred. Space for natural distraction and programs for the cultivation of flower beds were also preferred. The ideal image of a healing garden should be bright, familiar, and orderly as a whole, having plenty of introduced facilities. Open spaces were preferred to enclosed spaces. Finally, the image of a garden that helps patients feel calm was thought to be that of the most ideal garden.

Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum: Clinical Investigation (자연성 종격동 기종의 임상적 고찰)

  • Park Jae Hong;Chei Chang Seck;Hwang Sang Won;Kim Han Yong;Yoo Byung Ha;Kim Dae Hwan
    • Journal of Chest Surgery
    • /
    • v.39 no.3 s.260
    • /
    • pp.220-225
    • /
    • 2006
  • Background: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is an uncommon, benign, self-limited disorders that usually occurs in young adults without any apparent precipitating factors or disease. The purpose of this study was to review our experience in dealing with this entity and describe a reasonable course of assessment and management. Material and Method: A retrospective case series was conducted to identify adults patients with SPM who were diagnosed and treated in a single institution between 2001 and 2005. Result: Fifteen patients were identified who included 14 men and 1 women with a mean age of 26 years. Presenting symptoms were chest pain in 12 patients ($80\%$), dyspnea in 5 patients ($33\%$), and throat discomfort in 4 patients ($26\%$). Two cases were associated with use of inhalational drugs and 3 cases were associated with exercise. The predisposing factors were asthma, excessive exercise, and vomiting in spontaneous pneumomediastinum. The physical findings were subcutaneous emphysema in 10 patients ($77\%$). Chest radiography and computerized tomography were the diagnostic methods in all cases with CT scan revealing six cases with associated pulmonary abnormalities. Esophagogram and flexible bronchoscopy were selectively used. Fifteen patients ($100\%$) were admitted to the hospital. Their mean hospital stay was 3 days. All patients were conservatively treated. In a follow-up of 3 years no complications or recurrences were observed. Conclusion: Most simple spontaneous pneumomediastinum cases were benign diseases and most of them ($77\%$) had shown typical chest pain, dyspnea and subcutaneous emphysema. Inhalational drug use was not a major cause of SPM; however, increased use of bronchoinhalers was a suspicious cause of SPM.

A Study on Fall Accident (1개 종합병원 환자의 낙상에 관한 조사)

  • Lee, Hyeon-Suk;Kim, Mae-Ja
    • The Korean Nurse
    • /
    • v.36 no.5
    • /
    • pp.45-62
    • /
    • 1998
  • The study was conducted from November 1995 to May 1996 at the one general hospital in Seoul. The total subjects of this study were 412 patients who have the experience of fall accident, among them 31 was who have fallen during hospitalization and 381 was who visited emergency room and out patient clinic. The purposes of this study were to determine the characteristics, risk factors and results of fall accident and to suggest the nursing strategies for prevention of fall. Data were collected by reviewing the medical records and interviewing with the fallers and their family members. For data analysis, spss/pc+ program was utilized for descriptive statistics, adjusted standardized $X^2$-test. The results of this study were as follows: 1) Total subjects were 412 fallers, of which 245(59.5%) were men and 167(40.5%) were women. Age were 0-14 years 79(19.2%), 15-44 years 125(30.4%), 45-64 years 104(25.2%), over 65 years 104(25.2%). 2) There was significant association between age and the sexes ($X^2$=39.17, P=0.00). 3) There was significant association between age and history of falls ($X^2$=44.41. P= .00). And history of falls in the elderly was significantly associated with falls. 4) There was significant association with age and medical diagnosis ($X^2$=140.66, P= .00), chief medical diagnosis were hypertension(34), diabetis mellitus(22), arthritis(11), stroke(8), fracture(7), pulmonary tuberculosis(6), dementia(5) and cataract(5), 5) There was significant association between age and intrinsic factors: cognitive impairment, mobility impairment, insomnia, emotional problems, urinary difficulty, visual impairments, hearing impairments, use of drugs (sedatives , antihypertensive drugs, diuretics, antidepressants) (P < 0.05). But there was no significant association between age and dizziness ($X^2$=2.87, P=.41). 6) 15.3% of total fallers were drunken state when they were fallen. 7) Environmental factors of fall accident were unusual posture (50.9%), slips(35.2%), trips (9.5%) and collision(4.4%). 8) Most of falls occurred during the day time, peak frequencies of falls occurred from 1pm to 6pm and 7am to 12am. 9) The places of fall accident were roads(22.6%), house-stairs 06.7%), rooms, floors, kitchen (11.2%), the roof-top, veranda, windows(10.9%), hospital(7.5%), ice or snowy ways(5.8%), bathroom(4.9%), playground, park(4.9%), subway-stairs(4.4%) and public-bathrooms (2.2%). 10) Activities at the time of fall accident were walking(37.6%), turning around or reaching for something(20.9%), going up or down stairs09.2%), exereise, working07.4%), up or down from a bed(2.7%), using wheelchair or walking aids, standing up or down from a chair(2.2%) and standing still(2.2%). 11) Anatomical locations of injuries by falls were head, face, neck(31.3%), lower extremities (29.9%). upper extremities(20.6%), spine, thorax, abdomen or pelvic contents(l1.4%) and unspecified(2.9%). 12) Types of injures were fracture(47.6%), bruises03.8%), laceration (13.3%), sprains(9.0%), headache(6.6%), abrasions(2.9%), intracranial hemorrage(2.4%) and burns(0.5%). 13) 41.5% of the fallers were hospitalized and average of hospitalization was 22.3 days. 14) The six fallers(1.46%) died from fall injuries. The two fallers died from intracranial hemorrage and the four fallers died of secondary infection; pneumonia(2), sepsis(1) and cell lulitis(1). It is suggested that 1) Further study is needed with larger sample size to identify the fall risk factors. 2) After the fall accident, comprehensive nursing care and regular physical exercise should be emphasized for the elderly person. 3) Safety education and safety facilities of the public place and home is necessary for fall prevention.

  • PDF