• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.129-140
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• 2020

Purpose: Although the importance of life satisfaction in patients with chronic diseases has been emphasized, limited studies have been performed on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among elderly patients with chronic diseases. This study examined the HRQoL among Korean patients with diabetes aged 65 years or older. Methods: This study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2016. The analysis included data of 2,353 elderly patients with diabetes aged 65 years or older who were aware that they had type 2 diabetes. Each participant was categorized into one of three age groups (65-69 years, 70-74 years, and ≥ 75 years). The EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) scale was computed to estimate the HRQoL. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to compare the demographic characteristics, lifestyle characteristics, nutrient intake, and EQ-5D scores between the age groups. Results: The intake levels of most nutrients were similar in the three age groups, but the total energy intake levels were significantly lower, and the sodium intake levels were significantly higher in the older age groups (p < 0.001). In addition, all items of the EQ-5D index, except for anxiety/depression, tended to decrease with age. In particular, the oldest age group (≥ 75 years) showed significantly lower levels on most items and the EQ-5D index than those in the other age groups (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Elderly patients with type 2 diabetes may have low levels of life satisfaction, which worsens with increasing age. Therefore, it is important to develop and manage personalized guidelines and medical systems so that elderly patients have a higher quality of life for the remainder of their lives. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for the systematic management of diabetes in elderly Korean patients.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.361-368
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• 2017

Objectives: This study aimed to explore dimensions in addition to the 5 dimensions of the 5-level EQ-5D version (EQ-5D-5L) that could satisfactorily explain variation in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the general population of South Korea. Methods: Domains related to HRQoL were searched through a review of existing HRQoL instruments. Among the 28 potential dimensions, the 5 dimensions of the EQ-5D-5L and 7 additional dimensions (vision, hearing, communication, cognitive function, social relationships, vitality, and sleep) were included. A representative sample of 600 subjects was selected for the survey, which was administered through face-to-face interviews. Subjects were asked to report problems in 12 health dimensions at 5 levels, as well as their self-rated health status using the EuroQol visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS) and a 5-point Likert scale. Among subjects who reported no problems for any of the parameters in the EQ-5D-5L, we analyzed the frequencies of problems in the additional dimensions. A linear regression model with the EQ-VAS as the dependent variable was performed to identify additional significant dimensions. Results: Among respondents who reported full health on the EQ-5D-5L (n=365), 32% reported a problem for at least 1 additional dimension, and 14% reported worse than moderate self-rated health. Regression analysis revealed a $R^2$ of 0.228 for the original EQ-5D-5L dimensions, 0.200 for the new dimensions, and 0.263 for the 12 dimensions together. Among the added dimensions, vitality and sleep were significantly associated with EQ-VAS scores. Conclusions: This study identified significant dimensions for assessing self-rated health among members of the general public, in addition to the 5 dimensions of the EQ-5D-5L. These dimensions could be considered for inclusion in a new preference-based instrument or for developing a country-specific HRQoL instrument.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.52-62
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• 2005

Purpose: This study was to analyze the research trend centering on the theses to cancer nursing research in digestive system released in Korea. Method: The researcher collected the academic degrees and theses published on the book of the academic soceity from January 1993 to August, 2004, and examined 38 domestic papers of cancer nursing research in digestive system. Results: 1) As for the subject, the results were : patients with stomach cancer 25(66%), colon cancer 4(11%), rectal cancer 3(8%), and others(taxi drivers 2, family of cancer patents. 2) As for the research designs the result were : quantitative studies were 33(87%), and qualitative studies were 9(23%). 3) As for key concepts of survey, the results were : life patterns of patients with rectal cancer, oral intake of stomach cancer patients, fatigue of stomach cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, nursing needs when discharging from hospital after operation with gastrectomy, and so on. 4) As for the comparative studies, the results were : risk factors between colorectal patients and general population, early symptom and risk factors between stomach cancer patients and general population, and risk factors between stomach cancer and patients with gastritis. 5) As for main concepts of correlational studies, the results were : quality of life, health belief, fatigue, health promotion behavior, social support, straitanxiety. 6) The treatment of experimental research, the results were : information services, arc reflex massage, acupressure, educational program for discharge, 7)As for the qualitative studies, in terms of subjects, stomach cancer patients were 2, spouse of patients with stomach cancer was 1, rectal cancer patients were 2. In the theme of the qualitative studies, the results were: experience of family of patients with stomach cancer, experience of long term survival of patients with rectal cancer, experience of disease process of rectal cancer patiens. 8) As for the used instrument in studies, the results were : Strait-anxiety Scale by Spielberger, Nausea and Vomiting Scale by Rhodes, Social support by Tae and Lee, Health belief by Champion, Becker, and Moon. QOL by NCCN, Roh, Pdilla, Kwon, Revised Fatigue Scale by Piper, Health Locus of Control by Wallston and Wallston, Uncertainty Scale by Mishel. Conclusions: More research needs to be encouraged in various subject of cancer patients in digestive system. More nonexperimental and experimental researches should be conducted for the establishment of the basis of practical and theoretical framework and the providing good quality of care for cancer patients.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.381-391
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was try to check the change of a subjective evaluation about the life function fitness and health-related quality of life by executing the home support exercise program three times a week for total 16 weeks with elderly women that are order than 70 years old. The experiment group(total : 17 people, mean age : 79.4) and the control group(total : 17 people, mean age : 80.7) live Yeonje-gu in Busan city, and they don't have any physical injury and any inconvenience to move. and they are all composed of elderly women who agree to participate in this study. We carried out an analysis of covariance with SAS 9.2 statistics package. These are the results from it. First, the experiment group showed statistically significant increase(p<.001) in lifting dumbbells, repeatedly standing up and sitting down, 2.24m shuttle running, walking at the same place for 2 minutes. Second, there was no particular effect with the experiment group in flexibility(catching hands with their backs leaned against each other). This result point out that there is a need of supplementation like adding exercise item which can improve flexibility to home support exercise program. Third, there was no particular difference between the experiment group and the control group in 8 sub-factors with the subjective evaluation about health-related quality of life through SF-36. However, there the bodily pain and vitality sub-factors of experiment group was better than that of the control group with p<.10 level, so we considered this result showed us the positive effect slightly.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.193-199
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to provide basic data for the development of fall prevention programs for the elderly and for improvement of quality of life based on history of falls, chronic diseases, location, fear of falling, daily living activities, and quality of life. This study was conducted from 15th August to 17th September of 2016 on 185 elderly subjects above the age of 65 living in four centers of J city and four centers of J rural. The results of this study are as follows: There were no statistically significant differences in daily living activities, fear of falls, and quality of life regarding falls in the past. There were statistically significant differences in fear of falling and quality of life regarding chronic diseases. There were statistically significant differences in daily living activities and quality of life regarding residence. This study confirms that there were relations among daily living activities, fear of falling, and quality of life, and there was a negative correlation between fear of falling and accomplishment of daily living activities(r=-.386, p<.000). There was also a positive correlation between accomplishment of daily living activities and quality of life(r=.513, p<.000). Therefore, avoiding outings on slippery roads and creating safe environments for the elderly are important to reduce fear of falling. Additionally, a system should be developed for the elderly to acquire necessary information for daily life.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.1115-1125
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the Safety-practice and Its Related Factors among Elementary students in rural area, to provide the basic data for prevention for safety accident occurrence in order to improve the QOL. Methods: The subjects of this study were 549 elementary students using self-report questionnaires. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe's test, Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression with SPSS 12.0 Program. Results: The mean score for level of the safety awareness was 3.55(${\pm}.36$) and of the safety practice, 2.98(${\pm}.48$). The score of Safety-practice was statistically significant difference according to students' gender(p= .028) and students' grade(p= .004), the number of friends(p= .002), the level of school life adaptation(p= .000), recognized learning proficiency(p= .000), personality(p= .005), curiosity(p= .003), the level of demand for safety education(p= .000), the level of safety-education conducted by parents(p= .000), the level of safety-education conducted by teacher(p= .000). Stepwise multiple regression analysis for Safety-practice revealed that the most powerful predictor was level of Safety-awareness and self-esteem, the level of safety-education conducted by parents explained 28.8% of the variance. Conclusions: Therefore, it is necessary to develop safety practice promotion program in order to enhance the quality of life of elementary students. Future studies need to be pursued to find various variances.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.4685-4690
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• 2015

Purpose: To evaluate the correlation between cosmetic outcome (CO), body image, and quality of life in post breast-conserving therapy (BCT) women. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study concerned one-year post-completed BCT Thai women. The data included subjective and objective CO with a questionnaire covering demographic and clinical data, anti-hormonal treatment status, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, Self-Reported Cosmetic Outcomes (SRCO), Self-Reported Breast Symmetry (SRBS), Body Image Scale (BIS), and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy with Breast Cancer subscale (FACT-B). Participants had breast photographs taken for the evaluation of objective cosmetic outcome (OCO) after breast cancer conservation treatment. The relationship between CO and FACT-B was tested using Spearman's rank correlation Results: A total 127 participants volunteered for the study. The participant characteristics were age 52(${\pm}9$), Buddhist 87%, married 65%, body mass index 25.0(${\pm}4.6$), breast cup size A-C 91%, college educated 60%, employed 66%, ECOG 0-1 95%, tumor size less than or equal to 2 cm 55%, no lymph node metastasis 98%, and taking tamoxifen 57%. Two percent of the participants regretted their decision to undergo BCT. The SRCO was excellent in 2%, good in 68%, fair in 30%, and poor in 0%. For SRBS, rates were 17%, 58%, 24% and 1% for excellent, good, fair and poor cosmetic outcomes, respectively. The BCCT scores were excellent 24%, good 39%, fair 32%, and poor 6%. The median total QOL score of the participants was 130 (93-144). There was no significant correlation between CO and FACT-B scores. Conclusions: The significance of CO for FACT-B in Thai women with breast cancer could not be assessed in detail because of a very low level of correlation. The results may be due to the effects of cultural background.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.263-267
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• 2004

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate the validity of WHOQOL-BREF (Brief form of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument) and to explore quality of life (QOL) by using WHOQOL-BREF in patients with stomach cancer after a curative resection. Materials and Methods: Fifty (50) patients with stomach cancer after a curative resection were recruited with informed consents. Age- and gender matched hospital staffs served as controls. The 100-item WHOQOL instrument was employed for the all subjects. The scores of the WHOQOL-BREF, which is a short version (26 questions) of the WHOQOL, and includes four domains (physical, psychological, social, and environmental), were compared with those of WHOQOL. Results: The scores of the WHOQOL-BREF were significantly correlated with those of the WHOQOL in all domains. Two domains, physical and social, were associated with worse quality of life in patients with stomach cancer after a curative resection. Conclusion: The WHOQOL-BREF is a valid instrument that is useful for evaluating the quality of life in patients with stomach cancer.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2009

Objectives: This study was conducted to estimate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using EuroQoL-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) and to identify its related factors among urban-dwelling adults. Methods: The data for this study were obtained from 1,134 subjects aged $20\sim91$, who participated in 'Survey on the health status and demand for health' in two cities of Korea (Dong-gu, Gwangju and Suncheon-si, Jeollanamdo). The HRQOL was measured using the EQ-5D instrument and EQ-5D index scores were calculated by two Korean valuation study model using time trade-off method. Results: The mean EQ-5D index scores for all subjects were $0.865{\pm}0.218$ (model A), and $0.921{\pm}0.170$ (model B). The EQ-5D index score was significantly different according to demographic and socioeconomic characteristics (gender, age, marital status, education, occupation, income, and health security system), self-rated health condition, health-related psychological assessments (enough sleep, fatigue rate, stress rate, and degree of satisfaction on the residence). The results of multiple linear regression showed that age, marital status, income, coverage of medical insurance, self-rated health condition, and fatigue rate were significantly related common statistical factors of HRQOL in two Korean valuation study model. Conclusion: Among the adults residing in urban environment, the HRQOL was significantly lower on the subjects with following conditions: higher age, being alone without a spouse as a result of death, divorce or separation, low income, medical aid program, poor self-rated health condition, and chronic fatigue. In order to improve the urban adults' quality of life, healthcare policy and health promotion program must be developed with considerations to factors related to the HRQOL.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.480-487
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between oral health status and health related quality of life (HRQoL). The study used a nationally representative sample of Koreans (2013 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) aged 19~64 years (n=3,252). Dependent variable was HRQoL, which was assessed with each component of EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ5D). Independent variable was oral health status (oral pain, chewing problem, speaking problem, and perceived oral health). After adjustment for confounders (socio-demographic factors, oral health behaviors, health behaviors, and physical conditions), the risk of having poor HRQoL was greater in adults with poor oral health status. The odds ratio (OR) of having pain/discomfort were 1.50 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22~1.86) for respondents with oral pain, 1.72 (95% CI, 1.33~ 2.22) for respondents with chewing problem, 1.79 (95% CI, 1.22~2.62) for respondents with speaking problem, and 1.36 (95% CI, 1.09~1.70) for respondents with poor perceived oral health. The OR of having anxiety/depression were 1.74 (95% CI, 1.28~2.38) when having a chewing problem, 1.72 (95% CI, 1.12~2.64) when having a speaking problem, and 1.54 (95% CI, 1.14~2.08) when rating his/her oral health poor. Among Korean adults, two of the EQ5D components were associated with oral health status. Future study is needed to examine the detailed causal relations between oral health status and HRQoL longitudinally.