• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.65-86
• /
• 1990

Living conditions of the rural elderly were assessed in terms of clothing behavior, health and nutritional status, housing and envioronmental condition, and psychological adjustment. The subjects were eighty individuals over sixty residing in the rural community of Iksan-kun, Chollabukdo. The interview method using questionnaires, direct measurement, and observation was used for this study. Data were compared with those obtained from a previous study of the elderly residing in an urban area. Clothing behavior showed that the elderly residing in the rural community were more concerned about plain and conservative design of clothes than their urban counterparts. Special protective clothes for cropdusting with agricultural chemicals had not been prepared. The following urgent needs were pointed out: development and supply of agricultural chemical protective clothing and development and education of appropriate washing and clothing care methods. The health status of the elderly was generally good, but poor eating habits were found more frequently in the rural elderly than among the urban dwellers. Several dietary nutrient intakes were insufficient. Contrasting the urban elderly with the rural group, it was found that the urban group lacked sufficient vitamin A and vitamin C and the urban women had insufficient calorie whereas the rural group was deficient in protein, vitamin A, calorie, and fat. A significant relationship was found between dietary nutrient intake and health index, food habit points, self recognized health status, meal satisfaction, and economic status. Urgent needs of the development of a nutrition education program for the elderly were pointed out. Most of elderly residing in the surveyed rural communities were living alone or with their spouse only, therefore only one room was used among the three or four available rooms. Most of the rural elderly were living either in a traditional Korean house built with differing floor levels or in a modified Korean style house. Minimal modernization had been made for kitchen facilities such as sink and gas range or for heating facilities with the briquette boiler. However, sanitary space such as lavatory and bathroom had not been remodeled. A housing welfare program for rural communities should be implemented at the national level. The comparison of psychological characteristics of the rural elderly with their city counterparts revealed that the rural elderly have a more stable psychological status and optimistic attitude than those living in a city. However, it was found that most of the elderly did not have any future plan. Community programs for the elderly including hobbies or leisure activities or education programs to generate close interpersonal relationships with their children should be developed and provided.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.113-125
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study is to provide the demand information about services (S/W) and infrastructure (H/W) for rural welfare and culture. The survey was conducted on the overall satisfaction level, the condition change, the importance-satisfaction level of each field and the top priority items for administrative agencies and rural residents. In the overall satisfaction level, administrative agencies responded more than 'normal' to all fields, but the overall satisfaction level was lower than 'normal' in the fields excluding the healthcare field in the case of rural residents. In terms of condition changes compared to the past five years, both administrative institutions and local residents evaluated the improvement. IPA analysis was conducted to identify the priority ranking of each field and it was found that emergency medical facilities in the healthcare field, infant day care facilities in the social welfare field, movie theaters in the culture field, lifelong education institutions and academy facilities in the education field and private sports facilities in the leisure and sports field were most needed, respectively. The results of this study are expected to be helpful in increasing the efficiency and presenting the improvement direction about the development policy of the rural culture and welfare.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.23-41
• /
• 2011

The purpose of this study is to explore social supports for elderly housing and their residential lives in small cities along rural counties of the United States and Canada, and suggest future implications for age-concentrated rural villages in Korea. In this study, five small and medium cities in non-metropolitan counties of California and Ontario province were visited and elderly residents and service experts were interviewed about their perceptions of community integrated social support networks for senior residences. The senior housing complexes were built due to influx of both metropolitan and rural residents seeking warm localities, traffic connections, business purposes in active production areas. and leisure attractions. There are five main social support networks for senior housing issues in these areas. First, the areas are claimed for senior zones and accordingly health industries are encouraged by local authorities. Second, the community is homogeneously constructed as a senior friendly environment and include features such as an RV park and mobile cottages. Third, senior-helping seniors are offered active work through golf-cluster active retirement communities. Fourth, traditional theme production camps are mobilized by the elderly workers. Lastly, an information system is maintained for screening volunteers and for senior abuse prevention. On the other hand, residential lives are occasionally negatively influenced by unbalanced concentrations of elderly facilities such as nursing stations and funeral homes. For the future of Korean rural elderly policies, suggestions are made as follows: first, an integrated urban and rural township that contains attractive places for early retiring people who seek a warm atmosphere in later life needs to be constructed. Second, an integrated model retirement village of urban and rural retirement life needs to be initiated as a measure of evaluating the adaptation process of movers in senior concentrated zones. Third, a cooperation system among governmental ministries needs to be formed with the long- term goal of establishing a traditional rural town of independent housing districts and medical facilities in rural areas. Fourth, productive and active lifestyles need to be maintained as the local community and government develop successful retirement rural villages, by limiting the expansion of nursing related facilities. Finally, generation integrated visiting welfare programs and services need to be further developed for the housing areas especially in the winter, when social integration and activity are relatively low.

• Journal of the Korean Regional Science Association
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.21-41
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study is to compare the differences in the subjective quality of life (QoL) perceived by residents in different settlement spaces such as urban vs. rural and Seoul Capital Area (SCA) vs. Non-Capital Area (NCA). Using the data of the 'Quality of Life Satisfaction Survey for Balanced Development' conducted nationwide by the Presidential Committee for Balanced National Development in 2018, a propensity score matching method was introduced to compare the differences between the types of settlement spaces. The results show that no significant difference is found between all the types in satisfaction with local life, and in the case of happiness, rural residents show a higher level than those living in cities. Looking at the quality of life by QoL domain, the QoL of urban residents in SCA is generally the highest in the basic living environment, medical care, and culture/leisure domains, while the QoL of rural residents in the job/income, environment, community, and welfare domains is higher than that of residents of SCA and NCA cities. Interestingly, in no domains NCA cities show their relative strength. These results show the value of rural areas in the face of increasingly prevailing urbanization trends, and suggests that the value of rural areas must be strengthened for rural development. It is necessary to pursue policy efforts such as rural regeneration based on spatial planning in order to respond to the disorganized development that damages the value of the rural environment and landscape and to harmoniously maintain and develop the rural settlement.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.153-167
• /
• 2021

Background and objective: With the revision of the Act on Urban Parks, Green Areas, Etc. in 2013, the "urban agricultural park" was newly established under the subcategory of "themed park," thereby establishing the institutional basis for the creation of urban agricultural parks. However, urban agricultural parks are still in the early stages of their introduction. There is a lack of research on direction setting and specific operation management that considers urban residents' needs and the city's physical infrastructure. Methods: We utilized the public service design process suggested by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea in 2019 to identify problems and develop directions for urban agricultural parks. The process consisted of the following four steps: Understanding, Discovering people's needs, Defining real problems, and Developing ideas. Results: As four types of ideas for revitalizing urban agricultural parks, 'information users want to know,' 'user participation in design,' 'venue for local communities,' and 'urban agricultural parks as health and rest areas' were derived. This means that urban agricultural parks must provide the information users want; users must plan, decide, and implement such information by directly participating in the creation and efficient management and operation of urban agricultural parks; and urban agricultural parks must be used as a venue for local communities. Urban agricultural parks should also be spaces for health and relaxation. Conclusion: Urban agricultural parks should avoid the unified space and passive participation patterns of existing urban parks, and become real spaces for resident participation that can satisfy all the production, leisure, landscape, ecology, and psycho-social needs of the users of urban agricultural parks. Furthermore, it is necessary to introduce a more systematic and diverse operating system so that it can work to revitalize the local community and connect organically with the function of the city.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.553-565
• /
• 2016

Population aging has been an increasing social issue and the elderly health has become one of the most urgent public attentions in Korea. The aims of this paper are to compare the subjective health status according to the personal characteristics, social networks, and daily leisure activities of the urban-rural elderly, and to analyze the influencing factors of their subjective health status. Using 2011 elderly survey data, ordered logit Model was established to extract influencing factors of the elderly health status. The results show that socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of individual as well as frequent social contacts and daily activities within neighborhood environments influence the level of health status of the elderly. The most significant factors affecting the elderly health are personal economic conditions such as the education achievement level and household income. The elderly who visit an elderly welfare center in Seoul has almost 1.82 times higher odds of increasing health status level than not to visit an elderly welfare center. This study may give some important policy implications of the elderly health promotion strategy in urban-rural communities.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.589-612
• /
• 2019

Korea has undergone rapid modernization and globalization process in the last few decades. The purpose of this study is to explore how shifting traditional values are impacting Korean elderlies and their perceptions of aging experience. In order to understand how changing social and cultural practices are affecting older adults, the similarities and differences among Korean elderlies living in three different geographical locations are examined in a multidimensional comparative framework. Life story interviews were conducted with 30 Korean elderlies (10 urban residents in Korea, 10 rural residents in Korea, and 10 residents in the US). Paying attention to within-group variation, this study particularly focused on analyzing the psychological, social, emotional, and spiritual experiences that made lives meaningful and resilient in old age in spite of physical decline. Based on analysis of narrative, the following major areas were identified as having positive or negative influence on aging experiences: physical health, emotional health, family relationship, work, leisure/social activity, and spirituality. Common themes of aging well across all settings included: "life not indebted to their offspring," "physical and mental health," and "dying well." Spirituality played a critical role in cultivating perspectives on life and accepting aging process, which were rooted in specific religious traditions participants identified (e.g., Christianity or Buddhism). Interesting differences in the meaning of work and leisure were also found between elderlies residing in Korea and the US immigrant context. One unique factor continuing to negatively affect Korean elderly in rural community was related to shame of not obtaining higher education. Implications for future research are also addressed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.45-52
• /
• 2014

Recently, Korean people are more interested in leisure time as the Korean economy has enjoyed the economic growth on a continual basis. Along with it, the disabled people's demand for enjoying the beach is growing. To meet the disabled people's demand for enjoy the beaches, it is important to prepare the convenient facilities where the disabled people in the wheel chair can use comfortably, including the handicapped parking area, toilet for the disabled, shower stall room and am bathhouse. On the backdrop of this, the study has been made on the obstacles which keep the disabled people from using the convenient facilities installed on 12 beaches in the southern coat of Korea from the perspective of barrier free design. This study showed that half of the beaches in question did not have the handicapped parking places. The parking space was also so narrow that it was difficult for handicapped people to access the parking lot with their vehicles. There were also 3 beaches which did not have the toilet for the disabled. Even the beaches which have the toilet for the disabled, the size of entrance door and floor space was so narrow and there were a lot of physical obstacles such as no handles for the disabled people that it was really hard for the disabled people in wheelchair to use them.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.27 no.10
• /
• pp.865-874
• /
• 2018

Fruit trees are a key part of agriculture in rural areas and have recently been a part of ecotourism or agrotourism. This study analyzes user segmentation based on user motivation to determine characteristics of potential customers in fruit tree farms, and thereby develop fruit tree experience and educational programs. We conducted a survey of 253 potential customers of fruit tree experience programs in September 2017. Data were evaluated using factor and cluster analyses. The results of the cluster analysis identified four distinct segments based on potential customers' motivations, that is, activity-oriented, learning-oriented, leisure-oriented, and purchase-oriented. These clusters showed that significant differences in the preference of potential customers exist. Different markets were segmented based on the benefits sought by users. The segments' characteristics were identified and activities relevant to each segment were proposed for rural tourism. Lastly, this study suggests directions for development of fruit tree farm experience and educational programs.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.93-102
• /
• 1997

The study aimed at investigating the living time as well as disability degree of the elderly based on daily living acting capability and living activity degree. The survey was conducted through the home-visit interview during half month at july, 1996 by the students of nursing department who were previously trained. The survey targeted the elderly aged 65 years or more living at home in rural area. The study tried to utilize Activity Inventory(AI) made for examing health and disease, disability degree, and living acting degree of the elderly. Among the AI's, there are Physical Activity of Daily Living(PADL), Instrumental Activity of Daily Living(IADL), maximum daily activity scope, and physical and mental activity level of the elderly. The daily living time is surveyed physiologic time(sleeping, eating and grooming), labor time(occupation, housekeeping and farming) and leisure time(reading, sport hobby-life). Results of the study show that social activity degree of the elderly is found to be lower than that PADL, LADL, and daily living scope. It seems that the elderly suffer from inability in daily life with lower social activity degree. But the labour time of the daily living time is the most amount time in the targeted 361 elderlys through random sampling. Therefore postponement of the disability of aging should be devised to encourage the labour activity of the elderly.