• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.5303-5309
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• 2014

With entering into an aged society, more people need to pay attention to their health and disease. In particular, it is significant for senior citizens with chronic disease to have a medication system because it is related directly to their lives. This study suggested the NFC-based medication management system for elderly patents. By developing a NFC-based medication bottle cap and smart phone application program, the suggested method can assist elderly patients to take medicines properly without missing or abusing them through guidance and alarm, and maintain their health.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.128-133
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• 2009

Purpose: Bicycle riding is a healthy and cheap form of transportation and a popular form of recreation. This study aims to evaluate the epidemiology and the factors affecting the severity of bicycle-related injuries and to find effective methods for preventing injuries. Methods: This is a retrospective study of the patients'characteristics, the injury severity, the injury location, the effect of safety equipment on the bicycle injury based on information collected through the NEDIS (National Emergency Department Information System) from 1,284,429 patients who visited 55 emergency rooms nationwide. Results: During the research period throughout 55 emergency rooms 5,671 patients were seen because of bicycle injuries. The male-to-female ratio was 3.1:1, the median age 28 years old, and 42.6% of the patients were younger than 20 years old. Injury sites were mostly in the extremities(46.7%), the head(32.4%), and the face(14%), and 70.3% of severely injured patients had accompanying head trauma. Males aged 65 and older was possibly associated with severe head trauma. Of the patients who provided helmet information 4.8%(71patients) used helmets, and 95.2%(1392 patients) did not. In this group of patients providing helmet information, none of those wearing helmets died, but 0.4% of those not wearing helmets died. Conclusion: In this study, most bicycle injuries occurred in young adult men. From now, there seems to be a need for more effort on publicity activities on bicycle injuries and on the education of children and teenagers, who show a high incidence rate, and of senior citizens (over 65 years old) who show a high severity rate, about using a safety helmet to reduce the severity of injury.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.150-159
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was performed in order to identify the relationships among self-care behavior, health conservation, and cardiovascular risk factors and to examine the influence of self-care behavior and health conservation on cardiovascular risk factors among Korean elders with diabetes mellitus. Methods: The participants were 105 elders with diabetes mellitus using senior welfare centers and elderly leisure houses in Daegu. Data were collected through interviews during the period from April to May in 2014. Self-care behavior was measured with Kim's (1997) Self-care Behavior Scale, health conservation with Sung's (2005) Health Conservation Scale, and cardiovascular risk factors with the Arizona Heart Institute Cardiovascular Risk Factor Questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed through one-way ANOVA, independent t-test, Pearson's correlation, and stepwise multiple regression using the SPSS/WIN 19.0 program. Results: A negative correlation was found between self-care behavior and cardiovascular risk factors, and between health conservation and cardiovascular risk factors. Self-care behavior explained 6% and health conservation did 49% of variance in elderly diabetes mellitus patients' cardiovascular risk. Conclusion: The results indicate that, in order to reduce cardiovascular risk factors among Korean elders with diabetes mellitus, we need nursing interventions for increasing health conservation and self-care behavior.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.220-227
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• 2019

Background: Potentially avoidable hospitalizations (PAH) contribute to an increased post-discharge mortality. Methods: To investigate the between-hospital variation and the relationship between all predictors and mortality after discharge among older adults with PAH, we studied 15,186 older patients with PAH in 2,200 hospitals included in the National Health Insurance Service-Senior claims database from 2002 to 2013. Multivariable multilevel logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the variance at between-hospital for mortality after accounting for differences in patient characteristics. Results: The between-hospital variation in mortality that could be attributed to hospital practice variations were 37.6% at 1-week to 13.9% at 12-month post-discharge, after adjustment for individual patient characteristics and hospital-level factors. Hospital-level factors significantly explained mortality at 3 weeks after discharge. Clinics, compared with general hospitals, demonstrated a 2.75 times higher likelihood of deaths at 3-week post-discharge (p<0.001). Compared with private hospitals, public hospitals exhibited 1.61 times higher odds of 3-week mortality (p=0.01). Conclusion: This study demonstrates considerable between-hospital variations in PAH-related mortality that could be attributed to hospital practices. Monitoring of hospitals to identify practice variations would be warranted to improve the survival of older patients with PAH.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.378-388
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• 2023

Background: With increasing interest in health in old age, aspects of oral aging are being considered. The Korean Academy of Geriatric Dentistry recently proposed the diagnostic criteria for oral frailty in older adults in Korea. This study aimed to conduct a cross-sectional survey of factors related to oral frailty among community-dwelling older adults and identify differences in oral frailty status according to age and sex. Methods: Among 217 older adults aged ≥60 years who visited a senior center in Wonju, 206 completed all tests for oral frailty. Among them, data from those with a Korean Version of the Modified Barthel Index score ≥90 were used in the final analysis. After evaluating oral frailty diagnostic factors such as chewing ability, occlusal force, tongue pressure, oral dryness, oral cleanliness, and swallowing function, oral hypofunction was determined according to the oral frailty diagnostic criteria. Subsequently, the evaluation results were compared based on sex and age. Results: Significant differences in chewing ability, maximum occlusal pressure, and maximum tongue pressure were observed between sexes. However, these differences did not affect oral frailty diagnosis. All diagnostic factors of oral frailty, except for the risk of oral dryness and swallowing dysfunction, showed significant differences with age. However, no significant difference was observed in the prevalence of oral frailty. Additionally, this study found no relationship between sex and oral frailty factors using the oral frailty diagnostic criteria. However, it also found that age plays a significant role as an oral frailty diagnostic indicator, in addition to oral dryness and swallowing function. Conclusion: Sex and age did not affect oral frailty diagnosis. However, patients' chewing ability, occlusal force, and tongue pressure were affected by sex and age. Therefore, sex and age should be considered when diagnosing and intervening in oral frailty in the future.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.1-7
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• 2021

[Purpose] We aimed to identify the effects of marine oligomeric polyphenol (MOP) intake in elderly individuals with sarcopenia. [Methods] Older adults (aged 65 years or older) were recruited based on the diagnostic criterion for sarcopenia and were randomly assigned to the MOP intake group (n=10) or the placebo (PBO) intake group (n=10). To determine the effect of MOP intake received for four weeks, the pre- and post-intake body composition (weight, skeletal muscle mass, and bone density) and senior fitness tests were assessed. [Results] Our results showed there were significant differences in the skeletal muscle mass (p=0.039), bone density (p=0.020), fat-free mass index (p=0.026), and 2.4 m up and go test (p=0.001) between pretest and post-test. There was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test and an interaction effect for the one-leg stand test (p=0.010 and p=0.049, respectively). However, there were no significant differences in body fat percentage, calf circumference, grip strength, or the chair rise test. [Conclusion] Some variables exhibited significant differences in the pre- and post-assessments, and there was an interaction effect for the one-leg stand. However, this was insufficient to prove the effectiveness of MOP intake in improving sarcopenia. Therefore, additional studies are essential to examine the effects of MOP intake and exercise intervention on the body composition and fitness of patients over a longer period.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.576-586
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a self-management program applying Dongsasub training based on self-efficacy theory, and to verify the program effectiveness on self-esteem as well as self-efficacy, self-management behaviors, and blood pressure. Methods: The study design was a non-equivalent, pre-post controlled quasi-experiment study. Thirty-eight patients aged 65 and older from a senior welfare center in Seoul participated in this study (20 patients in the experimental group and 18 patients in the control group). The self-management program applying Dongsasub training consisted of eight sessions. After development was complete the program was used with the experimental group. Outcome variables included self-efficacy, self-esteem, self-management behaviors measured by questionnaires, and blood pressure measured by electronic manometer. Results: Self-efficacy (t=2.42, p=.021), self-esteem (t=2.57, p=.014) and self-management behaviors (t=2.21, p=.034) were significantly higher and systolic blood pressure (t=-2.14, p=.040) was significantly lower in the experimental group compared to the control group. However, diastolic blood pressure (t=-.85, p=.400) was not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: The results indicate that the self-management program applying Dongsasub training can be used as a nursing intervention in community settings for improving self-management behaviors for older adults with hypertension.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.227-239
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of peer mentoring program on physical activity, knee joint function, self-care agency and social support, which are health conservation elements in elderly women with osteoarthritis. Methods: This study used a quasi-experimental research design. It is a pretest-and-post 1, post 2 test design of a non-equivalent control group. The subjects were elderly women aged over 65 who were diagnosed with osteoarthritis. A total of 60 patients (experimental group 30, control group 30) who registered with the Senior Welfare Center in City G and in Region D participated in this study. The data were collected from June 29th to September 4th, 2015. The collected data were analyzed with $x^2$ test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test and repeated measurement ANOVA. Results: The experimental group showed a greater increase in physical activity, knee joint function, self-care agency and social support than the control group. Conclusion: The results indicated that the peer mentoring program is effective in increasing physical activity, knee joint function, self-care agency and social support of elderly women with osteoarthritis.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.56-63
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• 2020

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of atrial fibrillation (AF) on the risk of dementia in the Korean elderly. Methods: A 10-year retrospective cohort study was conducted using the National Health Insurance Service-Senior Cohort database. We excluded those who were under 65 years of age as of January 2006 (n=46 113), those who were diagnosed with dementia between 2002 and 2005 (n=9086), and those with a history of stroke prior to AF diagnosis (n=8392). We used a Cox proportional hazards model with a time-varying covariate to determine whether AF is associated with the risk of dementia after adjusting for potential confounders. Results: In univariable Cox regression, the hazard ratio (HR) of dementia according to AF status was 1.28 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23 to 1.33). After adjusting for potential confounders, AF was found to increase the risk of dementia (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.17), Alzheimer dementia (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.17), and vascular dementia (HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.18). In patients diagnosed with AF, the incidence of dementia was lower (HR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.52) in patients who were treated with oral anticoagulants. Conclusions: Investigating the potential risk factors of dementia in an aged society is important. We found a slightly higher risk of dementia in those with AF than in those without AF, and we therefore concluded that AF is a potential risk factor for dementia.

• Therapeutic Science for Rehabilitation
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.21-31
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• 2020

Objective : Reminiscence program is a method to restore psychological stability for the elderly having dementia, and at the same time it makes the aged with dementia express themselves correctly by helping them to recollect their past life memories. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on communication ability in applying the reminiscence program to elderly patients with Alzheimer's dementia. Methods : The subject were 4 patients whose Alzheimer's dementia of moderate. This experiment was designed with pre-stage, treatment-stage, post-stage. The reminiscence therapy was compose of reminiscence activities of their live; in their childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and senescence. The therapy was delivered 30 times for 15 weeks. Results : The result of the study were as follows. First, after reminiscence therapy, recognition ability was improved. Second, after reminiscence therapy, emotional side was improved. Third, after reminiscence therapy, communication ability was improved. Conclusion : In this study, the reminiscence therapy had a positive effect on the improvement of communication skills among the elderly with Alzheimer's dementia. Based on the reminiscence therapy, it is thought to be very helpful in improving the communication ability of the elderly with dementia in the future.