• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.673-684
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Although adherence to a higher diet quality may help prevent cognitive decline in older adults, literature for this in a Korean population is limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the association between diet quality indices and the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Korean older adults. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 806 community-dwelling people aged 60 yrs and over in Korea. Diet quality was assessed via the revised Recommended Food Score (RFS) and alternate Mediterranean Diet Score (aMDS). Cognitive function was measured using a Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-KC). Associations between diet quality indices and MMSE-KC score were assessed with a general linear model after adjusting for covariates. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between diet quality indices and the risk of MCI. RESULTS: The prevalence of MCI was 35.3%. There were no significant trends between MMSE-KC scores and RFS and aMDS after adjusting for age, gender, education, exercise, living status, social activity, and alcohol drinking. Among total subjects, RFS was inversely associated with the risk of MCI after adjusting for covariates (Q5 vs. Q1; odds ratio [OR], 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28-0.83). Among total subjects and men, aMDS was inversely related to the risk of MCI after adjusting for covariates (Q5 vs. Q1; OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.29-0.89 for total subjects; Q5 vs. Q1; OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.15-0.83 for men). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that high diet quality evaluated by RFS and aMDS is inversely associated with the risk of MCI. Thus, high quality diet may reduce or retard cognitive decline in the old population. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the causal relationship between diet quality and the risk of MCI in the elderly.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.1155-1167
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of falls, fear of falling, perceived health status, and number of disease according to cognitive function in community-dwelling the elderly women. This study utilized a descriptive survey design. Data were collected for six months with 311 elderly women who visited in public health center at S city. After obtaining Institutional Review Board(IRB) approval, a face-to-face, and private interview was conducted with each participant who was eligible and agreed to participate in this study by trained graduate-level nursing students. The questionnaires consisted of MoCA-K, K-MMSE, Fall Efficacy Scale, PHS scale. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS/WIN 17.0 program, which was used descriptive statistics, Chi-Square test and t-test, Correlation. The major findings of this study were as follows; 1) The average age of the subjects was 71.68±5.13 and cognitive function score was 22.14±4.32. approximately 35% of participants had fallen within one year. 2) there were significant differences in perceived health status according to cognitive function. 3) fear of fall and cognitive function, perceived health status and cognitive function were significant correlation. In conclusion, this study will contribute to establish strategies for preventing fall. Interventions for fall prevention and fear of fall enhancement should be developed with the consideration of the level of cognitive function in the elderly. Reducing the fear of falling through the comprehensive nursing intervention will ultimately improve the quality of life in the elderly.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2009

Objectives : The changing population age structure and rapidly increasing medical costs make providing high-quality, effective medical care for the elderly a challenge. This study assessed the satisfaction with medical care in terms of comprehensiveness, general satisfaction, and accessibility among community-dwelling Korean elders. Methods : Data were obtained from a nationwide representative sample of the older adults(aged 65 years old or older) living in the community, who participated in a 2006 telephone survey conducted using random digit dialing(n=881). General satisfaction, comprehensiveness and accessibility were measured using a 10-item satisfaction survey questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was used to assess the distribution of each of three components of subjective satisfaction. Analysis of covariance(ANCOVA) was used to examine the association of each of the three components with socioeconomic variables. Results : Comprehensiveness and general satisfaction were low among older people with a high socioeconomic status. Accessibility was evaluated as low among older people of low socioeconomic status, those living in rural areas and those who were medical aid beneficiaries. Conclusions : Urgent interventions should be considered in order to improve accessibility to medical care for elders of low socioeconomic status and those living in rural communities. Given the rapid aging of the population, we need to develop a monitoring system to improve the quality of geriatric care.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.12 no.10
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• pp.4523-4530
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• 2011

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of stretching management on musculoskeletal joint pain in community indwelling elderly farmers. The study included 28 residents who lived in a rural community. All participants were assigned randomly to either the stretching group (n=13, $59.67{\pm}4.77$ year-old) or the control group (n=15, $61.44{\pm}10.41$ year-old). Respondents were interviewed by means of a structured questionnaire. Pain severity of 6 body areas caused by symptoms of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and pain severity on day time variations were measured by the visual analogue scale on a self-assessed questionnaire. The stretching group was administered stretching therapy (45 min, 2 sets, warming up and cool down, main exercise; total 19 stretching kinds of subset 5 fields) for 12 times for 4 weeks. There were no significant difference between the two groups in general social and pain characteristics. After 4 weeks of stretching, the stretching group showed significant improvements at almost all joint pain scores except arm/elbow, and day time variation scores of pain compared to both baseline scores, and with control group scores. These results showed that stretching therapy is one of the most useful modalities to manage musculoskeletal pain in community-based elderly farmers.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.415-424
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to estimate the population requiring nursing home services for frail elders who received home care nursing services. This study identified the need of nursing home services and the proportion of elders over 60 years of age requiring nursing home services according to the admission eligibility including items with intensity of home care nursing services and the criteria for screening of patients requiring home care nursing services. In this study, survey research design was conducted. A total of 49 home care nurses were collected. They were asked to assess the need of nursing home services based on items with intensity of home care nursing services and the criteria for screening of patients requiring home care nursing services. Using secondary data analysis from the survey on 'The Evaluation of Home Care Nursing Service Program in 1994 in Korea', the proportion of elders requiring nursing home services was estimated. The estimated numbers and proportion of frail elders requiring nursing home services were 169 (86.2%) aged persons among community dwelling elders based on admission eligibility. However, the proportion of aged persons was 68% using the only criteria for screening of patients requiring for screening home care nursing services.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.86-97
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of the newly developed instrument, Meaning in Life, for elderly Korean people. Methods: Ten older adults participated in the qualitative research used to develop the initial items. Participants for the psychometric testing were 371 community-dwelling older adults. Validity and reliability analyses included content, construct, and criterion-related validities, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Results: The Meaning in Life Scale consisted of 12 items with three distinct factors; value of life, source of life, and will to live, which explained 86.7% of the total variance. A three-factor structure was validated by confirmatory factor analysis. Criterion-related validity was supported by comparison with the Purpose in Life Test (r=.74). Reliabilities were secured with test-retest reliability of Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) .85 and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient .90. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that this instrument is useful to measure meaning in life in Korean elders.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.1006-1010
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• 2016

This study aimed to examine the effects of thoracic cage mobilization on the respiratory function, spinal curve and spinal movement in patients with restrictive lung diseases. The subjects were ten community-dwelling elderly with a restrictive lung diseases when measured using a spirometer($FEV1/FVC{\leq}65%$, FVC<80%). They received an intervention over an eight-week period: three times a week and for 30 minutes a day. SPSS for Windows(ver. 19.0) was used to analyze all the collected data. Independent t-tests were used to examine changes before and after the intervention. The study's results showed statistically significant improvement(p<.05) in forced expiratory volume in 1 second(chage rate: .$24{\pm}.25$), thoracic curve(chage rate: $-2.50{\pm}2.76$), lumbar curve(chage rate: $-.80{\pm}1.32$), thoracic flexion(chage rate: $2.10{\pm}1.52$), thoracic extension(chage rate: $-2.00{\pm}1.25$), lumbar flexion(chage rate: $2.40{\pm}3.13$) and lumbar extension(chage rate: $-1.30{\pm}1.42$). The results of this study suggest that the thoracic cage mobilization contribute to improve pulmonary function in patients with restrictive lung disease.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.291-299
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• 1999

This study was conducted to evaluate the health status including mainly cognitive function and activities of daily living of institutional elderly in a rural area. We studied 466 subjects dwelling in ten institutions at Chonnam province, Korea. The participants consist of 148 males(31.8%) and 318 females(68.2%). We collected the information of socioeconomic state, mini-mental state examination(MMSE), activities of daily living(ADL), instrumental activities of daily living(IADL), and Dartmouth Primary Care Cooperative Information Project(COOP) chart. The results were followed: 1. Severe cognitive function impairment was appeared in 45 males(30.4%) and 115 females(36.2%). 2. The percentage of fully independent in the six ADL items was 50.0% of males and 42.8% of females, but 31.1% of males and 26.1% of females were fully dependent. 3. Males had more impairment in mode of transportation among IADL, but females had most impairment in laundry. 4. Observing health status by COOP chart, both had more grade in feeling and social activity than physical fitness.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.8-12
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• 2008

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and clinical characteristics of anemia and to define the risk factors for anemia in older Koreans in Asan. From January to February 2002, five hundred sixty two community-dwelling older adults aged over 60 years were selected from a cross sectional study. All subjects underwent laboratory tests, which included a complete blood cell count, reticulocyte, liver and renal functional tests, lipid profiles and iron status tests. The median age was 68.6 years (range, 60-92 years). The mean levels of hemoglobin were $14.4{\pm}1.3\;g/dL$ in men and $12.9{\pm}1.0\;g/dL$ in women, and the overall prevalence of anemia was 12.5% in all subjects, 10.8% in men and 13.6% in women. The prevalence of anemia was the lowest among age group of 60-69 (10.0%) followed by 70-79 (15.5%), and the highest among age over 80 (20.7%), but the difference was significant only for men. The age difference was more distinct in men than in women (p<0.05). The mean hemoglobin level was significantly lower in the subjects aged over 80 y than those in the 60-69 y group (p<0.05). According to a logistic regression analysis, lower albumin and higher creatinine levels were identified as independent risk factors of anemia among older adults in Asan. In conclusion, the overall prevalence of anemia in our study group was 12.5% and the highest (20.7%) among those aged over 80 y.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.87-93
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• 2015

Objective: Balance is a preceding task for functional activities in daily activities as well as community-dwelling activities. To learn skilled and functional activities, it is also necessary to imagine an appropriate and effective movement representation used to plan and execute the functional activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of balance imagery of semi-tandem stance on a flat floor and balance beam on balance abilities for elderly and young adults. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Fifteen elderly and thirty-four young adults were enrolled in this study. In order to determine whether there is a change in postural control ability according to the different imagery training methods used, standing static balance measurements were performed. According to the therapist's instructions, participants were to stand in a semi-tandem position on the Good Balance System for 1 minute while imagining that they were standing on a balance beam, and while the postural control abilities was assessed. Results: Postural control was significantly different in balance ability of semi-tandem stance on a flat floor compared to on a balance beam in both geriatrics and young adults. Postural sway was more significantly decreased in young adults than older adults during balance imagery of semi-tandem stance on a flat floor as well as on balance beam (p<0.05). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the ability to mentally represent their actions was similar in older adults compared to young adults, although older adults showed a drop in efficiency of postural control more than young adults.