• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.464-473
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• 2009

The serum levels of antioxidant materials (${\alpha}$-carotene, ${\beta}$-carotene, ${\beta}$-cryptoxanthin, lutein, lycopene, ${\alpha}$-tocopherol, ${\gamma}$-tocopherol, retinol) of the healthy Korean middle-aged adults (n = 373) were measured and their relationships with the serum lipids and anthropometric indices were analyzed. The serum levels of ${\beta}$-cryptoxanthin, ${\beta}$-carotene, lutein were higher than those of lycopene and ${\alpha}$-carotene. The levels of all measured carotenoids except lutein were significantly higher in females than in males, but retinol level was vice versa. There was a tendency of increase in serum levels of antioxidant vitamins with increasing age. The serum carotenoid levels had a positive correlation with serum cholesterol and a negative correlation with serum triglyceride. The serum levels of tocopherols or retinol showed a significantly positive relationship with blood cholesterol or triglyceride. In overall, anthropometric indices showed negative relations with serum carotenoids levels, but vice versa with serum tocopherol or retinol levels. Particularly, ${\beta}$-carotene and lutein levels showed a significantly negative relation with blood pressure in male subjects. The serum levels of ${\alpha}$-carotene, ${\beta}$-carotene and ${\beta}$-cryptoxanthin had significantly negative relations with body fat-related indices in female subjects. The results demonstrated that blood antioxidants levels differed by sex and age, and had significant relations with blood lipid levels and anthropometric indices. Therefore, the rationale and significance of the relationships need to be elucidated in the future study related to dietary intakes and life style.

• 한국노년학
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.201-219
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• 2017

This study was performed to test the socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) with Korean adults. According to SST, perceiving their life as limited, people are motivated to enhance their mood by regulating their mood in such a way to maximize the positive emotions and weaken the negative ones. Being founded on the dialectical constructs which assume the positive and negative sides of emotional experience coexist, Korean adults were supposed to be less motivated to maximize positive emotions and weaken negative emotions. Thus the elderly koreans might regulate emotions not in the direction of maximizing the positive emotions and weakening the negative ones, but in the direction of not being highly aroused. 166 youth, middle-aged, and elderly were asked to rate the frequencies of 31 positive and negative emotions they had experienced during the last month. In addition, they were asked to judge whether they weaken / adapt / maximize their emotions after experiencing positive and negative events. The elderly experienced less positive emotions as well as negative emotions than youth. Youth experienced emotions of high arousal more often than those of low arousal, but the elderly experienced emotions of high arousal less often. The responses of weakening their negative emotions and their positive emotions were largest in the elderly group. On the other hand, the response of maximizing their positive emotions were largest in the youth group. These results show that the elderly maintains emotional stability by weakening both positive and negative emotions of high arousal.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.480-500
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• 2011

This paper aims to describe the rapid growth of the one-person households in terms of the socio-economic demographic perspectives during the period of 1995-2005 and to analyze the spatial distribution patterns based on different characteristics of one-person households. The increase in the divorce ratio in the middle-aged, the growth of unmarried people the young generation, and the increase of life expectancy in the old generation are explanatory factors for the rise and diversification of one-person households in Korea. The rapid increase of one-person households is accompanied by a diversification in their age, gender, marital status, education level. Uneven distribution of one-person households depends on their age, level of education and dwelling type. Highly educated young adults residing in their own apartment are generally concentrated in major cities, whereas senior citizen with their own single house who lives alone are mostly in rural area. One-person households of the highly educated young adults are significantly polarized in the light of their the living standards. In particular, metropolitan area or big cities are mixed with those who have their own apartment and are financially capacity and with those who rent in a detached single house. As such, one-person households have considerably heterogeneous characteristics. Therefore, each local government will face different economic and social problems based on which group of one-person households are increasing and where they are concentrated in. To this extent, the local government should have differentiated welfare policy according to its own respect.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.491-500
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• 2004

To assess the quality of nutrient intake by area of Korean adults, a dietary survey with the 3-day record method was obtained from 324 subjects aged 40 years and older but younger than 70 (52.4 $\pm$ 8.7) living in a rural area (Ansung) and suburban area of a middle-sized city (Ansan). The quality of nutrient intake was assessed by analyzing Nutrient Adequacy Ratio (NAR), Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR) and Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ). The average daily mean energy intakes were 1,832 ㎉ for Ansung and 1,842 ㎉ for Ansan, respectively. Daily intakes of fat for Ansung and Ansan subjects were 40.9 and 40.3 g, and those for protein were 75.1 and 73.1 g, respectively. The overall calorie: protein: fat ratio (CPF) of energy intake was 63 : 17 : 20. Daily mean intakes of protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, carotene, sodium, thiamin, and niacin were significantly higher in Ansung residents than in Ansan subjects (p < .05). The average intakes of energy, calcium, vitamin A were lower than Recommend Dietary Allowance (RDA) in both areas. Note, over 30% of the study subjects had less than 75% of RDA of calcium, vitamin A and riboflavin. The MAR was higher in Ansung than Ansan residents (0.86 and 0.85, respectively; p < .05). INQs were over 1 for most nutrients except calcium (0.87), and that of calcium and phosphorus was each significantly higher in Ansung than Ansan subjects. Based on these results, nutrient intake quality of subjects aged 40 to 69 years living in the surveyed rural area is comparable to that of semi-industrialized suburban area in Korea. Dietary deficiency in all of calcium, vitamin A, and riboflavin, however, was a common problem for both rural and suburban residents.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.249-260
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• 2024

Background: The Republic of Korea's aging population escalates medical and long-term care costs. While prior research has suggested that long-term care might reduce these costs, these studies had limitations in their subjects and duration, making it difficult to generalize the results. This study aims to evaluate cost changes between the long-term care group and the general older adults group after addressing these limitations. Methods: A cohort was derived from the 2015 national population using stratified sampling. Subsequently, 15,114 individuals (7,557 in each group) were identified through 1:1 propensity score matching. The study employed a difference-in-differences analysis to explore variances in medical costs and long-term care benefits post-utilization of long-term care services. Results: Compared to the general older adults group, the long-term care group experienced a reduction in monthly per capita total medical costs by 56,459 Korean won (KRW). Although costs at tertiary and general hospitals increased, those related to long-term care hospitals decreased by 90,687 KRW. Including long-term care benefits, overall expenditures increased by 948,038 KRW. Conclusion: The analysis reveals that the long-term care group faces higher medical costs in acute care than the general older adults group, emphasizing a greater need for medical services within this group. To meet the increasing medical demands of the long-term care group, a collaborative strategy linking community resources, healthcare, and long-term care facilities is imperative. Additionally, developing and implementing preventive health habit management strategies for middle-aged and older adults is essential to diminish the future requirement for long-term care.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.453-462
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The inverse relationships of combined fruits and vegetables intake with blood pressure have been reported. However, whether there are such relationships with salty vegetables has rarely been investigated in epidemiologic studies. We evaluated the relation of combined and separate intake of fruits, vegetable intakes, and salty vegetables, as well as sodium and potassium, with blood pressure among the middle-aged and elderly populations. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The present cross-sectional analysis of a prospective cohort baseline survey was performed with 6,283 subjects (2,443 men and 3,840 women) and free of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Dietary data were collected by trained interviewers using food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS: The significantly inverse linear trend of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was found in fruits and non-pickled vegetables (81.2 mmHg in the lowest quintile vs 79.0 mmHg in the highest quintile, P for trend = 0.0040) and fruits only (80.9 mmHg in the lowest quintile vs 79.4 mmHg in the highest quintile, P for trend = 0.0430) among men. In contrast, sodium and sodium to potassium ratio were positively related with blood pressure among men (DBP, 78.8 mmHg in the lowest quintile vs 80.6 mmHg in the highest quintile, P for trend = 0.0079 for sodium; DBP, 79.0 mmHg in the lowest quintile vs 80.7 mmHg in the highest quintile, P for trend = 0.0199 and SBP, 123.8 mmHg in the lowest quintile vs 125.9 mmHg in the highest quintile for sodium/potassium). Kimchies consumption was positively related to DBP for men (78.2 mmHg in the lowest quintile vs 80.9 mmHg in the highest quintile for DBP, P for trend = 0.0003). Among women, these relations were not found. CONCLUSION: Fruits and/or non-pickled vegetables may be inversely, but sodium, sodium to potassium, and Kimchies may be positively related to blood pressure among men.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.317-327
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• 2012

The purpose of present study was to observe the path and influencing effects between socioeconomic class (SEC), health practices and self-rated health(SRH) by the age bracket. The subjects were 4,987 adults over 25 years old who participated in the 2008 Korean National Examination Health and Nutrition Survey and could be classified into SEC in terms of the three characteristics: education, income and occupation. Path analysis was conducted with the effects of health behaviors execution on the differences in SRH, and the complex samples analysis executed by chi-square test, t-test, ANOVA. As the result, lower SRH level paralleled with the lower SEC, and more health behaviors had differed by SEC in the younger and middle aged group. The lower SEC, the lower SRH: non-smoking and weight control for younger women and exercise for aged men had indirect effects as parameters. In conclusion, when planning a health promotion program, to select the correct target populations with consideration of the age bracket, gender and SEC and to establish tailored contents fit for each of the population would be important.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.137-144
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the perception of dying with dignity and the quality of life based on the opinions of the Korean populations. The participants were selected using a stratified proportional allocation method and 1,000 adults aged between 19 and 74 years from 17 municipalities and provinces in Korea. The questionnaire consisted of 2 demographic items; 26 items on the quality of life scale; and 57 items on the perception of dying with dignity. The statistical methods used included frequency analyses, independent sample t-tests, and correlation analyses. The results showed that the quality of life was highest for the social life quality item, and that the participants who had experienced a death in the family were more likely to have statistically lower quality of life in physical, psychological, environmental, and social areas. In terms of the participants' perception on dying with dignity, the score for death preparation was the highest; specifically, the score for psychological/economic burden reduction was the highest. The quality of life of the participants showed a positive correlation in all aspects of the perception of dying with dignity: physical symptoms and control, death preparation, death environment, family and social relations, hospital treatment, psychological dignity, and spirituality. Other studies conducted with middle-aged populations showed that their quality of life was higher when they perceived the acceptance of death is important and were willing to participate in death preparation education. Therefore, in order to improve the quality of life and have a positive influence on the participants, educational programs on death preparation and dying with dignity considering all the areas of the perception of dying with dignity should be provided.

• 한국노년학
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.729-746
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• 2020

For the development and better use of information and communication technology(ICT) for promoting health and quality of life in older people, it is important to understand personal factors associated with ICT use. The aims of this study were to describe the pattern of ICT use according to health characteristics of elderly and to investigate significant factors related to ICT use among three age groups. The data of 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans was used for analysis and 10,058 of older adults aged 65 and over were included for study participants. As results, first, the young old(65~74) used more functions of ICT than the middle-old(75~84) and the old-old(85 and over). Second, ICT was more used among older people with good conditions in chronic disease, subjective health, cognition, depression, vision, hearing, walking and IADL. Third, higher prevalence of ICT use was significantly associated with age, education, household income, subjective health, depression, cognitive function, vision limitation and walking limitation. Fourth, factors influencing the use of ICT were a little different among three age groups. For the young-old(65~74), subjective health, depression, cognitive decline, walking limitation, and IADL disability were significant factors affecting on ICT use. For the middle-old(75-84), subjective health, depression, cognitive decline, vision, hearing, and walking limitation were related with their ICT use. For the old-old(85 and over), only cognitive function and depression were associated with their ICT use. Based on these results, this study suggested the need to consider multiple health conditions for developing and using ICT for older adults.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.180-194
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• 2013

Objectives Impaired lung function(ILF) and sasang constitution(SC) is associated with metabolic syndrome(MS). However, the relationship between ILF and SC is unclear. So, we assessed the relationship between ILF and MS according to SC, and examined whether SC is an independent risk factor for ILF. Methods This study included 1,148 subjects 40years and older who were performed the health examination at Kyung Hee University Hospital in Korea between December 2011 and February 2013. We defined ILF if FVC or $FEV_1$ value were less than lower limit of normal(LLN), and classified ventilatory patterns as obstructive pattern and restrictive pattern. MS was assessed according to AHA/NHLBI criteria. We used multivariate logistic regression to analyze the association of ILF with MS respective to SC types, and to identify the risk of SC types for ILF. Odds ratio(OR) was calculated by adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, drinking, physical activity, and BMI. Results In whole subjects, ILF was associated with MS [OR (95% CI), 1.69 (1.24-2.31) for FVC, 1.67 (1.20-2.33) for $FEV_1$]. And in Taeeum type(TE type) and Soeum type(SE type), ILF was associated with MS [1.63 (1.10-2.42) for FVC, 1.48 (1.01-2.24) for $FEV_1$ in TE type; 6.93 (1.14-42.00) for FVC in SE type], while in Soyang type(SY type), it wasn't. The restrictive pattern was associated with MS in TE type and SE type, while in SY type, it wasn't. Furthermore, TE type and SY type had more risk for ILF than SE type [1.71 (1.12-2.59) for SY type, 1.95 (1.23-3.08) for TE type in FVC; 2.06 (1.26-3.36) for TE type in $FEV_1$; 1.85 (1.21-2.85) for SY type, 2.17 (1.35-3.49) for TE type in Restrictive pattern]. Conclusions These results show that SC is an independent risk factor for ILF, especially TE type and SY type than SE type, and the prevalence of MS is an independent risk factor for ILF in TE type.