• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.451-467
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• 2018

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the related factors for psychological crises in Korean middle aged adults. Methods: RISS, KISS, National Assembly Digital Library, CINAHL, and PubMed were searched for relevant articles published until October 3, 2016. Finally, a total of 23 studies were included. Meta-analysis of the studies was conducted using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 3.0 software to calculate the effect size. Results: The related variables of psychological crisis were categorized into 23 variables and 5 factor groups. The effects size (ES) of the overall defensive variables was -0.28. In the defensive factors, the psychological factor (ES=-0.67), followed by cognitive and behavioral factor (ES=-0.34), physical factor (ES=-0.31), and social relational factor (ES=-0.29) had the greatest effect on psychological crises. The effects size of the overall risk variables was 0.48. In the risk factors, the physical factor (ES=0.61) had the greatest effect on psychological crises, followed by the psychological factor (ES=0.53), and cognitive and behavioral factor (ES=0.10). Conclusion: An intervention program is needed to strengthen the defensive factors and reduce the risk factors for psychological crises of Korean middle aged adults.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.188-195
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the association between health condition and leaving the labor market among middle-aged and older adults in South Korea. Methods: Data was obtained from individuals aged 45 years and older participating in the 2006 and 2008 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing. We used various health measures including chronic diseases, comorbidities, traffic accident injuries, disabilit of instrumental activities of daily living, depressive symptoms, and self-rated health. The odds ratios of job loss, and retirement, versus employment were calculated using multinomial logistic regression by each health measure. Results: In our cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis, health problems related to physical disabilities had the greatest effect on leaving the worksite. A shift in health condition from good to poor in a short period was a predictor of increased risk of unemployment but a persistent pattern of health problems was not associated with unemployment. Women with health problems showed a high probability of retirement, whereas among men, health problems instantly the possibility of both job loss and retirement. Conclusions: Health problems of middle aged and older workers were crucial risk factors for retirement and involuntarily job loss. Especially functional defect and recent health problems strongly and instanty affected employment status.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.977-990
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• 1999

This study was done to examine the relationship among psychosocial well-being, perceived health status and health promoting lifestyle practices, and to Identify those variables affecting a health promoting lifestyle. Three hundred and forty five ruddle-aged adults completed a multiple self-reported questionnaire on psychosocial well-being, perceived health status and health promoting lifestyle profile. Data analysis were conducted by using Pearson correlation coefficients, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe test and stepwise multiple regression nth SAS program. The results are as follows : 1. The average item score for psychosocial well-being was low at 55.98, the level of perceived health status was moderate at 5.76, and health promoting lifestyle practices were low at 110.09. Among the subscales of the health promoting lifestyle profile, stress management and self-actualization were scored higher than exercise and health responsibility. 2. Performance of health promoting lifestyle was positively correlated with perceived health status and negatively correlated with psychosocial well-being. Also, negative correlations were observed between perceived health status and psychosocial well-being. 3. There were statistically significant differences for health promoting lifestyle, psychosocial well-being and perceived health status according to sociodemographic variables. The performance of health promoting lifestyle was significantly different according to education, economic status and marriage satisfaction. Psychosocial well-being was also significantly different according to education, marriage satisfaction, and exercise. Perceived health status was significantly different according to education, occupation, and economic status. 4. Perceived health status, psychosocial well-being, marriage satisfaction and level of education together explained 21.62% of varience in the performance of health promoting lifestyle. These findings help to clarify relationships among psychosocial well-being, perceived health status, and health promoting lifestyle practices in middle-aged adults. Therefore, the result of study provide clues for encouraging people to adopt healthier lifestyles and constructing alternative strategies for promoting health practices.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.50-58
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• 2023

Objectives: Socioeconomic inequality in metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains poorly understood in Iran. The present study examined the extent of the socioeconomic inequalities in MetS and quantified the contribution of its determinants to explain the observed inequality, with a focus on middle-aged adults in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Ravansar Non-Communicable Disease cohort study. A sample of 9975 middleaged adults aged 35-65 years was analyzed. MetS was assessed based on the International Diabetes Federation definition. Principal component analysis was used to construct socioeconomic status (SES). The Wagstaff normalized concentration index (CI_n) was employed to measure the magnitude of socioeconomic inequalities in MetS. Decomposition analysis was performed to identify and calculate the contribution of the MetS inequality determinants. Results: The proportion of MetS in the sample was 41.1%. The CI_n of having MetS was 0.043 (95% confidence interval, 0.020 to 0.066), indicating that MetS was more concentrated among individuals with high SES. The main contributors to the observed inequality in MetS were SES (72.0%), residence (rural or urban, 46.9%), and physical activity (31.5%). Conclusions: Our findings indicated a pro-poor inequality in MetS among Iranian middle-aged adults. These results highlight the importance of persuading middle-aged adults to be physically active, particularly those in an urban setting. In addition to targeting physically inactive individuals and those with low levels of education, policy interventions aimed at mitigating socioeconomic inequality in MetS should increase the focus on high-SES individuals and the urban population.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.204-211
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• 2011

Purpose: This study used a nonequivalent control group pre-post test design to analyze how a death preparation education program helps middle-aged adults deal with life and death anxiety. Methods: We studied 83 adults at the age of 40 to 65 years. An experimental group of 38 people participated in the death preparation education, and a control group of 45 people did not. The death preparation program comprising four sections was given for four hours per week, and the program ran for 11 weeks. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ${\chi}^2$ test, Fisher's exact test, and ANCOVA using SPSS version 17.0. Results: The death anxiety score of the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.000). The quality of life did not show significant difference between the experimental and control groups (P=0.188). Conclusion: It was confirmed that the death preparation education program is effective in alleviating death anxiety. Although the program was confirmed as a necessity for the middle-aged adults, repeated observations with a wider range of experimental group is needed to collect objective and solid data. Death preparation education for middle-aged adults is expected to be more widely provided, starting from local health facilities.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.540-550
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine a combined influence of obesity and metabolic syndrome on ischemic heart disease in Korean middle aged and older adults. Methods: This study used secondary data from the 2013 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. A total of 3,726 adults over age 40 were included. Logistic regression was used for analysis of complex samples. Gender, age, educational level, family income, family history of ischemic heart disease, physical activity, smoking, and heavy alcohol consumption were analyzed as covariates. Results: Ischemic heart disease was more prevalent among adults with metabolic syndrome regardless of obesity (non-obesity: Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 3.044, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.163-7.967, overweight: AOR: 2.805, 95% CI: 1.246-6.316, obese: AOR: 3.137, 95% CI: 1.548-6.358) compared to the reference group, defined as adults with non-obesity and non-metabolic syndrome. Odds of ischemic heart disease were not significant in the group with obesity and non-metabolic syndrome compared to the reference group. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the population with metabolic syndrome is an at-risk group for ischemic heart disease. Thus, management of metabolic syndrome is required for prevention of ischemic heart disease.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 2014

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate factors influencing suicidal ideation among Korean adults. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the fifth Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey conducted in 2012 were analyzed in this study. The subjects were categorized into three groups by subjects' age(defined as young adults(20-39), middle-aged adults(40-59), and the elderly(60 or more). Data were analyzed by frequency, Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression using SPSS 18.0. Results: The factors influencing suicidal ideation were different among three age groups. The influencing factors were (1) gender, marital status, household income, perceived stress and depression in the young adult group, (2) household income, perceived health status, perceived stress and depression in the middle-aged group, (3) gender, regular physical activity, smoking, perceived health status, perceived stress and depression in the elderly group. Conclusions: The health education considering the characteristics of each age group should be developed and applied to prevent adults' suicidal ideation because the factors influencing suicidal ideation were revealed differently between the age groups.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.316-329
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between dietary quality based on the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI), and the prevalence of chronic conditions among middle-aged individuals (40-60 yrs of age) living alone. MATERIALS/METHODS: The participants were selected (1,517 men and 2,596 women) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2016-2018 and classified into single-person households (SPH) and multi-person households (MPH). Nutrient intake, KHEI, and the prevalence of chronic conditions were compared according to household size. The odds ratios (ORs) of chronic conditions were analyzed according to the tertile levels of KHEI by gender within each household size category. RESULTS: Men in SPH had a significantly lower total KHEI score (P < 0.0001) and a lower prevalence of obesity (OR, 0.576) than those in MPH. For men, the adjusted ORs for obesity, hypertension, and hypertriglyceridemia in the first tertile (T1) of KHEI scores within SPH compared with the third tertile (T3) were 4.625, 3.790, and 4.333, respectively. Moreover, the adjusted OR for hypertriglyceridemia in the T1 group compared to the T3 group within the MPH was 1.556. For women, the adjusted ORs for obesity and hypertriglyceridemia in T1 compared to T3 within the SPH were 3.223 and 7.134, respectively, and 1.573 and 1.373 for obesity and hypertension, respectively, within MPH. CONCLUSIONS: A healthy eating index was associated with a reduced risk of chronic conditions in middle-aged adults. Greater adherence to a healthy eating index could lower the risk of chronic conditions in middle-aged adults living alone.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2021

[Purpose] Aerobic exercise training (AT) reverses aging-induced deterioration of arterial stiffness via increased arterial nitric oxide (NO) production. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of NO synthase, was decreased by AT. However, whether AT-induced changes in ADMA levels are related to changes in nitrite/nitrate (NOx) levels remains unclear. Accordingly, we aimed to clarify whether the relationship between plasma ADMA and NOx levels afected the AT-induced reduction of arterial stifness in middle-aged and older adults. [Methods] Thirty-one healthy middle-aged and older male and female subjects (66.4 ± 1.3 years) were randomly divided into two groups: exercise intervention and sedentary controls. Subjects in the training group completed an 8-week AT (60%-70% peak oxygen uptake [${\dot{V}}O_{2peak}$] for 45 min, 3 days/week). [Results] AT signifcantly increased ${\dot{V}}O_{2peak}$ (P < 0.05) and decreased carotid β-stifness (P < 0.01). Moreover, plasma ADMA levels were significantly decreased while plasma NOx levels and NOx/ADMA ratio were significantly increased by AT (P < 0.01). Additionally, no sex diferences in AT-induced changes of circulating ADMA and NOx levels, NOx/ADMA ratio, and carotid β-stifness were observed. Furthermore, the AT-induced increase in circulating ADMA levels was negatively correlated with an increase in circulating NOx levels (r = -0.414, P < 0.05), and the AT-induced increase in NOx/ADMA ratio was negatively correlated with a decrease in carotid β-stifness (r = -0.514, P < 0.01). [Conclusion] These results suggest that the increase in circulating NOx with reduction of ADMA elicited by AT is associated with a decrease in arterial stiffness regardless of sex in middle-aged and older adults.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.43-53
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• 2023

Objectives: We developed an integrated cognitive function improvement program comprising cognitive, emotional, and physical domains, and remotely applied it to middle-aged adults to investigate its effects on oral health, cognitive function, and mental health improvement. Methods: The experimental group underwent the program remotely, using the Zoom platform. A total of 24 participants were recruited and divided into 12 experimental and 12 control groups. The program comprised cognitive, emotional, and physical activities. The sessions lasted 90 min and were performed twice a week for 6 weeks from April to May 2022. Results: Cognitive function, arousal, physical, and mental stress were significantly improved in the experimental group after the intervention than at the baseline (p<0.05). Regarding oral health, tongue plaque decreased 1.34-fold (p<0.01) and saliva increased 1.04-fold (p<0.05) in the experimental group after the intervention than at the baseline. Moreover, the experimental group showed significant improvements in tongue plaque and saliva than the control group (p<0.05 for tongue plaque and p<0.01 for saliva). Regarding mental health, social support significantly increased 11.67-fold (p<0.05) in the experimental group than at the baseline. The experimental group also showed significantly improved social support than the control group (p<0.01). Conclusions: The non-face-to-face integrated cognitive function improvement program for middle-aged adults improved their cognitive function and oral and mental health. Based on these findings, this program may be a useful health program tool for middle-aged individuals.