• Health Policy and Management
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.141-156
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• 2023

Background: As the population rapidly ages, older adults are increasingly likely to experience mobility problems. This study aims to explore the characteristics related to an elderly person's willingness to live in a nursing home if they have mobility problems Methods: This study analyzed data from 9,917 older adults (5,976 young-old and 3,941 old-old) obtained from the 2020 National Survey of Older Koreans. The dependent variable was the intended place of residence for older adults with mobility problems. Independent variables included various characteristics: (1) sociodemographic and social support, (2) health and functional status, and (3) residential environment. Rao-Scott chi-square tests and survey logistic regression analyses were performed for the young-old and old-old, respectively. Results: The intention to live in a nursing home was significantly different between the young-old (30.4%) and the old-old (34.7%) (p=0.009). According to fully adjusted multivariable analyses, for the young-old, the odds ratio of intending to live in a nursing home was significantly higher in social security benefit recipients (1.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.97) compared to other individuals. The odds ratio was higher in unmarried (divorced, separated, widowed, or never-married) individuals for both young-old (1.41; 95% CI, 1.22-1.63) and old-old (1.34; 95% CI, 1.09-1.65) age groups, compared to their respective married counterparts. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that in an aging society, health and social policies should be designed considering the different characteristics of the elderly to improve their health, function, and quality of life.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.16 no.sup1
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• pp.134-146
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• 2022

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Accumulating evidence has shown the beneficial effects of isoflavone on health. There is limited information on the usual isoflavone intake for Koreans. This study examined the usual intake of total isoflavone and its major food sources in Koreans according to age and gender. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The dietary intake data of 21,271 participants aged 1 yrs and older from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VII 2016-2018 were analyzed. The average isoflavone intake was estimated based on the 24-h dietary recall data in KNHANES and the isoflavone database from the Korea Rural Development Administration (RDA) and literatures. The usual isoflavone intake was estimated by applying the ratio of within- and between-participant variance estimated from the 2009 KNHANES data to the 7th KNHANES (2016-2018) data. The variance of the isoflavone intake was calculated using MIXTRAN macro with intake data for two days in the 2009 KNHANES. Complex sample analysis with stratified variables and integrated weights was conducted. RESULTS: The mean total isoflavone intake in the Korean population aged 1 yrs and older (n = 21,271) was 139.27 mg/d, which was higher than the usual intake of 47.44mg/d. Legumes were a major contributing food group (91%), with arrowroot being a major individual contributor to the isoflavone intake (67.2%), followed by 21.3% of soybean, 5.4% of bean sprouts, and 2.1% of tofu. The usual isoflavone intake was highest in the participants aged 50 to 64 yrs old and increased with age until 50 to 64 yrs and then decreased with further increases in age. The usual isoflavone intake of participants aged 65 yrs and older was higher for men than for women, showing gender differences. CONCLUSIONS: The usual dietary intake of isoflavone varied according to age and gender in the Korean population. This study showed that the usual isoflavone intake was lower than the average isoflavone intake. The difference between percentiles of the usual isoflavone intake was similarly smaller than the average intake. An estimation of average intake can be hindered by the occasional consumption of foods high in isoflavones, suggesting that the usual intake estimation method can be more appropriate. Further research will be needed to establish isoflavone dietary guidelines regarding the effects of isoflavone intake on health outcomes.

• 한국노년학
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.945-962
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• 2018

This study was aimed to examine the association between resilience and mental health among individuals aged 65 and older. The number of the sample was 2,004 older people living in Chuncheon city. The dependent variables were measured with depression and mental well-being. Depression was measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression(CES-D) 10 items. Mental well-being was measured by Korean version of the Mental Health Continuum-Short Form(K-MHC-SF). The independent variable, resilience, was measured with the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale(CD-RISC). Adjusted for age, gender, region, education, living arrangement, religion, employment, income, and self-rated health, a logistic regression analysis result showed that resilience was negatively associated with depression among older adults. On the other hand, a multiple regression analysis result showed that resilience was positively associated with mental well-being among older adults. The study findings suggest that resilience can promote mental health in later life. Implications for older adults suffering from mental health problems are also discussed.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.277-295
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• 2023

The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) measures the extent to which individuals feel, accept, and respond to their own bodies in a positive manner. Given the research need to explore positive body image and its associations with various sociocultural factors and related consequences among individuals with various cultural backgrounds, several studies have established the psychometric properties and factor structures of the BAS-2 in different languages and samples with different characteristics. The current study investigated the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of a Korean version of the BAS-2 in an older Korean adult population (599 older Korean adults with the average age of 70 years). Data were collected using both online and offline (paper-based) survey questionnaires. The results of exploratory factor analyses and confirmatory factor analysis evidenced the unidimensional factor structure and measurement invariance of the Korean BAS-2 among older Korean men and women, after dropping item 1. Scalar invariance was supported across gender, and men and women did not significantly differ in observed mean scores of the Korean BAS-2. The results also supported good convergent validity and criterion validity. Incremental validity was demonstrated by predicting self-esteem over and above measures of age, BMI, subjective financial and health status, body esteem, and ageism. High internal reliability and test-retest reliability over a 2-week period were confirmed. Overall, the results of this study support the reliable use of a Korean BAS-2 to measure positive body image among older Koreans after excluding item 1.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.105-112
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• 2011

More accurate evaluation of iodine consumption of Koreans can be made by measuring the urinary iodine excretion of people living in representative areas. The data about average iodine excretions by region, sex and age were gathered in order to suggest as a factor the criteria on the progress or prognosis of thyroid disease patients. This study was conducted on 3,000 subjects (2,000 Younggwang-gun residents and 1,000 Muan-gun residents) between July 2004 and August 2005. The data sampling was done based on stratified random sampling and the data were analyzed according to age (the subjects were divided into age groups, five years each) and sex of the subjects. Of the 3,000 subjects, a total of 1,592 people (1,174 in Younggwang-gun and 418 in Muan-gun) participated in this study, which used ISE (iodine ion selective electrode) to measure the concentration of iodine in urine. The 1,592 subjects are composed of 732 males and 860 females. The average urinary iodine excretion was $3.10{\pm}1.75mg/L$ (0.31~15.2 mg/L). The average iodine excretion of males was $3.09{\pm}1.61mg/L$ (0.42~15.2 mg/L) while it was $3.11{\pm}1.86mg/L$ (0.31~12.5 mg/L) among females, which represents no significant difference between males and females. However, the values were significantly higher than those of Europeans and Americans. There were statistically significant differences among the regions. When the data were analyzed according to age, females in their 40s were found to have a little less urinary iodine excretion and males had less and less iodine excretion as they get older. These results are deemed to have a statistically significant difference. This study was conducted on a large number of people (N=1,592) for the first time in Korea. If the data collected through this study can be regarded as the average urinary iodine excretion of Koreans, it is possible to conclude that the average iodine consumptions of Koreans are a lot more than Europeans and Americans. Thus, the effect of much iodine consumption should be studied further.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.222-233
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• 2024

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the status of total sugar intake and contributing foods in Korea according to age groups. Methods: This study used 24-hour dietary recall data from the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019-2021) to investigate the nutritional and total sugar intake status among Koreans. A total of 18,338 research participants (≥3 years old) were included in this study. To analyze the types of foods contributing to total sugar intake, these foods were categorized into 15 types. Moreover, we examined the total sugar intake and ranked the most consumed foods by age groups (3-11 years, 12-18 years, 19-34 years, 35-49 years, 50-64 years, over 65 years). A survey procedure was employed for statistical analysis. Results: The energy intake ratio from total sugars was approximately 12%-15%, which was within the recommended range. However, the proportion of individuals consuming total sugar exceeding 20% of their total caloric intake is nearly 20%, raising concerns about excessive sugar consumption. Furthermore, the percentage of participants whose intake of sugar from processed foods exceeded 10% of their total calories was highest in the 12-18 age group at 37.1%, followed by the 3-11 age group at 35.2%, and the 19-34 age group at 34.0%. Carbonated drinks, cola, and cider were the primary foods consumed by children and adolescents (3-18 years old) and young adults (19-34 years old). For middle-aged and older adults, mixed coffee with sugar and cream was a prominent contributor to sugar intake. Conclusions: This study investigated sugar consumption patterns among Koreans, finding the principal foods contributing to this intake. Identifying these contributors is pivotal, given their potential impact on public health.

• 한국노년학
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.443-458
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• 2020

Aim: This study investigated the association between leisure activities and cognitive impairment in Korean community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Among participants of the 2017 National Survey of Older Koreans, 10,055 (male=4,277, female=5,778) were included in this cross-sectional study. To better identify the association between late-life cognition and leisure activities, individual leisure activities were categorized into 3 types including productive, consumptive, and unclassified activities. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between participation in leisure activities and cognitive impairment when controlling for possible covariates evidenced by previous studies. Results: Male participants were more likely to be cognitively impaired than female ones with significant differences in all the covariates. After controlling for confounding variables, involvement in productive leisure activities was found to be associated with cognitive function in both male and female groups, along with age, educational level, depressive symptoms, subjective hearing problems, and occupational status. Conclusion: Involvement in productive leisure activities might be associated with decreased risk of cognitive impairment in later life. Appropriate strategies to encourage older adults to participate in productive leisure activities should be established to help them maintain their cognitive function.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 1999

Diet quality index DQI) offers a new way of comparing eating habits across populations and across countries. Nutrients and food consumption data from 100 elderly Korean women aged 65 and older were collected in Seoul or Kyunggi-do, Korea by the 24 hour recall method. Diet quality index (DQI) was computed for 1049 elderly women (65 and older) from the 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII) in the US according to US dietary guidelines, and applied to the diet of elderly Korean women for purposes of comparison. A modified 16-point DQI awarded 2 points each for moderate consumption of fat ($\leq$ 30% energy), saturated fat ($\leq$ 10%), cholesterol ($\leq$ 300 mg/day), sodium ($\leq$ 2400 mg/day), and protein ($\leq$ 100% RDA), adequate intakes of carbohydrate ($\qeq$50% energy) and calcium ($\qeq$ 100% RDA), and plenty of fruits and vegetables ($\qeq$ 5 servings). Criteria were based on US dietary guidelines. Partial scores were given if subjects were close to meeting these cutoff points. Diets with $\leq$ 300 mg cholesterol/day were reported by 97% or the Korean sample and 82% of the American sample, while 90% of the Koreans and 42% of the Americans met the goal of $\leq$ 30% of energy from fat, and 98% of the Koreans and 47% of American met the recommendation of $\leq$ 10% of energy from saturated fat. In contrast, only 8% of the Korean sample met the sodium recommendation of $\leq$ 2400 mg sodium per day, whereas 54% of the American subjects met this goal. The mean DQI scores were 10.1 for the elderly American women and 11.3 for the elderly Korean women. Overall, the elderly Korean diet was more consistent with the US dietary guidelines than the elderly American diet.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.296-304
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• 2016

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of a senior functional game (Rejuvenescent village) on cognitive function, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), depression, and life satisfaction in Korea. Methods: An one-group pretest-posttest design was used in this study. Data were collected twice (at the beginning and the end) from 100 elderly adults in S city who played "Rejuvenescent village" 8 times (twice per week, one hour per session) for a month. Also they completed questionnaires on their cognitive function, IADL, depression, life satisfaction, and general characteristics. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 programs. Results: The mean age was 70.06(${\pm}3.77$) years, with a range of 65-80 years old. Among 100 subjects, 21% were male and 85% were young old. There were statistically significant differences in cognitive function (t=-3.32, p=.001), IADL (t=1.98, p=.049), and life satisfaction (t=-2.15, p=.034). Although there was no statistically significant difference in mean depression score (t=1.06, p=.292), categorized depression was statistically significant (${\chi}^2=62.97$, p<.001). Conclusion: The findings in this study show that the serious game (Rejuvenescent village) was effective for older Koreans' cognitive function, IADL, depression, and life satisfaction. Thus, we need to consider senior functional games to get health benefits by making elderly adults active with enjoyment.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.179-198
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between chronic diseases, age, and education in Korea. Logistic regression techniques were used to analyze data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA), which is a nationally representative sample of Koreans aged 45 years and older. The findings show that probability of having chronic diseases increased with age up to about 74; however, it was reduced for respondents aged 74 years or older. Associations between age and chronic diseases were also differential by education. Less educated Koreans tended to have chronic diseases earlier in their lifetime; however, they were likely to have chronic diseases later in life less than more educated counterparts. The findings suggest that individuals with fewer years of education are at an increased risk of developing chronic diseases earlier in their lifetimes, thereby, leading to a higher rate of mortality at younger ages.