• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.129-139
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of aqua exercise on women 50 years of age or older with knee degenerative arthritis, and then examining the therapeutic value of aqua exercise in degenerative arthritis of the knee. The subjects of the study were 115 residents 50 years of age or older who had been diagnosed as degenerative arthritis of the knee by doctors from medical institutions and applied for the aqua exercise program in the Public Health Care Center in Suseong-gu in 2006 and 2007. Experiments were conducted to all the subjects with the application of the 8-week aqua exercise program (2 times a week, 50 minutes a time), designed in the study, and the differences before and after the aqua exercise were compared through questionnaires for measuring the state of the body such as the knee extension angles, weight, body fat, and abdominal obesity. The data was analyzed by t-test and the Wilcoxon method through SPSS 14.0 and the statistical significance level ${\alpha}$ was set at 0.05 and 0.01. The results of the study are as the following. First, In comparison of before and after the aqua exercise, there was improvement in the extension angle of the right knee(p<0.01), while there was some improvement in the extension angle of the left knee, it was not significant. Second, In comparison of before and after the aqua exercise there were statistically significant differences in weight(p<0.05), body fat ratio, and abdominal obesity(p<0.01). The results of this study showed that the aqua exercise program to female patients with knee degenerative arthritis significantly increased the extension angle of the knee. Therefore it is thought that aqua exercise is an effective meditating method to improve their symptoms of female patients 50 years of age or older

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 2021

Background: The objective of this study was to elucidate the relationships musculoskeletal pains with combined vulnerability in terms of age, gender, and employment status Methods: The fifth European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) in 2010 (43,816 participants aged 15 years and over) analyzed for European employees and the third Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) in 2011 (50,032 participants aged 15 years and older) analyzed for Korean employees. In this study, three well known vulnerable factors to musculoskeletal pains (older age, female gender, and precarious employment status) were combined and defined as combined vulnerability. Associations of musculoskeletal pains with combined vulnerability were assessed with prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) estimated by Poisson regression models with robust estimates of variance. Results: The prevalences of musculoskeletal pains were lower but the absolute and relative differences between combined vulnerabilities were higher among Korean employees compared with the European employees. Furthermore, the increased risk of having musculoskeletal pains according to combined vulnerability was modestly explained by socioeconomic factors and exposure to ergonomic risk factors, especially in Republic of Korea. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the labor market may be more unfavorable for female and elderly workers in Republic of Korea. Any prevention strategies to ward off musculoskeletal pains, therefore, should be found and implemented to mitigate or buffer against the most vulnerable work population, older, female, and precarious employment status, in Republic of Korea.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.585-595
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of burnout among informal caregivers of older adults. One hundred thirty seven caregivers who had provided care to older adults over 60 years of age for more than one month were included in the study. Most of the caregivers were white (91%) and female (78%). Mean ages of the caregivers were 64 years and 78% of them were married. Seventy percent of the older adults suffered from Alzheimer and related disease. In this study, caregivers reported that they experienced burnout once a month. The scores of emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment of the caregivers were in the moderate burnout range. To examine the predictors of burnout, discriminant analysis was used. Caregivers were divided by two groups based on the sum of scores (cutpoint＝6) on three dimensions of burnout after each dimension was categorized into high(3), moderate(2), and low(1). Nine predictors were included in the analysis : Caregiver's age, employment status, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) of the older adult, presence of dementia of the older adult, caregiver's empathy toward the older adult (emotional and cognitive), and 3 coping strategies (negative, problem-focused, cognitive reconstructioning). Caregivers who reported high burnout showed higher cognitive empathy toward the older adults than those who showed low burnout. Caregivers who experienced high burnout used negative coping more often, and cognitive reconstructioning coping and problem focused coping less often than their counterparts. Wilks' Lambda was .78 indicating that differences between the two groups were significant. Cognitive empathy and cognitive reconstructioning coping showed high standardized canonical discriminat function coefficients over .40. Discriminant function with 9 predictors correctly classified 71% of the sample. In conclusion, informal caregivers also experienced certain level of burnout. Cognitive empathy and coping strategies predicted burnout experience of the caregivers. Based on this study, nursing intervention to the informal caregivers to improve their cognitive empathy toward the older adults and to modify their coping strategies in a way to reduce burnout experience can be applied. Further research to develop effective nursing interventions for the purpose of reducing burnout experience by modifying predictors was suggested.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.261-270
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to identify the differences of older adults' perceptions of foodservice quality attributes of current offerings in Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) in terms of their lifestyles (length of residency, special diet, housing option, travel frequency, dine out frequency), dining frequency, and demographics in the dining room of CCRCs. The survey was administered to residents in three CCRCs. Data was analyzed for 140 surveys using t-test, ANOVA, and factor analysis. This study found female older adults perceived the following attributes were more important than male ones: presentation of food, color and garnish, texture of vegetables, taste and flavor of food, and respectful attitude of serving staff. Older adults who have a special diet perceived the seasoning and bite sized pieces were more important than those who have a general diet. Also, there were significant differences between frequent visitors and occasional visitors in the dining room of CCRCs. By knowing the differences by residents' demographics and residential characteristics, the foodservice manager can establish strategies to increase the dining frequency of residents in the dining rooms of CCRCs.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.325-332
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• 1999

Objectives: The aim of this study is to identify major factors associated with physical functioning among the Korean elderly. Methods: Data come from a survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,058 older people aged 60 years or elder living in the community. A hierarchical functioning scale was constructed, using upper and lower body mobility, IADLs, and ADLs. Socioeconomic characteristics, chronic conditions, measures of health status, health service use, and social support were analyzed to explore their influence on functioning. Polytomous logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify major contributing factors to different levels of functioning. Results: Persons of older age, female, with chronic diseases (heart disease, stroke, fracture/dislocation) were consistently more likely to show a higher degree of functional limitation. There were variations, however, among other factors; e.g., those with arthritis were more likely to be only mildly impaired, but not moderately or severely impaired. Conclusions: Older Korean adults living in the community with impaired functioning constitute persons with diverse characteristics. Policy and program activities need to address specific needs of older people in different functioning states.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2001

With a continuous and steep increase in life expectancies, Korean society is expected to enter the aged society by year 2020. And as the number of elderly increases, the burden of medical and health care expenses for them becomes greater in every developed society. Hence, the preventive approach for chronic degenerative diseases remains to be the best solution for the above-mentioned problem and warranting optimal nutrition would be one of the most important approaches. We performed a nutrition survey on 585 older adults of 50 years of age and older, residing in 3 metropolitan areas including Daejun, Daeku and Kwangju. Anthropometry, including body composition analysis based on the bioelectrical impedance analysis using InBody 3.0 and dietary intake survey by semi-quantitative flood frequency questionnaires, were used in collecting data. As one of the most important factors affecting the health and nutritional status of the elderly, we focused on living arrangements. Analyses were performed on the data from 550 subjects only, after excluding statistical outliers. Three hundred and sixty-eight of them(66.9%) were female and the number of elderly(65 years of age and older) was 485. According to the statistical analyses, the female elderly were more vulnerable to malnutrition than the male elderly. And the older they befame, the less adequate they were in nutrient intake. In addition to this, the elderly living alone showed the poorest patterns of nutrient intake and anthropometry. Although the exact effect of living alone could differ among different sex-age groups, the fact that the elderly living alone is vulnerable to malnutrition would remain concrete. This raises the utmost necessity of nutrition intervention to be devised and directed to the targeted population, namely the living-alone elderly from the government level. The intervention may include nutrition education, nutrition counseling and support In forms of meal service by networking the efforts of central as well as local governments to ensure the good health of the Korean elderly.

• Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.249-255
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• 2018

Objective As aging progresses, clinical characteristics of elderly patients in the emergency department (ED) vary by age. We aimed to study differences among elderly patients in the ED by age group. Methods For 2 years, patients aged 65 and older were enrolled in the study and classified into three groups: youngest-old, ages 65 to 74 years; middle-old, 75 to 84 years; and oldest-old, ${\geq}85years$. Participants' sex, reason for ED visit, transfer from another hospital, results of treatment, type of admission, admission department and length of stay were recorded. Results During the study period, a total 64,287 patients visited the ED; 11,236 (17.5%) were aged 65 and older, of whom 14.4% were 85 and older. With increased age, the female ratio (51.5% vs. 54.9% vs. 69.1%, P<0.001), medical causes (79.5% vs. 81.3% vs. 81.7%, P=0.045), and admission rate (35.3% vs. 42.8% vs. 48.5%, P<0.001) increased. Admissions to internal medicine (57.5% vs. 59.3% vs. 64.7%, P<0.001) and orthopedic surgery (8.5% vs. 11.6% vs. 13.8%, P<0.001) also increased. The ratio of admission to intensive care unit showed no statistical significance (P=0.545). Patients over age 85 years had longer stays in the ED (330.9 vs. 378.9 vs. 407.2 minutes, P<0.001), were discharged home less (84.4% vs. 78.9% vs. 71.5%, P<0.001), and died more frequently (6.3% vs. 10.4% vs. 13.0%, P<0.001). Conclusion With increased age, the proportion of female patients and medical causes increased. Rates of admission and death increased with age and older patients had longer ED and hospital stays.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.5095-5099
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• 2013

Background: The overall incidence of breast cancer in South Asian countries, including Nepal, is low compared to Western countries. However, the incidence of breast cancer among young women is relatively high. Breast cancer in such cases is characterized by a relatively unfavorable prognosis and unusual pathological features. The aim of this study was to investigate clinico-pathological and biological characteristics in younger breast cancer patients (<40 years) and compare these with their older counterparts. Materials and Methods: Nine hundred and forty four consecutive female breast cancer patients, admitted to the Department of Surgery, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal between November 1997 and October 2012, were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Out of the 944 female breast cancer patients, 263 (27.9%) were <40 years. The mean age was $34.6{\pm}5.0$ years among younger patients compared to $54.1{\pm}9.9$ for those ${\geq}40$ years. The mean age at menarche was also significantly lower ($13.5{\pm}1.5$ vs $14.2{\pm}1.5$ years p=0.001) while the mean duration of symptoms was significantly longer (7.6 vs 6.5 months p=0.004). Family history of breast cancer was evident in 3.0% of the young women versus 0.3% in the older one. Mammography was performed less frequently in younger patients (59.7%), compared to older (74.4%), and was of diagnostic benefit in only 20% of younger patients compared to 85% of older ones. At diagnosis, the mean tumor diameter was significantly larger in young women ($5.0{\pm}2.5$ vs $4.5{\pm}2.4cm$, p=0.005). Axillary lymph nodes were positive in 73% of younger patients and 59% of older patients. In the younger group, the proportion of stage III or IV disease was higher (55.1% vs 47.1%, $p{\leq}0.05$). The proportion of breast conserving surgery was higher in young patients (25.1% vs 8.7%) and a higher proportion of younger patients receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy (9.9% vs 2.8%). The most common histological type was ductal carcinoma (93.1% vs 86%). The proportion of histological grade II or III was higher in younger patients (55.9% vs 24.5%). Similarly, in the younger group, lymphatic and vascular invasion was more common (63.2% vs 34.3% and 39.8% vs 25.4%, respectively). Patients in the younger age group exhibited lower estrogen and/or progesterone receptor positivity (34.7% vs 49.8%). Although statistically not significant, the proportion of triple negative tumors in younger age group was higher (22.4% vs 13.6%). Conclusions: Breast cancer in young Nepalese women represents over one quarter of all female breast cancers, many being diagnosed at an advanced stage. Tumors in young women exhibit more aggressive biological features. Hence, breast cancer in young women is worth special attention for earlier detection.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.536-549
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate food intake, dietary diversity and dietary pattern during the summer in middle aged and older adults living in Gugoksundam (Gurye, Goksung, Sunchang and Damyang counties), Jeonla Province located in southern part of Korea and known as one of the representative Korean longevity areas. Food intake and dietary diversity were assessed by using the data from 2 day-24 hour recall of 1,051 subjects (394 males and 711 females) aged 45 years and older (45-93 years in male, 45-105 years in female). The average ages of males and females were 70.7 years and 71.1 years, respectively. Average total daily food intake was significantly decreased with aging in both genders, and the average animal food intake ratio to total food intake was ranged 10~14% in 3 different age groups, 45~64 years, 65~74 years and 75 years and older. The contribution of each food group, in weight, to total food intake showed the descending order of grains, fruits, vegetables and alcohols in males, and grains, fruits, potatoes and meats in females. On daily intake amount of each food item, rice, watermelon, soju, kimchi, and potato were ranked on top 5 in descending order in males, and rice, watermelon, potato, kimchi and ylmukimchi in females. On intake frequency, rice, kimchi, onion, green pepper and potato were ranked on top 5 in descending order in both genders. Dietary variety score (DVS) and dietary diversity score (DDS) for the assessment of dietary diversity and balance were significantly decreased with aging in both genders. In food group intake pattern (DMGFV), 01101 type without consumption of dairy and fruits was the most prevalent, and only 3.6% of male and 3.9% of female subjects showed 11111 type, consumed all the 5 food groups a day. Dietary pattern of subjects was analyzed by cluster analysis with 18 food groups intake. Overall dietary pattern was classified into two clusters, one was more desirable and the other was less desirable. The percentage of subjects with more desirable dietary pattern was about 15% in male and 32% in female. In conclusion, most of our subjects living in Gugoksundam area were taking very simple diet with low amount of dairy products and fruits. These results indicate that nutrition intervention and education for older people living in rural areas should be focused on various food intake including dairy products and fruits.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to explore university students′ perceptions about the elderly before and after an introductory course for gerontology. Sixty-two male and female undergraduate students participated in the study as a part of the course requirement. Throughout the semester, theme students received a series of classroom lectures on gerontology, as well as participated in diverse activities to experience elderly lives. A survey was administered with the students at the beginning of the first day of class and at the end of the semester. By the end of the unit university students were more likely to have accurate conceptions of and positive attitudes toward aging and the aged. More specifically, they were more likely to (1) perceive "old" and "getting old" as a positive one, (2) seem older adults spend their time on active self-development and social activities, (3) view older adults are important, (4) change opinions about what an old person and young person do together, and (5) have a positive outlook on their own future lives as older adults.