• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.224-230
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• 2007

We examined an urban population's awareness of dietary guidelines to determine whether they perceived them to be necessary, and identified the factors affecting this awareness and perceived necessity. Data were collected via physical examinations and face-to-face interviews. Health indicators were collected from health examinations, and information on individual characteristics, including awareness, perceived necessity, and dietary status were obtained from the interviews. The subjects' sociodemographic, health and dietary status were examined as potential factors influencing awareness and perceived necessity. Descriptive statistics, contingency tables, and logistic regression modeling were used in the analysis. Low awareness of the dietary guidelines was displayed by the elderly and poorly educated individuals, and those without a spouse. Most people who were not aware of the dietary guidelines thought the guidelines unnecessary. Males with hypertension and lower hemoglobin levels, and females with less education had low awareness. Elderly females with lower bone density had less perceived necessity. Males and females with poor dietary status reported low perceived necessity.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.135-147
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• 2002

It is essential to improve the quality of life of the elderly in aging society. Regular exercise as nursing intervention is needed to prevent diseases, maintain and promote their health, and thus promote the quality of life for the elderly, especially who generally had poor cognition for their health maintenance and promotion in a low class community. Subjects consisted of 30 women. over 65 years old in a community welfare center, who lived in the low class apartments financially supported by the local government in G city, Gangwon Province, Korea. The program consisted of dancing on music for approximately 50 minutes, 3 times a week for 10 weeks. Experimental data were analyzed with $x^2-test$, t-test, mean values, standard deviation, percentage of change and paired t-test using SAS program. After the recreation dance, the mean value of the experimental group was decreased from 7.62 to 7.44 (t=-0.258, P=0.799), and that of the control group was also decreased from 7.00 to 6.58 (t=-0.971, P=0.349) in depression. However, there were no statistically significant differences in scores of depression between two groups. In life satisfaction, the mean value of the experimental group was increased from 19.07 to 26.50 (t=2.392, P=0.030), but that of the control group was decreased from 15.92 to 13.71 (t=-1.060, P=0.305). Thus it shows that there was a statistically significant improvement on life satisfaction after the recreation dance.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.210-222
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• 2004

In recent years, the number and proportion of Korean elderly have grown rapidly, and elderly individuals show a disproportionate risk for poor nutritional status. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of sociodemographic background to nutrient intake of persons 65 years of age or older, living in 15 cities in Korea. Data on 1973 subjects (603 males, 1370 females), who participated in the Korean Elderly Nutrition Survey (2000), were analyzed. Their mean age was 72.3 years and their mean body mass index (BMI) was 24.2 kg/$m^2$. Basic sociodemographic data were obtained through personal interviews. The 98-item semi-food frequency questionnaire, developed and previously validated for Korean middle-aged and elderly subjects, was administered. “Percentage of subjects who consumed under 75％ Korean RDA,” “number of nutrients consumed below 75％ Korean RDA,” “mean nutrient adequacy ratio,” and “nutrient density” were used to determine nutritional status. Male elderly had better nutritional quality than female elderly. Nutritional quality decreased with age, especially in older elderly (over 75). Elderly who were underweight (BMI 〈 20 kg/$m^2$) showed poorer nutritional quality than those who were normal weight (BMI 20∼25 kg/$m^2$) and overweight (BMI $\geq$ 25 kg/$m^2$). Elderly who lived alone had significantly poorer nutritional quality than those who lived with a spouse, and/or with children. Lower education level and economic dependence also showed lower nutritional quality. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the effects of specific sociodemographic factors on nutritional quality. For number of nutrients under 75％ RDA as a dependent variable, education level explained 4.8％ of the variance, followed by living status, age, body mass index, gender, and living expense support (Model $R^2$ = 0.091). For mean nutrient adequacy ratio as a dependent variable, model $R^2$ was 0.098. Therefore, sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, body mass index, living status, educational level, and economic status influenced elderly nutrition status. These results indicate that an elderly nutrition intervention should focus on subjects who are poorly educated, living alone, age 75 or older, and/or underweight.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.180-192
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to survey basic data for management of elderly day care centers. In this study, occupation, leisure life, and food, clothing and habituation, as well as social relationship, health state and behavior, and general characteristics of subjects were examined to identify the factors affecting their cognition, need and preference of the day care centers. The subjects of this study were 392 elderly, aged 60 years or over, living in Gangnung and neighboring districts. Data were collected by educated interviewers from November 4 through November 22, 2002. The subjects were interviewed face to face, one for one after the interviewee's agreements on the survey. The collected data were analysed with logistic regression analysis by SAS (statistical analysis system). Logistic regression analysis was done to identify affecting factors for cognition, need and preference of the elderly day care centers. The major findings are as follows: 1. The factors affecting cognition for the day care centers were analysed. The subjects with an occupation and a lower satisfaction level of living environment and friendship, who were economically secure enough to manage a sudden accident, showed a higher level of cognition of the day care centers. The subjects with a higher level of mental health state and a lower level of IADL also showed a higher level of cognition. On the general characteristics younger female subjects showed a higher level of cognition. 2. The subjects with a lower level of perceived economic condition who did not own their housing and were not economically safe enough to manage a sudden accident, had showed a higher level of need for the day care centers. It showed that the subjects with a high level of mental health state, a bad eye sight and dental condition, a good perceived health condition, and a lower level of IADL, needed the centers. 3. The subjects who had an occupation, however, not capable of making their own daily expenses, and a low occupation satisfaction level, and who did not own their housing, and were economically poor not enough to manage a sudden accident, showed a higher preference for the day care centers. The subjects with higher levels of friendship satisfaction and perceived health condition, not living with their spouse, and a higher education level, showed a higher preference for the centers. In conclusion, the common factors affecting their cognition, need and preference of the day care centers were occupation, economic security enough to manage accidents, and friendship satisfaction level. Especially, the subjects who had an occupation, however, not economically secure enough to manage accidents, and who did not live in their own housing with a good perceived health condition, showed high levels of need and preference for the day care centers. These results can be used as basic data to develop the efficient elderly day care centers, thus contribute to the elderly welfare in a local community.

• Korean Journal of Family Social Work
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• no.55
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• pp.157-188
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of self-care activities on physical and mental health of primary caregivers of functionally impaired elderly. Data were collected from 185 primary caregivers who were caring for their spouses or parents with functional impairment at home in Daejon. SPSS 21.0 software was used for descriptive analysis and hierarchical regression analysis. The results showed that (1) primary caregivers reported their physical health status as poor (2) the domains of health responsibility, physical activity in their self-care activities were significant predictors of their physical health level (3) primary caregivers reported very high level of depression (4) their mental health was significantly influenced by spiritual growth among self-care activities. Based on these findings, social work intervention and policy suggestions were discussed.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.122-130
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was aimed at finding factors influencing cognitive impairment which is one of the typical symptoms among the demented elderly. Methods: The number of subjects was 417 elderly residents aged over 65 yr in a community. A cognitive function and a depression level were measured using the Korean Version of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K) and the Korean Form of Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS). Alcohol abuse was measured using the CAGE instrument. Chi-square test and Logistic regression analysis were conducted to identify factors affecting cognitive impairment. Results: The prevalence rates of cognitive impairment of the sample was 43.5%. Sex, age, educational level, perceived health and alcohol abuse were strong factors influencing cognitive impairment. However, the effects of smoking, living alone, depression, family history in dementia and stroke were not strong. Conclusion: Risk for cognitive impairment were increased by being female and older than 70 yr, having low education, perceiving health as poor, and drinking alcohol abusively. Therefore, a reinforcement system, continuous research and the development of proper programs should be preformed in order to prevent cognitive impairment.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.28 no.1 s.49
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• pp.59-72
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• 1995

This study was carried out to analyze the food intake and associated factors of the urban poor elderly by comparing poor district, Unbong rental apartment in Bansong 2 dong with other areas in Pusan. 135 elderlies(men 36, women 99) in Unbong rental apartment, 136 elderlies(men 45, women 91) in the other areas were investigated during the period of March to August in 1994. The assumption that the study area represented poor district was satisfied because the age and sex distribution was not significantly different, and the income of the study area was significantly lower than that of the control area. The variables of hospitalized in previous 12 month, gastrointestinal problem, alcohol drinking, cigarette smoking did not differ significantly. But the variables of chronic disease, take medicine, perceived health, vitamin supplement differed significantly between two groups. Therefore some factors associated with health state in the study area are worse than those of the control area. At most of all variables, nutrients intake of the study area did not reach the recommended dietary allowances(RDA) for Koreans, and that nutrient intakes of the study area were significantly lower than those of the control area. The hypothesis of this study that nutrient status depends on economical status was proved. As for the score of nutritional knowledge, the study area was significantly lower than the control area. But as for the score of nutritional behavior, two areas were not significantly different. The latter is counter result of our hypothesis, owing to the effect of the confounding factors including education etc. As for the correlation of variables, not only economic status and educational level, but the score of nutritional knowledge effects strongly on nutrient status in the study area, the poor district. Therefore, adequate nutritional education to the elderly in e poor district should be considered.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.324-333
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• 2001

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore fear of falling in relation to activity restriction of in the community dwelling elderly. Two hundred ninety-nine community dwelling elderly residing in Seoul and Kyonggi-do were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The results were as follows : 1. Subjects were predominantly women$(70.6\%)$, an average 72.5 years old; the incidence of falls in last one year was $45.5\%$. 2. The highest level of fear found for activity in those who say they do engage and those who do not engage in the activity was 'going out when it is slippery '(m=2.53, 2.81) and 'reach for something over your head'(m=1.66, 2.60). Fear of falling scores were significant lower for those who say they do engage in eight kinds of activities (excluded activities of given were 'go to the store', 'take a tub bath', 'get out of bed') than for those who do not engage in the activities. 3. Among those who did not perform the activity, the three activities, when it is slippy(n=80), reaching overhead(n=70), and walk outside(n=59),were most often avoided because fear alone as well as for reasons in addition to fear. 4. The significant variables associated with fear of falling were female(p=0.0000), 1 educational status(p=0.000l), poor economic condition(p=0.0007), and experience of falls in last one year(p=0.0007). Fear of falling is common in the community dwelling elderly in Korea and is associated with several demographical variables. Therefore, to prevent falls and to reduce fear of falling, further study for development of education program for the elderly is needed.

• 한국노년학
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.1179-1195
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• 2010

In this study, we investigated the effects of ego integrity on QoL(Quality of Life) of elderly living alone, where we focused on moderating role of SF36 health factors. To investigate the cause and effect of factors, we purposively collected 282 samples from senior welfare centers in Jeonju city and exploited reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and SEM(Structural Equation Modeling) for 265 cases excluding some cases with missing values. As the results, first, we confirmed ego integrity was positive predictor of QoL. Second, it was proven that the effect of ego integrity on QoL of elderly living alone was stronger in the lower physical functioning group than higher physical functioning group. Third, we also verified that the group with more difficulties in activities or work as a result of poor physical health showed higher effect of ego integrity on QoL. Based on the results, we could explain the reason of conflicts regarding how elderly's health influenced on ego integrity. Also, in the practice of intervention to elderly's problem, we found the health factors could be an indicator of direction or effect of the intervention

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.5752-5761
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• 2013

This study was performed to propose the developmental direction of the elderly suicide study by analyzing the trend of study in elderly suicide. A literature search was conducted using RISS, KISS, Nanet. A total of 184 research articles which were published on elderly suicide in Korea from 1996 to 2013 were analyzed with structured analysis forms. For statistical analysis, frequency and percentage were used with EXCEL program. As a results, a study on elderly suicide in the social welfare sector was actively and a survey of general elderly proportion of the study was high. In addition, most concepts of research were associated with suicidal ideation, depression, social support, and stress of the elderly. Therefore, existing in previous studies classified as high-risk elderly people living alone, poor elderly, a man who attempted suicide risk in elderly subjects research through a variety of research methods will be made.