• Journal of the Korean society of biological therapies in psychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.184-193
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• 2018

Objectives : This study investigated the effects of social support and chronic medical conditions on depressive symptoms in elderly people living alone in a rural community. Methods : Sociodemographic information on 173 subjects aged 65 years or older who lived alone in a rural community and were recipients of National Basic Livelihood Security was collected and analyzed. All participants completed the Korean Form of the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Lubben Social Network Scale. Additionally, the current prevalence of chronic medical conditions that interfere with the activities of daily living was examined. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the associations of social support and chronic medical conditions with depressive symptoms. Results : Social support(odds ratio: OR, 0.96; 95% confidence interval: 95% CI, 0.92-0.99) and chronic medical conditions(OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.23-2.05) were significantly associated with depressive symptoms in all subjects. When analyzed by gender, social support served as a protective factor against depressive symptoms in elderly men only(OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.83-0.99), and chronic medical conditions increased the risk of depressive symptoms in elderly women only(OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.26-2.40). Furthermore, osteoarthritis and lumbar pain were risk factors for depressive symptoms in all subjects(OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.10-4.56 and OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.08-4.12) and in elderly women(OR, 4.07; 95% CI, 1.68-9.84 and OR, 3.34; 95% CI, 1.47-7.57), respectively. Conclusion : This study indicates that improving the social support and managing the chronic medical conditions of elderly people living alone are important for the prevention of depression in this population. Additionally, the present results suggest that it is necessary to establish different depression-prevention strategies for elderly men and women living alone.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.121-129
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• 2021

Sodium intake has been associated with the health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study examined the demographic factors related to HRQoL and whether there is an association between sodium intake and HRQoL in adults residing in rural areas. A total of 1,980 adults (aged ≥20 years) were selected from a cross-sectional study conducted between December 2013 and February 2014 in Gyeongju, South Korea. The sodium intake and HRQoL were measured using a validated food frequency questionnaire and the EuroQol Five-Dimension (EQ-5D) (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression), respectively. The education levels (<5 years) were inversely associated with all five dimensions of HRQoL. Men had better EQ-5D scores for each of the five components examined. Adults living with spouses had better scores related to usual activities and anxiety/depression, whereas widowers had decreased scores of mobility and self-care. Unlike older adults aged 70-79 years, adults aged <60 years were more likely to have greater scores related to mobility, usual activities, and pain/discomfort. The income levels were also inversely related to the scores for self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Sodium intake was positively associated with the HRQoL related to self-care, usual activities, and pain/discomfort, but it was negatively associated with anxiety/depression. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the demographic factors and sodium intake were independently associated with HRQoL. The results highlight the need to provide tailored, targeted policies and interventions that consider personal characteristics and dietary intake to improve the overall HRQoL in adults residing in rural areas.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.36-45
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• 2010

Objectives: This study was performed to examine the healthy lifestyle influenced on the metabolic syndrome among the elderly in the rural area. We examined the changes of risk factors of metabolic syndrome after two years. Method: Out of 134 who did health screening at the J county health center from July 1 to August 31, 2006, 65 aged people confirmed to metabolism syndrome were selected as subjects. For the final analysis, 62 aged people who revisited after two years were selected our subjects. The data were analyzed using SPSS PC+ 12.0 program for descriptive, Chi-square test, t-test and ANOVA analysis. Result: The result of this study indicated that 62 metabolic syndrome patients in 2006 decreased into 53, and women were higher than men. The difference in the metabolic syndrome came from level of education, smoking, health practices, and past illness history. Conclusion: Therefore, the change of lifestyle needs to be induced by the level of education, and for the group of smoking, non-exercise, and past illness history not only regular checkups to prevent metabolic syndrome but also education to have interest on themselves may need intensively.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.21-31
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• 2002

The aim of this study was to analyse and conduct the comprehensive geriatric assessment for the elderly in rural area. The subjects were 388 older people aged 65 years or older living in the community. Data for comprehensive assessment such as physical, mental, functional, social and environmental conditions were collected from January to February, 2001 through a person-to-person interview. Of the total 388 olders, 169(43.6%) were men and 219(56.4%) were women. Mean ages of men and women were $73.5{\pm}6.4$ and $74.0{\pm}6.2$ years respectively. Three common diseases of the elderly were arthralgia(51.6%), chronic back pain(33.2%) and hypertension(18.6%), and higher in women than in men. Impairment rate of vision, hearing and bowel or bladder control was 59.0%, 20.1%, and 28.4% respectively. But that of lover extremities 3.4%. In terms of cognitive function, short term memory loss was found in 33.7% of males and 44.7% of females. The percentage of fully independent in the six ADL items was 72.2% in men and 58.9% in women. In the social supportive system, 49.5% of the elderly were living with spouse, and 22.9% living alone, 26.3% having care giver. These results will provide basic data for the development of community-based health program, which gives appropriate health service for the elderly living in the community.

• 한국노년학
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.569-592
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• 2018

This study purported to investigate the current state of human rights of older adults residing in rural areas of Korea. The study utilized, as an analytic framework, 4 priority directions (1. "older persons and development", 2. "rural area development", 3. "advancing health and well-being into old age", and 4. "ensuring enabling and supportive environments") with 13 task actions recommended by Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA). Furthermore, the study examined gender differences in all items included in the analytic framework. Data was collected by the face-to-face survey on 800 subjects aged 65 and over. Statistical analyses were conducted using STATA 13.0 program. The main results were summarized in order of 4 priority directions as follows. First, average working hours per day were 6.2, and men reportedly participated in economic activities and needed job training more than women, while women participated in lifelong education programs more than men. Awareness of fire and disaster prevention facilities was low in both genders. Second, accessibility to the support center for the elderly living alone as well as protective services for the vulnerable elderly was found to be low. IT-based services and networking were used more by men than women, and specifically, IT-based financial transactions and welfare services were least used. Third, medical check-ups and vaccinations were well received, while consistent treatments for chronic illnesses and long-term care services were relatively less given. In addition, accessibility to mental health service centers was considerably low. Fourth, although old house structures and the lack of convenience facilities were found to be circumstantial risk factors for these elders, experiences of receiving housing support services were scarce. The elderly were found to rely more on informal care, and concerns for their care were higher in women than men. Plus, accessibility to elderly abuse services was markedly low. Based on these results, discussed were implications for implementing policies and practical interventions to raise the levels of the human rights for this population.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.103-113
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• 2011

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the degree of stress and social support among residents in a rural area. Methods: We used the baseline data of the Korean Genomic Rural Cohort (KGRC), a sub-cohort of the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study (KOGES) that collected data about relationships among environmental, genetic risk factors, and chronic illness in Korean adults since November 2005. The cases chosen for the study included 1737 men and women, aged 40 to 70, living in a rural area of Wonju-city, South Korea. A questionnaire interviewing method was addressed in 2006. The final participants consisted of 1349 participants, of which 589 were male (43.7%) and 760 were female (56.3%). We applied the hierarchical multiple regression analysis with three stages. The first and second stages include socio-demographic and health-related behaviour factors and the third stage includes more social support factors. Results: The main findings revealed that the amount of social support and health-related behaviour significantly influenced the level of stress the subjects reported. The degree of stress was shown to be significantly higher for the following individuals: females, those who were divorced, the bereaved, participants who suffer from chronic disease, and non-exercisers. Low social support was shown to be negatively associated with stress. Conclusion: Social support factors along with socio-demographic and health-related behavior had an influence on stress levels in Korean rural adults. It is necessary to relieve residents from stress through diverse social support programs and healthy living initiatives.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.523-537
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• 2007

This study aimed to explore residents' perceptions towards Kangwon Land Casino. An on-site survey was conducted for residents in the casino communities using self-administered questionnaires. Completed questionnaires were obtained from 191 residents in the study area. A factor-clustering method identified four distinct segments: positive perceived impact residents (52.8%), negative perceived impact residents (11.3%), unconcerned residents (28.9%), and selectively perceived impact residents (6.9%). Results showed that women and younger residents are more likely to perceive positive impact with casino development. Men, middle-aged residents and farmers are more likely to perceive negative impact with casino development. White-collar business-class residents are more likely to perceive the impact selectively with casino development. We suggest that the stakeholders including public bodies on casino industry development boards share with local residents information on the economic benefits and other topics related to the casino business.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.84-93
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• 2015

Objectives: The present study was conducted in order to examine the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and osteoporosis prevalence in Korea and to assess whether different associations are found in single-person households. Methods: A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, from 2008 to 2011. The study subjects were people aged ${\geq}50$ years with osteoporosis as defined by bone mineral density. Multivariate logistic models were used to estimate prevalence odds ratios (pORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Gender differences in the likelihood of osteoporosis were analyzed based on household income, education level, and residential area. Results: There were 8221 osteoporosis patients aged ${\geq}50$ years, of whom 927 lived in single-person households. There was a gender-specific association between osteoporosis prevalence and all three SES factors that we analyzed: income, education, and residential area. After adjusting for age, SES, and health behaviors, including body mass index (BMI), low household income was only significantly associated with osteoporosis in men, whereas education level had an inverse relationship with osteoporosis only in women (p=0.01, p<0.001, respectively). However, after controlling for age and BMI, rural residency was only associated with osteoporosis in women living in single-person households (pOR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.05 to 2.43). Conclusions: The Korean adult population showed a gender-specific relationship between SES and osteoporosis prevalence, with a different pattern found in single-person households.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.1-17
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to find factors affecting health of the rural residents. The data were collected from a sample of 2,587 people aged from 40 to 70 in the year 2005-2006, Wonju City and Pyeongchang County, Gangwon-do, Korea. The theoretical model adopted in this study was the Lalonde's health field(human biology, environment, lifestyle, and health care organization). SF-12 was used to measure subjective health status. In the category of human biology, men were healthier than women. Age and BMI showed negative relation to health status. Income, education and social support showed positive relation to health status in the environment category. In the category of life style, stress showed negative relation to health status. Medical expenses showed negative relation to health status in the category of health care organization. After converting SF-12 score to percentage score, the health determinants portions were 47% lifestyle, 26% environment, 18% human biology and 9% health care organization. These findings suggest that life style, environment and biology are main factors in determinants of health. Especially stress in the life style category is more focused for the community health promotion. We also may be able to improve income, education and social support in the environment category with self empowerment efforts, community supports and government helps. Finally greater attention must be payed to life style in the future health planning and budget allocation priority in the healthcare area.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.413-418
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• 2008

Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the associations between the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and inflammatory markers. Methods: This cross-sectional analysis was performed using data from 1578 Koreans aged 40-69 years residing in a rural area. We investigated associations between MetS and circulating high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), white blood cells (WBC) and adiponectin. MetS was defined using the criteria proposed by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP-III). Results: Increased WBC counts and hs-CRP levels and decreased adiponectin levels were observed in subjects with MetS. WBC, hs-CRP and adiponectin levels linearly deteriorated with an increase in the number of MetS components (all ptrend <0.005). Finally, adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the risk of MetS by increase/decrease in 3 inflammatory markers were calculated by multivariate logistic regression analyses. In terms of changes in inflammation markers, in men, the adjusted ORs (95% confidence interval) were 1.15 (1.01-1.31) for WBC, 1.64 (1.02-2.64) for hs-CRP, and 0.19(0.08-0.45) for adiponectin, whereas corresponding adjusted ORs (95% Cls) in women were 1.27 (1.15-1.40), 0.98 (0.67-1.42), 0.09 (0.04-0.18), respectively. Conclusions: Serum adiponectin levels and WBC counts were found to be strongly associated with MetS in both sexes. However, hs-CRP lost its significance after adjusting for BMI and other inflammatory markers in women. This study shows that inflammatory response is associated with MetS in the Korean population. Further prospective studies are necessary to confirm the contribution made by inflammatory markers to the development of MetS.