• 보건의료산업학회지
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• 제7권3호
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• pp.275-286
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• 2013

To identify the prevalence and its influencing factors on depression among elderly vulnerable people in one urban community. This study used data from 381 of elderly vulnerable people in the community. The prevalence of depression was found to be 51.97%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis shows that depression was more prevalent as people in female gender; people with lower self-esteem compared to those with higher self-esteem; in elderly who perceived lower social support compared to those who perceived higher social support; and in the older adults with limitation in instrumental activity of daily living. The finding of a significant association between gender difference; self-esteem; perceived social support, and limitation in instrumental activity of daily living and occurrence of depression expected to promote the screening strategy for elderly at risk of depression in Korean community.

• 한국지역사회생활과학회지
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.343-354
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• 2013

Elderly people living in poverty are one of the most vulnerable population groups who are at risk of experiencing social exclusion. Social participation is an important contributing factor to active aging and social integration of the older adults living in poverty. This study aims to identify factors affecting social participation of the poor elderly. Data from the second wave of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing was used for the analyses and 1,346 poor elderly aged over 65 were analyzed. The findings showed that age, education, health status, a level of depression, financial stress, and economic activity were associated with the social participation of the elderly living in poverty. These results indicated that psychological empowerment and specific needs of the older adults living in poverty should be considered in developing services and programs to promote social participation of the poor elderly.

• 대한지역사회영양학회지
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.137-149
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• 2020

Objectives: This study explored the community food environmental factors affecting food purchasing using a qualitative research methodology for the elderly as well as the various food environments under their socioeconomic diversity. Methods: For the qualitative data collection, this study interviewed 20 elderly people aged 65 years or more, who participated in a public health program or lunch services operated by the senior welfare center in Seoul. Five dimensions, such as availability, physical accessibility, affordability, acceptability, and accommodation suggested in previous studies, were used to identify the community food environmental factors. Results: The elderly participants showed overall similarities to the concepts derived from existing studies on the five dimensions of food accessibility environment. In addition, other important food accessibility environmental factors that were not present in previous studies, such as acceptability for a product of domestic origin, delivery service to home, and small-packaged food sales, were derived. On the other hand, the concept of some subjects differed depending on the household income and specifically for the physical accessibility concept. This showed that the close distance factor from a grocery store at home might not apply to older adults in low-income households in Korea. Conclusions: This study found that five dimensions of the food environment suggested by previous studies could also be applied to vulnerable older adults in Korea. On the other hand, the socioeconomic characteristics of individuals and households would affect the perspectives of their local food environments differently. The findings of this study could help in the development of tools for evaluating the community food environment.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.162-175
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• 2013

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the association between social support, psychosocial factors, and health behaviors of old adults in korean society. Methods: The data which was used in this study was extracted from the second wave of the Korean longitudinal study of aging in 2008. A total of 3,978 elderly aged 65 years or older were included in this study. We conducted $X^2$-test, t-test for the elderly health behavior in accordance with their social support and psychosocial factors. Also, multivariate logistic regressive analysis was performed in order to find how degree social support and psychosocial factors are associated with health behavior after adjusting sex, age, smoking (alcohol drinking), and other significant variables. The data was processed by SAS ver. 9.1 and Stata SE ver. 11. Results: Social support in older adults was significantly associated with lower smoking, alcohol drinking, exercise, and eating habit. Also, psychosocial factors were positively associated with smoking, alcohol drinking, regular exercise, and eating habit. Conclusion: health behaviors of old adults are likely to be vulnerable to social support and psychosocial factors. To increase effectiveness of the health policy for the elderly in Korea, it is important to adapt new strategy to include the empowerment of elderly's social networks, policy support to enhance subjective expectation, and life satisfaction.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• 제26권1호
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• pp.26-40
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• 2024

Purpose: The aim of this study was to predict the subgroups vulnerable to poorer health-related quality of life (HRQoL) according to gender in older adults. Methods: Data from 5,553 Koreans aged 65 or older were extracted from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. HRQoL was assessed using the EQ-5D tool. Complex sample analysis and decision-tree analysis were conducted using SPSS for Windows version 27.0. Results: The mean scores of the EQ-5D index were 0.93 ± 0.00 in men and 0.88 ± 0.00 in women. In men, poorer HRQoL groups were identified with seven different pathways, which were categorized based on participants' characteristics, such as restriction of activity, perceived health status, muscle exercise, age, relative hand grip strength, suicidal ideation, the number of chronic diseases, body mass index, and income status. Restriction of activity was the most significant predictor of poorer HRQoL in elderly men. In women, the poorer HRQoL groups were identified with nine different pathways, which were categorized based on participants' characteristics, such as perceived health status, restriction of activity, age, education, unmet medical service needs, anemia, body mass index, relative hand grip, and aerobic exercise. Perceived health status was the most significant predictor of poorer HRQoL in elderly women. Conclusion: This study presents a predictive model of HRQoL in older adults according to gender and can be used to detect individuals at risk of poorer HRQoL.

• 한국노년학
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.617-638
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• 2020

노년기 식생활은 신체적⋅심리적 건강 유지와 삶의 질 유지에 중요하다. 그러나 나이가 들수록 스스로 식사를 챙기기 어려워 영양 섭취가 어렵다. 그중에서도 저소득 재가노인은 적절한 영양섭취에 가장 취약한 인구집단이다. 그럼에도 불구하고 그동안 노년기 식생활 보장에 관한 사회복지 관점의 연구는 드물었다. 본 연구의 목적은 저소득 재가노인 대상 식사배달사업의 운영현황을 파악하고 관련 쟁점을 탐색하여 저소득 재가노인의 식생활 보장 방안을 모색하는 것이다. 연구목적 달성을 위하여 서울시 소재 노인 무료급식 사업 운영기관에 종사하고 있는 영양사(8인)와 사회복지사(7인)를 대상으로 표적집단면접(Focus Group Interview, FGI)을 실시하였다. 그 결과 도출된 서울시 저소득 어르신 식사배달에 관한 쟁점은 모호한 사업 대상자 선정 기준, 열악한 사업 운영 여건, 일선 인력의 업무 과중, 맞춤형 식사 제공 실현의 어려움 등으로 요약된다. 재가노인의 식생활 보장은 지역사회 계속 거주(aging in place)를 위한 전제조건이며, 이를 위해서는 사회복지 차원에서 저소득 재가노인의 욕구를 반영한 식사배달제공, 그리고 영양 및 위생관리가 가능한 사업 운영 여건을 어떻게 조성할 것인지에 대한 논의가 필요하다.

• 한국농촌간호학회지
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.13-27
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify health-related factors, especially for the elderly who are subject to visiting health care at vulnerable populations. Methods: Tools were Guide to Community Integrated Health Promotion Project 2016, Visit Health Care Health Interview Survey, measures of physical function, motor skills, composite mobility, BMI, and subjective fitness levels. Depression was measured with the Short Results: Older elders living alone were more vulnerable than those with living others. Elders with less education showed greater weakness but the difference was not significant. Average scores for frailty were 2.21 (healthy group), 7.66 (high-risk group) and 15.69 (frail group). Scores based on weakness level differed significantly with the exception of nutrition. Nine out of 10 elders in disadvantaged areas were in the frail group or at high risk. Conclusion: Results support the goal to maintain/improve physical/mental functions through individual management of high-risk/frail older adults at risk of becoming infirm. It is imperative to implement a public health care delivery system to ensure programs are operated effectively and personalized.

• 성인간호학회지
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.91-101
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between a experience of falling, fear of falling, depression, and perceived health status in urban areas. Methods: After obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, a one-time, face-to-face, and private interview was conducted with each participant who was eligible and agreed to participate in this study from May 2007 to August 2007 by trained graduate-level nursing students. The questionnaires consisted of Fall Efficacy Scale, K-GDS, and SF-36. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS/PC 12.0 program, which was used for frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and hierarchical regression. Results: The major findings of this study were as follows; 1) approximately 9% of participants had fallen within one year. Study participants reported moderate fear of falling(M=43.80); moderate physical health (M=42.31) and mental health(M=46.05); and low depression status(M=10.38). 2) there were significant differences in fear of falling according to gender, experience of falling, exercise, and depression. 3) significant factors influencing on fear of falling were experience of falling and physical health status. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that nurses working closely with older adults should be taught the impact of previous falls and physical health status on fear of falling and need to reinforce exercise behavior for older adults who are vulnerable to fear of falling.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• 제3권2호
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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.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.476-482
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• 2023

Introduction: There is a growing global interest in the issue of precarious employment. We aimed to analyze the characteristics and socio-demographic distribution of precarious employment using a summative score approach. Methods: To operationalize precarious employment, we utilized data from the Korean Working Conditions Survey and focused on three distinct dimensions: employment insecurity, income inadequacy, and a lack of rights and protections. By constructing a summative scale ranging from -16 to 2, with lower scores indicating higher precariousness, we measured employment precariousness among Korean wage workers. To compare employment precariousness according to survey participant characteristics, we employed the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test. Results: We analyzed a weighted number of 38,432 workers. The overall sample showed a median (Q1, Q3) summative scale score of -3 (-6, -1). The median summative score was lower for women compared to men (men: -2; women: -5; p < 0.001), as well as for young or older workers compared to middle-aged workers (young: -4; middle-aged: -2; older: -5; p < 0.001). Similarly, workers with lower educational levels (middle school or below: -8; high school: -5; college or above: -2; p < 0.001) and non-white collar workers (blue collar: -5; service/sales worker: -6; white collar: -2; p < 0.001) experienced higher levels of employment precariousness. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that certain vulnerable groups, such as women, young or older adults, workers with low educational attainment, and caregiving or low-skilled elementary workers, are disproportionately exposed to high employment precariousness. Active policy interventions are needed to improve the employment quality of vulnerable groups.