A Study on Types of Health Behavior among Middle Aged Women in Rural Areas

농촌중년여성의 건강행위 유형

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to better understand types of health behavior in middle aged women in the Korean agricultural society, understand their nursing needs, and eventually present guidelines to develop proper nursing interventions. Method: Participants for this study were 16 middle aged women from farming communities, who lived in C county and were independent and without chronic ailments. In collection and analysis of data Strauss & Cortin's (1997) research processes and methods were used. The period of data collection was between April 2001 and February 2002. Result: The results of the study showed that the core category was the family-oriented process of $yangsaeng^{1)}$, and four types of health behaviors were observed; $momboyang^{2)}$ maintenance of health through daily life, managing mental health, and managing illness. Each type was perceived to differ from the other in the terms of health behavior priority which was largely affected by the cultural surrounding, for example, degree of attention to children's education and tendency to a traditional role for women. Conclusion: In conclusion, nurses need to understand various types of health behavior in middle aged women. The findings from this study can be applied to the development of Korean nursing interventions that are based on health behavior among middle aged women in the Korean agricultural society. These interventions can then. be based upon understanding of Korean culture rather than drawn only from Western concepts of health behavior.