• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.454-468
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• 2019

Background: Supporting the elderly population is presented as a social issue, and it affects age discrimination, which forms a negative perception and avoids the elderly. Since age discrimination lowers the quality of life of the elderly and hinders social unity, it may be important to research related factors. This study examined the physical function as a factor that influences discrimination experiences and aimed to identify the relationship between physical function factors and discrimination experiences. Methods: In this study, we analyzed 20,225 elderly from the 2014 and 2017 survey of living conditions and welfare needs of Korean older persons, conducted nationwide among older than 65 years. Physical function factors are activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, sight discomfort, hearing discomfort, chewing discomfort, and leg strength as factors of interest. We performed multivariable logistic regression that reflected survey characteristics, adjusting for socio-demographic factors, health related factors, and social-support factors. Results: The number of elderly who faced discrimination experiences was 1,175 (5.8%). The results showed that the odds ratio of facing a discrimination experience in the dependent group was significantly higher compared to the independent group when being transferring out of the room (4.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50-10.88) and difficulty in hearing (1.25; 95% CI, 1.05-1.49). Even with respect to chewing ability, which was significant in models 1 and 2, they face more discrimination experiences (1.30; 95% CI, 1.11-1.53). Conclusion: These research results indicate that an important strategy for preventing age discrimination is to understand the physical function conditions of the elderly and promote the physical functions of the elderly related to transferring, hearing, and chewing; it is necessary to develop a practical intervention plan that considers these aspects.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.469-481
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• 2019

Background: As South Korea is becoming an aged society very rapidly, the increase in osteoarthritis prevalence raises various public health issues in this country. This study aimed to explore the socio-demographic factors associated with osteoarthritis in the current Korean elderlies. Methods: Using the National Survey of Korean Elderly data (2014, 2017), we analyzed 20,326 elderlies (males, 8,248; females, 12,078) and conducted multivariate logistic regression analyses by sex. The dependent variable is whether a participant was diagnosed with osteoarthritis or not. Independent variables of interest is socio-demographic factors such as age, marital status, household type, residential area, household income, religion, the longest job, the number of close relatives, the number of close friends, and survey year. Control variables are various health behavioral factors and disease-related factors. Results: Prevalence of osteoarthritis was 19.2% in male elderlies and 47.0% in female elderlies. According to the results of the multivariate logistic regression adjusted for all studied control variables, the odds ratio (OR) for having osteoarthritis of under-elementary school graduates (their counterpart was college graduate group) was 1.81 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29-2.52) in males and 1.67 (95% CI, 1.12-2.47) in females. The OR of those having a job in agriculture & forestry fishery as their longest job (their counterpart was those who had never participated in labor force during their lifetime) was 5.07 (95% CI, 1.46-17.58) in males and 1.49 (95% CI, 1.27-1.74) in females. In males, the second-low quartile group in household yearly income (their counterpart was the highest quartile group) had the OR of 1.22 (95% CI, 0.98-1.53). In females, the OR of those having a religion of Buddhism (their counterpart was those having no religion) was 1.20 (95% CI, 1.07-1.35) and the OR of those who had no relatives (their counterpart was those having more than 3 close relatives) was 1.31 (95% CI, 1.10-1.56). Conclusion: This study found that in Korean elderlies, education, the longest job, household income, religion, and the number of close relatives are associated with their suffering from osteoarthritis. Further study and designing appropriate interventions are needed to alleviate current and future individual and socioeconomic burdens of osteoarthritis in an aged society like South Korea.

• 한국노년학
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.299-313
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• 2014

Recently, an interest on parenting stress and depression of grandparents raising grandchildren is rising according to the increase of working couple and divorce. Discussing around developmental task of elderly, one of the influencing factors on increase of grandparents' parenting stress and depression is leisure restriction. However, this factor has received far less rigorous analysis. Thus, the purpose of this article is to offer an analysis of the effect of leisure activities on depression in grandparents raising grandchildren. The data was collected from 172 grandparents raising their grandchildren in 2011 national survey results on the elderly life conditions. Their analyses were composed of descriptive statistic and multiple regression analysis. The study generated several findings. First, grandparents participated in activities for exercise and religion at a high rate and their mean score of depression was 7.1 of 15 what suggests middle level of depression. second, multiple regression analysis showed that the factor of exercise, travel experience, leisure activities satisfaction and other special leisure activities were statistically significant predictors of depression. Implication for social welfare services and programs to improve the mental health of grandparents raising their grandchildren to have positive self-awareness and attitude about life in their position and living condition for help prevent depression were discussed.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.197-205
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to analyse on the internet use of Korean older adults focused on their socioeconomic characteristics. For this study, data were collected through the face to face interview with aged over 60 using a questionnaire for the residence of Daegu and Kyungsang Buk-Do areas. Subjects were divided into socioeconomic characteristics such as gender, education level, economic level, religion, and life satisfaction. The data were analysed the elderly's internet use such as frequency of internet access, motivation of internet use, utilization of internet, and usefulness of internet based on their socioeconomic characteristics. The results of this empirical study revealed that there exist a significant differences between internet use and socioeconomic characteristics in elderly people. It is hoped that the results of this study provide an essential data for developing the policy of the elderly's digital divide and welfare.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.207-219
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• 2014

Recognizing the lack of empirical study that evaluates the influence of social care services on care sufficiency of individuals with disability, we have focused our study on the following research questions: What is the level of care sufficiency for individuals with disability?, What is the profile of care for individuals with disability from both formal and informal providers?, What are the service use conditions and determinants of social care service use?. This study analyzed data of 1204 individuals with disability who needed daily assistance from 5th wave of Korea Welfare Panel Study. Results showed that 50% of the respondents experienced care deficit. 77% of the respondents received no care from informal care providers and 90% from formal care providers. Despite social care services brought by the expansion of socialization of care, the average number of social service use on care was less than 1, which suggests that socialization of care did not significantly contribute to care sufficiency. In addition, for people who are 64 or younger, social care services was substituted by care from informal care providers and for those who are 65 or older, social care services supplemented care from informal care providers.

• 한국노년학
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.21-35
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to empirically verify the effects of spousal bereavement and complicated grief level on death anxiety of the elderly. The sample consisted of 1,998 adults who were aged 65 or older. Dependent variable was measured with the Death Anxiety Scale-Korean version (DAS-K). Independent variable was measured with both spousal bereavement and the Inventory of Complicated Grief-Korean version (ICG-K). Multiple regression analysis was performed using SPSS 23.0, adjusting for demographics, psycho-social and health variables. The results indicated that death anxiety level was lower among the bereaved with normal grief (p<.01) than non-bereaved. In contrast, death anxiety level was higher among the bereaved with complicated grief than non-bereaved (p<.01). The study result suggests that the most risky factor for death anxiety is complicated grief rather than the bereavement. Although the bereavement can be a universal experience, the severity and duration of symptoms after the bereavement may not be general. The unhealed emotional and physical pain after the bereavement stimulates death anxiety, and senior citizens who suffer from complicated grief often fail to integrate the bereavement and loss into reality, therefore, may not accept the death phenomenon itself. Anxiety and fear of death can emerge when they cannot acknowledge the bereavement. To manage complex sorrows and mitigate death anxiety, intervention programs should be provided to increase adaptability to the bereavement.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.1-9
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• 2014

Within the urban area, over the past decades unused land and public land such as streams and road sides have given urban residents a space for farming (urban farms). However, because this use is illegal, farming in unused and public lands could cause conflicts between urban farm users and land owners, degrade the quality of the urban landscape and contaminate the environment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide a way of legalizing these farming practices that have been cultivated in unused urban areas and public lands. This study analyzed the status of distribution and use of the urban farms that have been scattered around urban areas in many different forms. The survey was conducted through on-the-spot investigation and in-person interviews with farm users and those who were operating weekend farms in the Siji region of Daegu Metropolitan City. According to the results of this study, urban farms were mainly found in green areas that were easily accessible from residential districts and prohibited from development. It was also revealed that the nearer to the border of the residential districts the sites of urban farms were, the larger the number of urban farms was. When it comes to the type of land use, although the proportion of urban farms located in farmlands was very high, the proportion of those located on state-owned lands such as roads, railroads and streams was also high, over 1/3 of that of the former sites. Among the users of urban farms, the percentage of users who were farming private-owned land for free was highest and that of state-owned land without permission ranked second. Most people who were farming unused lands or state-owned lands without permission, such as streams, roads, railroads, were the elderly. This shows the potential of farms in urban area as leisure activities spaces for the elderly. Even though this study has limitations in that the survey target area was selected in a certain area and the sizes of all urban farms were not measured by surveying apparatus and instruments, it helps to determine the characteristics of use and distribution associated with the spaces of urban farming, and to raise the importance and necessity of legalizing urban farms cultivated illegally in public land.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.463-474
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• 2014

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the food environment, particularly focusing on restaurants in three areas (Suwon city, Hwaseong Byeongieom-dong, and Bibong-myun). Methods: A total of 662 persons were surveyed on customers' perceptions of the food environment in restaurants. A structured questionnaire composed of 30 questions on 7 factors, sanitation (4 items), displaying information (5), food quality (12), information on nutritional and healthy food choice (6), restaurant's accessibility (1), availability (1), and affordability (1) was used. In addition, an expert assessment of restaurant sanitation, and information on nutritional healthy food choice was conducted through visiting 126 restaurants. Results: Scores (range of score : 1~7) for each factors assessing the restaurant food environment were 5.06 for sanitation factors, 5.05 for displaying information factors, 5.13 for taste appearance factors, and 4.35 for healthy menu factors. Informations on nutritional healthy food choice showed a low rate: only 16.24% of the subjects answered that there is a message encouraging choice of healthy foods and 27.4% answered that menus contain nutritional information. Significant differences in food environment were observed by region (city, town, rural). The restaurants food environment in the rural area turned out to be poorer than that of the other two areas. In comparison of customer perception and expert assessment, significant differences were observed for 'Employee appearances and uniforms are clean and tidy' (p < .05), and 'There is a message encouraging the choice of healthy foods' (p < .05). Conclusion: This study provided evidence for differences of restaurant food environment by regions. In the rural area, there is a problem in restaurant's accessibility, availability, and affordability because of a lack of variety in menu items and restaurants. This results suggest that there is a need for more healthy food restaurants in the rural area.