• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.831-850
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• 2016

The ratio of suicide among the elderly in Korea has nearly tripled within the last 20 years. With this in mind, this study examined the effects of social exclusion on depression and suicidal ideation among the elderly living in elderly-only households with a focus on gender differences. Social exclusion is composed of economic, health, housing, education, social participation, and relational aspects. For this study, data were gathered from 527 participants aged 65 years and over. The statistical methods used for data analysis were descriptive statistics, chi-square test, t-test, and hierarchical regression analysis with the SPSS Win 20.0 program. The results of this study are summarized as follows: First, more than 80% of the elderly experienced social exclusion. Women were shown to be more vulnerable than men in terms of housing exclusion, educational exclusion, health exclusion, and multiple exclusion, whereas men were more vulnerable than women in terms of social participation exclusion. Second, social exclusion had significant effects on suicidal ideation among the Korean elderly. We also observed gender differences in the results. Regression analysis of suicidal ideation showed that relational exclusion had a significant effect on suicidal ideation in men, whereas health exclusion had a significant effect on suicidal ideation in women. Results of the study show that stronger social support networks and policies focusing on the elderly are needed in order to reduce elderly suicide in Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.42 no.12 s.202
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• pp.93-106
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• 2004

This study examines the economic status and effect variables of expenditure of single elderly households using the 1996 Expenditure Survey of Urban Families from the Korea National Office. This study examined gender differences in total house income, expenditure and effect variables of expenditure. The results show that women had lower economic condition than men and that income is the most effective variable of expenditure for both. The result imply the need of employment and active support to improve household income especially for women who have a higher possibility of poverty.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.205-214
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• 2010

This study aimed to evaluate the patterns of inappropriate medication use and inappropriate dosage in elderly patients in Korea. A retrospective study was performed for the elderly 65 years or older admitted from January 2007 to December 2007 in a medical center, Seoul, Korea. Potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) use in the elderly was evaluated using Beers criteria. Eighteen drugs out of Beers criteria were included in the formulary of the institute. Inappropriate dosage was set using Beers criteria, CMS (the Centers for Medicare& Medicaid Services) guideline, Geriatric Dosage Handbook. As results, the patients with PIM were 2,172 during the study period. The commonly used inappropriate medications were drugs for the nervous system (n=1237, 44.78%), the alimentary System (n=663, 24.54%) and the cardiovascular system (n=494, 18.28%). The elderly patients with prescription of inappropriate dosage were 10% out of patients with PIMs. The commonly inappropriate dosage drugs were digoxin (n=75, 27.27%), diazepam (n=70, 22.55%) and ferrous sulfate (n=66, 24.00%). Logistic regression analysis showed the number of PIM, days of hospital stay as predictors related to inappropriate dosage use. In conclusion, CNS drugs were frequently prescribed as PIM and inappropriate dosages were identified. It is needed to develop a means of decreasing adverse drug events in elderly.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.19-41
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• 2016

This study examines the human capital, economic capital, and psychological factors that influence social participation among the elderly in the future. The data, 'Survey on the Elderly in 2014', were collected from 'The Ministry of Health & Welfare' and the 'Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs'. The samples included 10,279 elderly people who were over 65 years of age. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the research model. The findings are as follows. First, the highest participation awareness level of all was for the hobbies and leisure activities, and the lowest participation awareness level was for volunteer activities. Second, human capital factors such as age, education level, and health status, and economic capital factors such as household consumption expenditure and standard of living signigicant affected social participation awareness among the elderly. Psychological factors such as self-esteem, depression, and the subjective age of becoming elderly, also affected the social participation awareness. Third, awareness differed by sex. In particular, age and depression were restrictions of social participation awareness that were more common among elderly women than among elderly men, although single women were more likely to participate in religious, learning, and hobby and leisure activities. In contrast, chronic diseases and household consumption expenditures were more restrictive of social participation awareness among elderly men compared to elderly women. These results show that human capital, economic capital, and psychological factors heavily influence the social participation awareness of the elderly, although the degree of influence of these factors differs by sex.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.458-467
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was object to the effects of a resistance exercise combined with relaxation therapy on blood pressure, frequency of exercise and physical fitness in elderly women. Methods: Seventy three elderly women participated in an exercise program for 12 months. The exercise program consisted of stretching, massage and resistance training using thera-bands twice a week and 50 minutes in every sessions each week. Repeated measures ANOVA were performed using SAS. Results: After the exercise program there was a significant difference in systolic blood pressure, frequency of exercise, body fat, sitting to standing, walking 2 minutes, sitting on a chair and reaching, and standing on one leg with eyes opened. After 6 months, there was a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure and significant increase in frequency of exercise, body fat, sitting to standing and standing on one leg with eyes opened. In 12 months, there was a significant increase in body fat, 2 minutes walking, and sitting in a chair and reaching. Conclusion: Resistance exercise combined with muscle relaxation therapy would have a positive effect on elderly women. We found that it was helpful for the elderly women in terms of physical fitness.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.170-177
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was to identify factors influencing the quality of sleep in elderly women with urinary incontinence and examine the relationship among the factors. Methods: The study investigated 113 elderly women with urinary incontinence who were subject to the visiting care program at health centers in D-gu, D-si, South Korea. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 19.0 along with ${\chi}^2-test$, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression. Results: The total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) of the participants was found to be $11.41{\pm}4.34$. As a result of the correlation analysis, PSQI was found to have significant correlations with Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (BFLUTS) (r= .32, p< .001). The Korean version of Physical Activity Scale for Elderly (K-PASE) was (r= -.34, p< .001) and the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (GDS-SF) was (r= .23, p= .012). Multiple regression analysis found sleeping pill use (${\beta}=-.35$, p< .001) had the strongest influence on PSQI, followed by physical activity (${\beta}=-.20$, p< .001), depression (${\beta}=.20$, p< .001), and lower urinary tract symptoms (${\beta}=.19$, p< .001). The total model explanatory power was 28.3% (F= 12.07, p< .001). Conclusion: The study findings are expected to be useful for enhanced understanding of the quality of sleep in elderly women with urinary incontinence.

• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.1501-1520
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• 2009

The aim of this study is to observe the settlement experience among elderly North Korean women defectors who have been living in South Korea, and to understand their experience more fully. In this study, we adopted Colaizzi's phenomenological research method. The research participants consisted of six elderly North Korean women defectors in the age group of 65 to 70 who have settled in South Korea over three years. We utilized the purposed sampling and an in-depth interview for data collection. Data analysis was based on Colaizzi's six specific steps. As a result, eight theme clusters and sixteen themes were deduced from this research. The eight theme clusters are , , , , , , , . Based on these results, we discussed the meaning of elderly North Korean women's settlement experience in South Korea from a socio-cultural aspect and provided social welfare implications and future research suggestions.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.63-72
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• 2021

Objectives: Recent studies have suggested that assessing handgrip strength (HGS) asymmetry together with HGS may be helpful for evaluating problems in geriatric patients. This study aimed to identify whether HGS asymmetry, weakness, or both were associated with depression in Korean older adults. Methods: This study included 4274 subjects from the sixth and seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The maximum HGS of the dominant hand was used as a representative value. HGS symmetry was categorized by the ratio of the HGS of the dominant hand to that of non-dominant hand. The odds ratio (OR) for depression was calculated according to the HGS and its symmetry. Results: In total, 240 (12.5%) men and 534 (22.7%) women had depression. HGS or HGS asymmetry showed no statistically significant associations with depression in elderly men. Elevated odds of depression were observed in elderly women with low HGS (OR, 1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33 to 2.81) or prominent HGS asymmetry (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.08). There was a positive additive interaction between asymmetric HGS and weakness, as women with low and prominently asymmetric HGS showed higher odds of depression (OR, 3.77; 95% CI, 2.16 to 6.59) than women with high and symmetric HGS. Conclusions: Depression in elderly Korean women was associated with both low and asymmetric HGS. Our findings support the potential value of HGS asymmetry as an indicator of HGS.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.41-60
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• 2024

The number of elderly in care facilities is increasing in parallel with a rapid increase in the elderly population in Korea. We analyzed the meal satisfaction ratings, food preferences, and nutritional intakes of 74 patients aged ≥65 years living in a nursing hospital in Daegu. Food preferences were high for cooked rice, rice gruel, meat soup, soybean paste stew, beef, frozen pollack, squid, egg, spinach, sea mustard, cabbage kimchi, apple, peanut, drinking yogurt, pickled perilla leaves, and salted squid. Preferences for duck (P<0.01) and vegetable (P<0.01) cooking method were significantly different for men and women, and preference for soybean paste stew increased with age (P<0.05). Regarding nutrient intakes, men had higher energy (P<0.01), carbohydrates (P<0.05), and zinc (P<0.05) intakes than women, while women had higher vitamin C (P<0.05) intake than men. Furthermore, energy (P<0.001), carbohydrates (P<0.001), protein (P<0.05), dietary fiber (P<0.01), vitamin B₆ (P<0.01), phosphorus (P<0.05), and zinc (P<0.001) intakes significantly decreased with age. Men had a significantly higher nutrient adequacy ratios (NARs) for carbohydrates (P<0.05) and cal- cium (P<0.01) than women, while women had a significantly higher NARs for protein (P<0.05), vitamin A (P<0.01), vitamin C (P<0.05), thiamine (P<0.01), riboflavin (P<0.001), iron (P<0.001), and zinc (P<0.01). Mean adequacy ratios were 0.69 for men and 0.75 for women. In particular, NARs for carbohydrates (P<0.01), vitamin B₆ (P<0.01), and calcium (P<0.05) decreased significantly with age. In summary, the study shows that supplementing vitamin C, vitamin B₆, calcium, and iron, reducing sodium, and providing meals that reflect preferences will improve the nutritional statuses of elderly residents in a nursing hospital.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.3962-3972
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of combined exercise on body composition and cardiovascular disease risk factors in sarcopenic obesity elderly women. The subjects for the study were 21 obesity elderly women over 65 years old. They were divided into two groups, the sarcopenic obesity group(n=9) and non-sarcopenic obesity group(n=12). The variables of body composition and CVD risk factors were measured in all the subjects before and after 16-week combined exercise. The findings of this study were as follows; In the sarcopenic obesity elderly women significantly decreased total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), and left baPWV. The non-sarcopenic obesity elderly women significantly decreased total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and left baPWV, but significantly increased high density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C). The most important finding in this study was that sarcopenic obesity elderly women showed delayed effects of a 16-week combined exercise on HDL, LDL-C, BP, and right baPWV compared to the non-sarcopenic obesity elderly women.