• Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
• /
• v.53 no.1
• /
• pp.133-157
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study was to figure out requirements and considerations of guidelines for libraries serving active older adults in Korea. The research data were collected by examining domestic laws and policies, foreign library guidelines and service practices. Two focus group interviews were also conducted with 10 librarians of Seoul metropolitan area. The research findings were the following: Specific guidelines should be set up including sections of information resources, human resources, facilities, service & programs, and promotion & marketing. The guideline should also include not only solutions for improving digital literacy of old adults but solving librarians' difficulties with serving old adults.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.495-507
• /
• 2021

Objectives: This study examined regional differences in the intake of dietary total fat and saturated fatty acid (SFA) and their food sources among Korean adults. We also investigated the associations of SFA intake with metabolic diseases by region. Methods: This study included 13,926 adults (≥ 19y) who participated in the 2016 ~ 2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. The regions were divided into urban and rural areas according to the administrative districts where the participants lived. Using dietary data obtained from a 24-h recall, intake of total fat and SFA and their food sources were assessed by region. Metabolic diseases included obesity, abdominal obesity, and elevated total cholesterol and their association with SFA intake by region were examined using multiple logistic regression. Results: Of the participants, 19.6% lived in rural areas. In urban areas, the total fat and SFA intakes were higher than in rural areas: 21.2% of energy (%E) came from total fat and 6.9%E from SFA in urban areas, whereas 18.0%E came from total fat and 5.8%E from SFA in rural areas. The percentage of participants who exceeded the dietary reference intakes for total fat and SFA in urban areas was 16.5% and 41.9%, respectively, but 43.4% of participants in rural areas showed lower intake levels for total fat compared to the reference level. Young adults did not show regional differences in fat intake, and the percentage of subjects who exceeded the reference for SFA was high both in urban (58.5%) and rural (55.7%) areas. Among middle-aged and older adults, intake of fatty acids except for n-3 fatty acid was significantly higher in urban areas than in rural areas. About 69% of older adults in rural areas showed a lower intake of total fat compared to the reference level. The food sources for total fat and SFA were meat, soybean oil, eggs, and milk in both areas. The intake of fat from eggs, milk, mayonnaise, and bread was higher in urban areas, but the intake of fat from white rice and coffee mix was higher in rural areas. The SFA intake was positively associated with elevated serum total cholesterol in urban areas (4th quartile vs. 1st quartile, OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.06-1.40, P for trend: 0.043), but not in rural areas. Conclusions: Regional differences in total fat and SFA intakes and their food sources were observed among Korean adults. Our findings may help plan nutritional strategies to ameliorate regional health disparities.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.137-149
• /
• 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.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.20 no.10
• /
• pp.326-337
• /
• 2020

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of social participation types on cognitive impairment degree(normal, mild, severe cognitive function) by urban and rural difference. The research was performed by multinomial logistic regression with the data of elderly 5,668 over 55 years of age from the sixth wave(2016) and the seventh wave(2018) of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Results show that social participation reduces the risk of cognitive impairment on both urban and rural older adults regardless of types, but the types of social participation, which are effective to reduce the risk of cognitive impairment, are different between urban and rural area. According to residential area, types of social participation, which are effective to decline the risk of being mild or severe cognitive impairment and the risk of being severe cognitive impairment relative to mild, are different. These findings suggest that, in order to prevent cognitive impairment and reduce the severity, social participation is strongly recommended and appropriate supports are required. This implies policy and intervention efforts considering the urban and rural difference are needed.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.131-141
• /
• 2023

This study aimed to identify the determinants of physical frailty among the old-old adults in rural Korean communities. A total of 191 individuals aged 75 and older were included in the study, with the majority being female. Participants were classified into healthy (n=47), pre-frail (n=54), and frail (n=90) groups. Significant differences were found across these groups in terms of age, gender, education level, depression, and nutritional status. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that age (OR=1.16), depression (OR=0.21), malnourishment (OR=10.85), and short physical performance ability (OR=0.70) were significant predictors of physical frailty. These findings underscore the multifaceted nature of physical frailty among old-old adults in urban-rural complex communities and highlight the need for comprehensive and integrated interventions. Such interventions should consider not only physical factors but also broader health conditions and socio-demographic influences impacting the elderly. Further research is needed to develop and evaluate interventions that address these determinants and promote health equity among the elderly population in urban-rural complex communities

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.1083-1105
• /
• 2018

The present study sought to capture day-to-day fluctuation of the daily happiness among Korean urban older adults and to examine whether the within person fluctuation of daily happiness is explained by the social and physical activities the older adults experience each day. We also examined whether the within person association between daily social, physical activities and the daily happiness varies by individual characteristics(i.e. gender, age, educational level and health). In addition, we explored the relationships between the level and fluctuation of daily happiness and the level of global happiness. The data was collected by multi-method approach, which includes general survey, daily diary method and collection of physical activity data through the activity monitors. In total, 175 urban older adults participated for seven days of daily diary survey. The data about the number of steps and the time spent on sedentary activities, light intensity physical activities and moderate to vigorous intensity physical activities were also collected during the same period from 16 sub-samples using activity monitors. Hierarchical linear modeling was applied for the analysis. The results were as below. First, the level of happiness of older adults fluctuated during a week, and the patterns of fluctuation varied by the gender and the health. Second, socializing with their children and friends elevated their levels of happiness. Also the impact of contacts with siblings on the level of daily happiness was greater for the unhealthy group compare to the healthy group. Third, older adults were happier on the days when they walked more, but the level of daily happiness decreased on the days when they spent longer time for low intensity physical activities. Lastly, the higher level of daily happiness were related to the higher level of global happiness, but the degree of fluctuation of daily happiness was not related to the level of global happiness. The implications of these results and suggestions for future research are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.453-464
• /
• 2019

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine whether dietary quality varies among different age groups and geographic areas, and whether the difference between geographic areas varies across several age groups in Korea. Methods: The subjects were 14,170 subjects who participated in the 2013-2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The dietary quality was assessed using the Korean Health Eating Index (KHEI). Age groups were categorized into six groupings, and areas were categorized into urban and rural according to their administrative districts. The effect of area on the KHEI score was analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The KHEI was the lowest in the 20-30s group (57.7 ± 0.4 score for 20s and 61.2 ± 0.3 score for 30s) and increased with age (p<0.001), showing the highest score in the 60s (67.9 ± 0.3 score), and then decreased again in the 70s and older (64.6 ± 0.3 score). As a result of comparing the KHEI score by area, the urban areas had higher KHEI scores than did the rural areas (63.5 ± 0.2 score for urban area and 62.2 ± 0.4 score for rural area, p=0.002). The difference between areas was dependent on the age group, showing a significant difference for subjects who were aged from 50s and older (p=0.002 for 50s, p<0.001 for 60s and p<0.001 for 70s and older). After adjusting for confounding factors, the effect of area on the KHEI score was only shown for those subjects in the over 60 years old group (p=0.035 for 60s and p<0.001 for 70s and older). Conclusions: The dietary quality differed according to the age group and geographic area. The dietary quality was lower for younger people than that for older people, and in rural areas compared to that in urban areas, and especially for older adults. The area factor was a very important factor for the dietary quality.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.243-255
• /
• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine effects of a multifactorial program for preventing the frailty of older adults and effects of a follow-up program applying a capacity building strategy. Methods: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used for the nonequivalent control group. The follow-up group (n=75) and non-follow-up group (n=68) received the same multifactorial program comprising muscle strength exercise, cognitive training, and psychosocial programs for 12 weeks. After completion of multifactorial program, the follow-up group took follow-up programs applying the capacity building strategy for following 12 weeks. The data of physical function, cognitive function, and psychological function, and self-rated health were collected from both groups three times: before intervention, after intervention, and 12 weeks after intervention. The data were analyzed using $x^2$ test and t-test. Results: In comparison with the non-follow-up group, the scores of Timed Up & Go Test, and physical activities energy expenditure were significantly improved in the follow-up group. Conclusion: These results indicate that a multifactorial program with follow-up adapting the strategies of capacity building for the older adults group is feasible to prevent the physical frailty in community.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.184-191
• /
• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare health management and leisure activities of the Korean and Japanese elderly. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional descriptive research design. A total of 149 Korean and 140 Japanese older adults living in two urban-rural composite areas participated in this research project. Data were collected using interviews with the participants. t-test and $x^2$ test were used to analyze the data. Results: Eighty eight point two percent of the Japanese perceived that their health status was good whereas 27.3% of the Koreans responded that their health status was poor. There were significant differences in types of leisure activities in art, intellectual, events, and volunteer activities between the two groups. A majority of the Japanese elderly replied that they spent some time and money for leisure activities; however, 20.2% and 27.2% of the Koreans reported that they did not spend time or money at all for leisure activities. Conclusion: The number of the Korean elderly participating leisure activities was significantly lower than Japanese participants. Developing nursing strategies using leisure programs would improve the quality of life of older adults and the quality of nursing care.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.303-313
• /
• 2012

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the correlation between social support, loneliness, sleep quality, and perceived health status among community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Older adults who lived in urban and rural local communities were taken into account. Among them, 396 people participated in this study. Path analysis was conducted in order to verify the study model and its verification. SPSS WIN 18.0 and AMOS17.0 were used for analysis of collected data. Results: The results showed that social support had a significant effect on perceived health status (${\beta}$=.17, p= .003) and loneliness (${\beta}$=-.56, p<.001), while loneliness had a significant effect on perceived health status (${\beta}$=-.12, p=.045) and sleep quality (${\beta}$=.20, p<.001). In addition, the results also indicated that sleep quality had a significant influence on perceived health status (${\beta}$=-.16, p <.001). According to results derived from the model, Chi-square=.359, df=1 NC=.359, CFI=1.0, NFI=0.98, RMSEA=.000; thus, the model was shown to be significant. Conclusion: For maintenance of the health of the aged, social support, loneliness, and sleep quality should be secured; in order to realize this, an effort should be made toward health promotion while providing the aged with more social attention.