• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.115-126
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• 2005

Purpose: The aims of this study were to describe general characteristics and needs of home health care, and to find the differences between home health care needers and non-needers. Method: In this study, 642 subjects participated who lived in Muan, Jollanam-do. Data were collected in August 2001 using a self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire was a revised and simplified form of the Organization of Community Health System Program at the Seoul National University. Collected data were analyzed through Kruskal-Wallis test. t-test. and Chi-squire for cross-sectional analysis. Result: The average age of the subjects was 52.6 years and 33.3% of them aged over 65 years. Twenty six percent of them had chronic degenerative diseases. The percentages of hypertension patients and D.M. patients were 6.4% and 2.5%, respectively. The number of family members was 2.95 on the average, 2.19 in cases of families with the elderly and 3.33 in cases of families without the elderly. The rate of disability of the elderly was 10.5%. Marital status (p=.000), the number of family members (p=.000), education (p=.000), job (p=.000) and health insurance (p=.027) were significantly different between home care needers and non-needers. Home care needers had less living expenses (p=.001), more frequent hospital admissions (p=.004), higher chronic disease rate (p=.000) and more frequent visits to public health center (p=.027) than non-needers. Home care needers who wanted free service were twice as many as non-needers. Conclusion: Home care need was very high in rural areas and the needers had worse characteristics (low educational level. low income, no job and no family). Therefore, it is necessary to develop cheaper and more accessible services for home care needers in rural areas.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.248-257
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the relationships of types of dental insurance coverage in Korea with sociodemographic characteristics and the prevalence of systemic and oral diseases, as well as to evaluate the socioeconomic impact of Korean dental insurance policies. Methods: Sample cohort data from 2006 to 2015 were obtained from the National Health Insurance Service. Patients were divided into 2 groups. The exposed group comprised patients who received insurance benefits for complete dentures, removable partial dentures, and implant care, while the control group comprised patients who did not receive these benefits. The type of insurance coverage and the prevalence of systemic and oral diseases were compared between the 2 groups. Results: Patients who received benefits in the form of complete dentures, removable partial dentures, and implants had similar sociodemographic characteristics in terms of sex, age, income quintile, and type of insurance coverage to the control group. The prevalence of hypertension, anemia, renal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, and cerebral infarction was higher in the exposed group than in the control group (P<0.05). The prevalence of periodontal diseases and dental caries was also higher in the exposed group. Conclusions: Korean dental health insurance policy has been beneficial for the medical expenses of low-income and elderly people suffering from a cost burden due to systemic diseases. However, since there is a tendency to avoid invasive interventions in older patients due to the high risk of systemic diseases, insurance coverage of dentures may be more helpful from a socioeconomic perspective than coverage of dental implant treatments.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.327-337
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence rate of depression and the associated factors affecting the depression among the elderly beneficiaries of the national basic livelihood scheme. Methods: From the beneficiaries of the "visiting health care program" in a city the beneficiaries (aged 65 years or older) of the national basic livelihood scheme were selected. A total of 677 subjects were included in the study and hence for data analyses. Results: The observed prevalence rate of depression was 80.5% (mild depression was 60.2%, and severe depression was 20.3%). The factors influencing depression were indicative of subjective health status, walking exercise, hypertension, and diabetes. Conclusion: On the basis of our study results, as a strategy to reduce the prevalence rate of depression among the elderly concerned, we are of the opinion that it is very much necessary to motivate them to practice continuous and regular walking exercises in easily accessible places by mobilizing community resources such as visiting nurses and volunteers. Such efforts may not only immediately reduce the morbidity rate of depression among the low-income elderly, but also, in the long run, prevent suicides and contribute to improving their mental health status to an appreciable extent.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.281-292
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• 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors related to prehypertension in Korean adults. Methods: The data were obtained from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005. The subjects of this study were 3,981 adults aged over 20 years of age. Demographic characteristics, alcohol drinking, smoking, physical activity, stress, BMI, serum lipid profiles and blood pressure were analyzed in this study. Results: Prevalence of prehypertension was 38.9% in this study. As the result of multiple logistic regression, the risk of prehypertension in male, elderly and low income persons was increased. And the risk of prehypertension was increased in the case of problem drinking, alcohol abuse, formal smoker, overweight, obesity and hyperlipidemia in triglyceride. Conclusion: To decrease prehypertension prevalence, it is necessary to detect and manage the influencing risk factors of prehypertension such as alcohol drinking, smoking, obesity, physical activity, stress and serum lipid profiles.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.38-47
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• 2023

Objectives: This study examined the association between the experience of disease management education and the use of nutrition labels according to the sociodemographic characteristics and health behaviors of people diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes living in the community. Methods: Among the participants from the Community Health Survey (2018), 74,283 individuals diagnosed with hypertension or diabetes were included in the study population. According to gender, this study evaluated nutrition label use by the experience of disease management education, individual sociodemographic characteristics, and health behavior. Finally, using multiple logistic regression analysis, the association between disease management education and nutrition labels was calculated using the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: Males (24.5%) experienced more disease management education than females (22.6%). In addition, younger age, higher education level, and higher equalized personal income experienced more disease management education (P < 0.001). The educational experience rate was higher in the male subjects who did not smoke or were involved in high-risk alcohol consumption (P < 0.001). In addition, the rate of disease management education experience was significantly higher for both men and women who exercised by walking (P < 0.001). The use of nutrition labels was higher in females (9.9%) than males (5.8%), and both males and females were significantly higher in young age, high education, high income, and professional and office positions (P < 0.001). The utilization rate of nutrition labels was high in non-smoking male subjects and high-risk-drinking female subjects. In addition, the utilization rate of nutrition labels was significantly higher in males and females who exercised by walking and those who experienced disease management education (P < 0.001). After adjusting for individual sociodemographic characteristics, health behavior, and disease management education, the use of nutrition labels was high among females (OR 3.19, 95% CI 2.85-3.58), high income (Q4; OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.41-1.87, Q5; OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.37-1.84) and highly educated (high school; OR 2.87, 95% CI 2.62-3.14, above college; OR 5.60, 95% CI 5.02-6.23) while it was low in the elderly (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.40-0.47), and economically inactive (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.76-0.96). The use of nutrition labels was high in non-smokers (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.13-1.48), nonhigh-risk drinkers (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.08-1.38), and subjects who exercised walking (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.34-1.54). There was no difference in the utilization rate of nutrition labels according to obesity, and the utilization rate of nutrition labels was significantly higher in subjects who had experienced disease education (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.24-1.44). Conclusions: Education on the use of nutrition labels, which contributes to food selection for healthy eating, might be a tool for dietary management. Moreover, the utilization rate can be a good indicator for predicting the proportion of the population practicing the guide for disease management. Improving the utilization rate of nutrition labels through disease management education can be a useful intervention for people with chronic diseases who need healthy eating habits for disease management and preventing complications, particularly those diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.406-421
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the blood biochemical characteristics, comorbidities, dietary intake, and other risk factors leading to poor glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) control in elderly Korean diabetes patients over 65 years of age. Methods: Data from the 4^th (2007-2009) and the 7^th (2016-2018) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) were used. Socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, region, household income, education level, marital status, nutrition education, diabetes duration and diabetes treatment), lifestyle characteristics (drinking, smoking, regular walking, and subjective health perception), anthropometric characteristics (height, weight, and waist circumference), blood biochemical characteristics (HbA1c, high- density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, total cholesterol, blood urea nitrogen, and blood creatinine), co-morbidities (obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and anemia), energy and nutrients intake, food group intake, and HbA1c control-related risk factors were compared. Results: Compared to the 4^th survey, the 7^th survey showed an increase in diabetes prevalence among men, an increase in the prevalence of diabetes in the older patients, and an increase in the duration of diabetes. The energy ratio from carbohydrate consumption in the 7^th survey was lower than in the 4^th. Compared to the 4^th survey, thiamine and riboflavin intake had improved, and the intakes of vitamin A, vitamin C, and niacin had worsened in the 7^th. A comparison of food group intakes showed that there was a decrease in the consumption of whole grains, potatoes, and milk and an increase in the intake of beverages and alcoholic beverages. The risk factors for poor control of HbA1c were the duration of diabetes and co-morbid hypertriglyceridemia in the 4^th survey, whereas subjective health perception, obesity, and hypercholesterolemia as co-morbidities were found to be risk factors in the 7^th in addition to the risk factors highlighted in the 4^th survey. Conclusions: For the future management of elderly Korean diabetes patients, greater care is indicated for men over 75 years, and those with low levels of education. It is necessary to increase the intake of milk and vegetables, and reduce the intake of beverages and alcoholic beverages. In addition, it is necessary to reduce the incidence of obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertriglyceridemia for proper control of blood sugar.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.36 no.11
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• pp.1399-1408
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• 2007

This study was conducted to compare health and nutritional status of 45 home-living elderly people receiving free Meals on Wheels (MOW) (13 men, 32 women) and 81 low income class elderly people receiving free congregate meals (CM) (10 men, 71 women) served in Seoul. Data were obtained from questionnaires, anthropometry and interviews for the 24-hour dietary recall methods. There were no significant differences between the two groups in age and body mass index. Education level, type of housing, family type and income of the two groups also were not significantly different. In MOW, frequencies of exercise were lower while the prevalence of stroke, respiratory disease and loneliness were higher, compared with the CM. The scores of ADL, IADL and food habit of MOW were lower than those of CM. The average daily nutritional intake of both MOW and CM were as a whole under the DRI for Koreans. Energy and macro-nutrient intakes of MOW were tended to be lower than CM (except protein intakes for female). Ca, K, vitamin A, vitamin $B_1$, vitamin $B_2$, vitamin C and folate intakes of MOW were less than 50% of DRI. Percentages of subjects consuming energy less than 75% of EER and 4 nutrients intakes less than EAR were higher in MOW (42.2%) than in CM (1.2%). Our results indicated that dietary nutritional status of MOW was very poor, especially in the case of female elderly groups. For the welfare of the home-living elderly people receiving free MOW, meal service programs should be improved in quality of diet by national supports.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.247-257
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• 2014

Purpose: It is reported that most senior people consume a high carbohydrate diet, while a high carbohydrate diet could contribute to the risk of chronic disease. The aim of this study is to determine whether a high carbohydrate diet can increase the risk of chronic disease in elderly Koreans. Methods: Using the 2007-2009 Korean National Health Nutrition Examination Survey data, out of a total of 3,917 individuals aged 65 and above, final 1,535 subjects were analyzed, divided by dietary carbohydrate energy ratio into two groups of moderate carbohydrate ratio (MCR, 55-70%) and excessive carbohydrate ratio (ECR, > 70%). All data were processed after the application of weighted value, using a general linear model or logistic regression. Results: Eighty one percent of elderly Koreans consumed diets with carbohydrate energy ratio above 70%. The ECR group included more female subjects, rural residents, lower income, and lower education level. The ECR group showed lower waist circumference, lower diastolic blood pressure, and lower frequency of consumption of meat and egg, milk, and alcohol. The intake of energy and most nutrients, with the exception of fiber, potassium, vitamin A, and carotene, was lower in the ECR group compared to the MCR group. When analyzed by gender, the ECR group showed lower risk of dyslipidemia in male and obesity in female subjects, even though the ECR group showed low intake of some nutrients. No difference in the risk of hypertension, diabetes, and anemia was observed between the two groups in male or female subjects. Conclusion: This result suggested that a high carbohydrate diet would not be a cause to increase the risk of chronic disease in the elderly. Further study is needed in order to determine an appropriate carbohydrate energy ratio for elderly Koreans to reduce the risk of chronic disease.