• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.199-207
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• 2009

Objectives : Research on the gender differences of health among older Korean people has been limited compared with the research for other stages of life. This study first examined the patterns and magnitude of the gender differences of health in later life. Second, we examined the gender differences in the health of older men and women that were attributable to differing socioeconomic conditions. Methods : Using the nationally representative 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the gender differences in disability and subjective poor health were assessed by calculating the age adjusted and gender-specific prevalence. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess if the differences between the men and women for health could be explained by differential exposure to socioeconomic factors and/or the differential vulnerability of men and women to these socioeconomic factors. Results : Our results indicated that older women were more likely than the men to report disability and poor subjective health. The health disadvantage of older women was diminished by differential experiences with socioeconomic factors, and especially education. The differences shrink as much as 43.7% in the case of disability and 35.4% in the case of poor subjective health by the differential exposure to educational attainment. Any differential vulnerability to socioeconomic factors was not found between the men and women, which means that socioeconomic factors may have similar effect on health in both genders. Conclusions : Differential socioeconomic experience and exposure between the men and women might cause gender difference in health in old age Koreans.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.114-126
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• 2022

The relationship between mortality and the Korean Healthy Eating Index ("KHEI") is well established. This study was to investigate the associations between health habits, mental health, and nutritional status and KHEI in older Koreans (aged≥65 years). A total of 4,247 subjects (1,842 men and 2,405 women) that participated in the 2016~2018 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were included in the analysis. The lowest scoring KHEI item was milk and milk products. KHEI tertile groups were classified by total KHEI score. Tertile group percentages were related to general characteristics such as gender, residential area, educational level, income level, number of family members, and age. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for general characteristics, showed that ex-smokers (OR: male 1.53 female 2.29), smokers (OR: male 2.90), low hand grip strength (OR: male 1.42 female 1.90), poor self-rated health status (OR: female 1.83), stressful mental status (OR: female 1.51), poor health-related quality of life (OR: female 1.64), poor nutritional status (OR: male 2.88~37.20 female 1.98~16.12), and food insecurity (OR: male 6.87 female 2.03) were significantly related to a lower KHEI. This study suggests that gender-specific associations exist between mental health status and KHEI.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.440-449
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the moderate effect of social support on the relationship between death anxiety and depressive symptoms among poor older women in rural areas. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of the data from 209 women who were participated in the intervention study to evaluate the effectiveness of depression prevention program. Data were collected between April and September 2012. The data were analyzed using moderate multiple regressions. Results: Among these poor older women, depressive symptoms were associated with death anxiety and social support. Self-esteem support had a moderating effect on the relationship between death anxiety and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The results indicate that the self-esteem support was effective in decreasing depressive symptoms and death anxiety in poor older women. In order to reduce their depression and make positive changes in their lives, self-esteem improvement programs are needed.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.58-67
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• 2007

For the rapidly growing elderly population, the achievement and maintenance of good nutritional status is critical to health, functioning and quality of life. Elderly women living alone have been identified as a group associated with poor nutrition. The purpose of this study was to assess dietary intakes of elderly women living alone as compared to those of elderly women living with family in a rural area and to examine seasonal variation. The subjects are 49 elderly women living alone and 41 elderly women living with family who reside in Goryeong-gun, Gyeongbuk, and their food intakes were assessed once each time in summer 2005, winter 2005-2006, and spring 2006. The average ages were 74.7 years for living alone and 72.8 years for living with family. Education level was not different between the two groups. Height, weight, body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and fasting blood glucose were not significantly different between the two groups. Average intakes of major nutrients, nutrient adequacy ratio, mean adequacy ratio and index of nutritional quality were lower in the elderly women living alone compared with the elderly women living with family in summer, but the differences in intakes of most nutrients became insignificant both in winter and in spring. High carbohydrate and low fat diet was prevalent and intakes of carbohydrate and fat in summer deviated from macronutrient acceptable distribution ranges. Percentages of the subjects who consumed energy less than 75% of the estimated energy requirement and nutrients less than the estimated average requirement were higher than those reported by the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In summer, the percentage of the subjects who consumed energy less than both 75% of the estimated energy requirement and 4 nutrients less than estimated average requirements was 58.5% of the elderly women living alone, which was higher than 26.5% of the elderly women living with family and that of National Nutrition Survey. Therefore, nutrition policies including nutrition education and support are necessary to improve nutritional status of elderly, especially elderly women living alone and should reflect regional and seasonal characteristics.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.97-124
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• 2001

Co-residence is a type of intergenerational private transfers of resources: money, time and space. Adult daughters and their elderly parents decide to co-reside, depending on their utility levels before and after co-residence that mainly depend on the health status of the elderly. Therefore, co-residence implies positive net benefits to both parties in the sense that, when they co-reside, elderly parents share childcare and adult daughter provide elderly care. In other words, formal (paid) care can be substituted with informal (unpaid) one. Both marriage and giving births are considered as the major obstacles to labor market attachment of women who bear burdens of home production and childcare. Co-residence can be a solution for married women to avoid career interruption by sharing burdens with their elderly parents. However, most previous studies using the U.S. data on intergenerational private transfers focused on elderly care and have concluded that they reduce government expenditures associated with public subsidies to the elderly. This study focuses on adult daughters and it examines effects of co-residence on labor supply of married women in Korea, who face limited formal childcare programs in terms of both quantity and quality. It applies the Tobit model of married women's labor supply to the data from the Second Wave of the Korean Labor and Income Panel Survey( 1999), in order to investigate effects of co-residence and the work and health status of the co-residing elderly as well as their own health status. Four specifications of the empirical model are tested that each includes co-residence with elderly parents, their gender, or their work and health status. Estimation results show that co-residence, co-residence with female elderly, and co-residence with not-working female elderly have significant positive effects on labor supply of married women while poor health status of co-residing female elderly does not bring about any negative effects. However, co-residence with male elderly, regardless of their work and health status, has no significant effect The results indicate that co-residence is closely related to sharing of home production among female elderly and adult daughters who are married and, through intergenerational private transfers of resources in terms of time, it helps women avoid career interruption.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.65-86
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• 1990

Living conditions of the rural elderly were assessed in terms of clothing behavior, health and nutritional status, housing and envioronmental condition, and psychological adjustment. The subjects were eighty individuals over sixty residing in the rural community of Iksan-kun, Chollabukdo. The interview method using questionnaires, direct measurement, and observation was used for this study. Data were compared with those obtained from a previous study of the elderly residing in an urban area. Clothing behavior showed that the elderly residing in the rural community were more concerned about plain and conservative design of clothes than their urban counterparts. Special protective clothes for cropdusting with agricultural chemicals had not been prepared. The following urgent needs were pointed out: development and supply of agricultural chemical protective clothing and development and education of appropriate washing and clothing care methods. The health status of the elderly was generally good, but poor eating habits were found more frequently in the rural elderly than among the urban dwellers. Several dietary nutrient intakes were insufficient. Contrasting the urban elderly with the rural group, it was found that the urban group lacked sufficient vitamin A and vitamin C and the urban women had insufficient calorie whereas the rural group was deficient in protein, vitamin A, calorie, and fat. A significant relationship was found between dietary nutrient intake and health index, food habit points, self recognized health status, meal satisfaction, and economic status. Urgent needs of the development of a nutrition education program for the elderly were pointed out. Most of elderly residing in the surveyed rural communities were living alone or with their spouse only, therefore only one room was used among the three or four available rooms. Most of the rural elderly were living either in a traditional Korean house built with differing floor levels or in a modified Korean style house. Minimal modernization had been made for kitchen facilities such as sink and gas range or for heating facilities with the briquette boiler. However, sanitary space such as lavatory and bathroom had not been remodeled. A housing welfare program for rural communities should be implemented at the national level. The comparison of psychological characteristics of the rural elderly with their city counterparts revealed that the rural elderly have a more stable psychological status and optimistic attitude than those living in a city. However, it was found that most of the elderly did not have any future plan. Community programs for the elderly including hobbies or leisure activities or education programs to generate close interpersonal relationships with their children should be developed and provided.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.12
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• pp.209-214
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of oral health status on daily life of elderly women. The subjects of this study were 142 elderly women aged 60 years or older who were surveyed through questionnaires, interviews, counseling, and oral examinations. The SPSS program was used for frequency analysis, descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The results of the study showed that the number affected on daily life were 1.4 in average and the oral health condition was the highest at scaling (59.4%). When the oral status was unsatisfactory, it was found to be uncomfortable in daily life. In case of oral pain, oral status and poor removal of calculus, the number and frequency in daily life were increased. In conclusion, the oral health of elderly women can improve their daily life ability and affect the quality of life. Therefore, a systematic oral care plan is needed through the expansion of oral health promotion education for elderly women and the development of continuous preventive programs.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.375-396
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• 2007

This study examined the demographic characteristics of the elderly who use public libraries in Daejoen Metropolitan City. Their tendencies in using the library level of satisfaction about the library and how the library affects their life were also evaluated. The survey revealed there were more man than woman users. And most users being relatively healthy sixties, highly educated and belonging to the middle class were indicated. They have been using the library frequently and regularly for a long time and were highly satisfied with the services from librarians and other staffs. Also the Public library services had a positive effect on the quality of the life of the elderly. As a result, an effective program for servicing potential visitors who are in poor health, over 70 years old, having lower level of education, living in below standard conditions, and living far from the library were suggested. Elderly women also will be the potential visitors.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.324-333
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• 2001

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore fear of falling in relation to activity restriction of in the community dwelling elderly. Two hundred ninety-nine community dwelling elderly residing in Seoul and Kyonggi-do were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. The results were as follows : 1. Subjects were predominantly women$(70.6\%)$, an average 72.5 years old; the incidence of falls in last one year was $45.5\%$. 2. The highest level of fear found for activity in those who say they do engage and those who do not engage in the activity was 'going out when it is slippery '(m=2.53, 2.81) and 'reach for something over your head'(m=1.66, 2.60). Fear of falling scores were significant lower for those who say they do engage in eight kinds of activities (excluded activities of given were 'go to the store', 'take a tub bath', 'get out of bed') than for those who do not engage in the activities. 3. Among those who did not perform the activity, the three activities, when it is slippy(n=80), reaching overhead(n=70), and walk outside(n=59),were most often avoided because fear alone as well as for reasons in addition to fear. 4. The significant variables associated with fear of falling were female(p=0.0000), 1 educational status(p=0.000l), poor economic condition(p=0.0007), and experience of falls in last one year(p=0.0007). Fear of falling is common in the community dwelling elderly in Korea and is associated with several demographical variables. Therefore, to prevent falls and to reduce fear of falling, further study for development of education program for the elderly is needed.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2018

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that can affect many organs of the body but usually affects the lungs. The prevalence of TB in Korea is considerably higher than that in other countries with similar economic levels, and is much higher in elderly people. Pharmacotherapy is important in the treatment of TB and requires relatively high compliance for a prolonged duration. Methods: We analyzed sample data of elderly patients obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. We used logistic regression analysis and frequency analysis to identify factors that could affect prevalence of TB in elderly patients, compliance with prescribed medication regimes in these patients, and use of medical institutions. Korean Standard Classification of Diseases, version 7 (KCD-7) was used to diagnose pulmonary TB, and medications were analyzed using Korean standardized drug classification codes. Results: 1,276,331 patients were analyzed in the sample of the elderly population, and 16,658 TB patients were included in the study. The mean age of the TB patients was 76.19 years (SD 6.899). A total of 699 patients were prescribed isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, or pyrazinamide at least once. Of these, 352 (50.4%) were prescribed all four medications and 101 (14.4%) were prescribed only isoniazid, rifampicin, and ethambutol. The mean duration of prescription was 28.75 days (SD 36.13). Conclusion: In the elderly population, old age and poor socioeconomic conditions correlated with TB prevalence. Most patients did not meet the criteria for effective pharmacotherapy of TB.