• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.206-215
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aimed to verify the predictive validity of Comprehensive Korean Frailty Instrument (CKFI) among older adults. Methods: A secondary analysis of data from a prospective cohort study was conducted. Frailty was determined in older adults (N=9,188) according to the data in 2008 and the effects of frailty on adverse outcomes (such as institutionalization and death) were evaluated according to the data in 2011. The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) index was used to compare with the predictive validity of CKFI. Results: The prevalence of frailty was 26.3%. With the CKFI, the frail group had a higher risk of negative health outcomes compared to the robust and pre-frail groups after three years. The two of the highest risks identified using the CKFI and CHS index were institutionalization (5.522 times higher) and mortality (3.210 times higher). For both instruments, the survival analysis revealed that the risk of death increased as the degree of frailty increased. Conclusion: The CKFI consisting of self-report items and multidimensional aspects of frailty can be used as a simple instrument for assessing the frailty of older adults residing in a local community in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.734-745
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• 2009

Diabetes mellitus is the prevalent disease among older adults. The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate the nutrition education program for diabetes mellitus patients aged 60 and over. The one group pretest and posttest design was employed to evaluate the program effectiveness. Nutrition education program for diabetes mellitus patients was carried out at the public healthy center in Guri city. The 38 out of 63 patients completed education program. They received four sessions of group education during four weeks. Nutrition education materials (booklet, leaflet) for older adults were provided to participants. Data about blood glucose, blood pressure, nutrition and diabetes mellitus knowledge, dietary behavior, dietary intake by 24-hour recalls were collected before and after nutrition education to evaluate the program effectiveness. All data were statistically analyzed using SAS package (ver.8.2) and significant difference was evaluated by $X^2$-test, paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test. Study results showed that blood pressure and blood glucose were slightly decreased after nutrition education but they did not reach statistical significance. There were positive changes in nutrition knowledge and dietary behavior. The total score of nutrition and diabetes knowledge increased significantly (p < 0.001), and the total score of dietary behavior was improved (p < 0.05) after nutrition education. Dietary intakes of most of nutrients examined were not significantly different between pre- and post-test. Based on study results, it appears that nutrition education program for the aged diabetes mellitus patients might effectively increase nutrition knowledge, dietary behavior and diet quality. This nutrition education program can be used at the public health centers or senior centers for the management of diabetes mellitus for older adults.

• 한국노년학
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.51-69
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of death education on attitudes toward death and depression for older adults. A death education program consisted of needs of death education, alternatives for dignity on death, not ending death(I, II), hospice(I, II), and 9 patterns of death(I, II, III). Participants in this study were 38 older adults aged 60 years or older. Attitudes toward death and depression scales for Korean elders were employed. The data collection and intervention were performed from January to June, 2008. The subjects participated in a death education program for 1 time per week during 10 weeks. The data were analyzed with t-test, and Pearson correlation coefficients with SPSS/Window 14.0. After the intervention, the subjects showed significant difference in attitudes toward death compared to that of pre-intervention. The subjects after the intervention showed no statistical differences in change of depression compared to that of pre-intervention. Also, attitudes toward death were negatively related with depression both before and after interventions, but the change of relation was not significant. The findings of this study contributed to extend the base of program developments on death education enhancing attitudes toward death among Korean older adults.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.211-227
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• 2023

Personal service robots, a type of social robot that has emerged with the aging population and technological advancements, are undergoing a transformation centered around technologies that can extend independent living for older adults in their homes. For older adults to accept and use social robot innovations in their daily lives on a long-term basis, it is crucial to have a deeper understanding of user perspectives, contexts, and emotions. This research aims to comprehensively understand older adults by utilizing a mixed-method approach that integrates quantitative and qualitative data. Specifically, we employ the Van Kaam phenomenological methodology to group conversations into nine categories based on emotional cues and conversation participants as key variables, using voice conversation records between older adults and social robots. We then personalize the conversations based on frequency and weight, allowing for user segmentation. Additionally, we conduct profiling analysis using demographic data and health indicators obtained from pre-survey questionnaires. Furthermore, based on the analysis of conversations, we perform K-means cluster analysis to classify older adults into three groups and examine their respective characteristics. The proposed model in this study is expected to contribute to the growth of businesses related to understanding users and deriving insights by providing a methodology for segmenting older adult s, which is essential for the future provision of social robots with caregiving functions in everyday life.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.888-898
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine and compare clinical manifestations and predicting factors for treatment-seeking delay among patients <65 and ${\geq}65\;yr$ with first-time acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: A total of 288 patients who were diagnosed with ACS were individually interviewed at C university hospital in G-city from November 2007 to December 2008. Results: Median pre-hospital delays for younger and older patients were 5 and 12 hr, respectively. Younger patients were more likely to be current smokers, heavy drinkers, obese, stressed, and have an unhealthy diet and family history, and to complain of chest pain, left shoulder and arm pain, perspiration, and nausea. Older patients were more likely to have hypertension and diabetes, and to complain syncope and dyspnea. Logistic regression analyses showed that after adjustment for age, gender and education, progressive onset of symptom and no attribution to cardiac problem significantly predicted pre-hospital delay >3 hr in both younger and older patients. Low perceived health status was a significant independent predictor in older patients only. Conclusion: Health care providers should be concerned with different manifestations between younger and older adults, and educate people at risk for heart attack about symptoms and actions to get immediate help.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2024

PURPOSE: This pre-post intervention study aimed to examine the effects of a 12-week supervised modified Taekwondo exercise program on the functional fitness of community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: 10 participants (mean age: 72.3 ± 4.6 years) completed the program over a 12-week period. The intervention consisted of Taekwondo-based exercises modified for older persons. Changes to functional fitness were measured using the finger-to-nose test, functional reach test, timed up and go test, 30-second sit-to-stand test, 30-second arm curl test, Chester step test, chair sit-and-reach test, and back scratch test. Participants were assessed prior to the training and after the final training session, changes were measured using descriptive statistics and paired sample 't' tests. RESULTS: Effect sizes ranged from small to large (Cohen's d = .22 to 1.23). The exercise program was well- tolerated by participants, with a high level of engagement and no attrition for the duration of the program. Results showed significant improvements in most measures of functional fitness (p < .05) except for the back scratch test (p = .051). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a well-designed, supervised, modified Taekwondo exercise program can significantly improve functional fitness in older adults.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.91-103
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• 2023

Objectives: This case study was conducted to assess changes in the concentration of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) of older adults following home oral health care interventions based on community care. Methods: The participants were three elderly people with the halitosis. An oral health intervention programs including oral massage, oral hygiene care, and oral muscle training strenghtening were conducted for 12 weeks. Halitosis was measured using an oral malodor-checking device. Results: The program showed positive effects on changes in halitosis. The concentration of VSCs of the first case decreased rapidly from 44.5 Refres Oral Volume (ROV) on pre-test to 15.5 ROV on the first post-test. In the second case, the score decreased from 14.5 ROV on pre-test to 12 ROV on 2nd post-test. In the third case, the score decreased slightly from 6.5 ROV on pre-test to 6 ROV on the first post-test. Conclusions: Oral health care interventions contributed to decreasing the concentration of VSCs and improving the quality of life of older adults. The active promotion and customization of these programs are required.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.421-427
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• 2022

This study was to examine the effect of lower extremity muscle strengthening exercise on balance and fall efficacy in middle older adults women. This study was conducted with one group pre-test and post-test design. A total of 34 older adults women participated in 7 weeks of intervention. Data were analyzed as SPSS ver. 21.0 using descriptive statistics and paired t-test. Right leg balance(t=6.09, p<.001), left leg balance(t=6.76, p<.001), and fall efficacy(t=6.81, p<.001) were significantly increased. Dynamic balance(t= -4.68, p=.001) was significantly decreased. This study found that lower extremity muscle strengthening exercise program could be a useful health promotion method.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 2024

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of a 12-week combined cognitive and physical exercise program on cognitive and physical functions in older adults diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Design: A one-group pretest-posttest study. Methods: Twelve participants with MCI engaged in a weekly 60-minute session of combined cognitive and physical exercise program. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), while physical function was evaluated through measures of muscle strength, postural balance, and walking capabilities. Muscle strength assessments included the arm curl test, handgrip strength, and the 5 sit-to-stand test. Postural balance was evaluated using the one-leg stance test, timed up-and-go test, functional reach test, and four square step test. Walking function was analyzed through a gait analysis device. Pre- and post-intervention measurements were compared to determine the effects of the exercise program. Results: The results demonstrated significant improvements in MoCA, arm curl test, timed up-and-go test, walking speed, and cadence following the 12-week intervention (p<0.05). MoCA scores revealed enhanced cognitive performance, while measures of muscle strength, including the arm curl test, exhibited significant changes. Improvements in timed up-and-go test scores indicated enhanced mobility, accompanied by increased walking speed and cadence, as evidenced by gait analysis. Conclusions: This study suggests that a structured 12-week program incorporating both cognitive and physical exercises can lead to meaningful improvements in cognitive and physical functions among older adults with MCI.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.26-37
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• 2012

This study was done to analyze the consumption patterns of health functional food (HFF) as well as to perform needs assessment for the development of web-contents on HFF according to age of adults. The subjects were 238 male and female adults, divided into 4 groups by their age. This study collected all information by self-administrated questionnaires. The awareness on HFF was high in the older adults. The younger adults showed more negative responses to reliability and safety on HFF. The main reason for the consumption of HFF was to supplement nutrients and to prevent diseases. The main types of HFF consumed by adults were nutritional supplementary food, red ginseng products, and glucosamine products. There was higher consumption of nutritional supplementary food in the younger adults and glucosamine products in the older adults. Internet users had low level of satisfaction, with tendency to complain poor contents, reliability, difficulties in searching as problems of the pre-existing HFF websites. As useful methods for provision of information on HFF, most adults wanted general information, articles written by experts and videos. They also wanted to know the safety and side effects of HFF. Requirement of contents composition were various in-depth information, clear indication of citation, fresh updated data while that of display composition was easily-findable, uncomplicated, allowing mutual exchange of communication through bulletin board. These results can be used as basic data that reflect the consumer's needs for developing HFF web-contents according to age of adults.