• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.156-164
• /
• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of pain, gait speed, and ROM (Range of motion) in community-dwelling older adults with knee joint pain. Methods: A convenience sample of 160 participants living in G city were recruited. Elderly people who suffer from knee joint pain with a pain level ${\geq}5$ during the last one year on a visual analogue scale were included in the study. The data were collected from June to August 2016. All statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS ver. 22.0. Results: Participants' pain was 6.81 by VAS. The mean gait speed was 13.9 sec/10m. The ROM of left knee and right knee were $54.06^{\circ}$ and $56.50^{\circ}$, respectively. The level of pain was different according to gender (t=-4.87, p<.001), economic status (t=3.51, p=.032), diseases (t=5.23, p<.001), diagnosis of arthritis (t=3.86, p<.001), region of knee joint pain (F=9.30, p<.001), duration of pain occurrence (F=13.82, p<.001), and limp (F=3.58, p<.001). The level of knee joint pain and gait speed had significant correlations. Conclusion: The gait speed in older adults is an important variable that should be taken into account in the assessment of their level of knee joint pain.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.35 no.6
• /
• pp.1101-1112
• /
• 2005

Purpose: This study was done to suggest directions for developing exercise interventions for fall prevention in the elderly in Korea in the future, Method: Twenty five articles for fall prevention exercises were reviewed and analyzed. Result: $84.0\%$ of subjects were older adults age 65 and older living in the community. The most frequently performed interventions were lower limb strength and balance exercises together $43.3\%$, group exercise $70.0\%$, exercise 3 times/week $60.0\%$, 60 min per session $36.7\%$, duration of 12 weeks and 1 year $23.3\%$ each. The most frequently used outcome variables were static balance $84.0\%$, lower limb muscle strength $72.0\%$, dynamic balance $56.0\%$, and falls $56.0\%$. The effect of exercise interventions on fall prevention was inconclusive. Lower limb strength exercises with resistance were effective for increasing muscle strength. Balance exercises with various movements for balance were effective for increasing balance. Conclusion: Exercise interventions for fall prevention is recommended for older adults with risk factors of falling. The desirable type of exercise intervention is lower limb strength and balance exercise together.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.28-37
• /
• 2015

Objectives: Among the Korean elderly (those 65 years of age and older), the suicide rate is 80.3/100 000 people, which is ten times higher than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average. Because South Korea is rapidly becoming an aging population, this high elderly suicidal rate will only get worse. Although the size of the elderly suicide problem is quite large, previous research in South Korea has surveyed restricted areas and not the entire country. Even though the factors that affect elderly suicide are complicated, there has been little research into these influencing factors. Thus, this research uses the national survey data (Community Health Survey) that was obtained in 2009. Additionally, we analyze factors affecting elderly suicidal ideation and attempts as well as the paths of these effects. Methods: Community Health Survey data obtained by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2009 was used for this study. We additionally examined the factors that affect suicide with chi-squared tests, t-tests, Pearson's correlation test, and path analysis. Results: Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation are the only factors that directly affect suicidal attempts. Demographic, behavioral, and physical activity factors have indirect effects on suicidal attempts. Conclusions: Depression has the strongest influence on suicidal ideation and attempts. Demographic, behavioral, and physical activity factors affect suicidal attempts mostly through depressive symptoms. In addition, there is a path that suggests that demographic, behavioral, and physical activity factors affect suicidal attempts not through depression symptoms but only through suicidal ideation. This means that the elderly who do not have depression symptoms attempt suicide according to their own situations and characteristics.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.335-342
• /
• 2009

Purpose: This study was to identify the degree of the sense of mastery and health-promoting behaviors in the vulnerable female elderly of urban areas, and to determine factors influencing their health-promoting behaviors. Methods: The subjects were 253 vulnerable female elders aged over 60 in D City. Data were collected by a questionnaire survey. Analysis of data was done with the SPSS/WIN program. Results: The mean score of the sense of control was 15.8. It was significantly different according to living arrangement, and subjective health status. The mean score of health-promoting behavior was 3.8. It was significantly different according to living arrangement and subjective health status. Health-promoting behavior was affected more highly in subjects with a low degree of sense of mastery than in those with a medium degree of sense of mastery. Conclusion: These results suggest that the sense of mastery is an important variable for health-promoting behavior. These findings may give useful information for developing health-promoting programs focused on the sense of mastery in vulnerable female elderly adults.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.124-136
• /
• 2002

As the elderly population has increased in recent years in Korea chronic degenerative diseases prevalent in the aged have garnered attention in relation to food behavior. In general, dietary intakes of elderly Koreans were inadequate in quality as well as in quantity. Especially, intakes of Ca, vitamin A, and riboflavin along with total energy were insufficient. They tended to consume high carbohydrate and low fat energy rates which may be resulted from long standing vegetable-based flood patterns. Relationships between dietary intakes and indices of cardiovascular diseases revealed that blood pressures and serum lipids patterns tended to be poor in individuals having high abdominal fat accumulations which seemed to be related with dietary consumption of high carbohydrate and insufficient intake of many nutrients. These results suggested that a nutritionally balanced diet including animal sources floods is needed in order to prevent an abdominal obesity and cardiovascular diseases. The bone health status of the Korean elderly appeared poor. It was more serious in women recording a higher prevalence rate of osteopenia and osteoporosis than in men. There were strong associations between dietary factors and bone health status. Bone mineral density was found to be higher with higher intakes of protein energy rate, the total amount of feeds, and many nutrients including Ca and p, indicating that a good quality diet is essential in maintaining healthy bone status in later life. mental health condition of the elderly as measured by cognitive function and the degree of depression was also inadequate and had strong association with dietary consumption. The positive results were obtained in individuals having an adequate dict. Therefore, it could be summarized that the physical as well as mental health in elderly Koreans are highly related with their dietary patterns. Thus, the older adults need te consume nutritionally well balanced diet in sufficient amount, which contains various flood items including significant amounts of animal source floods in a daily diet in order to maintain healthy condition.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.33-48
• /
• 2000

This study was designed to examine the degree of dependence on dietary environment, evaluate the perception of metal service program and investigate factors affecting the demand for meal service programs for elderly parents. The purpose of this study provided the basic information for the development and systemization of meal service program for elderly. Eight hundred twenty semen adults who have elderly parents were surveyed using pre-designed written questionnaire. According to the results on the life environments of their elderly parents, psychological factors(41.7%), living condition(14.3%) and dietary environment (13.2%) had trouble. Physical and psychological conditions significantly affected the dietary environment(p<0.05). Only 9.2% of the subjects were already aware of recognized the meal service program for elderly, and the degree of recognition differed significantly by sex and education level. Women had better perception of meal service program for elderly than men. In men, they would expect to use congregate meal service(44.1%), home-delivered meal service (23.7%), nursing home meal service(16.9%) in order. On the other hand, for women, home-delivered meal service (41.2%), congregate meat service(44.1%), and nursing home meal service (16.8%) in order. Therefore there are significant differences between men and women what type they want(p<0.001). For those who haute both of the parents or either one of them, they would use more of congregate meal service (38.8%) and home-delivered meal service (38.8%) than nursing home meal service (15.5%). The group whose parents are lower socio-economic status would have tendency to use the nursing home meal service (p=0.06). The group of whom believe the dietary environment is the problem of their parents'life environment had preference of using congregate meal service and home-delivered meal service.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.414-425
• /
• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to explore the experience of smart-home healthcare among older adults who had participated in the smart-home technology development project. Methods: Data were collected by focus group interviews with 7 hypertension or diabetes participants(mean age 75 years). Qualitative contents analysis was used to analyze the verbal data. Results: The results were composed of 27 meanings units, 10 categories and 6 themes. The 6 themes are: 'improvement of health conditions through anytime anywhere self-monitoring', 'attractive experience to be counselling at home', 'frequent system and telecommunication problems', 'unfamiliar devices for elderly users', 'complementary strategies for activation', 'advancement of elderly-friendly devices and programs'. Conclusion: The smart-home healthcare system should be developed based on older adults' preferences. It is essential to make progress with professional resources and organizational supports in the future.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.200-204
• /
• 2002

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the clinicopathological characteristics and postoperative prognosis of two age groups with gastric cancer in order to establish the proper treatment strategy in these groups of patients. Materials and Methods: Among patients with gastric cancer who underwent a gastrectomy between 1990 and 1996 at the Department of Surgery, Kyungpook National University, the clinicopathological characteristics, including the postoperative survival, of patients younger than 40-years old were compared with those of patients over 69-years old. Results: During that period 1,125 gastric cancer patients underwent a gastrectomy. Among them, 111 patients ($9.9\%$) were less than 40-years old, and 96 patients ($8.5\%$) were over 69-years old. In the young group, 79 patients ($71.2\%$) had a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, and 59 patients from the elderly group ($61.5\%$) had a well- or moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma (P<0.05). Curative surgery was performed for 88 ($79.3\%$) patients in the young group and 78 ($81.3\%$) patients in the elderly group. This difference was not statistically significant. There was no statistically significant difference in the 5-year survival rates between the young and the elderly ($66.3\%\;vs.\;47.2\%$) groups, but the 5-year survival rate of the young group was significantly higher than that of the elderly group after a curative resection ($83.2\%\;vs.\;53.3\%$; P<0.05). Also the 5-year survival rate of the elderly group was significantly higher than that of the young group after a non-curative resection ($20.4\%\;vs.\;4.6\%$; P<0.05). Conclusions: For young patients, more efforts are needed to detect gastric cancer in its early stages so that a curative surgery can be performed. However, for the elderly, surgical treatment is recommended at any stage because of the relatively high survival rate, even after non-curative surgery.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.47-57
• /
• 2020

The purpose of this study was to understand experiences of successful aging of community-dwelling elderly living in the Korean community using mixed methods. This study is a mixed methods research using convergent parallel design. 483 elderly people living in the 2 cities were selected as subjects to collect quantitative data. For qualitative data collection, 6 elderly people participated. The level of successful aging for elderly people living at home scored an average of 4.30 ± .59 out of 5 points (4.46 ± .64 for self-efficacy, 4.31 ± .65 for good self-control, 4.29 ± .70 for satisfaction with children's success, and 4.26 ± .61 for partnership with spouses). The main themes of successful aging derived by interview were as follows: 1) fulfill responsibilities of raising children as parents, 2) establish a stable life to overcome difficulties, 3) accept the body being different from the past, and 4) live in harmony with people around them. Based on these results, it is necessary to provide useful health care services that can be used in the local community and to provide service utilization information through various routes in order to achieve a successful aging.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.17 no.6
• /
• pp.479-489
• /
• 2017

The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with falls among older adults. This cross-sectional study used the data of 10,272 older adults who participating in the Korean Elderly survey, including demographic and health related characteristics. The data were analyzed with complex samples in SPSS ver. 23.0. The results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age (OR=1.262, 95%CI 1.111-1.433), education (OR=0.846, 95%CI 0.764-0.937), subjective health status (OR=1.172, 95% CI 1.041-1.320; OR=1.422, 95%CI 1.289-1.570), number of chronic illness (OR=1.438, 95%CI 1.050-1.968), number of medications (OR=0.798, 95%CI 0.659-0.967), muscle strength of low extremities (OR=1.260, 95%CI 1.101-1.441), and fear of falling (OR=3.576, 95%CI 3.166-4.039; OR=14.236, 95%CI 12.637-16.038)were significantly associated with fall accidents in the elderly. Thus, it is necessary to develop fall prevention program to reduce fear of falling and improve health status in the elderly.