• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.143-152
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• 2011

The aim of this study was to achieve an understanding of the experiences of divided families in South Korea. The study adopted a qualitative method based on the interpretive science paradigm The participants were 14 elderly people who came from North Korea around 1950 and identified as belonging to the first generation of divided families. In-depth individual interviews were carried out, focusing on what divided families experienced after leaving their hometown, how these experiences affected their meaning-making about their homecoming, and how the divided community has changed. The result of theme analysis indicated that the first generation of divided families identified themselves as "people who lost their hometown." their hometown implied multiple losses, including their family members, socioeconomic status, and psychological support systems. The participants explained the process of their settlement and adaptation to South Korea based on the cohesion of the divided family community. However, they anticipated that the divided family community would fade away because of the aging of the first generation, the indifference of the second generation, and the frustration that existed about the reunion of the divided family members. The participants showed a realistic view on returning to their hometown after the reunification of North Korea and South Korea.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.371-380
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• 2009

Purpose: This study aimed at describing the characteristics and nursing needs of vulnerable families in a City. Methods: A total of 427 vulnerable families enrolled in the Visiting Health Care Center in K-gu of S city were investigated in this study. Data were collected using questionnaires for one year from Jan to Dec, 2003, and analysed using mean, standard deviation and $x^2$. Results: Most of the vulnerable families investigated here showed many deficits, especially incomplete family structure (62.8%), financial problem (84.0%), lack of support (55.8%) were prevalent. The score of level of economic status in Family Capability for Self management ($1.95{\pm}0.65$) was lowest, and the score of perception of family problem and health of family members ($2.62{\pm}0.78$) was highest. The four family groups divided according to the total score of family management capability showed significant differences in family interaction, support, and coping domain. The total score of family management capability increased as family functioning-related problems decreased in the vulnerable families. Conclusion: In order to find vulnerable families, and improve their family function, it is required to develop the systematic assesment tools, community supportive systems and nursing interventions for family strength.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.129-140
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• 2002

The article reports the process, contents and strategies in the development of community based-heath care management program for high-risk infants and family, which was based on literature review, empirical needs assessment from pilot study. The program was divided into two emphasis areas: (1) identification and home visiting nursing care program, and (2) the construction of self-supporting group. The contents of home visiting nursing care were developed from the pilot study of the direct home visiting to premature infants after discharge. The documentation form for home care was standardized, including the demographic data, birth history, home care services, education and counsels, and visiting schedules. The integrated education protocol was elaborated to enhance the body of knowledge as well as clinical competency in caring high-risk infants and family by the supports of neonatologists, nursing scholar, and clinical specialists. In addition, the process and strategies in developing self-supporting group, consisting the high-risk infants and family, and any significant others were addressed. Emphases were given to the role of public health center and the recycling health care referral system to maximize the growth and development of high-risk infants on the community-base, which in turn, contributing to decrease the postneonatal mortality rate.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.610-619
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• 2008

In order to investigate if the employment of housewives may affect the nutritional status of their family members, an analysis was made for the data of 2001 Korea National Health and Nutrition survey. Housewives aged 20 or over were divided into two groups of the working (W, 44.3%) and the non-working (NW, 55.7%), and household income levels were divided into 4 groups of low, middle, high, and high above according to the minimum cost of living in the year of 2001. Nutrient intakes were assessed by using dietary recommended intakes for Koreans of 2005. Working housewives showed similar levels to those of non-working housewives in most nutrients intakes except energy and vitamin C. However their families excluding housewives of W, than those of NW, took less protein, calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C when assessed as % of recommended intakes and took more sodium. Such differences were very strong in children and adolescents, and in the middle income households. More % of the families of W than those of NW consumed nutrients below the estimated average requirements. Percents of hypertension classified by both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were higher in adult family members of W than in those of NW. This tendency seemed to be more significant in the family members aged 30 to 49. Both obesity and under-weight rates of school children ($7{\sim}12\;yrs$) in W were higher than those in NW. The above resuIts suggested that employment of housewives could have negative influences on the nutritional status of their family members, especially of their children and in the middle income class.

• The Korean Nurse
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.69-84
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• 1995

The purpose of this study was to identify caregivers of the elderly, the pattern of the caregivers' caring behaviors, and the cultural principles of patterns of caring behaviors practiced in a Korean minority community, Yanbian. To clarify these, an ethnographic approach was used. The fieldwork for this study was conducted from Aug. 24, 1993 to May 20, 1994. The informants were 16 natives, age 60 or more, who were members of a large family of three generations. The results of the study are as follows. The caregivers for the elderly were family, kinship and community groups. Family caregivers for the elderly were spouses, sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, sons of former wives, sons of former husbands, adopted sons. daughters and sons-in-law. The elderly had caregivers who were part of the kinship group. Three community groups provided care for the elderly. The three community groups were Dokbozo. a formal large organization for the elderly. the same age group as an informal small meeting for the elderly, and other community younger groups. The findings of this study indicated that family caregivers, especially spouses and sons, are the significant others of the elderly, and comminuty groups are better caring groups than kinship relatives. This study identified forty-three different kind of caring behaviors. They were divided into fifteen behavior patterns. These patterns integrated into five categories : soo-bal(¼?¹ß), protecting, respect, support, jung(?×). For physical comfort, soo-bal and protecting were conducted. For the comfort of mind, respect. support, and jung were conducted. The comfort of mind are better than physical comfort for the elderly. Cultural principles of caring behaviors were group membership, reciprocity, and harmony. But there was no hierarchy priciple. And these three principles provide best caring together at the same time. This study provides significant data for nursing research, theory and practice.

• Korean Journal of Rural Living Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.57-66
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• 1994

The purpose of the study was to analyze the family structure in rural Korea systematically and comprehensively according to the broad concept. The data was collected from 810 rural households by interview method with questionnaire. For the analysis, family structure was divided into aspects of static structure and dynamic structure. The static structure was constructed by two components of demographic structure and typological structure. The dynamic structure was also constructed by three components of decision making structure, role structure, and dynamic relationship structure of family members. In demographic structure, family size was 4.1 persons, families, with more female were 35.2%, and families with elder husband than wife were 82.5%, In the typological structure, nuclear family type with two-generation was predominant. In dynamic structure, role structure was autonomic type while conjugal power structure was compounded type with autonomic, syncratic, and husband-dominant type.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.307-315
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• 2000

The aim to this study was to investigated the effects of family type on the health-related behaviors, food behaviors, and nutrient adequacy ratio of the elderly. Studies were performed on 109 home-bound elderly in a rural area of Asan city, in 1996. Subjects were divided into two groups by their family type, one was single-elderly family(n=58) and the other was extended family(n=51). The results obtained by questionaires and personal interviews as follows. 1) The average age 68.6. They served in primary industry, and 89.1% of responders received less than a primary school education. There was no significant difference by family type. 2) Single-elderly family members themselves felt more negative about their health than extended family members. 3)Each nutrient adequacy ratio of single-elderly family/extended family members was 0.72/0.76 of energy, 0.73/0.76 of protein, 0.59/0.66 of Ca, 0.98/0.99 of Fe, 0.62/0.74 of vitamin A, 0.86/0.87 of thiamin, 0.72/0.73 of riboflavin, 0.71/0.77 of niacin, 0.90/0.91 of ascorbic acid, and 0.76/0.80 of Mar. The NAR of vitamin A of the single-elderly family members was significantly lower than for extended family members(p〈0.05). Energy, protein, Ca, vitamin A, riboflavin showed insufficient intake for both groups. The percentage of INQ〈1 of the single-elderly family/extended family members was 45.6/51.0 of protein, 66.7/66.7 of Ca, 64.9/56.9 of vitamin A. By NAR and INQ, the most insufficient nutrient to the elderly in this rural area was Ca. We there for suggest that it is needed for elderly in rural areas to receive of food that is higher ING of Ca.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.59-74
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• 2007

Considering the characteristics of the Korean family which maintain a close connection with their patients from the moment of their falling sick to hospitalization to discharge, the family is the most important environmental factor of the social supporting system, and is the important object of the client as well as activity system. The medical social work intends to meet the practical needs of aged chronic patients, providing them and their family with a professional human service. The end of this study is to find out the hardships of both the aged chronic patients and their family as well as their needs for the social welfare service, and to search out the way of comprehensive social work service. The summary of the analysis of the survey is as follows: 1. The needs of aged chronic patients are divided into those of the solution of the problems of falling ill, social welfare program and discharge. Those needs arc affected by the various factors of the types of hospitals, the patients' age, the kinds of insurance, and the supporting systems, etc. Accordingly, the assessment of the needs of the patients are asked to be done comprehensively in accordance with the kinds of diseases and social environments. 2. The importance of the family to the aged chronic patients is evident. The family plays a decisive role in the patients' hospitalization and discharge, the family being an important supporting system and making it necessary to take an approach to client system. The family has difficulty in getting connection of community resources, in adapting to social life after the patient's discharge, and in paying the treatment. The family suffers the secondary hardships more than the burden of the treatment expenses. 3. For this reason various interventions are needed to reduce the stress caused by supporting and nursing patients. Thus the social welfare service for the aged chronic patients and their family needs the following prepositions: 1. It is the characteristics of the aged chronic patients that they need continuous care and that the strengths of the patients and their family cannot be too much emphasized, and that comprehensive assessment based on the connection 'with the community and the mutual interchange 'with the environment, is much emphasized. 2. The family of the aged chronic patient is a resources system as well as a client one. 3. Another characteristic of the aged chronic patients is that with the resources connection in mind, it needs an active intervention of social workers in the community. With these prepositions considered, the development of practical social work service for the aged chronic patients is thought urgently needed.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.256-264
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• 2016

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the diet and health status of elderly women according to the family type. Methods: A total of 307 elderly women participated in this study were divided into one of three groups according to their family type: residing with spouse (RSP; n=88), residing with son or daughter (RSD; n=119), and residing alone (RAL; n=100). Chisquare test was used to assess dietary habits and health status of the subjects by the family types. Results: Results demonstrated significant associations between eating regular meals, person preparing meals, coffee intake, and bone fracture experience and family type. Among the three groups, the RSP and RAL groups had a higher percentage for preparing meals by themselves (p<0.001) than the RSD group. The RAL group had a lower percentage for eating regular meals (p<0.01) but a higher percentage for bone fracture experience (p<0.05) than the other groups. There were no significant differences in monthly allowance, self-estimated health status, physical activity, exercise, drinking, and dietary habits such as frequency of consumption of dairy, beans, eggs, fish, meat, fruits, and vegetables among the three groups. Conclusions: The results showed that elderly women residing alone without a son, daughter, or spouse had more diet-related and health problems such as irregular meals and high bone fracture experience. These findings suggested that elderly women residing alone need more attention and support.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.776-782
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• 2010

The prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) has increased over the past decades. A variety of factors are related to the development of atopic dermatitis, including genetics and environmental factors. The purpose of the study was to examine factors associated with severity of atopic dermatitis in 104 children aged 6-60 months. To investigate the association between severity and other factors children were divided into two groups, mild (n = 62) and severe (n = 42) groups, based on SCORAD index which measures the severity of atopic dermatitis. Results showed that family history, family's smoking, period of having AD and the levels of the serum total IgE were significantly higher in severe group. More than 6 months of breastfeeding and weaning after 6 month were not associated with severity of AD, but the number of food eliminated was associated with severity. Only vitamin C intake was significantly different by severity after adjusting for energy intake, family history, family’s smoking and period of having AD (p = 0.033). There was no association between the severity of atopic dermatitis and growth of children. This study concluded that the severity of atopic dermatitis was associated with family history, family’s smoking, period of having AD, children's serum total IgE, and vitamin C intakes. The result of this study should provide the significant information for better management of AD.