• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.204-220
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• 2008

Objectives: This study was performed to determine the levels of depression symptoms among the community elderlies and to reveal its related factors, specifically aimed at revealing psycho-social factors such as social support net-work, sense of self-esteem, state anxiety, interpersonal behavior trait and locus of control. Methods: The interviews were performed during the period from April 1st to June 30th, 2007 to the 790 elderlies in urban and rural areas. Results: The mean scores of depression (CES-D) among all subjects were 16.65±10.97(urban: 18.81±10.31, rural: 14.49±11.20) and they were higher in urban than rural. The level of depression symptoms was influenced by the variables of educational level, with or without spouse, bear for living expenses, sense of satisfaction in daily life. As for health related behaviors, they were influenced by the variables of with or without regular exercise. As for health status, they were influenced by the subjective health status, with or without disability of body, visual acuity, hearing ability, ability of food mastication, urinary incontinence, with or without help in activity of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activity of daily living (IADL). As for social support net-work and social activities, they were influenced by number of offspring, frequency of offspring contents, frequency of going out and activity of hobbies. As for psycho-social factors, they were influenced by sense of self-esteem, state anxiety and social support, especially, the level of depression symptoms was higher influenced by the variables of psycho-social factors than other variables. Conclusions: Lower of the level of depression symptoms among the community elderlies would require development and application of programs to keep under management psycho-social factors as well as looking for ways to promoting the present health status.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.76-86
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• 2009

Objectives: This study was conducted to find out the frequency of urinary incontinence among the rural elderly people and its related factors. Methods: Informations have been obtained through interviews from the 464 rural residents of advanced age over 65 years on September 1st through November 30th, 2007, in Chungnam Province. Results: As for the rate of experiencing urinary incontinence, the group with the experience rate of 「every day」 were 9.5% and 「occasionally」 35.5%, with the total of 45.0%. The higher rates of urinary incontinence were in the elderly women(58.5%) than in the elderly men (29.8%), in the more advanced in age, in the higher educated, and in the groups with higher monthly income. Based on life styles, the rate of experiencing urinary incontinence was significantly higher in smoking groups and non-drinking groups. Based on subjective senses of health, it was more highly associated with the groups who reported that they were not healthy, that they concerned themselves about health, that they had physical disability, that they had forgetfulness, and they needed assistance in terms of activity of daily living(ADL) and instrumental activity of daily living(IADL) than their respective counterparts. By the result of multiple logistic regression, sex, age, smoking status, anxiety, physical disability, amnesia, and IADL was indicated the affecting factors to the prevalence of urinary incontinence. Conclusions: The above results reveal that the rate of urinary incontinence was higher in the elderly women than the elderly men, and in more advanced age. Moreover, its rate increases in the groups with undesirable life styles or lower senses of subjective and physical health conditions. It is highly suggested that efforts to manage urinary incontinence of the elderly need to be narrowed to the more advanced, especially those with lower standards of health conditions.