• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.83-96
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• 2021

Background & objectives: Cognitive function decline is a main factor influencing the overall life of the elderly and places a burden of society. The aime of this study was to investigate the risk factors of cognitive function decline of elderly living alone and living with a spouse. Methods: This study used the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing from 2014 to 2018. 243 older adults who lived alone and 1,155 lived with a spouse with the Korean version of Mini Mental State Examination scores in normal range at the time of 2014 were included in the analysis. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the difference of risk factors affecting cognitive function decline between in elderly living alone and elderly living with a spouse. Results: Cognitive function decline incidence rate of elderly living alone was 30.5% and the elderly living with a spouse showed 23.0%. According to the results of logistic regression analysis, the risk factors of cognitive function decline in the elderly living alone was age and residential area, while in the elderly living with a spouse were age, education level, social networks, and depression. Conclusions: The factors that affect the cognitive function decline of the elderly living alone and the elderly living with a spouse were different. Accordingly, other measures to prevent cognitive decline are necessary.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.31-42
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• 2008

Research outcome shows the following: 1. Estimation by the year 2015 on the number of the aged people and on the number of the household of living alone and living with spouse only, per age-cohort by 5 years, per basic self-govern-ins local groups and the city of Daegu. The result is supposed to serve as meaningful basic material in building up future policies in many areas for the aged people living in their homes. 2. Estimation varies according to the areas and the age-cohorts. In urban areas, increase of the numbers of the households of the aged people living alone and living with spouse only is estimated in every age-cohort. In rural areas, variance between two age-groups, old-old and young-old, is observed. Both of the numbers of the households for the aged living alone and the aged living with spouse only have increased continuously by the year 2005. But the hither-to increase tendency is estimated to reverse itself to a decrease starting from the younger within the young-old age group, and the ratio of the old-old age-group in rural population will sharply increase starting from the year 2005. Such increase in the number of the aged people in need of the housing and the social support requires the increasing policy consideration for the issue of housing for the aged living in their homes. In spite of the decreasing tendency in the number of the aged people living alone and living with spouse only in rural areas, still there will continue to be more number of such households than in urban area for the time being. The government of Gyeongsangbuk-Do should pay more consideration to the old-old aged living alone and living with spouse only in rural areas, while being prepared for the sharply increasing households for the aged living alone and living with spouse only in urban areas.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.50-57
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• 2007

This study was designed to evaluate health and nutritional status of elderly females according to their family type. The participants were 157 elderly women(41 living alone, 45 living with a spouse, and 71 living with family). Among them, the subjects answered that their health rated as good condition, the elderly living with a spouse had significantly higher proportions than those living alone and living with family. Serum cholesterol and fasting blood glucose of the respondents living with a spouse were lower than those of the respondents living alone or with family. A dietary assessment with a 24-hour recall method represented that the elderly living alone had lower nutrient intakes, especially the intake of Ca. Most of women living alone or with family were consuming less than 75% of the Korean Recommended Dietary Allowances(RDA). For the females living with a spouse, the number or nutrients consumed below 7s% or the Korean RDA were significantly lower than that for those living alone and the elderly living with family. As a result of the above analysis, the health and nutritional statement of old women with a spouse was better than that of the old living alone or with family.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.140-148
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• 2008

This study was conducted to compare of health status, dietary behaviors and nutrient intakes according to family types of the elderly in rural areas. Family types were divided into three types-elderly living alone, elderly living with spouse, and elderly living with spouse and children. Subjects were 119 persons aged over 65 years (34 male, 85 females) living in rural areas and period of survey was from 29 January 2007 to 2 February. General environmental factors, health status, dietary behaviors and nutrient intakes were compared according to family types, the elderly living along showed a significantly lower in monthly income(p<0.01), self perceived health status(p<0.001), Instrumental Activity of Daily Living(IADL) score, and General Self Efficacy Scale(GSES) score compared to the elderly living with spouse and those living with spouse and children. However, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale(CES-D) was higher than those of the elderly living family members (p<0.05). In addition, sum of dietary behavior score was the lowest in the elderly living alone (22.3 in elderly living alone, 24.1 in elderly living with spouse, 23.4 in elderly living with spouse and children, p<0.001) and nutrient intakes of potassium, zinc, vitamin C(p<0.01 respectively), calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B6 and folic acid(p<0.05 respectively) also reported to be significantly lower in the elderly living alone than in others of two types. From these results, health status, dietary behavior pattern and nutrient intakes of the elderly living alone were found to be inadequate overall, so measures to deal with these health and nutritional status were needed.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.195-205
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• 2016

Purpose: This study is to compare the difference in status between elderly individuals with and without a spouse. Methods: The study is based on the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(KNHAENS), between 2010 and 2012. Subjects were over the age of 65 years who participated in the survey. Chi-square test and logistic regression of complex sampling design of the KNHAENS and used the survey analysis method by SPSS (version 18). Results: Sleep time of female elders living alone was the shortest which was 2.59 times that of male elders living with a spouse. Stress awareness of female elders living with a spouse was the highest, which was 3.21 times that of male elders living with a spouse. Depression was the highest in female elders living alone, which was 2.26 times that of male elders living with a spouse. Suicidal idea was the strongest in female elders living alone, which was 2.87 times that of male elders living alone. Conclusion: Female elders living alone were weakest in regards to socio-economical aspect with the highest rate of poverty, low educational status, and unemployment. The mental health status of females was worse than that of males. In particular, the mental health status of females living alone was the worst.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.615-628
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• 2004

This study is designed to examine influences of living arrangements on psycho-social factors, health and nutritional status, dietary adequacy and meal service utility patterns of the elderly. Nutritional status was evaluated by Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Three hundred and nine elderly (110 men and 199 women) who participated in meal service in the Chung-buk province were investigated. Proportion of the elderly living alone, couples only, living with spouse and family, living with family without spouse; and living with other than family were 30.7%, 25.9%, 14.2%, 24.3% and 4.9% respectively. The mean age of the elderly was 74.1 years and the elderly who are living couples only and living with spouse and family were younger than those with other living status. Living arrangements seem to be related to psycho-social factors, health and nutritional status, and dietary quality. Those who live alone and live with other than family were mostly women and they have lower socio-economic status, psycho-social, health and nutritional status and dietary patterns compared with those of the elderly who are living with spouse or family. It was found that the elderly who live a couple only and live with spouse and family had better emotional, health and nutritional index than those of the elderly who live with family without spouse, especially in case of females. Most of elderly perceived that participation of meal service programs had a positive effect on their daily life and satisfied with meals. The elderly living alone and living with other than family were more frequently using meal service but had a negative attitude about the charged meal service for better quality than the elderly with other living status. The most important reason for all the elderly to participate in meal service was to meet their friends and then to get other services. Particularly those who are living alone and living with other than family showed lack of moivation to prepare and set the meal, and for them the economic reason is also important. They also replied that the poor health and lack of other help were the most difficult problems for them to prepare meals. It would be effective to provide nutritional services that meet specific needs of the elderly according to their characteristics and living environment.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.656-667
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• 2005

Purpose: This study examined the mood state, activities of daily living, and attitude toward aging in the elderly according to the existence of a spouse and investigated the relation between these factors. Method: The subjects consisted of 190 elderly people, who were classified into two groups: those with and without a spouse. The data was collected from March to December 2004 using a structured questionnaire that included general characteristics, mood states, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and an attitude toward aging scale. The collected data was analyzed using the program SPSS, including descriptive statistics, $x^2-test$, ANOVA, Scheff's test, and the Pearson correlation coefficient. Result: 1. There were significant differences between the two groups in mood state (t=-3.349, p=.001), anxiety-depression (t=-3.350, p=.001), and anger (t=p=.003) in the mood state subscales, and in attitude toward aging (t=2.514, p=.013). 2. There was a significant positive correlation between vigor and IADL (r=.253, p=.012) in the elderly with a spouse. 3. When there was a spouse, there was a significant difference according to gender (t=2.587, p=.012) in IADL. Without a spouse, there were significant differences in mood states according to education level (F=3.315, p=.023), in anxiety-depression according to the presence of illness (t=2.156, p=.033), in vigor according to age (F=3.439, p=.020) and education level (F=5.285, p=.002), and in IADL according to monthly income (F=3.322, p=.023) and the presence of illness (t=2.172, p=.032). Conclusion: An individualized approach is needed for elderly people that considers living arrangements and the existence of a spouse.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.17-38
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• 2009

Preferences on living arrangement and residence of the elderly depend on various changing factors as they get old. Among those factors, predictable and crucial factors are the condition of their health and spouse. Thus, this study is focused on living arrangement and the residential preference of the elderly according to their health and existence of a spouse. A sample of 500 elderly aged over 65 is analyzed by $x^2$ test, and multiple logistic regression. The results could be summarized as follows; First, 45.2% of the elderly who participated in this survey prefer 'living apart from their children but living close by'. And 19.8% of the elderly want to 'live with their children'. Second, the elderly with a spouse and the elderly who live apart from their children tend to prefer living independently. Third, the elderly with good health living in single-family houses and the elderly with high self-esteem tend to prefer the residential facilities for the elderly. Fourth, the elderly with health problems who have generous allowances and live in a city tend to prefer the residential facilities for the elderly. Fifth, factors such as gender, age, condition of health, allowances, living regions, type of house, self-esteem influence residential preferences of the elderly without a spouse. Older men with more allowances, in good health, living in row house and apartment, in a mid-size city tend to prefer living in the residential facilities for the elderly.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.23-44
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to examine the preference for living with adult children of the baby-boomer generation and the elderly based on independent variables such as demographic characteristics, the values of their children and the consciousness for supporting their parents. The National Survey of Korean Families was done by the Ministry of Equality and Family in 2010. Respondents were 664 baby boomers and 628 elderly, and the results are as follows. First, the baby boomers rely heavily on their spouse, whereas the elderly rely heavily on their children. While both groups desire to live with their spouse in their later years, and the elderly rely the most on their children, they are reluctant to live together. This result shows that the elderly have high expectations for financial and emotional support from their children, but in reality, the elderly have lower expectations for living together and they prefer to live alone or with their spouse. Second, the boomers, who for the most part live in big cities, have comparatively high average monthly income and jobs and own a house, consider filial obligation as their own responsibility and yet tend to live independently. The boomers, who have a relatively high education level, consider living with aged parents as the children's obligation and consider their children as the most reliable people in their lives, and thus have high expectations to live together with their children. Third, the elderly, with a spouse, who consider having raised children to be their happiness, while considering providing financial support for the aging parents to be the children's responsibility, at the same time accept that the obligation of support lies on themselves, the government or the society, and thus have lower expectations of living with their children in later years. The elderly, now living with their family, with generous financial plans for their aging years and considering the children's success as their own success, have higher expectations of living together with their children.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.73-82
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• 2005

This study attempts to find out more efficient way of improving the housing conditions, by reviewing the existing improvement programs for the traditional rural housing and by aiming at finding advantages to inherit and correcting the inconvenience of the traditional forms of housing, through a survey on the housing conditions of the aged living alone and living with spouse only in the traditional rural housing. Research result shows that the openness and buffering zone of the traditional rural housing are relevant housing elements which provide the aged appropriate living space and therefore should be actively inherited and that the existing improvement programs have been largely inappropriate. But as the aged can hardly practice the appropriate way of improvement on their own, government policy consideration is urgently needed as part of the welfare policy for the aged.