Younhee Kang

[A study on physical symptom, activity of daily living, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the community-dwelling older adults].

PURPOSE This study aimed to identify the relationships among physical symptoms, activities of daily living, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS A stratified random sampling method was conducted to recruit participants from May 10 to August 17, 2007. Physical symptoms were measured using the Physical Health Questionnaire (PHQ), activities of daily living using the Late-Life Functional and Disability Instrument (LLFDI), and HRQoL using the Medical Outcomes Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) in 242 community-dwelling elderly Korean people. RESULTS The HRQoL correlates with the physical symptoms (r=-.31) and the function component (r=.59). Of the two disability parts of the LLFDI, the limitation dimension correlates higher (r=.57) with HRQoL than the frequency dimension (r=.42). The HRQoL is significantly associated with the function component, and disability limitation in capability which explained 44.4% of variance in physical health. CONCLUSION These results may contribute to a better understanding of physical symptoms, activities of daily living, and HRQoL in community-dwelling older adults. Therefore, health programs for prompting older adults health should be planned based on results of the study.

Temporal Patterns of Movements in Institutionalized Elderly With Dementia During 12 Consecutive Days of Observation in Seoul, Korea:

Background: The availability of increasingly sophisticated technology has meant that ambulation can be measured with precision over an extended period. Methods: An integrated circuit tag-monitoring system was set up to measure the distance moved in a dementia care unit in Korea in 2006. Various indicators were developed to measure temporal patterns of ambulation over time, such as the median distance moved per hour and the percentage of hours moved. Results: 12 consecutive days of movement data were available for 8 subjects. The mean age of the subjects was 76 ± 5.3 years. The median distance walked per day ranged from 206 to 976 m, and the percentage of hours with movement ranged from 28% to 81%. The changes in the activity level during daytime, evening, and nighttime also differed among the 8 subjects. Discussion: The indicators developed appeared to differentiate temporal patterns of movement in demented persons.

Testing and Developing the Health Promotion Model in Low-Income, Korean Elderly Women

This study was conducted to test Penders health promotion model in low-income, Korean elderly women. A total of 389 low-income, Korean elderly women completed the interviews focused on the concepts in health promotion model. Seventy-three percent of the variance in health-promoting behaviors was accounted for by prior health-related behavior, biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors, behavior-specific cognitions and affect, environmental influences, commitment to a plan of action, and health-promoting behavior variables in a modified health promotion model. Findings from this study may support the conceptual framework for future nursing practice and research studies in this vulnerable population.

Analysis of Trends and Contents of Nursing Doctoral Dissertations in Korea

PURPOSE This study aimed to identify contents and trends of Korean nursing doctoral dissertations in terms of research methodology and theoretical characteristics. METHODS The design of the study was descriptive study and a total of 1,089 quantitative studies completed between 1982 and 2010 were reviewed using the analytical framework developed by the researchers. RESULTS The majority of studies utilized the experimental design (51.5%) and the others were survey design (38.8%) and methodological design (5.0%). Study subjects were shown as patients (45%), care givers (11.2%), ordinary persons (40.6%) and others (3.2%). There were growing trends in experimental design and patients as subjects. The prevailing data collection settings were hospitals (45.8%) and community (27.8%). The theoretical frameworks that studies were based on were the existing theories (37%) and a newly developed theoretical framework by a researcher (25.2%). a framework derived from other studies by the researcher (25.2%). Majority of studies (78.5%) employed a single theory as a theoretical framework. However, 31.8% of studies had no theoretical framework based on. CONCLUSION Findings of this study provided the opportunities to shed new light on the current status of Korean doctoral dissertation and to deliberate on the future direction of nursing studies in Korea.

A Comparative Study on Physical Function Test between Faller Group and Nonfaller Group among Community-Dwelling Elderly

PURPOSE This study aimed to identify the physical function test differences between the faller group and the nonfaller group in a sample of the community-dwelling elderly. METHODS This study used a nonexperimental two-group-comparative study design. The participants were 356 people aged 65 years and over living in an urban area. From May to December 2010, data were collected through personal interviews using questionnaires and measurements of muscle strength, physical endurance, flexibility, motor agility and dynamic balance, and static balance. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Chi square analysis, and t test. RESULTS Upper muscle strength was significantly weaker in the faller group (p<.05). Lower muscle strength was significantly weaker in the faller group; both hip flexion (p=.004), knee extension (Right: p=.004; Left: p=.031), left ankle plantar flexion (p=.045), and left ankle inversion (p=.036). Tandem standing with eyes opened and closed was significantly shorter, indicating decreased static balance in the faller group. CONCLUSION Nurses should make efforts to implement exercise programs focused on physical fitness enhancement for community-dwelling elderly adults for fall prevention.

Zero-Inflated Poisson Modeling of Fall Risk Factors in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for falls among community-dwelling older adults. The study used a cross-sectional descriptive design. Self-report questionnaires were used to collect data from 658 community-dwelling older adults and were analyzed using logistic and zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression. Perceived health status was a significant factor in the count model, and fall efficacy emerged as a significant predictor in the logistic models. The findings suggest that fall efficacy is important for predicting not only faller and nonfaller status but also fall counts in older adults who may or may not have experienced a previous fall. The fall predictors identified in this study—perceived health status and fall efficacy—indicate the need for fall-prevention programs tailored to address both the physical and psychological issues unique to older adults.