PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to find taxi drivers' smoking behavior, self-efficacy and expectation level of success in smoking cessation. It will provide useful information for developing nursing interventions in health promotion programs. METHOD: The subjects of this study were 271 taxi drivers in Seoul and its metropolitan area. Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire asking smoking history, smoking behaviors, health problem, stages of change for smoking cessation, self-efficacy and the expectation level of success in smoking cessation. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. Pearson's correlation, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test and Cronbach's a. RESULTS: Of the taxi drivers, 83.8% were current smokers. Stages of change were as follows: 45.8% were in the precontemplation stage, 26.2% in the contemplation stage, 13.7% in the maintenance stage, 12.2% in the preparation stage and 1.5% in the action stage. In addition. 20.3% of the subjects reported health problems such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes mellitus and respiratory disease. The expectation level of success in smoking cessation was positively related with self-efficacy. There were statistically significant differences in the expectation level of success in smoking cessation according to the number of cigarettes per day and nicotine dependency. In addition. there were statistically significant differences in self-efficacy according to the number of cigarettes per day, duration of smoking (years) and nicotine dependency. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that taxi drivers' health problems and smoking rate were serious. Therefore more systematic health promotion programs for smoking cessation should be developed and executed by health care specialists at individual taxi companies.
Delivery of Health Care ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Health Behavior ; Health Promotion ; Heart Diseases ; Hypertension ; Nicotine ; Nursing ; Seoul ; Smoke* ; Smoking Cessation* ; Smoking* ; Specialization ; Tobacco Products ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Chronic liver disease was characterized difficult to cure, long-standing disease. Patients with chronic liver disease were searching for complementary treatments to recover form illness, while they have been treated by the doctor. This study was carried out to explore application of alternative therapies in patients with chronic liver disease. For this survey, the questionnaire were developed by researchers and the data were collected for two months. Among the 192 subjects, 155 were hospitalized and 37 were out patient department and the majority of diagnoses were chronic hepatitis (42.2%), liver cirrhosis (31.3%), primary liver carcinoma (14.6%). The results were as follows. 1. Patients who have had experiences with alternative therapies were 128, not undergone were 64. Varried alternative therapies were used and 46.9% of 128 subjects used both hospitals and alternative therapies simultaneously. 2. Patients have looked for alternative therapies in the early stage of disease (71.1%), and motivated to decide a matter of having use complementary therapies as alternatives for treatments (64.8%), and obtained information from their families and friends (48.2%), mass media (14.8%). The majority of patients were acknowledged that laternative treatments have no effectiveness really but it gives them psychological comfort. And the patients have payed a lot of money in cost of alternative therapies fee ; 1.4 times higher than hospitals. 3. Among the 128 subjects, 43.8% patients were communicated with their physicians about complementary therapies, 56.2% were not. 82.1% patients who asked their physicians were experienced negative responses of their doctors. 4. patients were expected the higher effect of alternative therapies when they have been delivered treatment by hospitals with complementary therapies (chi2=57.84, P<0.05), and then they evaluated the treatment effect better in this treatment pattern (chi2=25.26, P<0.05). And in terms of general characteristics of the patients, the only duration of illness was showed the significant relationship with the utilization of alternative therapies (chi2=8.44, P<0.05). 5. In no used alternative therapies group, the reason that they have not taken alternative therapies were ; to keep their physician's prescription, to refuse alternative therapies by their physicians, and to have no trust themselves on alternative therapies. In conclusion, the further study will be required the patients' experience using alternative therapies as the progress of disease in terms of holistic view of patients.
Complementary Therapies* ; Diagnosis ; Fees and Charges ; Friends ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Mass Media ; Prescriptions ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: Despite many smoking cessation programs, many patients with CAD continue to smoke or re-smoke. The processes of change and self-change for smoking cessation is emphasized. The purpose of present study was to investigate decisional balances and processes of change according to stages of change for smoking cessation in the patients with CAD. METHODS: This descriptive study was performed using the self-reported questionnaires from 157 male patients with CAD who have smoking experiences. The questionnaires consisted of decisional balances toward smoking (pros/cons) and processes of change including 7 factors. RESULTS: 45.2% of the subjects had myocardial infarction and 54.8% for angina pectoris. Major stages of change were maintenance, contemplation, and precontemplation in 62%, 14%, and 18% respectively. The mean score of pros smoking was 31.07 and cons smoking was 32.52. The mean scores of processes of change were high in all 7 factors, especially in self determination. The pros smoking in precontemplation stage was significantly higher than those in other stages. Between contemplation and precontemplation stages, processes of change showed significant differences in stimulus control, self determination, information management, and dramatic relief. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that decisional balances and processes of change are stage-specific. As this study, smoking cessation program in the patients with CAD must put priority on the patients group in precontemplation and contemplation stages, and stress self determination and dramatic relief.

PURPOSE: This study was performed to identify the illness intrusiveness, quality of life, and their relationships in patients with chronic liver disease. METHOD: Data was collected using scales of illness intrusiveness developed by Devins et al and Korean health related quality of life (KoQoLS) developed by Shim et al to measure the illness intrusiveness and quality of life from 141 chronic liver disease patients. RESULT: The total mean score of illness intrusiveness was 38.85+/-18.45. The domain of illness intrusiveness which showed the highest mean score was health (4.60+/-2.02), and the lowest mean score domain was relationship with spouse (2.04+/-1.69). The subcategory of KoQoLS which showed the highest mean score was bodily pain (6.96+/-2.98), and the lowest mean score subcategory was vitality (2.75+/-1.20). There were negative relationships between illness intrusiveness and KoQoLS in all subcategories. Abovel all, Illness intrusiveness had the strongest negative relationship with role limitation (r=-0.641) among the KoQoLS subcategories. CONCLUSION: Because the illness intrusiveness had negative influence on the quality of life in patients with chronic liver disease, further research will need to specify detailed illness intrusiveness and to explore influencing factors on quality of life in them.
Humans ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Quality of Life* ; Spouses ; Weights and Measures

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between hypertension and risk factors. A positive association between obesity, age, serum lipid and such life style factors as smoking, exercise, alcoholic beverage use with blood pressure problems and the prevalence of hypertension has been described in many studies. Therefore to identify and evaluate the effects of variables, which were known to be related to hypertension, multiple regression analysis was performed. We studied 110 subjects. The participants were 45 men and 65 women who visited one university hospital located in Seoul from January to December 1998. All 110 persons were identified as having primary hypertension by their physicians. The significant risk factors identified for hypertension were Obesity, BMI, length of time with hypertension. The results were as follows; 1. The systolic blood pressure average in 110 subjects was 156.65mmHg +/- 14.08mmHg, the diastolic blood pressure average was 100.73mmHg +/- 5.64mmHg. 18.2% of the subjects were smokers, 26.4% of the subjects were drinkers, and 33.6% of the subjects exercised regularly. 13.6% had a family history of hypertension. The average mean pressure was 119.37 +/- 7.40mmHg. The average history of hypertension was 28.36 +/- 34.56months. The average body weight of subjective was 65.25kg, and their average BMI was 24.54kg/m2. The average serum cholesterol of the subjects was 204.54mg/dl, HDL was 50.93mg/dl. 2. The result of this study were that variables which showed significance rationale for high systolic blood pressure in hypertension were mean arterial pressure(R2=0.808), and age(R2=0.032). And the variables which showed significance rationale for diastolic blood pressure in hypertension were mean arterial pressure(R2=0.697), age(R2=0.051), sex(R2=0.014), and somking(R2=0.010). And the best variable for prediction of mean blood pressure was the length of history of the disease. 3. According to multiple regression analysis by demographic variables, age and the length of history of hypertension were predictable variables for hypertension. And mean the blood pressure was identified best explaining variable of hypertension by biophysical variables. Therefore, life style modification for hypertension patients as a primary regimen is less important than for normal blood pressure patients. Life style modification is important intervention for normal blood pressure subjects, on the other hand drug therapy and its compliance is the most important intervention for hypertensive subjects. So to regulate blood pressure and prevent the complication of hypertension, the first regime of all should pharmacologic therapy. There is a need to develop nursing intervention to improve pharmacologic compliance for primary hypertension patients.
Alcoholic Beverages ; Blood Pressure* ; Body Weight ; Cholesterol ; Compliance ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Life Style ; Male ; Nursing ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors* ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking

PURPOSE: This study was performed to develop a scale for evaluation of attitudes toward complementary and alternative therapies (CAT) and to investigate nurses' attitudes toward CAT. METHOD: The subjects were 263 nurses working at a university hospital in Seoul and Inchon. The personally designed questionnaire was tested for its reliability and validity. Nurses' attitudes to CAT were evaluated using the questionnaire. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.7405. 23 items were selected by item analysis and 4 factors including application, therapeutic effect, social interest and communication about CAT were classified by factor analysis. The mean score of attitudes and its subcategories were high, especially that of communication was very high. Nurses had a positive response to CAT in several items; acceptance as nursing intervention, its therapeutic value, complement for conventional medicine, and open communication about CAT. Attitudes were different significantly according to education and number of working years. There were high relationships between attitudes and its subcategories except communication. CONCLUSION: The Scale of attitudes toward CAT was proven to be reliable and valid. Positive nurses' attitudes toward CAT will help the patients be provided with a proper and safe way to take CAT.
Animals ; Cats ; Complement System Proteins ; Complementary Therapies* ; Education ; Humans ; Incheon ; Nursing ; Reproducibility of Results ; Seoul ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The O'Leary Symptom Index and Problem Index (ICSI/ICPI) have been used widespread in clinical studies and research. This research was aimed to determine the reliability and validity of the ICSI/ICPI-K that was translated into Korean. METHODS: The research design was a methodological study to test the measurements. Subjects were 301 elderly women in Seoul, Chungnam and Gyungbuk. They were recruited through a formal announcement and they responded after informed consent. Data was analyzed with SPSS 15.0. The internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient and the criterion validity was assessed by Pearson correlation with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and inter-subscales. RESULTS: The elderly women were on average 74.3 years old. As to the reliability of the scale, ICSI/ICPI-K had a Cronbach alpha of .832. In addition, the results showed that ICSI/ICPI-K was valid through the Pearson correlation. That is, the ICSI-K and ICPI-K had a significant relationship with GDS (r=.295; r=.374, respectively) and strong correlations of subscale to subscale (ICSI-K & ICPI-K: r=.676). The most common symptom of the lower urinary tract by the ICSI/ICPI-K was nocturia 249 (83.3%) followed by frequency 187 (62.8%), urgency 148 (49.8%). and pelvic pain 71 (23.9%) in the elderly women. CONCLUSION: We can conclude that the ICSI/ICPI-K is reliable and valid in Korean elderly women. It needs to be evaluated in the clinical area.
Aged ; Cystitis, Interstitial ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Nocturia ; Pelvic Pain ; Reproducibility of Results ; Research Design ; Urinary Tract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to verify the validity and reliability of the Type D Scale-14 (DS14). METHODS: The participants were 288 patients who were diagnosed with angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and hypertension. DS14 was developed by Denollet(2005) and consists of two domains, 7 items on negative affectivity (NA) and 7 items on social inhibition (SI). The Korean version of DS14 was developed through translation-reversed translation and a preliminary test. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire. Cronbach alpha and Guttman split-half were used to test reliability and item analysis and factor analysis for validity. The SPSS program was used. RESULTS: 35.8% of the participants were classified as Type D. Mean score for NA was 16.80 and for SI, 14.10 in Type D participants. For reliability of NA, Cronbach alpha=0.771, and for SI, 0.707. Factor analysis on 12 items(numbers 1 & 3 were excluded as the corrected item-total correlations were below r=0.3) yielded two factors for NA (6 items) and SI (6 items). Number 7 in the NA domain was sorted into the SI domain. CONCLUSION: The results indicate, the cultural differences were between Europeans and Koreans. Repetition of the research is needed for generalization of DS14.
Angina Pectoris ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Generalization (Psychology) ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Myocardial Infarction ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reproducibility of Results

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions and attitudes of nurses toward euthanasia. METHOD: In this descriptive study, data were collected from 485 nurses using a self-report questionnaire. The attitudes toward euthanasia scales were composed of four sub dimensions; quality of life, client's right, respect for life and medical ethics. The data were analyzed with descriptive and parametric statistics using SPSS WIN program. RESULTS: Of the nurses, 84.7% were in agreement with constituting a law for euthanasia and 57.6% accepted passive euthanasia. Further, 80.1% would accept euthanasia for their own end-of-life situation. The most frequent reason for pro euthanasia was pain relief, and for con, respect for life. The mean attitude score was 54.64 and that of sub dimensions were 2.81 for quality of life, 3.21 for client's right, 2.87 for respect for life, and 2.84 for medical ethics. The nurses who were positive in their thinking about euthanasia had higher attitude scores. Among general characteristics of the nurses, attitudes scores were significantly different according to religion. CONCLUSION: Although many nurses had a positive concept of euthanasia, they still have ethical dilemmas in life-sustaining care. Therefore training programs on moral rights are necessary to provide guidelines for end-of-life care.
Education ; Ethics, Medical ; Euthanasia* ; Euthanasia, Passive ; Human Rights ; Jurisprudence ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Thinking ; Value of Life ; Weights and Measures

The factors that affect the nurse-patient interaction were identified, Sixty-six nurses participated in the cross-sectional survey. Based upon the literature, the factors were classified into 4 categories : the patient, the nurse, the family caregiver, and the situational factors. The data were collected with the open-and closed-ended questionnaire developed by researchers. In the closed-ended questionnaire, the significant factors differentiating the best-liked from the least-liked caring situation were found in all factors expect the nurse factors. None of the nurse factors was found to be significant. In patient factors, the physically attractive stereotype was found to affect patient-nurse interaction . As expected, family caregiver factors were found to affect the nurse-patient interaction. The content analysis was done to identify the specific factors affecting nurse-patient interaction. In both of the best-liked and the least-liked caring situation, the patient factors were the most contributing causes as likely as 68.51% and 66.45%, respectively. Some factors that nurses perceived as causes for the best-liked and the least-liked to care were presented. In conclusion, these results show that nurses are influenced by stereotypes in caring patients. So, some programs to increase awareness of the biases of nurses are included in in-service education. Also the incentives to encourage nurses are needed.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Caregivers ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education ; Humans ; Motivation ; Surveys and Questionnaires