PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of lifestyle intervention on the development of fatigue, nutritional status and quality of life of patients with gynecologic cancer. METHODS: A nonequivalent control group quasi-experimental design was used. Participants were 49 patients with gynecologic cancer. They were assigned to the experiment group (n=24) or the control group (n=25). The lifestyle intervention for this study consisted of physical activity, nutritional education, telephone call counseling, health counseling, monitoring for lifestyle, and affective support based on Cox's Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior and was implemented for six weeks. RESULTS: Significant group differences were found for fatigue (p =.037), nutritional status (p =.034) and social/family well-being (p =.035) in these patients with gynecologic cancer. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that this lifestyle intervention is effective in lessening fatigue, and improving nutritional status and social/family well-being. Therefore, nurses in hospitals should develop strategies to expand and provide lifestyle interventions for patients with cancer.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use ; *Fatigue ; Female ; Genital Neoplasms, Female/drug therapy/*psychology ; Health Behavior ; Health Education ; Humans ; *Life Style ; Middle Aged ; *Nutritional Status ; Proportional Hazards Models ; *Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To identify relationships among lifestyle, psychological distress, and reproductive health in female university students. METHODS: We used a descriptive cross-sectional design. A total of 275 subjects were enrolled. Subjects agreed to undergo a face-to-face interview, including administration of structured questionnaires to determine health promotion lifestyle profile II (HPLP-II), depression anxiety stress scale for depression and anxiety (DASS-D, DASS-A), and reproductive health (knowledge, attitude, behavior, menstruation irregularity, dysmenorrhea, and gynecologic symptoms). RESULTS: The mean age of subjects was 21.2 years. Those with low HPLP-II score showed significantly high menstruation irregularity. Those with high depression and anxiety had significantly high reproductive symptoms. In addition, high HPLP-II score was correlated with low depression, anxiety, and high reproductive health. CONCLUSION: The life style of female university students is associated with depression, anxiety, and reproductive health. To improve female university students' reproductive health, life style interventions including healthy nutritional habit, physical activity, and stress management are important.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Dysmenorrhea ; Female* ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Life Style* ; Menstruation ; Motor Activity ; Reproductive Health* ; Stress, Psychological

PURPOSE: Malnutrition is a major concern in patients with gynecologic cancer receiving chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic significance of malnutrition in patients with gynecologic cancer undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: A prospective, observational study was conducted on a total of 99 subjects who were treated at a tertiary hospital in Korea. Data regarding demographic, clinical, nutritional, and psychological characteristics at baseline and survival were obtained. RESULTS: Performance status, nutritional status, depression, and annual income were significantly different between survivors and non-survivors. Multivariate Cox modeling after adjusting for other factors showed that a malnourished status in patients with gynecologic cancer undergoing chemotherapy was a significant and independent negative influencing factor for survival. CONCLUSION: These findings provide evidence that adequate nutritional assessment and intervention may assist in improving survival in patients with gynecologic cancer undergoing chemotherapy.
Depression ; Drug Therapy* ; Female ; Genital Neoplasms, Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Malnutrition* ; Nutrition Assessment ; Nutritional Status ; Observational Study ; Prospective Studies ; Survivors ; Tertiary Care Centers

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a web-based sexual health program for women undergoing treatment for gynecologic cancer and their partners, and to evaluate the validity of the developed program. METHODS: A web-based sexual health program was developed and evaluated: analysis (needs assessment on 23 patients and content analysis through literature review and web search), design, development, implementation, and evaluation. RESULTS: The web-based sexual health program for women undergoing treatment for gynecologic cancer and their partners was structured with sexual life, sexual response cycle, change of sexual function, sexual dysfunction related to treatment, and useful method for sexual dysfunction. This program included a video to improve for understanding and a bulletin board to promote bi-directional interactions between program users and providers. Experts and users rated this program in terms of efficacy, convenience, design, relevance, and usefulness. This program contents were found appropriate and satisfactory to both experts and users. CONCLUSION: This web-based sexual health program for women undergoing treatment for gynecologic cancer and their partners would contribute to sexual health promotion for gynecologic cancer women and their partners.
Female ; Genital Neoplasms, Female ; Humans ; Internet ; Methods ; Reproductive Health*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among sleep disturbance, depression, and quality of life in ovarian cancer during chemotherapy and to identify the influencing effect on quality of life. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to measure sleep disturbance, depression and quality of life of 152 ovarian cancer patients between May and July, 2015. The data were analyzed with t-tests, ANOVA, post-hoc comparison (Scheffe), Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 54.2, and most of them were married. 61.8% of the patients were recurrent, and 50.0% had a performance status of < or =1. The prevalence of poor sleepers was 63.8%, and depression among patients was 52.6%. Sleep disturbance and depression were significantly negatively correlated with quality of life. As a result of stepwise multiple regression analysis, depression, sleep disturbance, monthly income and recurrence were discovered to account for 52.0% of variance. Depression and sleep disturbance were the most important influential factors. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that sleep disturbance and depression should be integrated when developing and implementing psychosocial, behavioral intervention to improve quality of life among ovarian cancer patients during chemotherapy.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression* ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life* ; Recurrence

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine effects of the Permission, Limited Information, Specific Suggestions, Intensive Therapy (PLISSIT) model sexual health enhancement program on, and development in, sexual function, sexual distress, marital intimacy, and subjective happiness of women with gynecologic cancer and their husbands. METHODS: The comprehensive program (4 session, 90 minutes per session) was developed based on the PLISSIT model. Participants were 43 couples, 21 assigned to the experimental group who attended the 4-week program, and 22 to the control group. Sexual function, sexual distress, marital intimacy, subjective happiness of the women, marital intimacy, subjective happiness of husbands were determined by a questionnaire that was completed by the participants before and after the program. The control group received the intervention post experiment. Chi-square test, t-test, Fisher's exact test were used to test the effectiveness of the program. RESULTS: Post intervention results showed significant differences between the groups for sexual function, sexual distress, and marital intimacy in the women and for subjective happiness in the husbands. CONCLUSION: Results indicate that the sexual health enhancement program is effective in improving sexual function, lowering sexual distress, increasing marital intimacy, and subjective happiness in women with gynecologic cancer and their husbands.
Adult ; Cognition ; Couples Therapy ; Emotions ; Female ; Genital Neoplasms, Female/*psychology ; Happiness ; Humans ; Marital Therapy ; Middle Aged ; *Program Evaluation ; Sexual Behavior ; Spouses/*psychology ; Women/*psychology

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify sexuality for women with gynecological cancer. METHODS: A total of seven women with gynecological cancer agreed to participate in this study. The data were collected utilizing in-depth semi-structured interviews style. A descriptive study design was used in this study. The interviews were analyzed using inductive content analysis methodology. RESULTS: Three themes identified were: 'women with gynecological cancer who give up their sexual life due to misunderstanding and fear', 'women with gynecological cancer who control their body and mind for recovery', 'women with gynecological cancer resume their sexual life with their partner's will'. CONCLUSION: To improve sexual health and quality of life for women with gynecological cancer, we need to develop programs related to sexual health. An adjusted sexual health program will contribute to increased sexual health and quality of life for women with gynecological cancer.
Female ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Reproductive Health ; Sexuality

Purpose: The rate of infertility in South Korea is steadily increasing. Infertile women experience various physical, psychological, and relational problems that affect their infertility–related quality of life (QoL). This study investigated infertile women’s infertility-related QoL with the goal of identifying how it is influenced by fatigue, depression, and marital intimacy. Methods: A sample of 140 infertile women was surveyed in a cross-sectional study. Data were collected from February to April 2018 using self-report structured questionnaires at three infertility clinics located in Jeonju, Korea. Data were analyzed using the independent t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression analysis in SPSS for Windows version 25.0. The subjects agreed to complete a face-to-face interview, including administration of the Fatigue Severity Scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, Marital Intimacy Scale, and the Fertility Quality of Life tool. Results: The mean age of the participants was 35.6±4.3 years. Infertility-related QoL was negatively correlated with fatigue (r=–.42, p<.001) and depression (r=–.56, p<.001), and positively correlated with marital intimacy (r=.30, p<.001). Multiple regression analysis showed that depression (β=–0.44, p<.001), fatigue (β=–0.27, p<.001), and husband’s attitude (β=–0.19, p=.007) had significant effects on the QoL of infertile women, accounting for 40.5% of the variance in infertility-related QoL. Conclusion The study provides insights into how infertile women’s infertility-related QoL was influenced by depression, fatigue, and their husbands’ attitudes regarding infertility treatment. To improve infertile women’s infertility-related QoL, healthcare providers should consider developing strategies to decrease depression and fatigue in infertile women and to address their husbands’ attitudes.

Purpose: This study investigated the trajectory of subjective health status in married postmenopausal women and aimed to identify predictive factors affecting subjective health status. Methods: Data were obtained from women who participated in wave 4 (2012) of the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women & Families Longitudinal Study and continued to the latest phase (wave 7, 2018). A latent growth model (LGM) was used to analyze data from 1,719 married postmenopausal women in the framework of the ecological system theory. Results: The mean age of the participants at wave 4 was 56.39±4.71 years, and the average subjective health status was around the midpoint (3.19±0.84). LGM analysis confirmed that subjective health status decreased over time (initial B=3.21, slope B=–0.03). The factors affecting initial subjective health were age, body mass index, frequency of vigorous physical activity (microsystem level), marital satisfaction (mesosystem level), and medical service utilization (macrosystem level). Medical service utilization and the frequency of vigorous physical activity were identified as predictive factors affecting the slope in subjective health status. The model fit was satisfactory (TLI=.92, CFI=.95, and RMSEA=.04). Conclusion This analysis of the trajectory of subjective health status of married postmenopausal women over time confirmed that subjective health is influenced by overall ecological system factors, including the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. Therefore, it is necessary to assess physical activity and support policies promoting access to medical services in order to improve the subjective health status of married postmenopausal women.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the factors influencing the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of older adults with unmet healthcare needs. Methods: Data from the 2018 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. From a pool of 7992 participants, a final sample of 153 participants was analyzed using complex descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and multiple regression analysis. Results: In general, young age, being married, employment, higher income, no hypertension, health insurance coverage as an employee, and living with someone were associated with higher the HRQoL. The following factors were significantly associated with lower HRQoL scores: activity restriction (B=-0.15, p<.001), poor perceived health status (B=-0.14, p<.001), and higher depressive symptom score (B=-0.01, p=.002). The explanatory power was approximately 58%, and the model was deemed suitable (Wald F=16.86, p<.001). Conclusion This study provides insights into the influence of various characteristics of older adults with unmet healthcare needs on their HRQoL. Healthcare providers should develop strategies to reduce these unmet healthcare needs.