PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the correlation between mother's characteristics and obesity index, percentage of body fat, total cholesterol, and serum leptin levels in obese children. METHOD: Sixty two students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades were selected from two elementary schools located in the suburbs of Seoul. Mother's characteristics were collected by questionnaires. Biophysical indexes were as follows; obesity indexes were calculated by height and weight, percentages of body fat were measured by a bioelectrical impedence fatness analyzer, total cholesterol levels were measured by a Hitachi automatic analyzer, and serum leptin levels were measured by the immunoradiometric assay method. RESULT: The degree of mother's concern for their children's obesity showed a statistically significant positive correlation with biophysical indexes such as obesity index and serum leptin level in obese children. However, there were no significant correlations between mother's economic state, education level, occupation and biophysical indexes. Also, there were no significant correlations between mother's concern for their children's obesity and percentage of body fat, and serum cholesterol levels. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that mother's concern for their children's obesity is one of the most important factors in child obesity.
Adipose Tissue ; Child* ; Cholesterol ; Education ; Humans ; Immunoradiometric Assay ; Leptin ; Mothers ; Obesity ; Occupations ; Pediatric Obesity ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to measure breastfeeding empowerment for the Korean mother, and to test the validity and reliability of the instrument. METHOD: The items of instruments used was based on literature review. Nineteen item scales were developed with five domains. In order to test reliability and validity of the scale, data was collected from 99 mothers who were within 4weeks, postpatum and 88 mothers who had had children within 1 year. Data was collected between September 2nd and 24th by a self-reported questionnaire. RESULT: The results were as follows: As a result of factor analysis three times, 19 items were selected from the total of 24 items. Five factors evolved by factor analysis, which explained 65.7% of the total variance. The first factor 'breastfeeding skill' explained 34.1%, the 2nd factor 'group empowerment' 10.6%, the 3rd factor 'breastfeeding will' explained 7.8%, the 4th factor 'social policy empowerment' 7.0%, and the 5th factor 'adherence to exclusive breastfeeding' 6.2%. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of this scale was .8781. CONCLUSION: The study supports the reliability and validity of the scale. Because the main concept of breastfeeding empowerment was breastfeeding skill, there were distinct differences in the dimensions of breastfeeding empowerment scales.
Breast Feeding* ; Child ; Humans ; Mothers ; Power (Psychology)* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reproducibility of Results ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: A descriptive study was conducted to examine the levels of distress, state anxiety, and physiologic responses in postoperative patients under patient controlled analgesia (PCA), and to determine correlations among the variables. METHOD: The study sample included women who underwent an elective hysterectomy procedure or other gynecologic surgeries (N=100). Subjective distress was assessed by visual analog scales around 8 hours postoperatively. Trained nurses collected objective distress data through observation of subject's behavior and vital signs. Data were analyzed with frequencies, percentages, means, Pearson correlation coefficients, ANOVA, and the Scheffe post test using SPSS/PC 11.0. RESULT: Subjective distress, objective distress, and state anxiety scores were relatively low, except pain scores (5.31 out of 10.0) among sub-scales of subjective distress. Women who had a total abdominal hysterectomy showed significantly higher levels of both subjective distress and state anxiety than those after a minor gynecologic surgery. In relationships among variables, subjective distress correlated positively with postoperative state anxiety, but not with the amount of analgesic medication, verified by further analysis on sub-scales of subjective and objective distress. The higher the levels of state anxiety, the higher the levels of tension, dyspnea, facial change, and systolic blood pressure observed. CONCLUSION: Regardless of effective pain management, most postoperatively experienced distress in gynecological patients was derived from surgery associated anxiety and pain. Specific psychological strategies should be established as well for those with high levels of state anxiety to facilitate prompt recovery.
Analgesia, Patient-Controlled ; Anxiety* ; Blood Pressure ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Pain Management ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis* ; Visual Analog Scale ; Vital Signs

PURPOSE: It has been suggested that approximately 40% of women between 40 and 64 years of age cease their sexual activity. The aim of this study was to establish the basic data for FSD (female sexual dysfunction) and FSD-related factors in regional urban and rural areas of Korea. METHOD: Three hundred twenty five women over 20 years of age and resident in regional urban and rural areas were analyzed by a visit survey with an organized questionnaire. The female sexual function index (FSFI) for measurement of sexual dysfunction was used. The significance between the degree of sexual dysfunction and characteristics of the participants was analyzed by a t-test and ANOVA test. The relationship between the degree of sexual dysfunction and related factors was analyzed by Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: All analyzing tools including the FSFI had a high validity for measuring. The FSFI in Korean women was 19.97+/-4.87 and ranged from 2 to 29. Old age, menopause, medication, no contraception usage and longer marital duration were significantly related with a lower FSFI score. Pearson's correlation coefficient revealed the significance in degrees of sexual distress (r=-.469, p=.000), sexual attitude (r=.305, p=.000) and a stressful life event (r=-.141, p=.038) with the sexual function index score. CONCLUSION: Women with sexual dysfunction should be evaluated for these sexual function-related factors in the history taking, and this data can be a basis for study for sexual dysfunction.
Contraception ; Female* ; Humans ; Korea ; Menopause ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sexual Behavior ; Women's Health

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to explore the experience of unwed mothers, to describe the structure of the understanding of this experience for mothers and to explore nursing interventions for this situation. METHODS: The subjects were 4 unwed mothers. The data was collected by in-depth interviews and participant observations from February 2004 to June 2004. Each person was interviewed 4-5times, taking about one and a half hours for each session. Data was analyzed by the phenomenological method suggested by Giorgi. RESULT: The understanding of the experience of unwed mothers resulted in "lightness of sexual cognition", "knowledge deficit of pregnancy", "suffering form pregnancy", "ambivalence of the situation", "appearance of mothering", "worrying about society's view". CONCLUSION: Sex education programs, a one-round, formal lecture-type education is presently dominant, so that education and training programs can be systematized at school and home. The difficult point for unwed mothers to endure is that society doesn't accept them; therefore, we have to change our point of view, and try to work out the problems.
Education ; Humans ; Illegitimacy ; Mothers* ; Nursing ; Sex Education

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to measure knowledge, attitude, experience of sex, sexual autonomy and the need of sex education of college students in order to provide sex information. METHOD: The subjects of this study were 356 college students. The data were collected from October 26 to December 5, 2003 by using a structured questionnaire. RESULT: The respondents' score of sexual knowledge was relatively low as 53.7 mean score on the basis of 100. However, the scores of sexual knowledge related to masturbation, induced abortion, and contraception were relatively high. The respondents' score of sexual attitude was 3.09. The respondents' score of sexual autonomy was 3.89. The percentage of subjects that experienced sexual intercourse was 41.6% and there was a difference between the gender. There was a positive correlation between sexual knowledge and sexual autonomy and between sexual knowledge and sexual attitude. There were significant differences in the sexual knowledge, sexual attitude and sexual autonomy depending upon the experience of coitus. The respondents expressed the need of sex education in college. CONCLUSION: An integrated sex education program should be developed and contents must have a concrete and honest education which is appropriate to college students.
Abortion, Induced ; Coitus ; Contraception ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Masturbation ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sex Education

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Internet education on plasma glucose and serum lipids in female type 2 diabetic patients. METHOD: Control and experimental groups were assessed by a pre-test and at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months. Fourteen patients were assigned randomly to an intervention group and 15 to a control group. Patients in the intervention group were requested to input their blood glucose levels everyday by cellular phone or wire Internet for 1 year. The goal of the intervention was to keep blood glucose concentrations close to the normal range (glycosylated hemoglobin, HbA1c< 7%). An intervention was applied to the intervention group weekly for 1 year. Optimal recommendations were sent weekly by a short message service from a cellular phone and wire Internet. RESULTS: Patients in the intervention group had a significant mean change in HbA1c, from 7.6% at pre-test to 6.9%, at 3 months and equalized at 6.7% at 12 months. There was no significant time and group differences observed in the serum lipids. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that Internet education would improve and maintain the normal range of HbA1c in female type 2 diabetic patients.
Blood Glucose* ; Cellular Phone ; Education* ; Female* ; Humans ; Internet ; Plasma* ; Reference Values ; Text Messaging

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop an exercise program for postmastectomy patients. METHOD: This study was conducted from October, 2003 to June, 2004. The exercise program was developed based on literature review and needs assessment using focus group interviews. The subjects for the focus group interview consisted of 11 patients, 13 recovering patients, and 20 nurses from 3 hospitals. Development of the program was proceeded with analysusm design and development steps. RESULT: The results of the needs assessment using the focus group interview showed that the exercise program was imperative for postmastectomy patients. Based on the results, a home video tape containing 3 steps, was developed. Each step includes warming-up, stretching, the main exercise, and cool-down. Steps 2 and 3 include exercises with an elastic band, and an elastic ball. The program was modified after conducting a pre-test. A self-checklist including shoulder mobility, hand strength, arm volume and subjective comments on how they feel will be used before and after the exercise program. CONCLUSION: The exercise program will improve breast cancer patients' quality of life and their physical well-being. Further studies are recommended to test the effectiveness of the exercise program.
Arm ; Breast Neoplasms ; Exercise ; Focus Groups ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Needs Assessment ; Quality of Life ; Shoulder

PURPOSE: This study attempted to show the implications of obese female college students' weight control experiences and to use this as primary data for developing a nursing intervention. METHOD: The participants were 7 obese students who had tried losing weight at C College on Jeju Island. Their average age was 22 and BMI was 25.6kg/m (2) on average. The data were collected from May 17th to July 6th 2004, and in-depth interviews were conducted with open-ended questions. RESULT: The analysis was conducted by Colaizzi's phenomenological method, and the analyzed results were categorized into 9 criteria, 22 theme clusters and 50 themes. The 9 criteria include withdrawal, desperation, self-restraint, relief, satisfaction, distraction, depression, regaining self-control and negligence of health. They tended to go through a weight gain loss cycle in a repetitive manner, and were faced with great physical and mental difficulties. In addition, they often went on a severely-strict diet without taking their health condition into consideration, which, in effect, causes various health problems. CONCLUSION: This study gives insights into the weight control experiences of obese female college students, and it shows developing more practical and effective nursing interventions are urgently needed.
Depression ; Diet ; Female* ; Humans ; Malpractice ; Nursing ; Obesity ; Weight Gain

PURPOSE: This study elicited Korean women's perceptions of the life situations that contribute to Hwabyung, a culture bound psychiatric illness in Korea, and delineated a typology of the perceived causative factors for this illness. METHOD: A purposive sample of 21 Korean women was recruited from a church, a senior center in Seoul and a clinic that provides traditional Korean and westernized medical services to patients in the Gyeonggi area. Inclusion criteria were: 1) the diagnosis of Hwabyung by a traditional doctor or "stress reaction and depression" by a westernized doctor; and 2) a score greater than 40 on the Hwabyung Self Report Instrument. Surveys using the HSRI and individual interviews using Q methodology were used. RESULT: The average age of the participants was 53.7 years (range 35-84). The mean score on the HSRI was 46.2 (range = 42-52). Data analysis showed that participants perceived three life situations to cause Hwabyung: vulnerable situation, lowered self esteem, and negative life events. CONCLUSIONS: Korean women, suffering from Hwabyung, perceived at least three different causal patterns for this illness. Nursing care plans should be tailored to meet these differences.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Korea ; Patient Care Planning ; Self Concept ; Self Report ; Senior Centers ; Seoul ; Statistics as Topic