PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aquatic exercise on pain, fatigue, physical fitness, disability in ADL, and psychological variables in women with arthritis. METHODS: With a quasi-experimental design, 46 women who has arthritis were assigned into an experimental group (n=23), or a control group (n=23). Data were analyzed with SPSS/WIN using descriptive statistics, t-test and ANCOVA. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 60.9 years in the experimental group and 59.8 years in the control group. The pretest scores of theoutcome variables were similar between the two groups except fatigue and waist flexibility. After controlling fatigue and waist flexibility, the experimental group showed more improvement than the control group in Rt shoulder flexibility score (F=4.36, p=.04), sit-up score (F=32.34, p=.00), and muscle strength score (F=30.78, p=.00). The score of disability in ADL decreased in the experimental group (F=5.49, p=.02). The depression score decreased in the experimental group (F=12.01, p=.00), and self-efficacy was improved more than the other variables(F=8.88, p=.00). CONCLUSION: Aquatic exercise is likely to be an effective nursing intervention to improve physical fitness, to reduce pain, fatigue, and disability in ADL, and to enhance psychological functions in women with arthritis.
Activities of Daily Living* ; Arthritis* ; Depression ; Fatigue* ; Female ; Humans ; Muscle Strength ; Nursing ; Physical Fitness* ; Pliability ; Shoulder

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine effects of a self-help management program at public health centers on self-efficacy, self-esteem, knowledge of stroke and family supports in stroke patients. METHODS: Based on a quasi-experimental design, 44 persons with stroke were assigned to the experimental group (n=21) or the control group (n=23). Data were analyzed through the descriptive statistics, t-test, chi2-test and Mann-Whitney test with the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. RESULTS: The experimental group showed significant improvement in its members' self-efficacy, self-esteem, knowledge of stroke and family supports. CONCLUSION: The self-help management program can be an effective nursing intervention to help stroke patients improve their self-efficacy, self-esteem, knowledge of stroke and family supports. That program is also meaningful in that it can contribute to more effective implementation of established programs for stroke patients in public health centers.
Humans ; Nursing ; Public Health* ; Self Concept ; Self Efficacy ; Stroke*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aquatic exercise on pain, fatigue, body composition, physical fitness and psychological variables in women with arthritis. METHOD: With a quasi-experimental design, 37 women who had arthritis were assigned into an experimental group (n=19) or a control group (n=18). Aquatic exercise consisted of one hour of exercise in water, two days per week, for six weeks and a self-help process. Measures included physiologic and psychological variables before and after the exercise. Data was analyzed with the SPSS WIN using descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANCOVA. RESULT: The mean age of the subjects was 59 years in the experimental group and 52 years in the control group. Pretest scores in outcome variables were similar in both groups except BMI and body fat(%). After controlling for age, shoulder flexibility scores in the experimental group improved more than the control group (Rt: F=10.58, p=.003; Lt: F=5.91, p= .02; Waist: F=4.95, p= .03). Depression scores in the experimental group decreased (F=12.96, p= .001), and self efficacy and quality of life improved more than the others (F=5.07, p= .03; F=6.91, p= .01). CONCLUSION: Aquatic exercise can improve waist flexibility and shows consistent findings of improved shoulder flexibility and psychological function in women with arthritis.
Arthritis* ; Body Composition* ; Depression ; Fatigue* ; Female ; Humans ; Physical Fitness* ; Pliability ; Quality of Life ; Self Efficacy ; Shoulder

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of knowledge about the harmfulness of smoking and attitude toward smoking temptation for middle school students. METHODS: A survey was conducted in this study on 745 students from 12 middle schools in the Y City. Data were analyzed with SPSS/WIN 12.0 using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANCOVA, Scheffe's test and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: There was statistically significant difference in knowledge about the harmfulness of smoking (F=2.88, p<.05) and attitude toward smoking (F=54.61, p<.001). And there was statistically significant difference in smoking temptations among tempting factors such as negative mood of individual (F=63.61, p<.001), positive mood of social situation (F=67.08, p<.001), habitualness (F=57.68, p<.001), weight control (F=33.01, p<.001), and others' smoking (F=73.13, p<.001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that smoking-cessation programs to enhance the effectiveness of nursing interventions should be tailored to the level of smoking temptation and that educational programs should be developed for middle school students.
Humans ; Nursing ; Smoke* ; Smoking*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of mental health hospital workers. METHODS: Participants in the study were a total of 8 mental health hospital workers who consisted of nurses, social welfare workers and health managers. To prevent them from being omitted, the interviews were all recorded under the participants prior agreement. The method was analysis using the phenomenological method proposed by Colaizzi(1978). RESULTS: The experiences of the participants of this study were classified into 15 significant areas, from which 10 subjects hard work, conflicts, heavy feeling, irritability, getting familiar, changes of recognition, aptitude determination, feeling of achievement and sense of pride were drawn out. These subjects were then grouped into 5 themes. These five themes were finally grouped into 5 categories, negative emotion, depressive emotion, changes of thinking, delight and value discovery. CONCLUSIONS: The study tried to analyze the experiences of key informants like nurses, social welfare workers and health managers all of whom were serving at mental health hospitals, contribute to social recognition about the special medical establishment, promote qualitative mental health nursing and further provide educational information necessary for understanding mental health hospital workers.
Health Personnel/*psychology ; Helping Behavior ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; *Mental Health ; Models, Nursing ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Workplace/psychology

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to explore and understanding the nature of the shift workers' experience in industries requiring 24 hours-a-day service provision and support. For the purpose, the present researcher made a research question, "What are workers' experience in the shift work?" METHODS: In the study, 5 male shift workers, 3 female shift worker and a woman (key informant) whose husband is a shift worker participated. Then profound interviews with the participants were made after their agreement. RESULTS: The researcher classified the significant statements under 6 theme clusters, 1) sense of difference; 2) worries about health; 3) draining of emotion; 4) anxiety; 5) sadness; and 6) being comfortable. CONCLUSIONS: Shift work which is inevitable in modern society may have severe influences on shift workers' physical, mental and psychological aspects by causing their work cycle rhythm to be unbalanced. Finally, the researcher hopes that the results of the study would help understand workers' life and increase social concern and support to the workers.
Anxiety ; Female ; Hope ; Humans ; Male ; Spouses

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the essence of the experiences of patients in an ICU, and to understand them from the patients' point of view. METHODS: Participants in this study were six patients in P hospital. Data collection consisted of in-depth interviews and an observation method done from January to April in 2005. The method was analysis using the phenomenological method proposed by Colaizzi(1978). RESULTS: The themes were classified into eight theme clusters. The eight theme clusters were finally grouped into four categories, 'shock', 'pain', 'gratefulness' and 'pleasure of revival'. CONCLUSION: The ICU patients had negative experiences in physical.mental critical situations, but also positive experiences in consolation and nurses and families' encouragement. Therefore, ICU nurses must support patients and their families to minimize the negative experiences and maximize the positive experiences.
Adult ; Aged ; Attitude to Health ; Critical Illness/psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Inpatients/*psychology ; *Intensive Care Units ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nursing Methodology Research ; Patient Transfer ; Qualitative Research