PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the prevalence of depression and determine the relationship of body mass index and perceived health status to depression for elderly women who live alone in the community. METHODS: A total of 175 adults aged over 60 participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Perceived heath status was measured using a self-report one-item questionnaire. Body mass index was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. Depression was assessed using the Korean short version of the geriatric depression scale. Hierarchical linear regression was used to identify associations between variables. RESULTS: Approximately 61.7% of elderly women who lived alone were depressed. The mean score for depression was 7.4 (SD 3.39). Hierarchical linear regression showed body mass index (beta=.25, p<.001) and perceived health status (beta=-.26, p<.001) were independently associated with depression adjusting for general characteristics. These two predictors accounted for 12% of the variance in depression. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that obesity and perceived health status are risk factors for depression in elderly women living alone. Therefore, these factors should be considered when developing intervention program for elderly women with depression.
Adult ; Aged* ; Body Mass Index* ; Depression* ; Female ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Residence Characteristics ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to describe the pattern of type D personality, to compare the life style and quality of life between type D personality and non-type D personality patients, and to investigate the factors influencing quality of life in patients with hypertension. METHODS: A cross sectional, descriptive study was used. The participants in this study were 193 outpatients who were diagnosed with hypertension at two university hospitals in urban area, Korea. The data was collected from December, 2006 to January, 2007. Type D personality was measured by the DS-14 scale. RESULTS: The prevalence of type D personality was 83.9%. Patients of type D personality were significantly different in educational status, monthly income, fat intake and exercise, and had a lower overall quality of life than patients of non-type D personality. Under controlled general characteristics and life style factors, multiple linear regression analysis was performed. The most significant factor influencing quality of life in hypertensive patients was type D personality, and this factor explained their quality of life with a variance of 14.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Various programs for psychological intervention are required to control for the distressed personality of patients with hypertension. Further studies should be conducted prospectively on a larger patient population.
Educational Status ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Korea ; Life Style* ; Linear Models ; Outpatients ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life* ; Type D Personality*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationship between type D personality and cardiovascular disease, and to suggest future research directions. METHOD: A literature search was conducted from the following nine databases: 1) MEDLINE, 2) CINAHL, 3) Pubmed Unrestricted, 4) PsycINFO, 5) KISS, 6) RICHIS, 7) RISS4U, and 8) Nanet. The combinations of the words, "type D personality", "personality", "heart", "cardiovascular", and "coronary" were used for keyword searches to find relevant articles. Twenty eight studies were identified. RESULT: Type D personality has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with established cardiovascular disease. Type D patients are also at increased risk for impaired quality of life, and seem to benefit less from medical and invasive treatment. CONCLUSION: There is substantial evidence for a relationship between type D personality and clinical outcomes related to cardiovascular disease. Randomized clinical trials are needed to further evaluate the value of controlling type D personality to improve survival and reduce morbidity in patients with cardiovascular disease. Accumulating evidence from this analysis indicates the urgent need to adopt a personality approach in order to optimize the identification of patients at risk for stress related cardiac events.
Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases/*psychology ; Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; *Personality ; Risk Factors ; *Stress, Psychological

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to identify the level of health literacy and to determine its impact on disease-related knowledge and adherence to self-care in adults with hypertension. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study in which patients with hypertension were recruited from outpatient hypertension clinics in Seoul, Korea from December, 2009 to February, 2010. A total 186 patients completed series of questionnaires to assess health literacy, disease-related knowledge, and adherence to self-care. Hierarchical linear regression was used to determine whether health literacy was associated with disease-related knowledge and adherence to self-care. RESULTS: Seventy-one (38.2%) and seventy-two (38.7%) patients had inadequate and marginal health literacy, respectively. In hierarchical linear regression, health literacy independently predicted disease-related knowledge (beta= .43, p < .001) and adherence to self-care (beta= .37, p < .001) after controlling for age, education level, having a job or not, and body mass index. CONCLUSION: These findings show that health care providers need to pay attention to patients with hypertension who have inadequate health literacy. Further, it is recommended to develop and implement new strategies for assessing health literacy in clinical practices. Interventions to improve health literacy could promote disease-related knowledge and adherence to self-care in patients with hypertension.
Adult ; Health Literacy ; Health Personnel ; Health Status ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Outpatients ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Self Care

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the influencing factors on the compliance of breast self-examination (BSE) among nurses who work at three general hospitals in Kyung-Nam areas. METHOD: 258 hospital nurses were included in the study. Data were collected using structured self-administered questionnaires and analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, x2 test and logistic regression analysis. RESULT: Nurses reported medium levels of knowledge, self efficacy and health believes about breast cancer and BSE, and 26% of the nurses performed the BSE at least once during the last 6 months. Compliers of BSE perceived significantly higher levels of self-efficacy, susceptability and health motivation, and lower level of barrier compared to non-compliers. Significant influencing factors on BSE compliance were 'experience of getting recommendation for breast self-examination', 'susceptibility', 'barrier', and 'self-efficacy' and those variables explained 22.5% of variance in compliance of BSE. CONCLUSION: Nurses, who must play as a role model for health promoting behaviors, did not have enough knowledge of breast cancer and BSE. Also, their performance rate of BSE was quite low. Thus, it is essential to provide an educational program for breast cancer and BSE to nurses in order to enhance nurses' performance rate of BSE.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast Self-Examination* ; Breast* ; Compliance* ; Health Behavior ; Hospitals, General ; Logistic Models ; Methods ; Motivation ; Self Efficacy

No abstract available.
Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin* ; Staphylococcus*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Hemagglutination* ; Humans ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia* ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma*

PURPOSE: This exploratory study was undertaken to analyze the information needs of family members of terminal cancer patients, collected through the telephone counselling service by National Cancer Information Center. METHODS: The study included 113 family members of terminal cancer patients who had enrolled at the National Cancer Information Center for the period from June, 2007 through March, 2008 and had agreed to the survey. RESULTS: The subjects (n=113) consisted of grown-up children (n=82) and spouses (n=8) of patients'. Those in their 40's (n=40) and 30's (n=36) accounted for the majority of the sample. The questions raised most were about the information on treatment methods (n=117), management of terminal cancer patients (n=46), terminal cancer patients' life (n=27), deathbed and prediction of remaining life (n=18), hospitalization (n=16), and financial support (n=15). Most of the subjects were satisfied with the telephone counseling services, and 69% of the subjects had come to know about the telephone counseling service via Internet, and 10.6% of them stated that the PR for the service was poor. CONCLUSION: It is deemed essential for the government to use the mass media for PR of the hospice services, since family members of terminal cancer patients' are less aware of the hospice conducive to enhancement of patients' remaining quality of life, being involued too deeply in their treatment.
Child ; Counseling ; Financial Support ; Hospices ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Information Centers ; Information Services ; Internet ; Mass Media ; Quality of Life ; Spouses ; Telephone

A survey was conducted to investigate the current status of utilization of cyber nutritional information for teenagers and the reason for their need of such website content. In the four cities of Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju and Daegu, in September and October, 2000, 1262 secondary school students were randomly selected. Survey results are summarized as follows: The participants searched for nutritional information by means of internet/PC communication for 137.0 +/- 100.6 (Mean +/- S.D.) minutes per day, mainly for the purpose of playing games, entertainment, chatting, or doing homework. Of the participants, 4.5% searched for nutritional information by means of internet/PC communication primarily for doing homework, and secondarily for reasons related to their own health or diet. Their satisfaction levels with the web sites used to obtain nutritional information was average. Needs assessments regarding the content of the web sites and the screen design showed that the teenagers wanted simple, clearly explained content, current information, easy access, less complicated screens and more use of characters. Only 8.1% of the participants had received nutritional counseling by means of internet/PC communication and 91% of them used it less than once a month, showing the very low utilization of nutritional counseling. The teenagers' main reasons for using nutritional counseling were related to their homework or diets, and their satisfaction levels regarding the counseling were below average. Poorly understood answers, and slow responses were mentioned. They had high interests in 'Diet for better growth,' 'Acne and diet,' 'Dental health and diet,' and 'Adolescent development'. These topics are mostly related to appearance. In conclusion, it is necessary to provide for teenagers, on nutritional information web sites, simple and well organized information, including simple graphics and characters, appropriate for their gender and age, as well as counseling sites offering kind and satisfying responses.
Adolescent* ; Counseling* ; Daegu ; Diet ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Needs Assessment* ; Seoul

In 2008, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimated that about 430,000 children worldwide became infected with HIV, mostly through mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or breast-feeding. The MTCT prevention program proved to be feasible and effective in reduction of perinatal HIV transmission. Three babies born from HIV-infected mothers were admitted to the National Medical Center in 2009. Only two women received antiretroviral (ARV) therapy during pregnancy, labor, and after delivery, and their infants received zidovudine (AZT) for 6 weeks. The outcome, after a follow-up period of 4 months to 16 months, was favorable in all patients. Thus, we emphasize the need for expansion of antenatal HIV screening of pregnant women, implemented for early HIV diagnosis and effective ARV therapy for reduction of perinatal HIV transmission.
Child ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; HIV ; Humans ; Infant ; Joints ; Mass Screening ; Mothers ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; United Nations ; Zidovudine