PURPOSE: This study evaluated the levels of self-care agency and quality of life and identified the effect of self-care agency on quality of life in brain tumor patients who had undergone surgical resection of brain tumors. METHODS: Data were collected from 131 patients who visited an outpatient clinic for postoperative regular check-ups. Self-care agency and quality of life were assessed via self-administered questionnaires. Data were analyzed with descriptive, univariate, and hierarchical regression analyses. RESULTS: The average scores for self-care agency and quality of life were 4.58 (possible range: 1~6) and 3.87 (possible range: 1~5) respectively. Social and thinking functions were the lowest among quality of life sub-scales. Education level was a significant correlate of quality of life in univariate analyses but not in multivariate analysis. Self-care agency accounted for 29.0% of the total variance in quality of life, controlling for education level. CONCLUSION: Approaches focusing on enhancing self-care agency could potentially improve quality of life in postoperative brain tumor patients.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Brain Neoplasms* ; Brain* ; Craniotomy ; Education ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Quality of Life* ; Self Care* ; Thinking

Background: Call center employees experience high levels of occupational stress and other mental health issues. This study aimed to examine the relationship between mental health status and health-promoting lifestyles among call center employees. Methods: A secondary data analysis from a descriptive cross-sectional study of 302 call center employees was conducted. Call center employees were asked to complete the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II). Results: Participants’ overall DASS score was 23.87±13.98 out of 63. Among the six subscales of the HPLP-II, participants’ highest scores were for interpersonal relations, spiritual growth, and stress management, whereas physical activity had the lowest score. Participants with a severe level of mental health issues (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) reported lower levels of health-promoting lifestyle behaviors, especially in the areas of physical activity, spiritual growth, interpersonal relationships, and stress management. Conclusions As call center service sectors increase in modern industries, so does the need to address the physical and mental health needs of its employees. Healthcare providers and organizations should closely and routinely monitor employee’s levels of depression, anxiety, and stress and develop organizational and health-related policies for the call center sector. Additionally, the development and implementation of health-related interventions to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors is critical for call center employees.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to identify factors affecting elders' intention to participate in healthcare programs. METHODS: This secondary data analysis used data of 390 elderly people who lived alone and were enrolled in the Visiting Health Care Center of H-city. In 2014, questionnaires were used to collect data about demographics, social activity, depression, frailty, and intention to participate in healthcare programs. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regressions. RESULTS: Among the participants, 51.8% intended to participate in the offered healthcare programs. The strongest factor affecting the intention was gender. Women were 4.85 times more likely to participate in the programs than men. The women's intention was associated positively with increased levels of frailty. The men tended to participate in the program as they got older and as the level of frailty and the number of chronic diseases increased. CONCLUSION: Gender-specific public healthcare programs for vulnerable elders living alone should be developed to maximize their participation in the programs and to promote good health. The healthcare programs must be tailored to the levels of the patients' physical functions.
Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Community Health Centers ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Demography ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Intention* ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to describe the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and to estimate the 10-year risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) in a nationally representative sample of Korean women. METHODS: This is a secondary data analysis using the data set from the 2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV. The sample was 2,998 Korean women (weighted n = 14,420,987) aged 20e79 years without cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was calculated using sampling weights and presented in percentages. Ten-year risk for CHD was estimated with the Framingham Risk Score, and the proportions for three levels of 10-year risk were presented. RESULTS: About 18% of the sample had hypertension, 7.5% are current smoker, 30.0% had total cholesterol > or = 200 mg/dL, 25.7% had low-density lipoprotein cholesterol > or = 130 mg/dL, and 47.3% had high-density lipoprotein cholesterol < 50 mg/dL. About 46% of Korean women were overweight or obese, and 33.3% were sedentary. About 75% of women had one or more major risk factors. In this study sample, 98.5% had a 10-year risk for CHD of < 10%, 1.4% had a risk of 10-20%, and 0.1% had a risk of > 20%. CONCLUSION: Modifiable cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent in Korean women, and the combination of risk factors is common. Development and implementation of multifaceted nursing interventions are required to confront the current epidemic rise of CHD in Korean women.
Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Disease ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Lipoproteins ; Nutrition Surveys ; Overweight ; Prevalence ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Statistics as Topic ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: This study were to assess the relationships among BMI, body weight perception, and efforts to lose weight in a public sample of Korean women who are overweight and obese and to examine the mediating role of body weight perception on the relationship between BMI and weight loss efforts. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from the 2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The sample was 1,739 Korean women 20 years old or older with body mass index (BMI) > or = 23 kg/m2. Bivariate relationships among variables of interests were assessed. Three separate regressions were used to test the mediating role of body weight perception on the relationship between BMI and weight loss efforts. RESULTS: BMI and body weight perception were significant correlates of weight loss efforts. BMI was significantly associated with weight perception, but a large proportion of women underestimated their weight. Weight perception partially mediated the relationship between BMI and weight loss efforts in Korean women. CONCLUSION: In light of the high prevalence of overweight or obesity and the many health consequences associated with obesity, Korean women should be aware of a healthy body weight and try to achieve that weight. Nursing interventions should consider body weight perception to effectively motivate overweight and obese Korean women to lose weight, as necessary.
Body Mass Index* ; Body Weight* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Negotiating* ; Nursing ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Overweight* ; Prevalence ; Weight Loss* ; Weight Perception

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to estimate the distribution of three levels of risk for developing coronary heart disease (CHD; low, moderate, and high risk) and to evaluate the attainment of cardiovascular disease prevention guideline goals by the American Heart Association in a nationally representative sample of Korean women. METHODS: This is a secondary data analysis study using the data set from the 2008 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV. The sample was 3,301 Korean women (representing 15,600,514 women) older than 20 years without cardiovascular disease. Distribution of CHD risk and level of goal attainment were calculated using sampling weights and presented in percentages. RESULTS: Among Korean women without established cardiovascular disease, 7.9% were at high risk for CHD, 20.5% were at moderate risk, and 71.6% were at low risk. The proportion of Korean women who did not meet their goals was substantial, and most women at high risk remained unmanaged for their high blood lipids. CONCLUSION: Korean women at risk for developing CHD need to be managed as soon as possible to attain the guideline goals and to lower their risk for future CHD. Aggressive risk reduction efforts are urgently needed to reduce the public burden of CHD in Korean women.
American Heart Association ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Coronary Disease ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Risk Reduction Behavior ; Statistics as Topic ; Weights and Measures

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influencing factors of post-traumatic growth in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, enrolling 120 patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Their general characteristics, disease-related characteristics, perceived illness intrusiveness, levels of optimism, social support, and post-traumatic growth were assessed through self-administered questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, oneway ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The mean score of post-traumatic growth was 52.74 points(total score of 92 points). Among the subscales of post-traumatic growth, levels of the preciousness of life were the highest, and relating with others was the lowest. The post-traumatic growth was found to be significantly correlated with optimism (r=.48, p<.001), social support (r=.47, p<.001), and depression (r=-.37 p<.001). Factors associated with post-traumatic growth were optimism (β=.36, p<.001), social support (β=.31, p<.001), and depression (β=-.27, p<.001). Conclusion Given that prevalence of gastrointestinal cancer is increasing in Korea, identifying general, psychological, and social factors affecting post-traumatic growth among this population will be helpful in clinical practice. Integrated strategies to increase optimism and social support and lower depression should be considered to improve the post-traumatic growth of patients with gastrointestinal cancer.

Background: Adherence to medication in patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been associated with decreased disease activity and morbidity in prior reports. However, adherence in this population remains suboptimal. This study evaluated the levels of medication adherence and determined the factors thereof in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 345 rheumatoid arthritis outpatients at a university-affiliated hospital. The level of medication adherence was then determined. Lastly, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors significantly associated with medication adherence. Results: Approximately 65% of the subjects were categorized as medication-adherent. In univariate analysis, educational level, perceived health, attitude toward medication, and level of learned helplessness all differed significantly between the adherent and nonadherent groups. When controlling for other factors, higher levels of learned helplessness significantly lowered the likelihood of patients’ adherence to medication in our cohort. Conclusions Given that learned helplessness is modifiable, the results of this study suggest that interventions to decrease the degree of learned helplessness should be developed and implemented in order to increase the levels of medication adherence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and improve clinical outcomes

Background: Adherence to medication in patients with rheumatoid arthritis has been associated with decreased disease activity and morbidity in prior reports. However, adherence in this population remains suboptimal. This study evaluated the levels of medication adherence and determined the factors thereof in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from 345 rheumatoid arthritis outpatients at a university-affiliated hospital. The level of medication adherence was then determined. Lastly, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors significantly associated with medication adherence. Results: Approximately 65% of the subjects were categorized as medication-adherent. In univariate analysis, educational level, perceived health, attitude toward medication, and level of learned helplessness all differed significantly between the adherent and nonadherent groups. When controlling for other factors, higher levels of learned helplessness significantly lowered the likelihood of patients’ adherence to medication in our cohort. Conclusions Given that learned helplessness is modifiable, the results of this study suggest that interventions to decrease the degree of learned helplessness should be developed and implemented in order to increase the levels of medication adherence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and improve clinical outcomes

Background: Despite the fact that disease activity, including blood inflammation level, has been lowered with the recent improvement in rheumatoid arthritis treatment, the number of patients appealing of symptoms, such as fatigue, is maintained at a certain level. Fatigue is the most common subjective symptom of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and a major factor influencing health behavior and quality of life. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the factors affecting fatigue to prepare basic data for the development of interventions to improve the quality of life of participants with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods: Cross-sectional data collected using structured questionnaires and medical record reviews were analyzed for 246 rheumatoid arthritis outpatients from a university-affiliated hospital. Results: Level of fatigue was an average of 4.4 out of 10, and 56.5% was evaluated as a remission level based on the disease activity score 28 (DAS28). Factors significantly affecting fatigue were pain and learned helplessness. Higher levels of pain and learned helplessness were associated with higher levels of fatigue.Conversely, there was no statistically significant difference in the fatigue levels of the participants according to the DAS28, objective disease activity index. Conclusions To reduce the fatigue levels of the participants with rheumatoid arthritis, learned helplessness, including pain control, should be lowered. The participant’s attitude towards the disease should be evaluated and the participants should be actively supported to obtain hope for remission, if clinically encountered with participants.