The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among variables which are categorized by two groups : the first group consists of obesity, serum lipids, and blood pressure which were measured by physical index or physiological index, and the second group consists of demographic variables and variables related to lifestyle that is known to influence the first group. The canonical correlation analysis was conducted with the data collected from 400 male clients who visited one university hospital located in Inchon in a period, from May 1996 to December 1996, for physical examination. According to the results, blood pressure and HDL of the first group were shown to have strong relationship with age, alcohol, smoking, exercise of the second group. And total cholesterol, triglyceride, systolic, BMI of the first group were shown to have strong relationship with income status, education, exercise of the second group. And all of the serum lipids (total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL), BMI, and diastolic were shown to have relationship with education, smoking, alcohol. It should be noted that fat rate, which was one of the indices for obesity, was not significant in any of the canonical variates. From the comparative study results on which combination of indices of obesity, serum lipids and blood pressure was related to either alcohol or smoking more, it can be seem that smoking was more highly related to two blood pressure indices such as systolic and diastolic, and that alcohol was highly related to serum lipid indices such as HDL, total cholesterol, triglyceride. Also investigation on what differences exist between the combination of variables showing high relationship to systolic and the combination of variables showing high relationship to diastolic was conducted. Systolic turned out to have relationship with total cholesterol, triglyceride, obesity (fat rate), income status, education, exercise. And diastolic was related to HDL-c, total cholesterol, tryglyceride, obesity (BMI), education, smoking, alcohol. From this results, it could be seen that the combination of variables which have high relationship to systolic and diastolic have different patterns. Lastly, the investigation on what relationships exist between serum lipids and demographic variables/lifestyle variables was conducted. It turned out that HDL-c had high relationship with age, education, income status, alcohol, and that all of serum lipids (total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL) were shown to have high relationship with income status, education, age, exercise. From these results, it could be seen that the demographic variables were more influential both on HDL and on all of serum lipids than lifestyle variables were.
Arteriosclerosis* ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Education ; Humans ; Incheon ; Life Style ; Male ; Obesity ; Physical Examination ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides

The purpose of this study is to define requisite content of physiology for nursing education. This study classifies the subjects of physiology into 15 areas. The areas are cell and cell membrane, body fluid, nervous system, special sense, muscular system, blood, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, urinary system, digestive system. energy metabolism, body temperature, immune system. endocrine system, and reproductive system. Each subject area is further classified into subarea, resulting in a total of 194 subarea. The importance of each subarea is measured with a 3-point scale using a questionnaire. The subjects of this study were full-time professors teaching nursing in Korean universities. The analysis of the data collected from 68 respondents is as follows. 1. The areas of physiology necessary for nursing education in the order of importance are : body fluid, blood, endocrine, immune system, body temperature, urinary system, respiratory system, digestive system, reproductive system, energy metabolism, nervous system, cardiovascular system, cell and cell membrane, muscular system, and special sense. 2. Depending on the specific areas of nursing(such as pediatric nursing, maternity nursing), the importance of each physiology area may differ. For instance, the most important area for maternity nursing is reproductive physiology, whereas one for the psychiatric nursing is neurophysiology. 3. The importance of each physiology area does not determine the importance of its subarea. For example, while the importance of cell and cell membrane was relatively very low across the respondents from different areas of nursing science, the importance of such subarea as osmosis, diffusion, and filtration reported by most respondents were high.
Body Fluids ; Body Temperature ; Cardiovascular System ; Cell Membrane ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Diffusion ; Digestive System ; Education, Nursing* ; Endocrine System ; Energy Metabolism ; Filtration ; Immune System ; Infant, Newborn ; Maternal-Child Nursing ; Nervous System ; Neurophysiology ; Nursing* ; Osmosis ; Pediatric Nursing ; Physiology* ; Pregnancy ; Psychiatric Nursing ; Respiratory System

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify comprehensive predictors of fatigue in cancer patients. METHODS: One hundred ten cancer patients visiting in-patient or out-patient clinics of a university hospital located in Incheon participated in this study. RESULTS: The hematologic indicators (WBC and Hemoglobin) were significant for explaining fatigue. The psychological factors of fatigue were statistically significant. Both anxiety and depression, included as psychological factors, were significant in explaining fatigue in cancer patients. The influence of physical factors on fatigue was also statistically significant. Among the variables included as physical factors, pain, nausea/vomiting/anorexia, and sleep disturbance were significant whereas, dyspnea was not significant. The influence of the daily activity factor on fatigue was statistically significant. Among the variables included as daily activity factors, regular exercise or not and the usual activity level were significant in explaining fatigue of cancer patients, while the level of rest was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: From the study results fatigue of cancer patients appeared to be influenced by multidimensional factors, such as physiological, physical, psychological, and activity related factors.
Activities of Daily Living ; Adaptation, Physiological ; Adult ; Aged ; Fatigue/etiology/*nursing ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Nursing ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasms/complications/*nursing ; Sick Role ; Sickness Impact Profile

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of 7-week comprehensive health promotion program for RA patients (CHPPRA) on changes in pain and depression. In addition, it was also examined that this effect was generated by changes in patients' health promoting strategies (positive self-image, positive thinking, problem solving, communication, pain management, stress management, exercise, and knowledge about RA) learned through CHPPRA. Twenty-eight out-patients of RA clinic in a university hospital participated for this study. The results are as followers. Changes in exercise, self-concept, positive thinking, problem solving, depression, and pain management were significant predictors to explain relieving pain level. Since all of these variables had positive standardized beta weights (betas), it can be interpreted that increasing level of these health promoting strategies may induce pain improvement. Changes in positive thinking, communication skill, exercise, self-concept, pain management, and knowledge about the disease were significant predictors to explain positive change in depression. Since all of the significant variables except the change in knowledge about the disease had positive standardized beta weights (betas), it can be interpreted that increasing level of these health promoting strategies may induce improving depression level. However, our results showed that the higher level of the knowledge about the disease was, the worse depression was.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Depression* ; Health Education ; Health Promotion* ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Pain Management ; Problem Solving ; Thinking ; Weights and Measures

The purpose of this was to provide fundamental data for determining contents of Fundamental Nursing Practice and developing desirable bedside nursing techniques for clinical nursing areas. Subjects for this study were 86 nurse who were employees of two university hospitals located in Seoul and a district area. Data were collected by questionnaires. Items of Fundamental Nursing Practice from were content into 72 items according to the result from content analysis of 9 textbooks of Fundamental Nursing. The results are as follows: 1) Items which above 80% of respondents practiced during the school inside practice or clinical nursing practice course were axillae temperature measurement, radial pulse measurement, respiratory rate measurement, application of oral hygiene, hand-washing technique, application of hot and cold bags, intermuscular injection technique, open bed-making, soap enema method, application of nelaton cathetrization and oral and nasal suction methods. 2) Above 90% of respondents replied that all items except temperature measurement and bed-making were requisite contents for Fundamental Nursing Practice. Above 10% of respondents replied oral and rectal temperature measurement and bed-making were unnecessary content. 3) Above 90% of respondents replied that operating method of all items except isolation technique, admission and discharge procedures, and retention enema in the Fundamental Nursing Practice course and clinical situation were consistent. The main reasons that respondents did not apply methods which they learned in the Fundamental Nursing Practice course to the clinical situation were 'insufficient time', 'colleagues were using different methods', 'insufficient supply of instruments' or 'inappropriate appliances'.
Axilla ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Enema ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Nursing* ; Oral Hygiene ; Respiratory Rate ; Seoul ; Soaps ; Suction

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate the individual and cross influences of age, gender, and severity on recovery of patients with brain injury. METHODS: For the purpose of the study, traumatic or spontaneous brain injury patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were conveniently selected. The data regarding outcomes were collected 3 months after admission. RESULTS: Individual influences of the study variables on patients' recovery were significant, except for gender. But while the individual influence of gender on recovery was not significant, cross influence of gender and age was significant, but only for the sub-dimension of 'arousalbility and awareness'. The study results also showed that 3-way cross influence of gender, age, and severity was only significant on the sub-dimension of 'arousalbility and awareness'. CONCLUSION: The sub-dimension of recovery cross influenced by the demographic factors of gender and age, and severity was 'arousalbility and awareness'. This might indicate that the study variables that cross influencing recovery had more influence on consciousness compared to physical function and psycho-social adaptation.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Awareness ; Brain Injuries/*diagnosis ; Demography ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Recovery of Function ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sex Factors

The purpose of this study was to examine 1) whether the relationship between smoking and obesity was linear or non-linear (specifically U-shaped), and 2) if this relationship was proved to U-shaped, whether it was due to the in teraction of the effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on obesity. The present study was performed using cross sectional data taken from the medical records of 400 male patients. Data was analyzed using linear and curvilinear estimation, Fisher's exact test, and two-way ANCOVA. The relationship between smoking intensity and BMI was able to be explained significantly by a quadratic model, rather than by linear model. As has been shown in other studies, this relationship was parabolic (or U-shaped), though it was not particularly remarkable. This U-shaped relationship appeared to be due to the interaction of the effects of smoking intensity and alcohol consumption on BMI. On the other hand, the relationship between smoking intensity and the percentage of body fat was able to be explained significantly by a linear as well as a quadratic model. Additionally, the interaction effect between smoking intensity and alcohol consumption did not influence the percentage of body fat significantly. In conclusion, there is no doubt that smoking and obesity are both serious health hazards. Based on the results of this and other studies, it can be confirmed that heavy smoking has a positive relationship with obesity. Therefore, the health benefits of smoking cessation, as well as the correction of unhealthy habits such as alcohol consumption should be clearly emphasized.
Adipose Tissue/pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; *Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Obesity/pathology/*physiopathology ; *Smoking

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the relationships between the recurrence of pneumothorax with demographic and health-related risk factors. METHODS: Demographic factors (age and gender) and health-related risk factors (Body Mass Index, smoking, exercise, stress, fatigue, and morbidity from colds) were measured from 60 patients admitted to two acute care institutions due to pneumothorax. RESULTS: The study results showed significant differences in factors such as height and minutes of performing exercise per week, between the first occurrence and recurrence groups. However, other risk factors did not show significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Prevention of recurrences is important for the treatment and management of pneumothorax. More studies are required to accumulate empirical evidence for health-related risk factors and pneumothorax recurrence, as the relationship between all factors and recurrence were not obtained by the study results.
Demography ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Pneumothorax ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking

The purpose of this study was to compare the circadian blood pressure and heart rate rhythm of dippers and non-dippers. Biochemical and clinical characteristics of dippers and non-dippers were also compared to determine whether non-dippers have an increased prevalence of hypertension- related conditions. The subjects were 123 out-patients with essential hypertension who had undergone ambulatory blood pressure monitoring at the University Hospital in Inchon, South Korea, from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 1998. Daytime values were determined between 6:00 AM and 8:00 PM and the nighttime values were determined between 8:00 PM and 6:00 AM. Non-dippers were defined as those who showed a reduction in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure or heart rate less than 10% and they accounted for 25%, 32% and 31% of the subjects, respectively. The timings of the circadian systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate in dippers were very consistent: showing the lowest values during the night, rising in the early morning and reaching a plateau in the late morning. Non-dippers' circadian rhythms of systolic and diastolic blood pressures fluctuated less than those of dippers, and the 24-hours heart rate rhythms of the dipper and non- dipper groups were completely reversed. None of the biochemical characteristics tested in the present study showed a significant difference between dippers and non-dippers whether dipper was classified by systolic or diastolic blood pressure or heart rate. Similarly, hypertension-related symptoms and complications were not associated with the dipper/non-dipper description, whether classified by sBP, dBP, or HR.
Aged ; *Blood Pressure ; *Circadian Rhythm ; Female ; *Heart Rate ; Human ; Hypertension/*physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Age

PURPOSE: This study was to identify the significant acute physiological predictors of mortality and of functional and cognitive recovery in hemorrhagic stroke patients. METHODS: The subjects were 108 hemorrhagic stroke patients admitted to Neurological Intensive Care Unit of a university hospital. RESULTS: The significant physiological predictors of mortality and of functional and cognitive recovery were quite different upon admission Glasgow Coma Scale scores: respiratory rate, hematocrit, serum pH, osmolality, and PaCO2 were the predictors in the subjects with a high Glasgow Coma Scale scores while blood pressure, PaO2, respiratory rate, and hematocrit in the subjects with a low Glasgow coma scale scores. CONCLUSION: The physiological derangements induced by acute stroke are undoubtedly influence clinical outcome. More study is required to determine their diverse impacts on clinical outcomes.
Blood Pressure ; Glasgow Coma Scale* ; Hematocrit ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Intensive Care Units ; Mortality ; Osmolar Concentration ; Prognosis ; Respiratory Rate ; Stroke*