Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of a supportive program on uncertainty, anxiety, and maternal-fetal attachment in high-risk pregnant women. Methods: The participants were 59 high-risk pregnant women admitted to the maternal-fetal intensive care unit. The control group (n=30) received usual treatment and antenatal care, while the experimental group (n=29) received an additional supportive program. Uncertainty, anxiety, and maternal-fetal attachment were measured in both groups prior to the intervention and at 3 days and 10 days (or at discharge) after the intervention. Data were analyzed with the t-test, chi-square test, repeated-measures analysis of covariance, and the Greenhouse-Geisser correction in SPSS version 23.0. Results: A supportive program including information provision, nutritional care, emotional care, and exercise care was developed and its effectiveness was tested. All variables except women’s length of stay were found to be homogeneous the between experimental and control groups in the pre-test. Length of stay was calculated as a covariate for testing hypotheses. There was a significant difference in state anxiety over time between the two groups, while there were no differences in uncertainty or maternal-fetal attachment. Conclusion A supportive program was identified as an effective nursing intervention on state anxiety in high-risk pregnant women during their stay in the maternal-fetal intensive care unit. It is suggested that nurses could apply this program to alleviate high-risk pregnant women’s state anxiety, and that this program could be modified to be more effective on uncertainty and maternal-fetal attachment in high-risk pregnant women.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the quality of life (QOL) and the influence of urinary dysfunction on QOL in women with cervical cancer after radical hysterectomy. METHODS: A secondary analysis was conducted using data collected for a previous study of Chun et al. and the same subjects of a group of 157 cervical cancer patients. Novel data from the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-CX24 were used in addition to the results of urinary dysfunction from the previous study. Descriptive analysis of EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-CX24 results and a multiple regression analysis were conducted to explore the influence of urinary dysfunction on global QOL. RESULTS: Subjects showed low QOL especially for social, physical and role function in the EORTC QLQ-C30 as well as the QLQ-CX24. Intensity of urinary dysfunction (p<.001) as well as daily life distress due to urinary dysfunction (p<.001) were the most significant factors affecting QOL in women with cervical cancer after radical hysterectomy. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that oncology nurses should pay attention to the relatively low QOL of post-hysterectomy patients. They should also consider the influence of urinary dysfunction on QOL when developing nursing intervention programs to increase the QOL for women with cervical cancer after radical hysterectomy.
Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Nursing ; Quality of Life ; Urination Disorders ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

PURPOSE: Purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of stress, social support, and lifestyle on health-related quality of life among middle-aged women. METHODS: One hundred forty three-middle aged women were recruited and completed questionnaires regarding their stress, social support, lifestyle and health-related quality of life. Data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression. RESULTS: Regression model was statistically significant (F=24.80, p<.001) with 46% of adjusted R2. Stress showed to be a major factor influencing health-related quality of life in middle-aged women (p<.001) and the presence of chronic illness (p=.011) was noted as next in the result of a multiple regression analysis. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that nursing professionals should include strategies to reduce stress and to consider helping women with chronic illness when developing a health promotion program to increase health related quality of life for middle-aged women.
Chronic Disease ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Life Style ; Middle Aged ; Nursing ; Quality of Life

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop and evaluate the lower extremity lymphedema nursing practice protocol for patients following gynecologic cancer treatment. METHODS: Thirteen web-sites were searched for eligible clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and eleven databases were searched to identify evidence to develop a lower extremity lymphedema nursing practice protocol for patients following gynecologic cancer treatment. RESULTS: Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, eight CPGs and ninety-six studies, two guidelines and eight studies were identified as evidence. The protocol development group consisted of ten experts who have at least five years' experience in the related area. A lower extremity lymphedema nursing practice protocol for patients following gynecologic cancer treatment was developed including forty-three recommendations in five domains. Significant differences were found in nurses' pre and post knowledge and confidence on lower extremity lymphedema prevention and management. CONCLUSION: Nurses and other professionals could utilize this evidence based lower extremity lymphedema nursing practice protocol and apply it to patients undergoing gynecologic cancer treatment.
Female ; Genital Neoplasms, Female ; Humans ; Lower Extremity* ; Lymphedema* ; Nursing Assessment ; Nursing*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and diagnostic components in adult women. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 12,016 women that were aged twenty years or older and underwent an annual health check-up for National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) from 2009 to 2013. Data including blood pressure, waist circumstance, fasting glucose, triglyceride, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were received from the NHIS. This data was analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics, χ2-test, and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome and diagnostic components increased with age. In the five diagnostic components of the metabolic syndrome, the prevalence of low HDL-C was highest in 20s to 40s. The prevalence of high blood pressure was highest in the people aged fifty or older. The risk of metabolic syndrome in 2013 was higher in women with abnormal diagnostic component of metabolic syndrome in 2009 and highest in women with abnormal waist circumstance in 2009. CONCLUSION: There was a need to investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome components according to age. Education on metabolic syndrome was required for those that had one or two abnormal diagnostic components. The risk of abdominal obesity related to metabolic syndrome needs to be emphasized. Moreover the education for management of abdominal obesity also needs to be emphasised.
Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Education ; Fasting ; Female ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Logistic Models ; National Health Programs ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Prevalence ; Triglycerides

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a sleep improvement program combined with an aroma-necklace on sleep, depression, anxiety, and blood pressure in elderly women living at home. METHODS: A program consisting of a four-week (one hour per week) sleep improvement intervention plus use of an aroma-necklace, was developed based on Cox's Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior. 70 elderly women were assigned to the experimental (n=35) or control group with no intervention (n=35). Data from 62 participants (32 in the experimental and 30 in the control) were analyzed using the SPSS 21.0 program. Women in the experimental group were instructed to constantly wear the aroma necklace filled with marjoram and orange oil until the program was completed. Sleep quality, sleep duration, sleep satisfaction, depression, anxiety, and blood pressure were measured to identify the effectiveness of the program. RESULTS: Significant group differences were found in sleep quality (t=-5.10, p<.001), sleep duration (z=-3.10, p=.002), sleep satisfaction (z=-4.13, p=<.001), depression (t=2.53, p=.015), and anxiety (z=-2.47, p=.014). No differences were found in the systolic or diastolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that a sleep improvement program combined with an aroma-necklace was effective in improving sleep disturbances in elderly women living at home. Nurses may contribute to improving sleep among elderly women by applying this program to aged women living in various environments.
Aged* ; Anxiety* ; Blood Pressure* ; Citrus sinensis ; Depression* ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Origanum ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify frequency, intensity of urinary dysfunction and daily life distress in women after a radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer. METHODS: One hundred and fifty seven women who had undergone a radical hysterectomy and one hundred and sixty five women as healthy controls completed questionnaires on intensity of urinary dysfunction and daily life distress caused by urinary dysfunction. RESULTS: Women with cervical cancer showed higher frequency of urinary dysfunction than healthy controls. Major urinary dysfunction for women with cervical cancer in order of frequency were night-time incontinence (odds ratio=10.39, p<.001), difficulty in starting urination, weak urine stream and sense of incomplete emptying of bladder. The highest score on intensity was difficulty in starting urination, followed by urgency, weak urine stream, daytime frequency and sense of incomplete emptying. Night-time incontinence was the urinary symptom causing the most daily life distress for cervical cancer women followed by difficulty in starting urination, urgency, sense of incomplete emptying, and night-time frequency. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that nurses should address the potential postoperative urinary complications and develop long term interventions to decrease urinary dysfunction and daily life distress for women who have had a radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer.
Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Rivers ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder, Neurogenic ; Urination ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: This study was designed to identify the differences of individual disease related characteristics, behavior-specific cognitions and affect, health promoting behavior between colorectal cancer patients and the general public. METHODS: Seventy newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients and 72 healthy adults from the general population were recruited and asked to complete a questionnaire on their disease related characteristics, behavior specific cognitions and affect, health promoting behavior from April to September 2011. Independent two sample t-test analysis was used to compare the two groups. RESULTS: There were significant differences in family history of colon polyps or colorectal cancer, history of colon polyps lifetime tobacco usage, amount of daily smoking, frequencies of alcohol consumption over a year, constipation, interval of bowel movements, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, self-esteem, perceived health status, health locus of control, and health promotion behaviors between the two groups. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that nursing professionals need to consider family history of colon polyp or colorectal cancer, history of colon polyps, tobacco usage, alcohol consumption, constipation and frequency of bowel movements in developing a colorectal cancer prevention program. Strategies to increase health promotion behavior and behavior-specific cognitions and affect factors including perceived benefit, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, self-esteem, perceived health status, health locus of control should be included in colorectal cancer prevention programs.
Adult* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Cognition ; Colon ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Constipation ; Health Promotion* ; Humans ; Internal-External Control ; Nursing ; Polyps ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Tobacco

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the problem of bone health and potential influencing factors of bone mineral density (BMD) for women across the life cycle of menopause. METHODS: Complex sampling design data analysis was performed on the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010 in order to identify the problems with bone health, BMD and its influencing factors in 3,499 women who answered the menopausal status. Women's life cycle was categorized by premenopausal, postmenopausal, and elderly. RESULTS: 35.1% of premenopausal women, 73.3% of postmenopausal women, and 96.0% of elderly women had problems with bone health that were related to low BMD. Influencing factors of BMD were residential area, alcohol drinking, and body mass index (BMI) for premenopausal women; age, residential area, education, marital status, income, and BMI for postmenopausal women; and age, education, and BMI for elderly women. CONCLUSION: Problems with bone health required to be considered as a major health problem in all women regardless their life cycle. Interventions to maximize BMD need to be developed by considering its influencingfactors across the women's life cycle.
Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Bone Density* ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Cycle Stages* ; Marital Status ; Menopause ; Nutrition Surveys ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: Purpose of this study was to identify the effect of structured information on immediate preoperative anxiety and uncertainty for women undergoing total laparoscopic hysterectomy. METHODS: Sixty women who were admitted for total laparoscopic hysterectomy were recruited at a university hospital in Gyeonggi-do from June to October 2014. Thirty women were assigned to either the experimental or the control group. Women in the experimental group were provided structured information, which consisted of visual and auditory materials about surgical preparation and process, practical experience on devices such as IV-PCA pump and Inspiro-meter and actual experience on route to go to the operating room. State-anxiety, uncertainty, and blood pressure and pulse rate as biological indicators were measured before and after the intervention to examine the effect. RESULTS: Significant group differences were found on state anxiety, uncertainty, including ambiguity, inconsistency, and unpredictability at the holding area. There was a significant difference on pulse rate in the operating room between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Findings demonstrated that the structured information provided for women undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy preoperatively was effective on immediate preoperative anxiety and uncertainty. Nurses may contribute to decreasing patients' anxiety and uncertainty by utilizing this structured information preoperatively.
Anxiety* ; Blood Pressure ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Operating Rooms ; Uncertainty*