COVID-19: Korean nurses' experiences and ongoing tasks for the pandemic's second wave.

Nurses are the largest group of healthcare workers in the world, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have been recognized worldwide as frontline warriors working hard to stem suffering, infection rates and deaths. Korean nurses experienced the effects of the pandemic earlier than in most other countries, and the work of our nurses has been recognized as a successful model in responding COVID-19. In this paper, we share the experiences of Korean nurses, including their experiences of workload, acute shortages of staff and equipment and work overload, and suggest ongoing tasks that need to be addressed to combat the pandemic's second wave and other possible waves. Specifically, the nursing issues relating to COVID-19 are critically reviewed and recommendations for each issue are suggested in terms of nursing staffing, practice and policy, as well as health policy.

Practice of breast self-examination and knowledge of breast cancer among female university students in Korea.

This study examined the practice of breast self-examination and knowledge of breast cancer among female university students in Korea. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The participants were 2186 female university students in Korea. The Breast Cancer and Heredity Knowledge Scale was used. The collected data were analyzed through descriptive statistics, χ(2)-test, t-test, ANOVA, and logistic regression. Twenty-seven percent of students reported engaging in breast self-examination. The participants displayed a medium-level score (total score: 5.33 ± 2.70, range: 0-11) on knowledge about breast cancer. Predictors for breast self-examination were age (odds ratio = 1.15, P < 0.001), major (odds ratio = 1.80, P < 0.001), and knowledge of breast cancer (odds ratio = 1.16, P < 0.001). This study was the sole nationwide-scale research that examined the practice of breast self-examination, related factors, and knowledge of breast cancer among female university students, as a representative sample of young Korean women. The results are valuable in developing educational programs that can increase knowledge related to breast cancer, as well as the practice of breast self-examination, to support health promotion among young women.

Comparative study between depression in Korean elderly with mild cognitive impairment and normal cognitive function.

This cross-sectional comparative study compares differences in depression in the elderly with mild cognitive impairment and those with normal cognitive function in a community. Study subjects were drawn from elderly people visiting one particular public health center in Seoul, South Korea and included 81 people with mild cognitive impairment and 81 with normal cognitive function who were matched based on age, sex, education, and daily living activities. Study variables, including cognitive function, activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and depression, were measured with standardized instruments. Collected data were statistically analyzed with Student's paired t-test and χ(2) test. The results showed no significant differences between these groups in terms of depression. Therefore, in community practice settings, nurses should understand that depression is not a manifestation of cognitive impairment and should develop effective nursing strategies to assess depression while considering other factors including age, sex, education, and daily living activities.

A Comparative Study on Physical Function Test between Faller Group and Nonfaller Group among Community-Dwelling Elderly.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the physical function test differences between the faller group and the nonfaller group in a sample of the community-dwelling elderly. METHODS: This study used a nonexperimental two-group-comparative study design. The participants were 356 people aged 65 years and over living in an urban area. From May to December 2010, data were collected through personal interviews using questionnaires and measurements of muscle strength, physical endurance, flexibility, motor agility and dynamic balance, and static balance. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Chi square analysis, and t test. RESULTS: Upper muscle strength was significantly weaker in the faller group (p<.05). Lower muscle strength was significantly weaker in the faller group; both hip flexion (p=.004), knee extension (Right: p=.004; Left: p=.031), left ankle plantar flexion (p=.045), and left ankle inversion (p=.036). Tandem standing with eyes opened and closed was significantly shorter, indicating decreased static balance in the faller group. CONCLUSION: Nurses should make efforts to implement exercise programs focused on physical fitness enhancement for community-dwelling elderly adults for fall prevention.

Sex education during the school-aged years influences sexual attitudes and sexual health in college: a comparative study from Korea.

Sex education is provided routinely to school-aged children in many countries without enough evidence that it will benefit them when they become adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the long-term influence of the sex education that was provided during the school-aged years on the attitudes, behaviors, and sexual health among male and female college students in Korea. For this descriptive, comparative study, the data were obtained from 3609 male and 2180 female college students by using the proportional quota sampling method. Overall, the female students had more opportunities for sex education. Receiving this education during the school-aged years lowered the sexual double standard score but was not related to sexual activity among the male and female students. Receiving sex education at different time points during the school-aged years had differential influences on the sexual attitudes and indicators of sexual health between the male and the female students. The results of this study suggest extending the role of school nurses to include redesigning the content of sex education programs, based on the sex and age of the students, and using midwives to provide sex education in community settings.

Impact of depression and activities of daily living on the fear of falling in Korean community-dwelling elderly.

This study determined the predictors of the fear of falling (FOF) in 213 South Korean community-dwelling elderly. The Fall Efficacy Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Korean Geriatric Depression Screening Scale, and Barthel Index were used to measure the FOF, sleep quality, depression, and activities of daily living, respectively. In addition, information regarding the participants' demographic details and the number of types of medication was collected. The data were analyzed by using hierarchical regression. The general regression model, with the FOF as a dependent variable, was statistically significant. The FOF variance was partially explained. Depression and activities of daily living significantly influenced the FOF. Thus, the results indicate that the FOF in community-dwelling elderly Koreans is affected by depression and activities of daily living. Therefore, an older adult with recognized signs of depression must be provided with more appropriate care and the allocation of specific interventional strategies in order to maintain activities of daily living should be developed to manage the FOF.

Effects of exercise program on physical fitness, depression, and self-efficacy of low-income elderly women in South Korea.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effects of exercise programs on physical fitness, depression, and self-efficacy in low-income elderly women (age > or = 75). DESIGN AND SAMPLE: A pretest-posttest experimental research design with a control group was used. The sample consisted of 26 women in the exercise group and 22 women in the wait-list control group in Seoul, Korea. MEASURES: The measures of physical fitness included body mass index, cardiopulmonary endurance (blood pressure and heart rate), muscle strength (hand grip strength), flexibility (degree of bending of the upper body), and balance (duration of time for which the subject could stand on one foot). Depression and self-efficacy were measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale and a modified form of Lee's scale, respectively. All measures were obtained twice: at baseline and at the completion of the exercise program. INTERVENTION: The exercise program consisted of 4 weeks of education along with 8 weeks of physical exercise. RESULTS: After the intervention, significant improvements were found in depression, self-efficacy, and all measures of physical fitness, except heart rate and flexibility, in the experimental group. CONCLUSION: The exercise program may be recommended as a method to maintain and promote the health of low-income elderly women.

Depression among community-dwelling older adults in Korea: a prediction model of depression.

The purpose of this study was to test a hypothesized model for use in explaining the factors that influence depression among older adults dwelling in Ansan City in Korea. A cross-sectional community-based survey was done using face-to-face private interviews. A hypothesized model was tested using path analysis. Of the 32 hypothesized paths in the structural model, 13 were significant. Gender (beta = -.14, P = .24), income (beta = -.21, P < .00), education (beta = -.14, P = .10), activities of daily living (ADL; beta = -.29, P < .00), and somatic symptoms (beta = .29, P < .00) accounted for the incidence of depression (beta = .06, P < .00), representing 28% of the variance in depression. The fit of the model to the data was supported.

The effect of hand acupuncture therapy and hand moxibustion therapy on premenstrual syndrome among Korean women.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms can reduce quality of life and impair daily functioning. This study examined the effects of Korean hand acupuncture therapy (HAT) and hand moxibustion therapy (HMT) on symptom severity in Korean women with PMS. This quasi-experimental pilot study based on the khi, yin, yang, and the five elements theory used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Experimental groups received 10 sessions of either HAT or HMT treatment. Outcome measures included menstrual symptom severity as measured with the Menstrual Symptom Severity List and skin temperature change measured with Digital Infrared Thermographic Imaging. Both experimental groups had significantly reduced overall PMS symptom severity scores following therapy as compared to women in the control group. The HMT but not the HAT group showed improved flow of khi and balanced skin temperature in symmetric body areas. HAT and HMT may be effective strategies for women to reduce PMS symptoms.

[The relationship of quality of sleep, depression, late-life function and disability (LLFDI) in community-dwelling older women with urinary incontinence].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among quality of sleep, depression, late-life function and disability in community-dwelling older women with urinary incontinence. METHODS: A stratified random sampling method was conducted to recruit participants from May 10 to August 17, 2007. Data were collected by questionnaires, which were constructed to include lower urinary tract symptoms, quality of sleep, depression, and late-life function and disability in 128 community-dwelling older women. RESULTS: The major findings of this study were as follow: 1) 56.3% of participants belonged to urinary incontinence group. 2) There were significant relationships between depression and sleep latency, sleep duration, daytime dysfunction, quality of sleep, function component, frequency dimension, and limitation dimension. 3) Depression was significantly associated with frequency dimension, limitation dimension in capability which explained 44% of variance in depression. CONCLUSION: These results may contribute to a better understanding of sleep quality, depression, late-life function and disability in the community-dwelling older women with urinary incontinence. Therefore, health programs for prompting older women's health should be planned based on results of the study.

[A study on physical symptom, activity of daily living, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the community-dwelling older adults].

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the relationships among physical symptoms, activities of daily living, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: A stratified random sampling method was conducted to recruit participants from May 10 to August 17, 2007. Physical symptoms were measured using the Physical Health Questionnaire (PHQ), activities of daily living using the Late-Life Functional and Disability Instrument (LLFDI), and HRQoL using the Medical Outcomes Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) in 242 community-dwelling elderly Korean people. RESULTS: The HRQoL correlates with the physical symptoms (r=-.31) and the function component (r=.59). Of the two disability parts of the LLFDI, the limitation dimension correlates higher (r=.57) with HRQoL than the frequency dimension (r=.42). The HRQoL is significantly associated with the function component, and disability limitation in capability which explained 44.4% of variance in physical health. CONCLUSION: These results may contribute to a better understanding of physical symptoms, activities of daily living, and HRQoL in community-dwelling older adults. Therefore, health programs for prompting older adult's health should be planned based on results of the study.

Testing and developing the health promotion model in low-income, Korean elderly women.

This study was conducted to test Pender's health promotion model in low-income, Korean elderly women. A total of 389 low-income, Korean elderly women completed the interviews focused on the concepts in health promotion model. Seventy-three percent of the variance in health-promoting behaviors was accounted for by prior health-related behavior, biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors, behavior-specific cognitions and affect, environmental influences, commitment to a plan of action, and health-promoting behavior variables in a modified health promotion model. Findings from this study may support the conceptual framework for future nursing practice and research studies in this vulnerable population.

Snoring as an independent risk factor for hypertension in the nonobese population: the Korean Health and Genome Study.

BACKGROUND: Although the close relationship between sleep-disordered breathing and hypertension has been strengthened by the accumulated evidence, the issues of controlling for coexisting factors and the lack of definite evidence in presenting a cause-effect relationship still remain. This study aimed to evaluate the independent association between habitual snoring and the 2-year incidence of hypertension in a nonobese population in Korea. METHODS: Subjects were drawn from the Korean Health and Genome Study, which is an ongoing population-based prospective study of Korean adults aged 40 to 69 years. The final sample comprised 2730 men and 2723 women without obesity and hypertension at the time of their initial examinations. All participants were reevaluated after an interval of 2 years. Hypertension was defined on the basis of blood pressure>or=140/90 mm Hg or the use of antihypertensive medications. Habitual snorers were defined as those who snored>or=4 days per week. RESULTS: Habitual snoring was significantly associated with increased odds ratios of the incidence rate of hypertension in every stratum of confounding factors, including age, sex, smoking, and level of blood pressure and body mass index at baseline, except for age>or=60 years. After adjustments of other covariates, habitual snoring was independently associated with a 1.49-fold and 1.56-fold excess for odds ratios of the 2-year incidence of hypertension in men and women, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although further evidence is needed, our results support the contention that habitual snoring is an important predisposing factor in future hypertension, even for nonobese adults.

[A study on the depression, somatic symptom, activities of daily living for the elderly women in an urban area].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among depression, somatic symptoms, and activities of daily living of elderly women in urban areas. METHOD: After obtaining participant's consent forms, a one-time, face-to-face, and private interview was conducted with each participant from Sep, 2006 to Jan, 2007 by trained graduate-level students. The questionnaire consisted of K-GDS, PHQ-15, Barthel Index, and Instrumental Activity of Daily Living. The collected data was analyzed with the SPSS/PC 12.0 program, which was used for frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. RESULTS: The major findings of this study were as follows 1) 34.1% of participants belonged to the depression group. 2) There were significant relationships between depression and monthly income, somatic symptoms, ADL, IADL, and number of chronic disease. 3) Significant factors influencing depression were somatic symptoms, ADL, and monthly income. CONCLUSION: The results of this study give useful information for designing interventions and program development for appropriate depression management and care for elderly women.

Critical thinking dispositions in baccalaureate nursing students.

AIM: This paper reports an investigation into the critical thinking disposition of students enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing programme at a university in Korea. BACKGROUND: Critical thinking may be summarized as a skilled process that conceptualizes and applies information from observation, experience, reflection, inference and communication in a technical manner. It is more of a rational act used as an instrument rather than as a result. Critical thinking is a core competency in nursing and has been widely discussed in nursing education. However, the results of previous research on the effectiveness of nursing education in improving students' critical thinking have been inconsistent. METHODS: A longitudinal design was used with a convenience sample of 60 nursing students; 32 students participated four times in completing a questionnaire each March from 1999 to 2002. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory was administered to measure disposition to critical thinking. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant improvement in critical thinking disposition score by academic year (F = 7.54, P = 0.0001). Among the subscales, open-mindedness, self-confidence, and maturity also showed a statistically significant difference by academic year (P = 0.0194, 0.0041, 0.0044). CONCLUSION: Teaching strategies to enhance critical thinking should be developed, in addition to further research on the effect of the nursing curriculum on students' critical thinking. Moreover, survey instruments could be adjusted to incorporate characteristics of the Korean culture.

The effectiveness of hand acupuncture and moxibustion in decreasing pain and "coldness" in Korea women who have had hysterectomy: a pilot study.

This pilot study compared the relative effectiveness of hand acupuncture and moxibustion in relieving pain and decreasing "coldness" in certain body parts experienced by subjects who have undergone a hysterectomy. The study participants were 10 women between 40 and 65 years, whose hysterectomies had been performed within 5 years before the study. The 10 subjects were divided randomly into two independent experimental groups, with one group being treated with hand moxibustion, whereas the other group received hand acupuncture therapy. The visual analogue scale evaluation tool was used to measure the pain and digital infrared thermographic imaging to measure "coldness" and blood circulation. When measuring the degree of pain, it was noted that pain scores decreased conspicuously over time. The responses of the two groups did not differ significantly, but moxibustion therapy was found to increase the temperature of internal parts of the body (i.e., abdominal and waist areas), whereas acupuncture affected the peripheral parts of the body.

[The effects of exercise program on knowledge and attitude of exercise and depression in low-income elderly women].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of exercise program on knowledge and attitude of exercise, and depression in low-income elderly women. METHOD: The research design was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The subjects were 26 in the experimental group and 22 in the control group among 46 low-income women over age 65. The independent variable is the exercise program, and the dependent variables are knowledge and attitude of exercise and depression. The exercise program was performed for 45-50 minutes, twice a week for 8 weeks. Data was collected from March 12. to May 8. 2004. RESULT: Participants were given a pre-test and post-test for the selected variables. The experimental group reported significant improvements in their knowledge and attitude of exercise and depression scores compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the exercise program had the potential to manage low-income elderly women's health promotion. Furthermore, the exercise program can enhance life satisfaction in low-income elderly women.

[Effects of a drug misuse and abuse prevention program on knowledge, attitude, and preventive behaviors related to drug misuse and abuse, and depression in low-income elderly women].

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to determine the effects of a drug misuse and abuse prevention program on knowledge, attitude, and preventive behaviors related to drug misuse and abuse, and depression in low-income elderly women in the urban area. METHOD: The design of this study was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The subjects consisted of 26 in the experimental group and 23 in the control group. The program was performed for about 1 hour, once a week for 5 weeks. Data was analyzed by the SAS(ver.8.02) computer program, and it included descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon signed ranks test, and ANCOVA. RESULT: There were statistically significant differences in knowledge, attitude, and preventive behaviors related to drug misuse and abuse, and depression between the experimental group and the control group. CONCLUSION: This study showed that this prevention program of drug misuse and abuse is appropriate for low-income elderly women, Therefore this program is recommended as a nursing intervention strategy for the elderly.

[Knowledge, health belief, and self-efficacy related to osteoporosis].

PURPOSE: This research was conducted to examine the relationship of knowledge, health beliefs, and self-efficacy on osteoporosis. METHOD: The design of this study was a correlative design. The subjects were 1,615 Korean adults over the age of 20 registered in a new town and participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire developed by Kim, Horan & Gendler (1991), translated into Korean. RESULTS: 1) The subjects recorded an average score of 11.10 on osteoporosis knowledge. The average scores on the osteoporosis health beliefs was 15.68 for perceived susceptibility and the respondents recorded an average score of 40.40 for osteoporosis self-efficacy. 2) There were statistically significant differences in the degree of osteoporosis knowledge, self-efficacy and health belief according to gender, age, scholastic achievement, marital state, and jobs. 3) There were statistically significant positive correlations between osteoporosis knowledge and self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: According to these results, an osteoporosis education program improving not only knowledge but also self-efficacy and health beliefs should be developed and applied to decrease the perception of barriers to exercise and intake of calcium.