Effects of Peer Mentoring Program on the Health Conservation in Elderly Women with Osteoarthritis

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of peer mentoring program on physical activity, knee joint function, self-care agency and social support, which are health conservation elements in elderly women with osteoarthritis. METHODS: This study used a quasi-experimental research design. It is a pretest-and-post 1, post 2 test design of a non-equivalent control group. The subjects were elderly women aged over 65 who were diagnosed with osteoarthritis. A total of 60 patients (experimental group 30, control group 30) who registered with the Senior Welfare Center in City G and in Region D participated in this study. The data were collected from June 29th to September 4th, 2015. The collected data were analyzed with χ² test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test and repeated measurement ANOVA. RESULTS: The experimental group showed a greater increase in physical activity, knee joint function, self-care agency and social support than the control group. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the peer mentoring program is effective in increasing physical activity, knee joint function, self-care agency and social support of elderly women with osteoarthritis.

Factors Affecting Highly Educated Elders' Diabetic Health Leader Attitude

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the relationships among diabetic health leader attitude, diabetic knowledge, and health conservation in highly educated elders. METHODS: The participants were 119 elders aged 65 or more who were attending the senior welfare centers in D and K City and had at least a high school degree. Data were collected from June 10 to July 7 in 2013. Data analysis included one-way ANOVA, independent t-test, Pearson's correlation, and stepwise multiple regression, done with the SPSS/WIN 19.0 program. RESULTS: A positive correlation was found among diabetic health leader attitude, diabetic knowledge, and health conservation. Health conservation explained 26% (beta=.31) and diabetic knowledge explained 2% (beta=.18) of the variance in diabetic health leader attitude. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that to increase diabetic health leader attitude among highly educated elders, health leader programs are needed for increasing their diabetic knowledge and health conservation.