Normative Study of the Block Design Test for Adults Aged 55 Years and Older in Korean Aging Population

Objective@#The Block Design Test (BDT) is known to be an effective measure in diagnosing age-related cognitive decline of visuospatial function. The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of age, education years, and gender on the performance of the BDT and to provide normative data in Korean community-dwelling participants who are 55 to 90 years old. @*Methods@#The participants were 432 non-demented adults aging from 55 to 90 years old. The BDT was administered to participants according to its manual. Multiple linear regressions and analyses of variance were conducted, including age, gender, and educations were used as covariates. @*Results@#Age, educational years, and gender were found to be significantly associated with performance on the BDT. As age increased, BDT performance decreased. Educational years were associated with BDT performance. Men showed higher performance (29.9±10.3) compare to women (26.1±8.7). The BDT is influenced by age, educational years, and gender. @*Conclusion@#Unlike the previous study, the current study shows that gender has a significant influence in visuospatial ability in the old population. Present normative data will be useful for clinicians in evaluating aging participants with cognitive impairment.

Validation of the Korean Version of the Anosognosia Questionnaire for Dementia

Objective@#Anosognosia is a common phenomenon in individuals with dementia. Anosognosia Questionnaire for dementia (AQ-D) is a well-known scale for evaluating anosognosia. This study aimed to establish a Korean version of the AQ-D (AQ-D-K) and to evaluate the reliability and validity of the AQ-D-K in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia. @*Methods@#We translated the original English version of AQ-D into Korean (AQ-D-K). Eighty-four subjects with very mild or mild AD dementia and their caregivers participated. Reliability of AQ-D-K was assessed by internal consistency and one-month test-retest reliability. Construct validity and concurrent validity were also evaluated. @*Results@#Internal consistencies of the AQ-D-K patient form and caregiver form were high (Cronbach alpha 0.95 and 0.93, respectively). The test-retest reliability of AQ-D-K measured by intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.84. Three factors were identified: 1) anosognosia of instrumental activity of daily living; 2) anosognosia basic activity of daily living; and 3) anosognosia of depression and disinhibition. AQ-D-K score was significantly correlated with the clinician-rated anosognosia rating scale (ARS), center for epidemiological studies-depression scale (CES-D) and state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI). @*Conclusion@#The findings suggest that the AQ-D-K is a reliable and valid scale for evaluating anosognosia for AD dementia patients using Korean language.

Normative Study of the Block Design Test for Adults Aged 55 Years and Older in Korean Aging Population

Objective@#The Block Design Test (BDT) is known to be an effective measure in diagnosing age-related cognitive decline of visuospatial function. The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of age, education years, and gender on the performance of the BDT and to provide normative data in Korean community-dwelling participants who are 55 to 90 years old. @*Methods@#The participants were 432 non-demented adults aging from 55 to 90 years old. The BDT was administered to participants according to its manual. Multiple linear regressions and analyses of variance were conducted, including age, gender, and educations were used as covariates. @*Results@#Age, educational years, and gender were found to be significantly associated with performance on the BDT. As age increased, BDT performance decreased. Educational years were associated with BDT performance. Men showed higher performance (29.9±10.3) compare to women (26.1±8.7). The BDT is influenced by age, educational years, and gender. @*Conclusion@#Unlike the previous study, the current study shows that gender has a significant influence in visuospatial ability in the old population. Present normative data will be useful for clinicians in evaluating aging participants with cognitive impairment.

Validation of the Korean Version of the Anosognosia Questionnaire for Dementia

Objective@#Anosognosia is a common phenomenon in individuals with dementia. Anosognosia Questionnaire for dementia (AQ-D) is a well-known scale for evaluating anosognosia. This study aimed to establish a Korean version of the AQ-D (AQ-D-K) and to evaluate the reliability and validity of the AQ-D-K in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia. @*Methods@#We translated the original English version of AQ-D into Korean (AQ-D-K). Eighty-four subjects with very mild or mild AD dementia and their caregivers participated. Reliability of AQ-D-K was assessed by internal consistency and one-month test-retest reliability. Construct validity and concurrent validity were also evaluated. @*Results@#Internal consistencies of the AQ-D-K patient form and caregiver form were high (Cronbach alpha 0.95 and 0.93, respectively). The test-retest reliability of AQ-D-K measured by intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.84. Three factors were identified: 1) anosognosia of instrumental activity of daily living; 2) anosognosia basic activity of daily living; and 3) anosognosia of depression and disinhibition. AQ-D-K score was significantly correlated with the clinician-rated anosognosia rating scale (ARS), center for epidemiological studies-depression scale (CES-D) and state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI). @*Conclusion@#The findings suggest that the AQ-D-K is a reliable and valid scale for evaluating anosognosia for AD dementia patients using Korean language.

Normative Data of the Phonemic Fluency Test in Korean Middle-Aged and Elderly Population

Objective@#：The available normative data for the phonemic fluency test in Korean older adults have concerns for its utility. The aim of the currently study is to provide the normative data that overcome the issues of the previous norms. @*Methods@#：Total of 443 middle- and old-aged non-demented adults participated in this study. All participants underwent comprehensive assessments conducted by trained psychiatrists and psychologists. Diagnosis was made based on formal guidelines prior to administering the phonemic fluency test. @*Results@#：The norms on two age groups (50-59 and 60-90 years) with different strata of the education levels for the age groups are provided. @*Conclusion@#：The goal of the current study, which was to overcome the shortcomings of the previously published normative data and establish an updated reference for the Korean version of the phonemic fluency test, is achieved.

Distinct Clinical Characteristics Depending on Cerebral Amyloid Positivity in Patients with Alzheimer Disease Dementia

OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated the clinical characteristics of Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia with low brain amyloid-beta (Aβ-AD) burden comparing with AD dementia with high amyloid-beta burden (Aβ+AD). We also developed a prediction model for the amyloid positivity on ¹¹C-labelled Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) with distinct clinical variables in AD dementia patients. METHODS: Fifty-nine clinically defined AD dementia individuals, who participated in the Korean Brain Aging Study for Early diagnosis and prediction of AD (KBASE) study, were included. All the subjects received comprehensive clinical evaluations and PiB-PET. Based on cerebral PiB retention, all subjects were divided into Aβ+AD (n=47) and Aβ-AD (n=12) subgroups. To develop a prediction model for amyloid positivity, stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted. RESULTS: When compared to Aβ+AD, Aβ-AD showed older age, later age-at-onset, and lower education. In regard of risk factors for dementia, Aβ-AD had higher frequency of hypertension and diabetes mellitus as well as lower frequency of apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele. Although there was no between group difference in Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) or CDR sum-of-boxes scores, mini-mental state examination and constructional recall scores were higher for Aβ-AD than Aβ+AD. The final amyloid positivity prediction model included APOE4 genotype, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study indicated that clinically diagnosed AD dementia may have high possibility of not being pathological AD if they have older age and higher vascular risks, and did not have APOE4 genotype.

Job Satisfaction of Children Foodservice Employees at Daycare Centers

The research was conducted by center for children's foodservice management in Hanam-si. In order to improve job satisfaction, a survey was carried out by working conditions and job satisfaction in children foodservice employees working at child daycare centers registered from January to April. Ninety-five surveys out of 120 were collected, and 76 surveys were analyzed. Job satisfaction consisted of four elements, working environment, welfare, human relationships, and job-itself, analyzed by general characteristics. Pearson's correlation was carried out between job satisfaction and intention to change job by Likert 5 scales using SPSS statistic program. The percentages of child daycare centers owned by civilians was 52.6%, high school education level was 65.8%, permanent workers was 68.4%, and less than 1 year of foodservice was 34.2%. Average scores of job satisfaction were as follows: working environment scored 20.6 out of 25 points, welfare scored 10.3 out of 15 points, human relationships scored 17.5 out of 20 points, and job-itself scored 13.2 out of 15 points. The lowest job satisfaction average was 'I get paid fairly regarding the working hours and the amount of work' with a score of 3.6 points. Job satisfaction based on facility type, age, education level, and working period did not show significant differences, whereas hired status, numbers of foodservice children, and intention to change jobs showed significant differences. Hired status showed significant differences with welfare satisfaction (P<0.05). Numbers of children showed a significant difference with welfare and human relationship satisfaction (P<0.01, P<0.05). Intention to change job showed a significant difference with four elements of job satisfaction (P<0.05, P<0.01, P<0.01). In conclusion, to improve job satisfaction of children foodservice employees, working conditions and welfare satisfaction should be increased.