Factors Affecting Lifelong Learning Participation in Older Adults: Relationship with Subjective Well-being, Physical Activity/Exercise, and Social Activities / 社会薬学

The significance of lifelong learning is increasing in Japan’s aging society. The purpose of this study is to clarify the factors that affect the participation in lifelong learning of the elderly people in relation to subjective well-being, physical activity/exercise, and social activity. We conducted a questionnaire survey among lifelong learning participants. The contents of the questionnaire items were scored and the influence of the number of years of participation in the lifetime learning was examined using confirmatory factor analysis. There were 207 participants with an average age of 73.2 years old. In terms of health and life, most of the participants answered positively. In terms of coping with stress, many respondents had that coping strategy. Their nutritional intake and exercise habits were good. They had a high rate of health check-ups, were highly interested in disease prevention and paid attention to their health management. From the exploratory factor analysis of the questionnaire results, the five common factors behind lifelong learning participants were “subjective well-being,” “physical activity/exercise,” “subjective view of health,” “nutrition/diet,” and “social activity.” There was a negative relationship between “years of participation in lifelong learning” and “subjective well-being,” and a positive relationship between “physical activity/exercise” and “social activity” of these latent variables. In conclusion, many of the lifelong learning participants were highly conscious of their health, had acquired appropriate habits in terms of exercise and nutrition, and had a high subjective well-being. The elderly’s continuous participation in lifelong learning is beneficial for “physical activity/exercise” and “social activity.”

The Moderating Role of Social Activity on Age Norms and Subjective Health Status of Older Adults: A Two-Stage Cluster Korea National Survey

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine how social activity (SA) moderates the relationship between age norms (AN) and subjective health status (SHS) among older adults in Korea. Based on the theories of age-integrated structure and active aging, the proposed hypotheses were that SHS has a positive association with attitudes towards AN, and with the interactions between different types of AN and SA. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from a Korean national survey of older adults were analyzed. Participants were older adults N = 10,451, of whom 10,280 were used in the study sample. Multivariate linear regression including interaction terms, was used to examine the associations among SHS, AN, and SA. RESULTS: The results of multivariate linear regression examining learning (ß = 0.066, p < 0.001), working (ß = 0.063, p < 0.001), and remarriage (ß = 0.036, p < 0.001) showed that those who perceived AN more positively, were more likely to have a high SHS. With interaction terms, those who had a positive attitude towards AN for learning and volunteering (ß = 0.025, p < 0.05), and remarriage and engaged in friendship groups (ß = 0.032, p < 0.05) were more likely to have a high SHS. CONCLUSION: SA serves as a great moderator between AN and SHS.

Relationship of activities outside work to sleep and depression/anxiety disorders in Korean workers: the 4th Korean working condition survey

BACKGROUND: Sleep disorders and depression/anxiety disorders are long-standing and significant problem for mental health. Also there are already known so many negative health effect of these disorders. But there were few studies to examine the association between activities outside work and forementioned disorders. So this study aimed the association of those things by using the Republic of Korean data. METHODS: Data from 32,232 wage workers were used in the 4th Korean Working Condition Survey. General and occupational characteristics, sleep disorders, depression/anxiety disorders and activities outside work are included in questionnaire. To find the relationship between activities outside work and sleep, depression/anxiety disorders, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used after adjusting for general and occupational characteristics. RESULTS: We observed that volunteer activities increased the odds ratio of both sleep disorders and depression/anxiety disorders(Odds ratio[OR] = 1.35, 95% confidence interval[CI]: 1.03–1.78 and OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.29–1.84, respectively). And self-development activities increase the odds ratio of sleep disorders(OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.17–1.57). Gardening activities lowered the odds ratio of depression/anxiety disorders(OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.59–0.94). CONCLUSION: Some of activities outside work were related to sleep disorders and depression/anxiety disorders among Korean wage workers. Our results showed negative health effect of some kinds of activities outside work such as volunteering and self-devlopment compared to other studies that emphasized positive effect of those activities for health.

Effect of Cognitive Function, Social Activity Participation and Social Support on Quality of Life of Community-Dwelling Elderly

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the effect of cognitive function, social activity participation and social support on quality of life (QoL) of community-dwelling elderly. METHODS: The data on 194 elderly were selected from the nationwide community cohort named Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia. All subjects were assessed QoL-Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD), Cumulative Illness Rating Scale, exercise habit, Mini-Mental State Examination, social activities, The Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey. The data were analyzed with SPSS WIN V. 21.0 program. RESULTS: The mean of QoL among community-dwelling elderly was 35.49 (24–46) for QoL measured by QoL-AD. The variables of professional, residence status, physical health, exercise, cognitive function, social activity participation and social support explained 29.3% of variance in QoL of community-dwelling elderly. Among these factors, the significant predictors of QoL were social support (β=0.322, p<0.001), cognitive function (β=0.152, p=0.021), and religion activity (β=0.152, p=0.025). CONCLUSION: The study suggests that the focus of intervention program should be on cognitive function and social activity participation to improve QoL for elderly. Improving cognitive function and social activity will lead to the network of social support, consequently to increase QoL for elderly living in the community.

Relationship between Social Activity and Cognitive Function in Korean Elderly

OBJECTIVES: Among non-pharmaceutical measures for preventing cognitive impairment, involving in social activities is known to be very effective. We tried to examine the correlation between social activity and cognitive function. METHODS: This study was based on the Suwon Project, a cohort comprising of non-random convenience samples of ethnic Koreans aged 60 years and above. All the subjects completed the study questionnaire which included demographic characteristics, current and past history of illnesses, drug history, Korean version of Mini Mental State Examination (K-MMSE), Korean version of Short Form Geriatric Depression Scale, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. We checked the time consumed in each 9 social activities through the checklist. RESULTS: On multiple logistic regression analysis, the total time spent in social activities wasinversely associated with the K-MMSE score after adjusting confounding variables like age, sex, education level, depression, anxiety and vascular risk factor (beta=-0.041, p=0.024). On the other hand, correlation was found between K-MMSE score and time spent in participating in religious party (beta=0.053, p=0.003) as well as time spent in elder's university (beta=0.040, p=0.025) after adjustingage, sex, education, depression, anxiety and vascular risk factor. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that involving in quality social activities might be more effective in improving cognitive function than spending longer total time in any social activity.

Social Readjustment and Relating Factors in Stroke Survivors / 성인간호학회지

Social readjustment is very important in rehabilitation of stroke survivors. The purpose of this study was to examine the level of social readjustment and related factors in stroke survivors. Especially, to find the most useful predictor for social readjustment is a major point of this research. The study included 254 outpatients who were given follow-up care after discharge from. Occupational rehabilitation and resumption of the perceived meaningful social activity prios to the stroke were used to measure social readjustment. The resumptions of first meaningful social activity was the best predictor for life satisfaction in stroke survivors(r=.245, p<.01). The substance of perceived meaningful social activities were job, meeting with friends, hobby and activities for the family. The sum of meaningful social activities (r=.175, p<.01) and occupational rehabilitation (r=.116, p<.05) were significantly related to life satisfaction. There were significant difference in IADL, depression and life satisfaction according to resumption of meaningful social activity. But, occupational rehabilitation was not related to depression. The level of social readjustment was different between occupational rehabilitation and resumption of meaningful social activity. It was 45.7% in the first meaningful social activity and 36.6% in occupational rehabilitation. The related factors with resumption of the first meaningful social activity were that of IADL, depression, illness intrusiveness and cognitive function. And the level of IADL, illness intrusiveness, cognitive function, and age were significantly related to occupational rehabilitation. In conclusion, we suggest that the resumption of the first meaningful activity in stroke survivors is the best predictor of social rehabilitation. Thus, nurses need to work for resumption of meaningful activity as well as occupational rehabilitation.

A Prediction Model for health Promoting Behavior of The Korean Elderly / 간호학회지

This study was designed to construct a model that predicts the health promoting behavior of the Korean elderly. Data were collected by self-reported questionnaires from 254 Korean elderly in seoul, from June 1 to July 15, 1998. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and correlational analysis using pc-SAS program. The Linear Structural Modeling(LISREL) 8.0 program was used to find the best fit model which predicts causal relationships of variables. The overall fit of the hypothetical model to the data was moderate[X2=249.83(df=83, p=.00), RMR=.07, GFI=.90, NNFI=.92, NFI=.91]. The predictable variables of health promoting behavior of the Korean elderly were social activity, social support, self-integrity and helplessness except the perceived health status. These variables explained 17.1% of health promoting behavior of the Korean elderly.