Factors Affecting Adherence to Social Distancing among Adults Aged 19-44 Years: Insights from a Nationwide Survey during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background and Objectives: Before COVID-19 vaccinations became available, adhering to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), like social distancing (SD), wearing masks, and hand hygiene, were crucial to mitigating viral spread. Many studies reported that younger individuals were more reluctant to follow these measures compared with older ones. We hypothesized that it would be worthwhile to find factors that influenced SD compliance among young people during the pre-vaccination phase of a pandemic. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data of adults aged 19-44 from the 2020 South Korean Community Health Survey and compared socio-demographic, health-related behavioral, and psychological factors between compliant and non-compliant cohorts. Results: A total of 59,943 participants were enrolled and we found that older age groups (30-39 and 40-44) and safety concerns (such as viral infection, virus-related death, economic damage, and transmitting virus to vulnerable people) were significantly associated with adherence to SD. Conversely, participants who were not living with a spouse, were unable to stay at home despite symptoms, smoked, drank, and had a negative attitude toward government policy statistically correlated with non-compliance. Conclusions: In times when NPIs were the primary defense against the pandemic, it is essential to identify factors that positively or negatively affect individual compliance with them, especially among young people. Using a large-scale, well-designed national survey, we could gain insights into the early recognition of risk factors for non-compliance and appropriate follow-up interventions (i.e., education campaigns, clear communication of public guidelines, and implementation of guidelines), which will help people to avoid suffering from other waves of future infectious diseases.

Development of Toddlers' Smartphone Flow State Scale: Parent Report Form.

Toddlers come into contact with smartphones by the time they are 10 months old, and smartphones eventually become a part of the daily lives of toddlers because they are used as parenting tools and are also attractive toys. Routine exposure to these electronic devices may lead to excessive immersion, which can cause smartphone dependence when toddlers grow up. Based on Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow, we aimed to develop a new scale to measure the flow phenomenon in toddlers who are exposed to smartphones. We attempted to identify the constituent factors of a toddler's flow in smartphones through a literature review, observations, and interviews. Initially, 32 questions were screened from the field verification stage and interviews; the final 20 questions were selected by combining technical statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and expert feasibility. We also found five eligible constituent factors, namely, a playfulness-oriented experience, reaction limited by concentration, and intentional pursuit to achieve the goal, assimilate into the virtual world, and acquire desire-fulfilling skills. We then performed a confirmatory factor analysis on our parent-reported toddlers' smartphone flow state scale. To secure the criterion-related validity, the correlation between our scale and the preexisting smartphone dependence measurement tool for toddlers was evaluated. Cronbach's α value of the toddlers' smartphone flow state scale was 0.95 (each factor was verified as 0.79-0.92 and the explanatory power was 72.21%). The test-retest reliability was found to be stable with the intraclass correlation (ICC) coefficient value of 0.78 (p < 0.001). Our research findings suggest that this novel smartphone flow state scale for toddlers could be a valid and reliable tool for measuring how toddlers feel the flow phenomenon while using smartphones. Furthermore, our results could contribute to the development and evaluation of the interventions that prevent side effects from smartphone overflow in toddlers.

Factors Contributing to Poor Self-Rated Health in Older Adults with Lower Income.

Lower household income is associated with poorer self-reported health status, especially in the elderly. Considering the importance of subjective health in this fragile population, it would be worthwhile to explore the physical and mental health factors that may help to predict good or poor self-rated health (SRH) status. We first described three main categories (individual, physical, and psychological) between low-income seniors with good and poor SRH. Next, statistically significant physical and mental health factors affecting poor SRH were identified. In this study, original data from the 2017 National Survey of Older Persons in South Korea were analyzed. People aged 65 years and over with low household income were eligible. A total of 1405 men and 2945 women (n = 4350) were enrolled, and less than half of participants (47.5%, n = 2066) belonged to the poor SRH cohort. We applied individual variable-adjusted models and found that poor SRH was significantly associated with ADL limitation (odds ratio (OR): 2.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.11-4.01), IADL limitation (OR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.52-2.13), malnutrition (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.53-2.04), and depression (OR: 3.65, 95% CI: 3.10-4.31) on logistic regression analysis. Our findings suggest that limited ADL/IADL, poor nutrition, and depression need to be emphasized to improve subjective health status in low-income adults. Early recognition and timely intervention might help them to live better and happier, ultimately relieving social healthcare burdens.

Physical and Mental Health Factors Associated with Poor Nutrition in Elderly Cancer Survivors: Insights from a Nationwide Survey.

Elderly cancer survivors (patients with any stage of cancer or a history of cancer) are precious members of our society and they can be easily found in various types of surveys. As is well known, good nutrition is important in elderly people suffering from cancer. Proper nutritional evaluation and intervention not only improves their quality of life but also helps them to receive adequate treatment, thereby prolonging individual survival and reducing social healthcare costs. In this study, we retrieved elderly cancer survivors from national survey data and assessed their nutritional status as good or bad. Then, we described the individual, physical, and mental health factors between people with good and bad nutrition. Physical and psychological variables associated with poor nutritional status were evaluated through regression analysis. We investigated data from the 2017 National Survey of Older Persons, and cancer patients aged 65 years or over were eligible. A total of 360 adults were enrolled and more than half (57.2%, n = 206) were in a poor nutritional status. We applied individual variable-adjusted statistical models and discovered that limited instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) (OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.08-4.28) and poor subjective health status (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.00-3.02) were significantly associated with poor nutrition on logistic regression. Our research findings suggested that IADL and self-rated health status needed to be addressed in old cancer survivors at nutritional risk. The early recognition and management of nutrition in these populations might help them to live longer and have a better quality of life, eventually reducing socioeconomic burdens.

Physical and Psychological Factors Contributing to Incidental Falls in Older Adults Who Perceive Themselves as Unhealthy: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Falls have become one of the common causes of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. Advanced age is a strong predictor of falls. Additionally, those who perceive themselves as unhealthy are more likely to suffer from incidental falls in accordance with aging. We aimed to compare individual, physical, and psychological factors between older adults with and without a fall history. Then, we tried to identify physical and psychological variables associated with falls by controlling for individual characteristics. We analyzed public data from the 2017 National Survey of Older Persons in South Korea. Seniors aged 65 years and over who considered themselves in poor health status were eligible. A total of 2765 women and 1280 men (n = 4045) were enrolled, and 940 adults suffered a fall within a year (the average number of falls was 2.5). We applied individual variable-adjusted models and discovered that hearing discomfort (odds ratio (OR) 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-1.55), limited activities of daily living (ADL) (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.13-1.74), limited instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.13-1.61), and depression (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.23-1.69) significantly increased risk for falls on multivariate logistic regression. Our findings suggest that hearing discomfort, limited ADL/IADL, and depression need to be addressed observantly to prevent falls in the elderly who consider themselves unhealthy.

Emotional distancing in nursing: A concept analysis.

BACKGROUND: Emotional distancing was introduced as a means of coping with emotional labor. It safeguards healthcare workers from difficult emotional interactions with patients. It also provides caregivers with an escape from emotional exhaustion, compassion fatigue, and burnout. AIM: This paper aims at defining emotional distancing by identifying its critical attributes and empirical use. DESIGN/DATA SOURCE: A literature search was performed using applicable medical and health databases not merely restricted to the medical or nursing fields to understand the concept's true nature. "Emotional distance," "emotional distant," "emotional distancing," "emotionally distance," "emotionally distant," "emotionally distancing," "emotions [MeSH Terms] distance," "emotions distant," and "emotions distancing" were utilized as keywords and controlled vocabulary. REVIEW METHODS: Walker and Avant's method was utilized as a comprehensive review of the literature to clarify the meaning of emotional distancing. Antecedents, characteristics, and consequences of emotional distancing were obtained systematically. RESULTS: Based on the analysis, emotional distancing is a self-controlled defensive strategy involving emotional separation from patients to maintain neutrality. CONCLUSION: Emotional distancing can enable health-related workers to protect the mental health of nurses while also providing best nursing care to patients. This helps reduce emotional labor and maintain nurses' professionalism. Further research is needed to develop a specific tool that can identify the circumstances and how healthcare workers can implement this strategy in practice. Emotional distancing is an important term that requires conceptual analysis as a coping strategy to protect the mental health of nurses while also serving the best nursing care to patients.

Physical and Psychological Factors Associated with Poor Self-Reported Health Status in Older Adults with Falls.

Background: Previous studies have proposed various physical tests for screening fall risk in older adults. However, older adults may have physical or cognitive impairments that make testing difficult. This study describes the differences in individual, physical, and psychological factors between adults in good and poor self-rated health statuses. Further, we identified the physical or psychological factors associated with self-rated health by controlling for individual variables. Methods: Data from a total of 1577 adults aged 65 years or over with a history of falls were analyzed, using the 2017 National Survey of Older Persons in South Korea. Self-reported health status was dichotomized as good versus poor using the 5-point Likert question: "poor" (very poor and poor) and "good" (fair, good, and very good). Results: Visual/hearing impairments, ADL/IADL restriction, poor nutrition, and depression were more frequently observed in the group with poor self-rated health. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that poor self-reported health was significantly associated with hearing impairments (OR: 1.51, 95% CI 1.12-2.03), ADL limitation (OR: 1.77, 95% CI 1.11-2.81), IADL limitation (OR: 2.27, 95% CI 1.68-3.06), poor nutrition (OR: 1.36, 95% CI 1.05-1.77), and depression (OR 3.77, 95% CI 2.81-5.06). Conclusions: Auditory impairment, ADL/IADL limitations, poor nutrition, and depression were significantly associated with poor self-reported health. A self-rated health assessment could be an alternative tool for older adults who are not able to perform physical tests.

Physical and Psychological Factors Affecting Falls in Older Patients with Arthritis.

As the population ages, falls are becoming one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Joint disease (either osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis) is a well-known predictor of falls, and these medical conditions increase in accordance with the aging population. This study aimed to describe individual, physical, and psychological characteristics between older adults with and without a fall history. Further, we aimed to identify statistically significant physical or psychological factors associated with falls by controlling individual variables. We analyzed data from the 2014 Survey of Living Conditions and Welfare Needs of Korean Older Adults. Adults aged 65 years or over with doctor-diagnosed joint disease were eligible. A total of 2707 women and 784 men (n = 3491) were enrolled. Of these, 1174 patients suffered a fall within a year (average number of falls = 2.4). We adopted individual variable-adjusted models and found that limited activities of daily living (odds ratio (OR) 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.87), fear of falling (OR 7.18, 95% CI 4.26-12.09), and depression (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.09-1.50) significantly increased fall risks on logistic regression analysis. Our findings suggest that physical and psychological factors, especially the fear of falling, need to be addressed to prevent falls in elderly patients with arthritis.