Poster Presentation
Sunday, November 4, 2007
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Sunday, November 4, 2007
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
A Study on ADL, Perceived Health Status, Depression, and Life Satisfaction of Rural Elderly in Korea
Nam Sook Seo, PhD, Dept. of Nursing, Dongshin University, Naju, South Korea and Younghae Chung, PhD, Nursing, Dongshin University, Jeonnam, South Korea.
| Learning Objective #1: get the information on health status and life satisfaction of rural dwelling elderly in Korea. |
| Learning Objective #2: recognize the factors related to their life satisfaction and to consider the strategies for desirable health care program. |
Objective: In Korea, the proportion of elderly people increases every year as socioeconomic levels increase and medical technology improves. This study was conducted to examine the degree of ADL, perceived health status, depression, and life satisfaction among rural elderly and to determine the factors related to their life satisfaction.
Method: The design of this study was a correlation study. The subjects consisted of 365 elderly (male = 140, female = 225) dwelling in a rural area. Data were collected from 2nd to 10th November, 2006 by interview using a structured questionnaire. The measurement scale for ADL consisted of 3-point 15-items (α = .91), for perceived health status of 3-point 3-items (α = .86), for depression of 4-point 20-items (α = .81), and for life satisfaction of 5-point 5-items (α = .89) summated scales. Data were analyzed with frequency, percentage, ANOVA, and correlation test using SPSS-PC program. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the factors related to the life satisfaction.
Results: It was found that the mean score of ADL was in total with 28.52 out of 30, perceived health status 8.21 out of 15, depression 16.97 out of 60, life satisfaction 16.36 out of 25. Depression showed statistically significant negative relationship with life satisfaction (r=-.463, p<.01), while perceived health status (r=.409, p<.01) and ADL (r=.186, p<.01) showed statistically significant positive relationships. Further investigation using multiple regression analysis revealed that depression score was the most related factor to life satisfaction, followed by perceived health status.
Conclusion: Based on these findings, the authors recommend further study to identify more factors related to the life satisfaction. Also the health program for rural elderly should be included the strategies to improve their perceived health status and to decrease depression in order to increase the level of life satisfaction.