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An Exploratory Study of Factors associated with the Health Behavior of Working Elderly with Chronic Diseases

Article information

Res Community Public Health Nurs. 2012;23(4):395-404
Publication date (electronic) : 2012 December 31
doi : https://doi.org/10.12799/jkachn.2012.23.4.395
Dong Ok Kim1, Soon-Nyung Yun2
1Graduate School, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
2College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Corresponding author: Kim, Dong Ok. College of Nursing, Seoul National University, 28 Yongon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-799, Korea. Tel: +82-2-740-8456, Fax: +82-2-747-3948, estgem@snu.ac.kr
Received 2012 November 12; Accepted 2012 December 20.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to identify the health behaviors of working elderly Koreans aged 65 over and examined the socio-demographic and disease-related factors by health behaviors.

Methods

This study used data obtained from the 2nd basic survey of the 2008 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing. We selected 381 working elderly having one or more of the diseases hypertension, diabetes, heart disease or cerebrovascular disease.

Results

78.9% out of the subjects have hypertension, 31.2% have diabetes, 12.3% have heart disease, and 6.3% have cerebrovascular disease. Compared to the health behaviors of the general elderly, the rate of the practice of regular exercise among the subjects was lower, but the smoking and drinking rate were higher. The significant variables associated with health behavior practice rates were gender, type of work, subjective health status and chronic diseases.

Conclusion

The type of work of the elderly with chronic diseases was significantly associated with health behaviors. Consequently, this study found that continuous care programs for the working elderly with chronic diseases should be developed and provided as an occupational health service when the jobs are offered to them.

Keywords: Chronic diseases; Elderly; Health behavior

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Article information Continued

Copyright © 2012 Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing

Table 1

General Characteristics and Health Behaviors Practice Rate of Research Subjects (N=381)

Table 1

†Excluded 2 no respondents and 17 non-wage labor respondents below 18 hours per week.

Table 2

Differences of Health Behaviors Practice Rate by General Characteristics

Table 2

Elem. school=Elementary school; SD=strongly disagree.

†Excluded 2 no respondents and 17 non-wage labor respondents below 18 hours per week.

Table 3

Factors Affecting Health Behaviors Practice using Logistic Regression Analysis

Table 3

OR=odds ratio; CI=confidence interval; Elem. school=Elementary school.

†Excluded 2 no respondents and 17 non-wage labor respondents below 18 hours per week.

Table 4

Frequencies and Percentage of Work Type and Marital Status by Gender (N=381)

Table 4