A structural equation model was analyzed to explore the determinants of health-promoting behaviors in patients living at home in Korea who had post stroke hemiplegia.

Demographic characteristics, activities of daily living, religiosity, family support, self-efficacy, acceptance of disability, perceived barriers to health-promoting activities, depression, and health-promoting behavioral data was collected from 239 patients using self-report questionnaires.

Variables that have a direct effect on health-promoting behaviors were self-efficacy and family support. Depression, acceptance of disability, perceived barriers, activities of daily living and religiosity also influenced health-promoting behaviors in an indirect way.

It is imperative to explore strategies for patients with post stroke hemiplegia to identify and maximize their resources, develop their self-efficacy, improve their emotional state, and enhance their physical activity and spiritual growth, which would maximize health-promoting behaviors.

This study aimed to: 1) determine the core nursing interventions, and 2) compare acute interventions with subacute interventions recorded in the nursing notes of patients with cerebrovascular accidents (CVA).

The nursing records covering the first 10 days of 30 patients with a CVA who were admitted from January to December 2004 at C University Hospital in Korea were examined. Data was collected using the nursing interventions classification (NIC) from January to April 2005. Finally, data analysis was carried out using mean, SD, and paired t-test according to domains, classes, and interventions.

The most frequent nursing intervention at both stage was “Neurologic monitoring”. There were differences in interventions belonging to the “Physiological: complex,” “Behavioral,” “Safety,” and “Health system” domains between the acute and subacute stages. The frequency of interventions belonging to the “Immobility management,” “Neurological management,” “Tissue perfusion management,” “Patient education,” “Risk management,” “Health system mediation,” and “Information management” classes at the acute stage was higher compared to the subacute stage.

This study found out that nurses relatively recorded more nursing interventions during the acute stage hence the unsuccessful documentation of the subacute stage particularly in describing the specific nursing interventions at this stage.

This study was done to identify effects of carbonated water intake on constipation in elders who have experienced a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and are bed-ridden.

Forty elderly patients with CVA were randomly assigned to one of two groups in a double-blind study. Patients in the experimental group drank carbonated water and those in the control group drank tap water for two weeks. Six patients dropped out during the study period. Data were analyzed by repeated measured ANCOVA and the covariance was the dose of laxatives used for the two weeks.

Frequency of defecation increased significantly and symptoms of constipation decreased significantly for patients in the experimental group.

The study results suggest that the intake of carbonated water is an effective method for the intervention of constipation in elderly patients with CVA.

This study was done to survey health behaviors in people at risk for a Cerebrovascular Accident(CVA).

From November 21 to December 29, 2005, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 171 people at risk for a Cerebrovascular Accident(LDL of above 130 mg/dl & homocysteine of above 15.0 micromol/L). Their physical composition was measured and blood was collected.

1. Of the subjects, 34.5% were smokers, 61.4% were drinkers, 56.7% did not exercise regularly, 57.3% did not control their weight, 26.9% preferred eating meat, and 32.2% preferred salty food. 2. The gender was different between smoking status(χ²=10.734, p=.001), and drinking status(χ²=7.185, p=.007), and the age was different between smoking statusχ²=6.656, p=.010), and drinking status(χ²=10.722, p=.001). The HbA1C level was different for regular exercise(χ²= 4.824, p=.028) and the HDL-cholesterol was different for meat-eating preference(χ²=7.928, p=.005). The observance of troubling signs was different for a salty food preference(χ²=4.313, p=.038).

It is necessary to develop programs for taking care of people at risk for a Cerebrovascular Accident and test the effects of the programs in order to reduce the risk factors of CVA and enhance health behavior promotion.