The purpose of the study was to identify the effects of problem solving nursing counseling and intensified walking exercise on diabetic self-care, coping strategies, and glycemic control among older adults with DM type II.

Ninety nine DM patients who were older than 50 were recruited from DM clinics or public health centers and conveniently assigned into three groups: the Polar(n=41), counseling(n=30) and control groups (n=28). Participants in both Polar and counseling groups attended weekly problem solving nursing counseling for 12 weeks. Polar heart rate monitors were used in the Polar group to intensify walking exercise. Data was collected from November 2003 to August 2004 and analyzed by ANOVA or ANCOVA using the SPSS WIN program.

After a 12 week intervention, participants in both the Polar and counseling groups reported increased diabetic self care behaviors and decreased blood glucose levels, which is significantly different from those in the control group. There were no distinctively different program effects between the Polar and counseling groups.

Based on the findings, we concluded that problem solving counseling alone could have positive effects on diabetic self care and glycemic controls for older adults with DM. Future research is needed to identify long-term effects of the program.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of problem solving nursing counseling and walking exerciseon weight loss, cardiovascular risk factors, and self-efficacy of diabetic control among obese diabetic patients. The Polar heart rate monitor was used for walking exercise to utilize the Biofeedback mechanism.

Fifty nine diabetic patients were conveniently placed into experimental (n=35) and control groups (n=24). The experimental group participated inweekly nursing counseling for 12 weeks and was encouraged to do walking exercise using a Polar monitor. The control group remained in the same treatment as before. The data wascollected from November 2003 to August 2004 and analyzed using t-tests and ANCOVAs.

After 12 weeks, the participants in the experimental group reported significantly decreased body weight (p=.004) and total scores on theParma scale (p=.001). While the participants in the control group reported significantly increased levels of blood triglyceride (p=.046) and HDL (p=.018).

Based on the findings, we concluded that problem focused nursing counseling with intensified walking exercise could reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications and body weight among obese diabetic patients. Future research to explore the long-term effects of nursing counseling on diabetic complications is warranted.

The purpose of this study was to explore the levels of depression experienced by clients (N=152) with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus(DM), and to compare the levels of self care activity, metabolic control and cardiovascular risk factors between depressed and non-depressed clients.

Participants aged 50 and above were conveniently recruited in B city. The levels of depression, self-care activity, metabolic control of glucose and lipids, and cardiovascular risk factors of the participants were measured by using questionnaires and blood tests from November, 2003 to June, 2004. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, Spearman rho and t-test using the SPSS WIN 10.0 program.

The prevalence of depression(CES-D=16) among the participants was 44.1%. The levels of self-care activities(p=.012), glucose(p=.019), total cholesterol(p=.022), LDL(.007) and cardiovascular risk factors(p=.012) were significantly higher in the depressed group than those in the non-depressed group.

Based on the findings, we concluded that many DM patients experience depression and the depression of type 2 DM clients is significantly related with self care activities, diabetic control, and cardiovascular complications. However, this study did not address causality among these variables. Therefore, further research, such as a longitudinal cohort study, is needed to identify causality among these variables.

This study was to investigate the effects of problem solving group counseling on the index of obesity and health habits for obese children.

Forty seven obese children participated in the study(Exp.=22, Cont.=25). Children were recruited from the forth and fifth grade withhigher than 20% of the obesity degree. The problem solving counseling lasted for 10 weeks. In order to evaluate the effects of counseling, physical characteristics and health habits were measured three times; pretest, posttest, and at 10 weeks follow-up. The obtained data was analyzed by χ²-squared-test, t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA, using the SPSS WIN 10.0program.

Problem solving group counseling was effective on the physical characteristics(BMI, obesity degree, body fat ratio, waist measurement) and health habits over time. Children in the experimental group controlled their body weight better and reported lower scores in the index of obesity than children in the control group at 10 weeks follow-up.

This counseling program helped obese children modify their health habits so that they could decrease their scores in the obesity index. It can be concluded that problem-solving counseling enhanced problem-solving abilities of obese children, which could help modify their ordinary health habits.

This study was to identify important predictors of depression among characteristics of caregiving situation and utilized resources in order to provide basic information for effective nursing interventions to reduce depression experienced by family caregivers of older adults with dementia.

Seventy one family caregivers were identified from community service centers and face-to-face interviewed using structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and hierarchical multiple regression using SPSS WIN 10.0 program.

Family caregivers reported high levels of depression, moderate levels of social support, and moderate utilization of coping strategies. Female caregivers who (β=.22) utilized ‘negative’ coping strategies more often (β=.48) and ‘cognitive reconstructuring’ coping strategies less often (β=-.23) were more likely to report higher depression (R²=0.63).

Nursing interventions increasing family caregivers' utilization of positive coping strategies such as problem solving, existential growth, and help seeking and decreasing their utilization of negative coping strategies such as self-blaming are needed to decrease their depression levels.

The purpose of this study was to identify the influencing factors on the compliance of breast self-examination (BSE) among nurses who work at three general hospitals in Kyung-Nam areas.

258 hospital nurses were included in the study. Data were collected using structured self-administered questionnaires and analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, x² test and logistic regression analysis.

Nurses reported medium levels of knowledge, self efficacy and health believes about breast cancer and BSE, and 26% of the nurses performed the BSE at least once during the last 6 months. Compliers of BSE perceived significantly higher levels of self-efficacy, susceptability and health motivation, and lower level of barrier compared to non-compliers. Significant influencing factors on BSE compliance were ‘experience of getting recommendation for breast self-examination’, ‘susceptibility’, ‘barrier’, and ‘self-efficacy’ and those variables explained 22.5% of variance in compliance of BSE.

Nurses, who must play as a role model for health promoting behaviors, did not have enough knowledge of breast cancer and BSE. Also, their performance rate of BSE was quite low. Thus, it is essential to provide an educational program for breast cancer and BSE to nurses in order to enhance nurses' performance rate of BSE.

This study was to determine the mediator or moderator role of social support in the relationship between stress and depression among family caregivers of older adults with dementia.

Sixty nine family caregivers were randomly selected from health care centers in P city and a face-to-face interview was conducted using questionnaires from January to May of 2002. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression using SPSS program.

Family caregivers of older adults with higher dependency in ADLs and higher problematic behaviors, provided care to the older adults for a longer period of time, and perceived less social support reported higher depression. Social support showed mediating effects between stress and depression, while did not show moderating effects. Elderly dependency on ADLs and caregiving duration decreased perceived social support and decreased social support increased depression.

To increase family and social support to the caregivers of more functionally impaired elderly, family education to increase emotional support and physical assistance to the caregivers and broader and flexible application of social support such as increasing accessibility to the elderly daycare service with lower price may prove beneficial.

The purpose of this study was to identify the influences of oral health behaviors, depression, and stress on periodontal disease in pregnant women.

The participants in this study were 129 pregnant women. Data were collected using questionnaires which included individual characteristics, oral health care behaviors, the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D), a global measure of perceived stress, and pregnancy stress. A dentist measured periodontal probing depth and classified stages of periodontal disease according to the Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression.

Periodontal disease had significant correlations with oral health care behaviors (r=-.56, p <.001), perceived stress (r=.44 p <.001), pregnancy stress (r=.37 p <.001), diet (r=-.33, p <.001) and depression (r=.18 p =.046). Factors influencing periodontal disease for these pregnant women were being in the 2nd (β=.27, p <.001) or 3rd trimester (β=.45, p <.001), having a pregnancy induced disease (β=.20, p =.002), performing higher oral health behaviors (β=-.30, p <.001), and having higher perceived stress (β=.17, p =.028). The explanation power of this regression model was 61.6% (F=15.52, p <.001).

The findings of this study indicated that periodic assessment of periodontal disease is essential for pregnant women who are in 2nd or 3rd trimester and have pregnancy induced diseases. Enhancing oral health care behaviors and reducing perceived stress are indicated as effective strategies to reduce periodontal disease in pregnant women.