The main purposes of the study were to develop and test a model which explains the dynamic relationship among factors reported as affecting to the quality of life of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis and to examine the relationship between self-help response and quality of life. Data for the study were collected from March 1996 to December 1996 from 153 female patients who regularly visited a clinic for people with rheumatism. The Patients were introduced to the investigators by nurses who worked at that clinic, and then the investigator interviewed the patients for 30 to 40 minutes to collect the data. Instruments used in the study were modified self-report questionnaires from the ones which were already developed in previous studies of from related literature. Data analysis were performed using LISREL(Lineal Structural Relations) 8 Program to test whether the proposed hypothesized model fit the collected data. To test fitablity of the hypothesized model both a general fit measure and a detailed fit measure were used. Based on the test results from the various fit measures, the hypothesized model was found to be well suited to the real data. As characteristics related to illness becomes severe, the feasibility for uncertainty about the illness tend to increase, but, the direct effects from the illness characteristics(such as level of physical symptoms, sense of social-psychologic change, limitations of action) as they are related to the other intrinsic variables(self-efficacy or self-help behavior and quality of life), were found to be not significant. It was found that uncertainty had a direct effect on self-efficacy but did not have a direct effect on self-help behavior or quality of life. Also, it is noted that self-efficacy had a positive effect on self-help behavior and quality of life and there was a bilateral relationship between self-efficacy and self-help behavior. Lastly, the hypothesis proposed from the theoretical model in this study was supported basis of the results that self-help behavior provides both direct and positive effects to quality of life. Particularity, since a bilateral relationship was also found between self-help behavior and quality of life in the modified model, as self-help behavior increased, so did quality of life. And, reversely, as quality of life increased, so did self-help behavior. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that focusing on both acquirement and reinforcement of adjustment factors or self-help behavior is more efficient than focusing on the characteristics of illness in establishing the strategies for improving quality of life of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis.

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• Health-related quality of life in female patients with reumatoid arthritis: a structural equation model
  Bukyung Kim, Mi-Hae Sung
  Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing.2023; 29(2): 91.     CrossRef
• Factors Related to Quality of Life among Older Adults who Had Arthritis: Limited Daily Activities and Physical Activity
  Jee-Seon Yi
  Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science.2023; 12(4): 431.     CrossRef
• Health-related Quality of Life in Korean Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Association with Pain, Disease Activity, Disability in Activities of Daily Living and Depression
  Dong Choon Uhm, Eun Sook Nam, Ho Yeon Lee, Eun Bong Lee, Young Im Yoon, Gong Ju Chai
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing.2012; 42(3): 434.     CrossRef

Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA), a chronic and systemic inflammatory disorder, is characterized by joint pain, swelling and stiffness. Patients with RA suffer from joint pain and overall pain. The painful and disabling consequences of RA are accompanied by a variety of affective, cognitive, and behavioral changes. The purpose of this paper was to explore and describe the life experiences of RA patients by eliciting verbal description of their experiences. Participants were nine persons who were diagnosed with RA, and had if for more than six months. They were asked open ended and descriptive questions in order for them to talk about their experiences in their own terms. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. The transcripts were analyzed by Colaizzi method. From the protocols, 213 significant statements about life experience were organized into 83 formulating meanings which were then grouped into five theme clusters. The major themes that emerged from the analysis were 'Emotional Disturbances', 'Trying to Adapt to the Progress of Treatment', ' Change of Role Performances', 'Experiences related to Family'. The result of this study showed that RA patients and families need nursing care based on a deep understanding of their lived experiences in everyday life. Nurses and other health workers must develop rehabilitation programs that focus on the pain control, functional independence and psychosocial factors.

PURPOSE: The exercise status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, associations between exercise behavior and personal factors, and associations between exercise behavior and exercise-specific cognitions and their effects were assessed. METHOD: Four hundred thirty nine outpatients with rheumatoid arthritis were studied. The exercise status was measured by a single item. The intensity was multiplied by the frequency and duration of each exercise. The product of these intensity values for all exercises was defined as exercise behavior. Based on the Pender's revised health promotion model, exercise benefit, barrier, self-efficacy, enjoyment and social support were chosen as exercise specific cognitions and affect variables. Path analysis was used to identify the predictors of exercise behavior. Results: Compared to the duration before being diagnosed, the number of subjects who exercised regularly increased after being diagnosed. However over half of the subjects refrain from any sort of exercise and the type of exercise is very limited. Among the variables, exercise barrier, self-efficacy, and social support were found to be significant predictors of exercise behavior, and only previous exercise experience was found to be significant predictors of all behavior specific cognitions and affect variables. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that studies should explore exercise behaviors and strategies to emphasize the cognitive-motivational messages to promote exercise behaviors.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to describe breastfeeding policies and practices among hospitals in South Korea and the degree to which the hospitals are implementing the WHO/UNICEF Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative.
METHODS
A cross-sectional survey of 34 hospitals was used to collect data. Quantitative and qualitative information and insights into current breastfeeding policies and practices were derived from responses of maternal and child health personnel at each hospital. One questionnaire per hospital was completed with personnel from all sections of maternity services, labor and delivery, nursery, and postpartum, contributing information needed to create a composite picture of the hospital's breastfeeding policies and practices.
RESULTS
Most hospitals were classified as either high or moderately high implementers on four of the Ten Steps: printed information distributed to breastfeeding mothers, oral breastfeeding instruction given to mothers, infant supplementation, and infant feeding schedules. The remaining steps, including key practices like staff instruction, breastfeeding initiation, rooming-in, and hospital postpartum support are being partially implemented by the majority of hospitals in this study.
CONCLUSIONS
Areas identified as needing the greatest attention by hospitals were health care staff training, breastfeeding initiation, supplementation, rooming-in, breastfeeding policy, and postpartum support for the breastfeeding mother.

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of 7-week comprehensive health promotion program for RA patients (CHPPRA) on changes in pain and depression. In addition, it was also examined that this effect was generated by changes in patients' health promoting strategies (positive self-image, positive thinking, problem solving, communication, pain management, stress management, exercise, and knowledge about RA) learned through CHPPRA. Twenty-eight out-patients of RA clinic in a university hospital participated for this study. The results are as followers. Changes in exercise, self-concept, positive thinking, problem solving, depression, and pain management were significant predictors to explain relieving pain level. Since all of these variables had positive standardized beta weights (betas), it can be interpreted that increasing level of these health promoting strategies may induce pain improvement. Changes in positive thinking, communication skill, exercise, self-concept, pain management, and knowledge about the disease were significant predictors to explain positive change in depression. Since all of the significant variables except the change in knowledge about the disease had positive standardized beta weights (betas), it can be interpreted that increasing level of these health promoting strategies may induce improving depression level. However, our results showed that the higher level of the knowledge about the disease was, the worse depression was.

This study is a methodical research to develop a health behavior assessment scale for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and to test the validity and reliability of the instrument. The research procedure was as follows; 1) The first step was to develop conceptual framework based on a comprehensive review of the literature, in-depth interviews patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This conceptual framework was organized in eight dimensions; pain management, exercise, rest, diet control, active committment, self-management, positive thinking, interpersonal maintenance. Initially 56 items were selected from 164 statement. 2) These items were reviewed by panel of eight specialists and the Index of Content validity (CVI) was calculated, and forty six items were selected which met more than 70% on the CVI. 3) 174 rheumatoid arthritis pateints were interviewed, and data was gathered from Jan. 25 to Feb. 18, 1999 for test reliabilities and validities of the scale. The item analysis was carried out and 40 items were selected. Factor analysis by varimax rotation was carried out to test construct validity. The internal consistency by chronbach's alpha was calculated. The findings were as follows; 1) Item analysis and factor analysis were carried out to test the validity of the health behavior assessment scale. The item analysis was based on the corrected item`s to total correlation coefficient (.30 or more), and information about the alpha estimate. However, this was only if this item was deleted from the scale. As a result of the item analysis, forty items were selected. Thirty items were selected by a initial factor analysis by varimax rotation, and ten items were deleted because of factor complexity. In the secondary factor analysis, eight factors were labled as 'positive thinking', 'exercise', 'rest', 'pain management', 'active committment', 'self-management', 'diet control', and 'interpersonal maintenance', each similar with the conceptual framework. 2) Chronbach's alpha coefficient to test reliability of the scale was. 903 for total the thirty items. The Scale for assessing health behavior developed in this study was identified to be a tool with a high degree of reliability and validity. Therefore this scale can be effectively utilized for assessment in the health behaviors of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

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  Young-il Kim, Jeong Sook Park
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This study was conducted to test whether a comprehensive health promotion program for rheumatoid arthritis (CHPRRA) affected patients' health promotion strategies and knowledge about the disease, thus leading to the improvement of health status by using repeated measure of quasi- experiment design. Eighteen RA patients who visited the RA clinic of an university hospital located in Inchon were invited to participate in the CHPPRA. According to the study results, it was shown that the CHPPRA had significant effects on the patients' health status such as pain, depression, and functional disability. Also, that the improvement of health status was achieved by a positive change in the four health promotion strategies, which consisted of goal setting, positive thinking, exercise, and knowledge about the disease. Goal setting, positive thinking, and knowledge about the disease could also affect the patients' depression. Thus it can be interpreted that the improvement of these strategies may result in a remarkable decrease of depression. In addition, alleviation of functional disability may be due to increase of exercise. However although the strategies which were directly associated with pain management were not significantly improved, pain was significantly reduced. On the other hand, the study result showed that the other health promotion strategies included in CHPPRA such as pain management, positive thinking, stress management, asking for assistance and communication were not significantly increased. although the health status such as pain, depression, and functional disability, which are final goals of the program, were significantly improved through the exposition of patients to those health promotion strategies.

This study was undertaken to investigate the casual perceptions and health seeking behaviors of Rheumatoid arthritis patients, define and understand the typology, and find the relationship between causal perceptions and health seeking behavioral types. There were six types(Physical Fatigue, Dispensation of Nature, Causality to Environment, Conscience of Guilty, Rationally perceiving, Psychological Stress) of subjective opinion about Causal Perceptions of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients. And there were four types(Oriental medical Treatment, Information Seeking Dietary Control, Western Medical Treatment) of subjective opinion about Health Seeking Behaviors. In the relationship between types of the causal perceptions and health seeking behaviors, oriental medical treatment and information seeking type were common health seeking behaviors of all six causal perception types, Only difference for internal causal perception types was related to hospital instructions and external causal perception types were related to dietary control. The result of this study can help health care provides, especially nurses to understand the types of causal perceptions and health seeking behaviors of Rheumatoid arthritis patients to gain treatment educational nursing intervention to aid health care.

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