The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing health perception in the elderly, to provide the basic data for health behavior program and nursing intervention. The subjects of this study were 240 elderly person over the age 60, living in Seoul and Kangnung. They were conveniently sampled for this study and the data was collected from June 1999 to September 1999. The instruments for this study were the Health Perception Questionaire developed by Ware(1979), the OARS Functional Assessment Questionaire (Duke University 1978), and Multidimensional Health Locus of Control by Wallston, Wallston, and De Vills(1978). The data were analyzed by using SPSS Win computer Program. The results are as follows; 1. The total mean score of the health perception was 52.02(S.D=+/-7.07) in a range of 33 to 69, and the mean score of the functional status was 27.02 (SD=+/-2.75) in a range of zero to 28 and the mean score of the health locus of control was 65.66(S.D=+/-8.68) in a range of 43 to 90. And The mean scores on the HLOC subscales were HLOC-I: 23.73+/-4.56 (range: 6-30), HLOC-P: 23.07+/-4.74 (range: 6-30), HLOC-C: 18.55+/-4.03 (range: 11-30). 2. There was a significant positive correlation between health perception and functional status(r=.216, p=.001), and health perception and the health locus of control(HLOC) were not correlated at the level of statistical significance. However, the HLOC-I and health perception were correlated positively(r=.328, p=.000), and the HLOC-P were correlated negatively (r=-.129, p=.046). 3. There was a significant difference statistically in the degree of health perception according to the age(F=3.351, p=.002), spouse(t=2.232, p=.021), education level(F=7.373, p=.001), disease(t=3.639, p=.000), group activity (t=2.458, p=.015). drink(t=2.327, p=.021). 4. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the most powerful predictor of health perception was internal health locus of control. A combination of HOLC-I, functional status, HLOC-P, group activity explained 17.9% of the variance for health perception in the elderly. In conclusion, the results of this study show that internal health locus of control factor is very important in explaining the health perception for the elderly. Therefore, it will be considered internal health locus of control factor in nursing intervention and program in order to enforce the health behavior for elderly people.

This study was alone to identify the meaning and the essence of the menopause experience by means of the Colaizzi's phenomenological method. The participants were eight women, 48-60 years old, who were experiencing perimenopause or postmenopause. They were selected using a theoretical sampling technique. Data were collected through in-depth interviews from April 6 to May 20, 1999. The interviews took from 40 to 90 minutes. Interviews were tape- recorded and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Significant statements from data were extracted. From these formulated meanings, 18 themes, 8 clusters of themes and 3 catagories were constructed. Final descriptions were found to be valid through the interviewee validation process. Essential themes of the menopausal experience which emerged were "coming of change", "inclined to deny the in mind", and "adapted life". Menopause, as coming of change was the turning point in the women's life cycle acompaning changes, in body and mind and marital life changes. Especially, the unpredictable menopausal changes were an opportunity to hide the fact of menopause and not to talk with anybody. Such a phenomenon reflected on the psychological attributes of menopausal woman such as an inclination to deny in the mind. Their experiences of menopause as adapted life were generally regarded as signalling the end of fertility and were interpreted as a natural developmental process that indicates a life transition. In conclusion, participants depicted the menopause as a natural stage in the life cycle. In order to help women have a positive life change and self accomplishment, nurses need to understand the essential themes of the menopausal experience. Thus, the importance of an open approach in eliciting the phenomena of menopause cannot be overemphasized. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that exercise program is one of the effective interventions to improve the self-efficacy and also to lower the fatigue in the sample of female college students.