Abstract

• Owing to the development of modern science, prolonging man's life, the sudden increase of population and betterment of the standard of living has increased health needs. In order to fulfill these health needs, more active plans for developing health should be made. Health education is one of the methods at hand that can improve the health behavior of the community and the individual through the contact of individuals with their groups. Proper understanding of the characteristics of the sampled group and participation of individuals within the community for the development of their health plan are needed for efficient health education. This study was attempted for the purpose of presenting some data helpful for preparing the fundamentals of a health education plan that can improve personal health maintenance practice of a community through efficient health education by investigating the relationship between the response of subjects to personal health maintenance practice and selected decisive factors in personal health maintenance practice. The subjects for this study were a systematic sample of 120 housewives selected from 600 housewives from B Zone Apt. Younhi-3-Dong in Seoul. Data was collected for 4 days from May 16th to May 19th, 1978 through personal interviews with questionnaires by well trained interviewers. Percentage, t-test and Stepwise multiple regression analysis by use of EDPS were employed for statistical analysis. Results of this study can be summarized: 1. General characteristics of subjects Subjects over 20 and below 40 years of age formed 62.5% of the total and the rest were subjects of 40 years and upward. 76.7% of the subjects have less than 4 children. 51.3% of the subjects had completed at least the senior high school course. 2. The response of subjects to personal health maintenance practice. Ratios of personal health maintenance practice to the maximum score for each category are as follows; 84.1% in the category of population and family planning, which was the highest ratio; 82.4% in the prevention of accidents; 68.0% in control of communicable disease; 67.8% in personal health care and habits of daily life, 64.3% in mental health and 52.5% in control of parasites, which was the lowest. 3. The response of subjects to selected decisive factors in personal health maintenance practice. The arithmetic mean of the score for each decisive factor was as follows; the mutual relation between family members marked 18.33, which is under 73.3% of the maximum score; the degree of interest in health marked 34.48, 70.0% of the maximum score; the degree of utilization and demand for health care facilities marked 25.79 or 64.5% of the maximum score and health maintenance of the family marked 11.58, 43.6% of the maximum score. 4. The relationship between personal health maintenance practice and general characteristics of subjects. 1) There was a significant difference in the numbers of children. (t = 1.83, d.f. =117, p< 0.1) 2) There was a significant difference in the contact rates with mass-media, (t = 5.02, d.f. = 118, p < 0.05) 5. The multiple correlation between personal health maintenance practice and their selected decisive factors. 1) The factor "the degree of interest in health" could account for personal health maintenance practice in 43.6% of the sample. (R = 0.6602, R2 = 0.4359, F = 91.1678, p < 0.001) 2) When the factor, "health maintenance of family" is added to this, it accounts for 51.2% of personal health maintenance practice. (R= 0.7158, R2 = 0.5124, F = 61.4653, p< 0.001) 3) When the factor, "mutual relations between family members" is also included, it accounts for 53.7% of personal health maintenance practice. (R = 0.7324, R2 = 0.5365, F = 44.7509, p < 0.001) 4) When the factor, "the degree of utilization and demand for health care facilities" is included, it accounts for 55.1% of personal health maintenance practice. (R = 0.7421, R2 = 0.5507, F = 35.2430, p < 0.001)

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