Hyang-Hee Hwang

In preparation for the expected super-aged society in 2025, this study attempted to prepare basic data that can help design development measures for the welfare of the elderly so that everyone can prepare for a healthy and happy retirement. Accordingly, the major factors affecting the quality of life of the elderly in Korea were verified. To this end, the questionnaire consisted of 22 questions in total, and a mobile survey was conducted between September and October 2021; in total, 250 copies were used for the final analysis, and the following conclusions are derived. The major factors that were found to determine the quality of life of the elderly were age, subjective health status, monthly household income, leisure activities, and health inequality fairness. It was found that the higher the age, the lower the quality of life. Further, the higher the subjective health status, monthly household income, participation in leisure activities, and perceptions of health inequality as fair, the more the quality of life of the elderly was affected. Therefore, policy support such as leisure activity, health programs, and medical welfare services for the elderly and sufficient attention from our society are all required.

Objectives: This study evaluates the effects of the intervention program based on self-determination theory, which planned to raise capability in self-health management among middle-aged women living in rural areas. Methods: Each component of self-determination- Autonomy, Relatedness, and Competence-was applied to the intervention program. A parametric/non-parametric test was conducted to analyze data as the sample size was less than 30. Results: The intervention of the study was effective in raising leisure deprivation(p.05), healthy lifestyle(p.01), dietary habits(p.01), and self-capability awareness(p.05). Additionally, the body mass index, body fat, muscle mass, and indicators of basic physical ability such as muscle endurance and cardiopulmonary-endurance were imporved. However, changes in attitudes regarding regular exercise, physical and psychological state, and self-efficacy were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The intervention based on self-determination theory can be considered effective in imbibing skills that are required to positively change health behavior among middle-aged women. In conclusion, given the effects of the program, the intervention supported the participants to acquire health-behavior skills. Thus, we believe the intervention program based on self-determination theory can be utilized as a standard model in a wide range of health promotion fields.

Regional disparities in leisure facilities deprive residents of opportunities to participate in leisure. This study aimed to provide basic data for establishing public leisure welfare policies to reduce the leisure gap among different regions and to verify the effects of relative leisure deprivation (RLD) on the life satisfaction of Koreans, with a focus on the baby boomer generation. For this purpose, 7 items of demographic characteristics related to gender, age, marital status, job status, residence area, monthly income, and educational background, 18 items of relative leisure deprivation consisting of egoistical, resourceful, cognitive, and emotional leisure deprivation, and 5 items of life satisfaction were investigated. The questionnaire consisted of a total of 30 questions and a mobile survey was conducted in October 2020, and a total of 412 copies were used for the final analysis. The results showed that there were differences in RLD and life satisfaction depending on where the participants lived; RLD (M = 3.21, M = 2.95) was higher and life satisfaction (M = 3.36, M = 3.72) was lower in rural areas, as compared with urban areas. Second, baby boomers’ RLD had a negative effect (β = −0.5391, p < 0.001) on life satisfaction. Third, the place of residence moderated (β = 0.5240, p < 0.001) the relationship between RLD and life satisfaction; a higher RLD led to a lower level of life satisfaction for baby boomers living in rural areas (95% CI: −0.7369~−0.3413), whereas the RLD of those in urban areas did not affect their life satisfaction. Therefore, central or local governments must effectively narrow the regional gap through a balanced distribution of leisure resources to remote and underdeveloped environments, thereby minimizing the RLD of citizens and seeking improvement in life satisfaction. Finally, the part that the psychological aspect of the individual study was not considered due to the limitations of quantitative research suggests the direction of subsequent research.