J Nurs Acad Soc.  1994 Mar;24(1):70-84.

Exploratory Study of The Korean Health Concept and Health Behaviors

• Kim AK

Abstract

People experience health behaviors for themselves and theses have diversity according to each culture and people and further there is an inherent meaning in health behavior The purpose of this study was to explore the health cconcept of Korean people and their pattern of health behavior. The research method was a questionaire including open questions and the subjests were 164 adults age from 21 to 61. The result of this study are as follows: 1. Perceived health concepts by adults were "possibility", "responsibility", "being free", "happiness", "brightness", "power", "life", "importance", "mental rest", "state of nnonilliness", "death". 2. Health behaviors carried out by Korean adults were "maintance of psychological comfort", "exercise", "work", "maintance of balanced diet", "having a hobby", "eating health food", "health check up", "prevention of hazards", "eating natural food", "maintenance of personal relationships", "rest", "having religion", "making contract with nature", "relaxation", "limit one's tastes". 3. The perceived purposes of health behavior by Koran adults were maintenance of a joyful life, health maintenance, health restoration, prevention of illness, achievement of reponsibility, having a hobby, longevity, peaceful death. Korean health concepts in this study showed a trend that reflects the rule of family and forcused harmony and eating habits. Korean health behavior in this study showed a trend that forcuses on emotional comfort which reflects oriental thinking. The result of this study will contribute to build a theory of health behavior and to derive strategies of health behavior to promote heaalth.

MeSH Terms

Adult
Eating
Health Behavior*
Hobbies
Humans
Longevity
Thinking