Correlates of Body Mass Index, Perceived Health Status, and the Needs of Functional Games for the Elderly in Korea

Lim, Kyung Choon

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to explore the correlates of body mass index (BMI), perceived health status (PHS), and the needs of functional games for the elderly in Korea.
METHODS
This is a descriptive study with convenience sampling. The data were collected from 363 older adults in S city who completed questionnaires asking about their BMI, PHS, needs for functional games, and general characteristics. Using the SPSS 20.0 program, data were analyzed.
RESULTS
The mean age was 65.4(+/-4.75), ranging between 60-83 years old. Among the 363 subjects, 75.2% who were male, 55.9% chose "functional games are necessary," and 25.3% selected "functional games are absolutely necessary" for the elderly. There were statistically significant correlations between current PHS and comparing health to others (r=.827, p<.001), depression (r=-.330, p<.001), age (r=-.113, p=.032), respectively. In addition, there was a statistically significant correlation between comparing health to others and depression (r=-.292, p<.001).
CONCLUSION
The study findings show that older adults have distinct needs and interests for functional games. Thus, we need to develop senior functional games to help make older adults more active with greater enjoyment to gain more health benefits. Interdisciplinary team approaches would work well for developing functional games in Korean considering the preferences of older people are similar.