Health and Nutrition Status of Grandparents on Grandparents-Grandchildren Family in Rural Area

Cho, Yoo Hyang

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was to identify and test the health and nutritional status of grandparents in grandparents-grandchildren family in rural area.
METHODS
The subjects of this study were 70 grandparents of grandparents - grandchildren family in Muan-Gun. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, regression analysis.
RESULTS
The average age of grandparents was 70.1+/-6.6 years old, unhealthy of the subjective health status was 55.7%, MNA score was 21.0+/-3.5 points and 62.2% of the grandparents were shown to have malnutritonal status. The ADL, IADL, depression and fall index of health status were significantly related to the relationship with gender(p<.01), age(p<.05), economic(p<.01) and educational level(p<.01), and partnership(p<.01). MNA score was significantly related to the relationship with acute disease(p<.05), ADL(p<.001), IADL(p<.01), cognitive function(p<.01) and gender(p<.01). And the health status variables and general characteristics were positively correlated while the relationships were positive between health status variables and MNA score.
CONCLUSIONS
With the above findings, grandparents of grandparents-grandchildren family have the problems of health and nutritional status. Then health and nutritional intervention program for grandparents-grandchildren family is needed to serve.