A Study on The Health Status of Island Community People in Island

Shin, Kyung Rim

Abstract

During the past 10 years, concern for community people's health has increased together with the changes. Public health policies and studies for community people's health, however, have influenced those in child-maternal health care to want more general coverage and studies of health and wellness. Particularly, the study of community people's health in the extent an island area is almost rare as that personal and the material benefits in this area are lacking of community people's work is large, and the basic elements of living, such as diet and elimination, are irregular due to the schedule of the tide. Thus, there are many potential health problems. In this regard, the study attempted to understand the health problems of island community people and to provide a basis for developing health promotion and health education programs. In collecting data for the study, face to face interviews were made through a structured questionnaire from October 1 to December 30, 1996. Collected data were analyzed with the SAS statistics program, descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA. Subjects' health status was examined by classifying into such categories as their health perception, complaints of health problem, related lifestyle, psychosocial health staus, the result of examination is as follows; 1. For subjects' health perception, 26.9% of the subject answered not sick, but not so healthy'; 30.9% thought they were healthy, while 22.9% answered that they were not healthy. 2.For the health problem complaints many complained of pains in their muscles and skeletal system, especially knee joint pain. Women's health problems related with breast and the reproductive system included 52.3% of cases doing breast self examination, while 56.55% received the cervical cancer screening test. In men's health problems, 44.2% of subjects answered that they have moderate to severe BPH(Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy) symptom. 3.There were statistically a significant difference in the degree of physical health according to marital status(p=0.0028), occupation(p=0.0442), income(p=0.0357). 4.For stress status, 17.2% was to need the intervention, 50.2% was to need observation. 5.The mean score of self-esteem was 27.7 showing a relatively high score. 6.For the rate of smoking, 37.7% used to smoke, while 28% used to take alcohol. 7.The rate of substance abuse was 45.9% of subjects. 8.Most of subjects' health behaviors included most of the acupuncture (52%). 9. The rate of subjects receiving comprehensive medical testing was 34.36% while 34.78% did after care managing behavior. 10.For the obesity grade, 53% is normal weight, low-weight 32.8%, obesity 33%. 11. For nutrition status, 78.7% illy balanced to need intervention of nutritional education. 12. For 78.7% of subjects, muscle strength and 40.7% of stretching were not good enough to need health education on physical exercises. Therefore, based on the results, appropriate health education programs need to be developed to promote health of community people on an island.