In rural areas of Korea, the proportion of the elderly population has been sharply increased mainly due to the emigration of young farmers out to the most industralized urdan centers. The health problem of the elderly is becoming important than ever. The seriousness of these problems is especially grave to the elderly-poor farmers. This study has included life style, subjective symptoms, clinical laboratory tests, and function tests of the selected organs of poor farmers. We also have included the information as to whether they live alone or with their offsprings.
This study was done on random sample of 866 persons among 11560 elderly who live in farming area of Kyung San Gun, Kyung Buk in poor economic conditions. This study included self-aware symptoms, physical examination, clinical laboratory tests of several organs such as serum cholesterol level, serum GOT, blood sugar, hemoglobin, urine protein and urine sugar.
Contents of laboratory tests
1. Hemoglobin : Cyan methemmglobin method
2. Cholesterol : Enzyme method(Kit)
3. Blood sugar : Enzyme method(Kit)
4. GOT : Retiman Frankel´s method
5. Urine sugar : Urine sticks
6. Urine protein : Urine sticks
7. Blood pressure : Aneroids´ s apparatus
8. Chest : Indirect chest X-ray
The elderly population consisted of 457 females and 409 males. In life style, 632 live with their offsprings and 234 without them. As for having a mate 442 couples and 4244 singles(widower)and in age, mainly ranging 65 to 74 year of age.
We observed that the elderly population is generally slightly lower than the common adult group in all test values. Especially the values of hemoglobin, body height, body weight and systolic blood pressure were among the signigicantly low values compared with those of the commonn adults. However those of blood sugar and cholesterol showed similar or slightly higher values. Prevalence rates of disease by sex showed male´s predominance (169.2%) (167.8% female). Prevalence rates of pulmonary tuberculosis and liver disease were 12.4% and 10.3% in male, and 8.1% and 5.7% in female.
On the contrary, those of hypertension and renal disease were 31.9% and 4.6% in female and 28.9%, 1.0% in male respectively. The prevalence rate of disease roughly increased with age. Particularly hypertension was the case and visual disturbances were obviouly widespread.
The prevalence of disease was slightly higher among people living with family (169.8%) than people living alone(165.0%). The prevalence rates of hypertension and pulmonary tuberculosis were higher among people living with fainily(31.5% 12.0%)while those of renal disease were lower in the fomer (1.4%)than in the latter(6.8%).
The prevalence of disease was higher among widows(174.3%)thsn people with spouse(162.9%):hypertension (33.0%), disturbance of vision (7.3%) and renal disease (4.0%) were higher among widows than people with spouse (28.2%, 4.5%, 1.8%).
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