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KMID : 0904520140360010103
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Health and Medical Sociology
2014 Volume.36 No. 1 p.103 ~ p.131
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Health - Protective Factors of the Healthy Low-Income Elderly : A Qualitative Interview Study
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Kim Jin-Young
Song Eh-Eun
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Abstract
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This study examines diverse factors which may play important roles for physical and mental health of the low-income elderly and aims to reveal how certain important factors influence their health. We selected appropriate interviewees, who had low income but fine health conditions, and conducted in-depth interviews for five male and five female elders from January to February in 2013. In the results, the health factors which played important roles in both male and female elders were work, neighborhood friends, regular exercise and psychological resources. Work was important for their health because it provided money, the opportunities of physical activities, joys and pride. Next, neighborhood friends played important roles for their mental health with providing social support and companion in leisure time. Regular exercise positively influenced their physical health as well as mental health with resolving stress and giving the opportunities of companionship. Popular types of exercise were mountain climbing, cycling, walking, and dancing, which required little cost. An exemplary psychological attitude for the male elders was that they were far from greedy. An exemplary psychological attitude for female elders was that they were generous. This study"s finding about the important roles of psychological resources in their health provided a practical implication of the necessity to improve competence as human-agency in the low-income elderly. These results also imply that developing jobs suitable for the elderly and enhancing social support from local communities to the elderly may be important policy interventions to improve health of the low-income elderly.
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KEYWORD
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Low-income, The elderly, Health, Qualitative interview, Psychological resource
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