| Keywords |
Social support ; Health Behavior ; Quality of life |
| Abstract |
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the general characteristics, health behaviors, and social support of the elderly on their quality of life in an agricultural area. The subjects include a group of senior citizens living in an agricultural area of Chungnam. Total 113 questionnaires were gathered from May 23 to June 20, 2010. According to the results on differences in quality of life based on general characteristics, health behaviors, and social support, it turned out their quality of life was higher when they lived with their spouses, had a high monthly income, were in a good health condition. As for correlations among the major variables, the functional support had closer correlations with quality of life than instrumental support and evaluative support. The analysis results on the effects on quality of life show that the elderly experienced positive effects on their quality of life when they lived with their spouses, had a high monthly income, were in a good health condition, and paid for their living expenses. In addition, the more they were satisfied with emotional support based on the structural support from their spouses and functional support from their friends/neighbors, the more positive influences they experienced on their quality of life. In short, there is a need to expand the application of programs related to social support and health for the elderly in agricultural areas and to develop plans to help them increase interactions and improve their quality of life through emotional support. |