The subjects of this study were 291 community-living elderly, consisting of 62 males and 229 females, with a mean age of 73.9 ± 5.8 years. We examined the physical, cognitive, and psychological functions, and analyzed the activities of daily living (ADL) in the male and female groups. As a result, the difference in the score of the TMIG Index of Competence as a parameter of the ADL was not significant between the male and female groups, but there were differences in the characteristics of the ADL-related factors between the 2 groups. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the ADL-related factors were cognitive function and the feeling of a life worth living in the male group, while, in the female group, they were the grip and 6-min walking distance in addition to cognitive function and the feeling of a life worth living. It was found that the factors affecting the ADL were the cognitive function and the feeling of a life worth living in both male and female groups. It was also suggested that the involvement of physical strength in the ADL was higher in the female than in the male group.

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The present study applied the Transtheoretical model of behavior change to medical check-ups. The decisional balance and the stages of change of medical check-ups were examined. We conducted a cross sectional questionnaire survey for 503 people over 40 years old. As a result, about 60% of the participants belonged to the maintenance stage. In addition, decisional balance shifted from cost-predominant to benefit-predominant, as stages of change proceeded from precontemplation to maintenance, exclusive of the stage of relapse risk. The research suggested that it is advantageous to take notice of the stages of change of medical check-ups and the decisional balance, and additional research will be expected to think about the approach of promoting medical check-ups through the Transtheoretical model.

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Objective: The purpose of this article was to develop a school based program for depression prevention and preliminarily examine the effect in junior high school. Method: The prevention program based on cognitive behavioral procedures was developed as a school-based program. The program consisted 8 sessions and included multiple components: social supports, social skills training, relaxation, and cognitive restructuring. Twenty-two 2nd grade students (11 boys and 11 girls) in junior high school participated in the program as intervention group and 277 (140 boys and 137 girls) and 296 (155 boys and 141 girls) students were recruited as monitoring control group. Results: Significant improvements were found in social skills of relationship to teachers, social support from teachers, and friendship stressors in intervention group. After selecting matching sample showed the same level depression score to intervention group at pre intervention randomly, ANOVA (group × time) was conducted. Results found significant interactions in Depression Self-Rating Scale for Children (DSRS) and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Analyses of simple main effects indicated that depression scores of intervention group decreased significantly and intervention group showed significant lower depressive symptoms than monitoring control group at post intervention in DSRS. In addition, calculation of effect sizes suggested that the effect of the programs maintained after 3 months follow-up. Conclusion: This study suggested effectiveness and potential application of cognitive behavioral prevention program for depression at schools as well as educational effects.

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The effects of Gicheon training on one-leg standing were compared between two groups of senior citizens. Seven experienced (median =64 yr) and 12 beginner (median =66.5 yr) citizens participated in this study. Standing time with one-leg, as well as subjective rating of health, was measured before and after a series of practicing 60 min Gicheon training once a week for 10 weeks. Before starting practice beginners showed significantly shorter standing time (mean =22.4 sec) compared with the experienced participants (mean =56.3 sec) when open-eye condition was used. Ten weeks later, when practice ended the significant difference disappeared, however. The similar result was observed for the subjective health. However, in the closed-eye condition, both groups showed almost the same very short standing time (experienced mean =9.7 sec; beginner mean =6.9 sec), regardless of the former experience. The notion that Gicheon training improved one-leg standing time in open-eye condition indicated that Gicheon practice may prevent falling accidents often observed among the senior citizens. Subjective health will also be improved by the practicing. In the future, it needs to be tested in a large-scale randomized trial.

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