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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of a supportive program on uncertainty, anxiety, and maternal-fetal attachment in high-risk pregnant women. Methods: The participants were 59 high-risk pregnant women admitted to the maternal-fetal intensive care unit. The control group (n=30) received usual treatment and antenatal care, while the experimental group (n=29) received an additional supportive program. Uncertainty, anxiety, and maternal- fetal attachment were measured in both groups prior to the intervention and at 3 days and 10 days after the intervention (or at discharge). Data were analyzed with the t-test, chi-square test, repeated- measures analysis of covariance, and the Greenhouse-Geisser correction in SPSS version 23.0. Results: A supportive program including information provision, nutritional care, emotional care, and exercise care was developed from the literature. All variables except women's length of stay were found to be homogeneous the between experimental and control groups in the pre-test. Length of stay was calculated as a covariate for testing hypotheses. There was a significant difference in state anxiety over time between the two groups, while there were no differences in uncertainty or maternal- fetal attachment. Conclusion: This supportive program was identified as an effective nursing intervention on state anxiety in high-risk pregnant women during their stay in the maternal-fetal intensive care unit. It is suggested that nurses could apply this program to alleviate high-risk pregnant women's state anxiety, and that this program could be modified to be more effective on uncertainty and maternal-fetal attachment in high-risk pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of stress, social support, and lifestyle on health-related quality of life among middle-aged women. Methods: One hundred forty three-middle aged women were recruited and completed questionnaires regarding their stress, social support, lifestyle and health-related quality of life. Data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression. Results: Regression model was statistically significant (F=24.80, p<.001) with 46% of adjusted R2. Stress showed to be a major factor influencing health-related quality of life in middle-aged women (p<.001) and the presence of chronic illness (p=.011) was noted as next in the result of a multiple regression analysis. Conclusion: The results suggest that nursing professionals should include strategies to reduce stress and to consider helping women with chronic illness when developing a health promotion program to increase health related quality of life for middle-aged women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and diagnostic components in adult women. Methods: The subjects of this study were 12,016 women that were aged twenty years or older and underwent an annual health check-up for National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) from 2009 to 2013. Data including blood pressure, waist circumstance, fasting glucose, triglyceride, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were received from the NHIS. This data was analyzed through the use of descriptive statistics, χ2-test, and multiple logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome and diagnostic components increased with age. In the five diagnostic components of the metabolic syndrome, the prevalence of low HDL-C was highest in 20s to 40s. The prevalence of high blood pressure was highest in the people aged fifty or older. The risk of metabolic syndrome in 2013 was higher in women with abnormal diagnostic component of metabolic syndrome in 2009 and highest in women with abnormal waist circumstance in 2009. Conclusion: There was a need to investigate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome components according to age. Education on metabolic syndrome was required for those that had one or two abnormal diagnostic components. The risk of abdominal obesity related to metabolic syndrome needs to be emphasized. Moreover the education for management of abdominal obesity also needs to be emphasised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and evaluate the lower extremity lymphedema nursing practice protocol for patients following gynecologic cancer treatment. Methods: Thirteen web-sites were searched for eligible clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and eleven databases were searched to identify evidence to develop a lower extremity lymphedema nursing practice protocol for patients following gynecologic cancer treatment. Results: Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, eight CPGs and ninety-six studies, two guidelines and eight studies were identified as evidence. The protocol development group consisted of ten experts who have at least five years' experience in the related area. A lower extremity lymphedema nursing practice protocol for patients following gynecologic cancer treatment was developed including forty-three recommendations in five domains. Significant differences were found in nurses' pre and post knowledge and confidence on lower extremity lymphedema prevention and management. Conclusion: Nurses and other professionals could utilize this evidence based lower extremity lymphedema nursing practice protocol and apply it to patients undergoing gynecologic cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a sleep improvement program combined with an aroma-necklace on sleep, depression, anxiety, and blood pressure in elderly women living at home. Methods: A program consisting of a four-week (one hour per week) sleep improvement intervention plus use of an aroma-necklace, was developed based on Cox's Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior. 70 elderly women were assigned to the experimental (n=35) or control group with no intervention (n=35). Data from 62 participants (32 in the experimental and 30 in the control) were analyzed using the SPSS 21.0 program. Women in the experimental group were instructed to constantly wear the aroma necklace filled with marjoram and orange oil until the program was completed. Sleep quality, sleep duration, sleep satisfaction, depression, anxiety, and blood pressure were measured to identify the effectiveness of the program. Results: Significant group differences were found in sleep quality (t=-5.10, p<.001), sleep duration (z=-3.10, p=.002), sleep satisfaction (z=-4.13, p=<.001), depression (t=2.53, p=.015), and anxiety (z=-2.47, p=.014). No differences were found in the systolic or diastolic blood pressure. Conclusion: The results indicate that a sleep improvement program combined with an aroma-necklace was effective in improving sleep disturbances in elderly women living at home. Nurses may contribute to improving sleep among elderly women by applying this program to aged women living in various environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was done to identify frequency, intensity of urinary dysfunction and daily life distress in women after a radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer. Methods: One hundred and fifty seven women who had undergone a radical hysterectomy and one hundred and sixty five women as healthy controls completed questionnaires on intensity of urinary dysfunction and daily life distress caused by urinary dysfunction. Results: Women with cervical cancer showed higher frequency of urinary dysfunction than healthy controls. Major urinary dysfunction for women with cervical cancer in order of frequency were night-time incontinence (odds ratio=10.39, p <.001), difficulty in starting urination, weak urine stream and sense of incomplete emptying of bladder. The highest score on intensity was difficulty in starting urination, followed by urgency, weak urine stream, daytime frequency and sense of incomplete emptying. Night-time incontinence was the urinary symptom causing the most daily life distress for cervical cancer women followed by difficulty in starting urination, urgency, sense of incomplete emptying, and night-time frequency. Conclusion: Results suggest that nurses should address the potential postoperative urinary complications and develop long term interventions to decrease urinary dysfunction and daily life distress for women who have had a radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study was designed to identify the differences of individual disease related characteristics, behavior-specific cognitions and affect, health promoting behavior between colorectal cancer patients and the general public. Methods: Seventy newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients and 72 healthy adults from the general population were recruited and asked to complete a questionnaire on their disease related characteristics, behavior specific cognitions and affect, health promoting behavior from April to September 2011. Independent two sample t-test analysis was used to compare the two groups. Results: There were significant differences in family history of colon polyps or colorectal cancer, history of colon polyps lifetime tobacco usage, amount of daily smoking, frequencies of alcohol consumption over a year, constipation, interval of bowel movements, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, self-esteem, perceived health status, health locus of control, and health promotion behaviors between the two groups. Conclusion: This study suggests that nursing professionals need to consider family history of colon polyp or colorectal cancer, history of colon polyps, tobacco usage, alcohol consumption, constipation and frequency of bowel movements in developing a colorectal cancer prevention program. Strategies to increase health promotion behavior and behavior-specific cognitions and affect factors including perceived benefit, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, self-esteem, perceived health status, health locus of control should be included in colorectal cancer prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]