ABSTRACT

Objective : The purpose of this study is to suggest the general and physiological health features of rural elderly persons, and to use the results toward the basic data of community-based occupational therapy (CBOT)for the elderly.Methods : 166 elderly persons who use a center for the elderly in the Nonsan region were conveniently sampled from Sep. 14th, 2006 to Nov. 23th, 2006. Measurements of the lower extremity strength and functional movement, balance, and degree of obesity were analyzed using an InBody 720. A data analysis was conducted using SPSS win 12.0. Results : For muscle strength and balance, the elderly males were better than females, while the obesity degree of the females was higher than that of the males. Significantly, as age growsolder, the muscle strength, balance, and functional movement were lower. The body mass index (BMI) showed a significant difference in the degree of obesity. The correlation between functional reach while standing on one leg and the waist hip ratio (WHR) was significant, while the correlation between functional movement and obesity was insignificant.Conclusion : Community-based occupational therapy is needed for the rural elderly, as is a preventive falling program considering the degree of obesity according to the sex and age of the elderly.