Oral diseases among older adults are prevalent and a major public health problem, but public attention regarding this matter is quite limited. Many older adults experience limited access to oral care services. The study aimed to describe characteristics of oral health conditions, perceived oral health status, and oral health practices and to examine factors related to living status and accessibility to dental health care among 9,660 low-income older adults living in a suburban city in Korea. Approximately 42% of low-income older adults lived alone; 68% perceived their oral health as either excellent or good; and 31% reported difficulty accessing dental services. Lack of accessibility to oral care services was significantly more common in older adults with low incomes, living alone, having poor oral conditions, poor self-perceived oral health, and poor tooth-brushing behavior. Strategies to promote access to dental care services for underserved older adults should be developed to prevent further oral problems and their impact on overall health conditions.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that have impact on taking care of dementia elderly people by careworkers. 212 careworkers participated in the survey. The data was analyzed by SPSS/WIN 18.0 program. The mean score of knowledge of dementia was 16.19, and attitude was 34.42, and the level of care performance for elders with dementia was 102.18. It was shown that the more positive attitude the careworkers had, the higher level of care performance occurred(r=.41, p<.001). As a result of analyzing the main factors affecting the level of care performance for dementia elderly people, attitude toward dementia(β=.41, p<.001) and the level of education(β=.27, p<.001) appeared to be significant explanatory variables, and this model's explanatory power was 27%. To settle a long-term care insurance successfully, the qualifications for careworkers are needed to be reinforced, and the ways to improve a positive attitude towards dementia elderly are also required to be come up with.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease with high economic and social burdens. This study aimed to determine the risk factors of microalbuminuria among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Microalbuminuria is predictive of early-stage renal complications and subsequent progression to renal dysfunction. We collected data on type 2 diabetes patients who participated in the 2019–2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The risk factors for microalbuminuria among patients with type 2 diabetes were analyzed using logistic regression. As a result, the odds ratios were 1.036 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.019–1.053, p < 0.001) for systolic blood pressure, 0.966 (95% CI = 0.941–0.989, p = 0.007) for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, 1.008 (95% CI = 1.002–1.014, p = 0.015) for fasting blood sugar level, and 0.855 (95% CI = 0.729–0.998, p = 0.043) for hemoglobin level. A significant strength of this study is the identification of low hemoglobin level (i.e., anemia) as a risk factor for microalbuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes. This finding implies that the early detection and management of microalbuminuria can prevent the development of diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major complication occurring in type 2 diabetic(T2DM) patients and characterized by persistent albuminuria and decreased renal function. Microalbuminuria (MAU) is a well-known early marker of DN in T2DM patients. This study aimed to analyse the possible associations among glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), daily vitamin C(ascorbic acid) intake, and urinary microalbumin, as predictors of DN in T2DM patients. The cross-sectional study was utilized to analyze the secondary data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study population comprised 510 patients who were not diagnosed with hypertension prior to T2DM. Statistical analysis was done by using R 3.5.1 version and this study analyzed by simple linear and stepwise multiple regression. Among patients with T2DM, 19.0% had MAU, 75.7% had nomoalbuminuria, and 5.3% had macroalbuminuria. The value of HbA1c was significantly higher in patients with MAU and macroalbuminuria than in normoalbuminuria. As a result of the study, microalbuminuria was predicted by HbA1c and there was an interaction between daily vitamin C intake and HbA1c. This means that microalbuminuria is a risk marker for DN and is associated with HbA1c and vitamin C. Therefore, in type 2 diabetic patients, periodic screening of blood glucose and high-dose vitamin C intake are required for preventing MAU and DN.