The purpose of this preliminary, qualitative study was to describe elderly Korean immigrants' perception of stressors they experienced through immigration and the acculturation process. The methodology used was naturalistic inquiry, a descriptive approach used to elicit the elderly immigrants' own perception of their immigration and acculturation experiences. The six elderly Korean immigrants were interviewed via a semi-structured, open-ended interview guide. The main stressors identified by the subjects as a result of adjusting to life in the United States were language barriers, isolation and loneliness, fear of dependence upon their children, fear of being a burden, financial problems, transportation problems, discrimination, and fear of death. These Korean elders also perceived changes in the traditional family values of respect for elders and support for the aged. The results of this research help to provide an understanding of the immigration and acculturation experiences of elderly Korean immigrants.

Background Sexual and reproductive health literacy (SRHL) refers to the ability to access, understand, appraise, and apply information for decision-making related to sexual and reproductive health. The low level of SRHL in adolescents increases their sexually risky behaviors and endangers sexual health. Although early adolescence is a critical development period for forming initial views on sexuality and is often a time for attempting risky behaviors, studies on SRHL for early adolescents are fairly limited in Las PDR. As an initial step for the development of a global health project between Lao PDR and South Korea, this study assessed the level of SRHL and the differences in gender among early adolescents in Lao PDR. Methods Participants were 235 students conveniently recruited from one junior high school each in two provinces in Lao PDR. SRHL was measured using the 39-item Teen Pregnancy Health Literacy scale consisting of 4 subscales of finding, understanding, appraisal, and application. The scores were classified into inadequate, problematic, sufficient, and excellent using the SRHL index formula. The mean differences in gender were compared using t-test. Results The mean of the SRHL scores of the participants was 19.07 (±10.57). The mean score was significantly lower for girls, at 17.67 (±11.22) than for boys, at 21.37 (±9.05) (p = .006). Significant differences were further identified in all four sub-domains of SRHL: finding (p = .025), understanding (p = .005), appraisal (p = .041), and application (p = .029). The majority of participants (91.7%) were categorized as having an ‘inadequate’ or ‘problematic’ level of SRHL. Conclusions The level of SRHL among most early adolescents was found to be inadequate. The level of SRHL among girls was much lower than that among boys. The findings suggest a gender-specific approach to developing health education programs to improve SRHL among early adolescents and prevent future sexually risky behaviors in Lao PDR. Key messages