[A study on the relationship between women's health status and the experience of Sanhujori, the Korean traditional non-professional postpartal care].

This descriptive study sought to define the relationship between women's health status and the experience of Sanhujori. Korean traditional non-professional postpartal care after delivery and abortion. A convenience sample of 308 women in 7 provinces in Korea including Seoul were studied from December, 1994 to December, 1996 for two years. Mean age of respondents was 50.5 years and mean number of children was 3. The rate of abortion was 91.5% and mean frequency was 2.2 times per woman. 82% of respondents did not have Sanhujori after abortion. The period and subjective evaluation of experience of Sanhujori after delivery were decreased according to the increment of the number of childbirth. The health status implies both subjective health status women perceived and physical symptom distress women are experiencing presently. The respondents expressed the physical symptom distress as painful one. 56.7% of respondents perceived unhealthy, such as sick and 99.6% complained more than one symptom. The factors related to health status were the first and third experience of Sanhujori after delivery, such as the period and subjective evaluation whether she did Sanhujori well or not; whether or not of Sanhujori after abortion and menopause; the number of child; and age, at the level of 1% or 5% of significance statistically. The factors related to the rate of physical symptom distress were only two: the first experience of Sanhujori after delivery, especially the subjective evaluation and whether women did Sanhujori after abortion or not, at the level of 1% or 5% of significance statistically. In conclusion, this finding reconfirmed the possible relationship between women's health status and the experience of Sanhujori after delivery & abortion. It provides a challenge to the professional care givers to research further on the effects of Sanhujori on the health status, health recovery after abortion or delivery from the various aspects through the cross-sectional and longitudinal research for the refinement of the reality of Sanhujori not only as cultural phenomenon but as conceptual model for the appropriateness of intervention and qualty of care for desirable health outcomes. Besides, it is indispensable to refine and reestablish postpartal caring system by finding universal law through international & cross-cultural research on postpartal traditional care for women's life long health toward the 21C.