Background and Objectives: As the world enters an aging society, it is necessary to focus on older individuals, especially those with disabilities. The latter must face two issues, their disability and their age; therefore, a lot of attention must be paid to their health. In this study, we aimed to explore the association between participation in leisure sports activities, health behaviors, and life satisfaction among older adults with disabilities. The research question we aimed to address was as follows: Can participation in leisure sports activities positively affect the health behaviors and life satisfaction of older adults with disabilities? Materials and Methods: Data were sourced from the 2023 Survey on the Status of Persons with Disabilities organized by the Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare. The collected data were analyzed using frequency analyses, chi-squared tests, and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that regarding sex, the average odds ratio (OR) was 1.525 (p = 0.001) for males. Regarding efforts to control weight, the average OR was 1.808 (p < 0.001) for “tried to reduce”, 1.893 (p < 0.001) for “tried to maintain”, and 1.245 (p = 0.345) for “tried to increase”. Regarding smoking, the average OR was 0.612 (p = 0.008) for “smoke daily”, 0.947 (p = 0.889) for “smoke occasionally”, and 1.175 (p = 0.255) for “smoked in the past but do not smoke now”. Regarding health status satisfaction, the average OR was 2.014 (p = 0.022) for very satisfied, 1.846 (p = 0.013) for somewhat satisfied, and 1.347 (p = 0.220) for somewhat dissatisfied. Regarding friendship satisfaction, the average OR was 9.177 (p < 0.001) for very satisfied, 5.428 (p < 0.001) for somewhat satisfied, and 3.024 (p = 0.011) for somewhat dissatisfied. Namely, participation in leisure sports activities was significantly related to weight control efforts, smoking cessation, increased health status satisfaction, and increased friendship satisfaction among older adults with disabilities. Conclusions: Access to leisure sports activities should be increased to improve the health of older adults with disabilities. Furthermore, leisure sports activities should be considered in the establishment of policies and services to enhance the health of these individuals.

Background and Objectives: This study identified health-related factors that affect the happiness of Korean adults with disabilities based on the disability level. Materials and Methods: Data of 7581 adults with disabilities aged 20 or older were collected from the 2023 Survey on the Status of Persons with Disabilities. The collected data were analyzed using frequency and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Among individuals with moderate disability, males were less happy than females. Those with elementary school or lower education levels were less happy than those with college or higher education levels. Those who experienced stress, sadness and despair, suicidal thoughts, or discrimination were less happy than those who did not. In contrast, married individuals were happier than unmarried individuals. Those who exercised, went out alone, engaged in paid work, or participated in social activities were happier than those who did not. Among individuals with severe disabilities, males were less happy than females. Those with lower levels of education were less happy than those with higher levels of education. Those who experienced stress, sadness and despair, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, difficulty in communication, or discrimination were less happy than those who did not. Those who perceived their body as very thin were less happy than those who perceived it as very obese. Those who suffered from chronic disease were less happy than those who did not. In contrast, those aged 20–29 were happier than those aged 80 years or older. Married individuals were happier than unmarried ones. Those who exercised, went out alone, engaged in paid work, or participated in social activities were happier than those who did not. Conclusions: Factors affecting the happiness of Korean individuals with disabilities differ depending on the disability degree. Therefore, health policies, plans, and support measures must be established based on the disability degree to support daily physical activities, along with health services facilitating physical activity.

This review examines how smart city technologies have influenced health equity in urban settings between 2019 and 2026, guided by a dual-lens framework that assesses both equity-related outcomes and the systemic factors enabling or constraining their realization. As cities increasingly turn to digital tools to strengthen healthcare delivery, it remains unclear whether these interventions narrow or widen existing health disparities. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature spanning public health, urban informatics, and digital governance, this synthesis finds that smart health initiatives have improved healthcare access for some underserved populations, but their overall effect on health equity remains modest, inconsistent, and highly dependent on local context. Persistent structural obstacles, including digital divides, socio-economic inequality, and fragmented governance, continue to limit equitable implementation, while institutional barriers emerge as the most widespread challenge. Conversely, people-centered design, participatory governance, inclusive digital infrastructure, and equity-sensitive policy frameworks stand out as critical enablers of more just outcomes. The review further identifies an underexplored link between environmental sustainability and smart city technology, showing that AI-driven tools addressing emissions and urban environmental quality can indirectly support more equitable health systems. Overall, the findings underscore that technological innovation alone is insufficient; realizing the equity potential of smart cities requires deliberate integration of social justice, environmental sustainability, and collaborative governance into digital health strategy and practice.

Objectives: This study explored the impact of physical activity (PA) participation on the lifestyle habits and school life of Korean elementary school students. Methods: We collected survey data from 28,514 elementary school students participating in the 2023 Student Health Examination conducted by the Korea Ministry of Education. PA participation was the independent variable, defined as whether elementary school students participate in exercise that makes them out of breath or sweat more than three times a week. The variables related to lifestyle habits included breakfast intake, amount of sleep, TV viewing, gaming/Internet use, thoughts about running away from home, perceived body image, and body mass index. The variables for school life included experiences of being bullied, the need for counseling regarding school life problems, and the need for counseling for distress. The collected data were analyzed using frequency analysis, chi-squared tests, and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: PA was significantly associated with regular breakfast intake, sufficient sleep, limited television viewing, reduced gaming/Internet use, and a positive perception of body image. Specifically, regarding breakfast intake, the average odds ratio (OR) was 1.160 for always having it. Regarding the amount of sleep, the average OR was 0.836 for less than 6 h, 0.692 for 6–7 h, and 0.767 for 7–8 h. Regarding TV viewing, the average OR was 0.831 for yes. For gaming, the average OR was 0.770 for yes. Regarding perceived body image, the average OR was 1.429 for slightly thin, 1.487 for normal, and 1.400 for slightly fat. Conclusions: These results suggest that children’s PA facilitates the formation of good lifestyle habits; therefore, it should be actively encouraged in children.

Objectives/Background: In this study, we aimed to examine the associations of participation in leisure dance activity with perceived health status, happiness level, and perceptions of leisure, and the relevance of demographic characteristics to these associations. Moreover, we sought to explore ways of revitalizing leisure dance activity. Methods: We used data from the 2022 Korea National Leisure Activity Survey organized by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. The 2022 Korea National Leisure Activity Survey was conducted from September to November 2022. The survey was conducted among 10,046 Koreans aged ≥15 who lived in 17 cities and provinces across the country. The participants were informed about the survey schedule in advance, and interviews were conducted at the participants’ homes using tablet PCs. Random telephone verification was performed on the recovered questionnaires to ensure the accuracy of responses. Questionnaires that passed the first verification were subjected to secondary verification by a computerized program, and questionnaires that did not pass the verification were supplemented and re-examined. The collected data were entered electronically through an encoding process, and only the data that passed the final test were compiled in the multi-stage verification process. The data were analyzed using frequency analysis, chi-squared tests, and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Of the 1004 participants, 655 (6.5%) participated in leisure dance activity. Women, individuals in their twenties and thirties, college graduates or those with lower-level educational qualifications, and unmarried individuals were more likely to participate in leisure dance activities. In addition, leisure dance activities were found to be likely to increase happiness levels and leisure life satisfaction, and leisure expenses were likely to be low. Conclusions: Schools should provide high-quality dance education and enhance the professionalism of physical education teachers in the management of dance classes. This is because dance-related experiences in childhood can increase the likelihood of engaging in dancing in adulthood. Efforts are also needed to increase men’s awareness of and participation in leisure dance activities and to lower barriers to entry. The convergence of dance, games, and technology can make this possible.

OBJECTIVES This study investigated the effects of a 12-week wearable device-based aquatic rehabilitation exercise program on tic severity, physical activity, and anxiety in children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome.METHODS Sixteen participants diagnosed with Tourette syndrome were divided into an exercise (n = 8) and a control group (n = 8). The exercise group participated in a 50-minute aquatic rehabilitation exercise program three times per week for 12 weeks, while the control group maintained their usual daily activities and treatment. Physical activity was assessed using a wearable device, tic severity was evaluated using the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS), and anxiety was measured using the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders. Data were analyzed using tests of baseline homogeneity, paired t-tests, and repeated-measures analysis of variance. Significance was set at p < 0.05.RESULTS Results showed that the exercise group demonstrated increased physical activity, including daily steps and active time, along with reductions in motor tic scores, vocal tic scores, and the YGTSS Total Tic Score (p < 0.05). Anxiety scores also decreased post-intervention, and significant group-by-time interactions were observed in major outcome variables (p < 0.05).CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that wearable device-based aquatic rehabilitation exercise may be a useful supportive exercise intervention for promoting physical activity and reducing tic severity and anxiety in children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome.