The purpose of the study was to investigate the health status(present illness, ADL and IADL), health perception, and health promotion behaviors of low-income elderly who are receiving the visiting nurse service in the community.

The sample of the study was 735 elderly over 65years old with basic livelihood security, who were conveniently selected from 245 public health centers nation-wide. Data collection was done using a structured questionnaire through interviews by visiting nurses.

The average number of present illnesses in the study subjects was 4.18. The average scores of ADL and IADL were 15.903.39and 9.772.97 respectively, which indicates a relatively independent everyday life. However, 64.2% of the subjects perceived their health status as ‘ not healthy’. In terms of health promotion behaviors, 77.8% of the subjects had ceased smoking, 83.9% stopped drinking, 56.4% had a regular diet, 45.8% received regular physical check-ups during the past two years, and 66% received flu shots. Approximately 50% of the subjects were practicing 3-4 health promotion behaviors. Significant factors associated with health promotion behaviors were ADL, IADL and self-efficacy.

Health promotion programs which focus on regular diet, exercise, and regular physical check-ups should be developed to improve independence of everyday life and quality of life among low-income elderly.