• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.239-248
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• 2010

Objective: Despite the increasing number of female participation in employment, blue-collar women have been exposed to higher health risk. This study is to describe the prevalence of chronic diseases, health behaviors, and medical service utilization of female blue-collar workers. Methods: Data were derived from the 2001 Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES). The sample was made up of 37,108 male and female participants aged 20 or over selected nation-wide by probability sampling from Korea. This study applied the logistic regression for nominal variables such as disease prevalence and health behaviors and with the regression for continuos variables such as the length and costs of medical services. Results: In general, women's prevalence of chronic illness and uncured rate were significantly higher than male, and especially female blue-collar workers had the highest prevalence, uncured rate, unhealthy status, and perceived stress. However, the medical care cost was the lowest in female blue-collar workers. Conclusions: The findings suggest that female blue-collar workers were more likely to experience health problems, and that despite the highest health risk, health service is not effectively utilized, and health policy maker should take consider of special status of female blue collar workers who are in health inequality.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.264-275
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• 2006

MSDs(Musculoskeletal Disorders) and Job Stress have been recognized as one of major problems in industry these days according to the results of most industrial health/safety studies. Specifically, MSDs have been growing problems in Korea as well as in US and European countries with higher incidence rate every year. This study tries to understand characteristics of job stress and association between MSDs and job stress for the workers at automobile manufacturing industry. This study also tries to understand the differences in terms of job stress between white collar and blue collar workers. The results showed that there was definite association between symptoms of MSDs and some of major job stress factors. However, there were big differences in terms of associations between two groups(white collar and blue collar workers). The first group(white collar workers) showed more associations between symptoms of MSDs and some of major job stress factors than that of the second group(blue collar workers) although symptom rate of the second group was higher than that of the first group. It could be concluded that symptoms of the first group had more effects from job stress while symptoms of the second group had more effects from typical job risk factors based on the results of the study.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.235-246
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to comprehend the real context of metabolic syndrome-related factors of Korean male blue-collar workers from small-sized companies based on the health belief model. Methods: A total of 37 workers from three companies were interviewed, and three series of focus group interviews were conducted. Data were analyzed using deductive content analysis. Results: Data were classified into four categories: knowledge, perceived susceptibility and severity, perceived barriers, and beliefs. Knowledge referred to low knowledge level; perceived susceptibility and severity referred to unawareness of susceptibility and severity; perceived barriers referred to shift work, overtime work, and a social context including having no choice but to drink; and beliefs referred to believing that health promotion behaviors do not relate to preventing metabolic syndrome, believing that one cannot prevent metabolic syndrome oneself, and believing that professional help is required. Conclusion: To prevent and reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome among Korean male blue-collar workers, interventions should focus on strategies to increase metabolic syndrome-related knowledge and perceptions, social support, and self-efficacy for practicing health behaviors. In addition, it is necessary to develop policies for establishing a healthy drinking culture in companies.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.289-299
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• 2007

Objectives : To investigate the related factors on musculoskeletal symptoms among Korean female workers. Methods : A total of 1,875 female workers (1,002 office workers and 873 blue-collar workers) was analyzed. They were randomly selected among female workers by cluster sampling and interviewed by well trained interviewer, who filled out a structured questionnaire on the musculoskeletal symptoms. Other factors such as general and occupational characteristics including workplace location, employment condition, work duration, and working condition were also investigated. Results : Current smokers and drinkers were significantly more common in blue-collar workers than in office workers. Those working full time were significantly more common in blue-collar workers than in office workers. Those working over 8 hours per day were also popular in office workers than in blue-collar workers. Subjective musculoskeletal symptoms were significantly higher in the type of work including excessive repetitive work, work using awkward stretching hand upwards, work using repetitive wrist movements, static work using awkward hand posture, and heavy manual lifting and handling works. The mean score of the symptoms were significantly higher in blue-collar than in office workers. The significantly different working factors between two groups were work duration, employment condition and daily work hours. Conclusion : We suggest that the type of work including awkward and repetitive works as well as job type may be one of the most important factors related to musculoskeletal symptoms of female workers in the workplace. Preventive strategy will be needed to prevent the negative impact on health status of working women in the workplace.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.12
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• pp.199-208
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• 2017

This study investigated the effects of overtime work on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of Korean blue-collar workers. This cross-sectional study collected data on 229 Korean blue-collar workers in six small-sized companies from October to November 2015. The data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression analysis to estimate the effect of overtime work while considering convergence variables. In the hierarchical regression model, when overtime work variable was included in the model, $R^2$ change was statistically significant. The significant predictors for HRQoL were overtime work (${\beta}=.152$, p=.025), depression (${\beta}=-.192$, p=.003) and night shift work (${\beta}=-.201$, p=.032). The results of this study provide a basic data for establishing optimal working hours standards for improving the quality of life of Korean blue-collar workers.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.123-149
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• 1991

This study has been attempted to be helpful for the back rehabilization of Korean workers by analyzing the general, occupational, social aspects of low back pain and to identify possible risk factors for back pain in White and Blue collar workers. The primary data were collected from 380 workers in Seoul city by means of a Questionnaire with random which was distributed from March 10 to 31, 1990. For the test of statistical significance, chi-square analysis was used to compare the back pain characteristics between above two groups. The results were as follows : 1. The incidence of low back pain in all walkers studied was $79.7\%$. The incidence of Blue collar with low back pain $(87.2\%)$ was higher than that of White collars $(75.0\%)$. 2. With regard to the relationship of back pain to the occupational characteristics, statistically significant differences were observed between workers with and without back pain concerning the job factors on work-time, job satisfaction, mental stress, chair fittness, work posture, work rotation, weight lifting, monotonous repetitive movements, vibration, and heavy noise (p<0.05). 3. With regard to the relationship of back pain to the social characteristics, there were no differences with respect to having car, personality types, drinking habits, and leisure-time activities. However, significant differences were showed between no pain and pain groups for the using bed, sleeping posture, traffic time amount, walking health state, smoking habits, and physical exercise (p<0.05). 4. The comparative analysis of back pain related to work factors showed highly significant differences with respect to mental stress, chair fittness, work posture, trunk rotation, weight lifting, monotonous repetitive work in White collar group (p<0.01) ; and job satisfaction, mental stress, trunk rotation, weight lifting, monotonus repetitive work, exposure to vibration and heavy noise in Blue collar group(p<0.01). 5. The comparative analysis of social factors in two groups showed differences with respect to the using bed, sleeping posture, walking amount, health state, physical exercise, smoking habits in White cellar group (p<0.05) ; and walking amount, traffic time amount, health state, smoking habits, physical exercise in Blue cellar group (p<0.05). 6. In regard to the general aspects of back pain between two groups, there were differences concerning etiolgy of back pain, counselling partners, treatment types, and sick-leaves(p<0.05), except pain duration, and awareness of back pain.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.190-199
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to propose the standard of health-related fitness evaluation according to the working styles of male manufacturing workers. The subjects were 15,329 male manufacturing workers aged from 40 to 59 years old who had taken a health-related fitness test by K Institution. Health-related fitness components are cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition. We measured Vo2max, grip strength, sit-up, trunk flexion forward, and body fat percentage to ascertain each component. Data were analyzed with Two-way ANOVA, T-test, One-way ANOVA(Scheffe) and Percentile using SPSS version 18.0 program. The analysis results are as follows. First, the health-related fitness of manufacturing workers varied significantly according to their working styles(maximum oxygen uptake : F=88.67(p<.001), grip strength : F=20.09(p<.001), sit-up : F=42.06(p<.001), trunk flexion forward : F=69.44(p<.001), body fat percentage : F=136.75(p<.001)).Therefore, the evaluation standard was set based on the percentile of health fitness items. Second, the average Vo2max, grip strength, and trunk flexion forward of blue-collar workers were higher than those of white-collar workers at all ages. On the other hand, the average sit-up and body fat percentage of white-collar workers were higher than those of blue-collar workers at all ages. Third, these evaluation criteria differed greatly when compared with the results of the National Physical Fitness Survey. Therefore, we have confirmed that the evaluation criteria should be applied differently according to the working style of a worker when evaluating his health-related fitness.

• 월간산업보건
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• s.111
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• pp.42-43
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• 1997

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.362-372
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• 2016

Purpose: This study intended to grasp real context of Cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related factors of Korean blue-collar workers, especially CVD-related knowledge, perception, beliefs, benefits and barriers of behaviors according to the health belief model. Methods: We interviewed twenty two workers working in two small-sized companies and performed two series of focus group interviews. Data were analyzed by deductive content analysis approach based on Elo & $Kyng{\ddot{a}}s$. Results: Excepting participants who have CVD risk factors, most participants had lower level of CVD risk perception. The level of CVD knowledge was low but there was difference by gender. CVD-related beliefs were 'fatal disease', 'caused by lifestyle' and 'difficult to prevent by themselves'. The risk reduction behaviors were motivated by current or family history of hypertension. But there were barriers to interfere practice of preventive behaviors such as poor quality of food provided by cafeteria in the workplace, frequent overtime, victim mentality as one of vulnerable social group, housework and financial burden, lack of facilities for rest and physical activity in the workplace. Conclusion: To develop intervention for reducing CVD risks in Korean blue-collar workers, we need to focus on improving CVD knowledge and perception and modifying work-related environments such as low quality of food and lack of facilities for rest and physical activity in the workplace.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.402-406
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• 2017

Transit workers constitute a blue-collar occupational group that have elevated smoking rates relative to other sectors of employed adults in the United States. This study analyzed cross-sectional tobacco survey data from 935 workers (60% African American; 37% female) employed at an urban public transit agency in California. Prevalence of current and former smoking was 20.3% and 20.6%, respectively. Younger workers were less likely than older workers to be current or former smokers. Having a complete home smoking ban was associated with decreased likelihood of being a smoker [odds ratio (OR) = 0.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.01-0.17], as were neutral views about whether it is easy for a smoker to take a smoking break during their shift (OR = 0.50, 95% CI 0.28-0.88). Current smoking among the sample is > 50% higher than the adult statewide prevalence. Potential points of intervention identified in this study include perceived ease of worksite smoking breaks and establishing home smoking bans. Tailored cessation efforts focusing on older transit workers more likely to smoke are needed to reduce tobacco-related disparities in this workforce.