• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.164-173
• /
• 2001

To find out the factors affecting to the cardiorespiratory fitness of some workers in Taejon area, cardiorespiratory fitness indices, blood pressure(BP), total cholesterol level(TC), body mass indices(BMI) and life style data were collected from 169 blue collar workers and 106 white collar workers, from September to October 2000. 1. Cardiorespiratory fitness indices were increased statistically significantly by aging(p <0.05), but these was no statistically significantly difference between blue collar workers and white collar workers. 2. These were no significantly difference between types of workers by BMI, BP, blood total cholesterol level, regular exercise, alcohol drinking, smoking and psychosocial stress. 3. Age and BMI were selected affecting factors to the cardiorespiratory fitness indices in blue collar workers by multiple regression analysis, but no affecting factors selected the white collar workers.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.63-80
• /
• 2002

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the job characteristics of container terminal workers by applying the Job Strain model, and to assess the relationship among the general characteristics, job characteristics and psychosocial distress. Methods: A self-administrated questionnaire survey was performed to the container terminal workers in Pusan. Among the 200 male workers who answered the questionnaires, white-collar workers and blue-collar workers were 100, respectively. Karaseks Job Content Questionnaire was utilized to evaluate the job characteristics and Psychosocial well-being index (PWI) was applied to measure the extent of their psychosocial stress. Results: In white-collar workers, the skill discretion, created skill, decision-making authority, decision-making latitude, psychological job demand, and supervisor support of the job characteristics were significantly high, while in blue-collar workers physical exertion was significantly high. The result of Psychosocial well-being index (PWI) reveals that blue-collar workers were more stressed than white-collar workers, especially, the indices of depression (factor 2), sleeping disturbance and anxiety (factor 3), General well-being and vitality (factor 4) were significantly increased; whereas, in white-collar workers, only the index of social performance and self-confidence (factor 1) was significantly increased. And PWI scores were significantly increased in the lower social support and psychological job demand. By the multiple logistic regression analysis for PWI, blue-collar workers had increased odds ratio of 2.66(95% CI;1.11-6.41) compared with white-collar workers. The unmarried workers increased odds ratio of 3.54(95% CI;1.18-10.62) compared with married workers. And workers who have not own house increased odds ratio of 2.35(95% CI;1.15-4.79) compared with workers who have own house. Particularly, odds ratio of work-shift in blue-collar workers was 11.10(2.14-57.64). Conclusion: Skill discretion, created skill, decision-making authority, decision-making latitude, psychological job demand, and supervisor support were increased in white-collar workers. Decreased skill discretion and increased physical exertion were found in blue-collar workers, which is supported the Job Strain model. Job stress of blue-collar workers was comparatively higher than that of white-collar workers, especially, skill discretion, decision-making authority, decision-making latitude, job insecurity, physical exertion were noticeable factors. Especially, sleeping, smoking, and work shifting turned out to be a main cause that increases stress. Therefore, in order to decrease the job stress, a health promotion program to change the health behaviors should be activated and an organized job stress management program should be introduced. Especially, working condition for blue-collar such as physical exertion and work-shift should be improved.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.479-489
• /
• 2016

Objectives: The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between job stress and oral health-related quality of life in the blue collar workers. Methods: This study has been conducted with subjects of blue-collar workers who work in the industrial section located in Gyeongnam area from August 2013 to September 2013. Korean Occupational Stress Scale(KOSS-SF) and oral health impact profile(OHIP-14) were used as research tools. Data were analyzed by descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis. Results: Overall job stress and oral heal-related quality of life level of subjects were $57.32{\pm}8.03$ and $14.17{\pm}9.27$. The influential factors of oral heal-related quality of life of blue-collar workers were job demand, interpersonal conflict and organizational climate (subcategory of job stress), respectively. Conclusions: It is necessary to improve the better working condition for the oral health-related quality of life due to job stress in the blue collar workers.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.42 no.7
• /
• pp.1095-1104
• /
• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of actual cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, as well as, individual, psychosocial, and work-related factors as predictors of CVD risk perception among Korean blue-collar workers. Methods: The participants were 238 Korean blue-collar workers who worked in small companies. Data were collected through a survey; anthropometric and blood pressure measures; and blood sampling for lipid levels. Results: Blue-collar workers had high actual CVD risk and low CVD risk perception. The significant predictors of risk perception included perceived health status, alcohol consumption, knowledge of CVD risk, actual CVD risk, decision latitude, and shift work. The model explained 26% of the variance in CVD risk perception. Conclusion: The result suggests when occupational health nurses are giving routine health examination in small companies, they can enhance CVD risk perception in blue-collar workers by providing essential information about CVD risk factors and personal counseling on the individual worker's CVD risk status.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.94-102
• /
• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate Korean blue-collar workers' Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and influencing factors in Korean blue-collar workers. Methods: Participants in this study were 109 Korean blue-collar workers. The survey included health-related, work-related, and psycho-social factors. SF-36 was used to measure HRQoL. The data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results: In the hierarchical linear regression model, when subjects' psycho-social variables were included in the regression model, $R^2$ change was statistically significant. The significant predictors for HRQoL were education level (${\beta}=.26$, p=.023), depression (${\beta}=-.38$, p<.001), and self-efficacy (${\beta}=.23$, p<.001). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that health care providers must have priority to consider psycho-social variables, especially depression and self-efficacy to improve HRQoL in Korean blue-collar workers.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.29 no.3 s.54
• /
• pp.609-616
• /
• 1996

This study was conducted to evaluate the degree of stress state and the risk factors related to in 967 white collar workers and 275 blue collar workers by using Psycosocial Well-being Index. The results obtained were as follows : 1. In the white collar workers and blue collar workers, young age, low education and low income groups had high scores of stress, while in white collar workers, female had high scores of stress but in blue collar workers, male had high scores of stress. 2. According to psychosocial well-being index, mild stress sto were 73.9% and 53.1%, high risk stress state were 8.9% and 44.4%, and healthy state were 17.2% and 2.6% in white collar and blue collar workers respectively. 3. The total stress score was highly associated with the factors of depression, social performance and self-confidence, general well-being and vitality, and sleeping disturbance and anxiety in order. 4. In reliability test of stress factors, Cronbach's $\alpha$ coefficients of depression, social performance and self-confidence, general well-being and vitality, and sleeping disturbance and anxiety were 0.89, 0.81, 0.79, and 0.74 respectively. In conclusion, it suggested that age, sex, marital status, income, education, sleeping time, smoking and exercise habit were associated with stress score, all of the above factors should considered to occupational health.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.131-138
• /
• 2010

Objectives : Recently work-related musculoskeletal disorders have increased in various workplaces and many reports have been confirming this, but a comparative study on incidence of spinal disease by occupation has not been established yet. So this study was designed to clarify the distinction on incidence of spinal disease between white and blue collar workers. Methods : The subjects who visited with spinal disease to Ja-Seng oriental hospital from January to April in 2020 were selected and divided into white collar workers(n=844) and blue collar workers(n=333). We counted the number of patients with each spinal disease in both groups and carried out comparative analysis in five items(herniated nucleus pulposus(HNP), stenosis, spondylosis, sprain, etc). All data were analyzed by chi-square test. Results and Conclusions : Whit collar workers had higher incidence in HNP(p=0.030), sprain(p=0.016),etc(p=0.035) than blue collar workers, while blue collar workers had higher incidence in stenosis(p=0.002). But we think that the confidence is low in stenosis because the number of cases are very small. There were no significance between two groups with spondylosis.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.12 no.12
• /
• pp.5692-5699
• /
• 2011

This study aims to determine potential differences in self-perceived oral health levels between blue-collar and white-collar workers. It is based upon questionnaire survey data dating from Mar. 1 to 30, 2011. All the data collected from 200 blue-collar workers and 100 white-collar worker was analyzed using statistical tools like SPSS ver. 19.0. Self-perceived oral health levels were analysed across three sub-factors - physical, psycho-social, and psychological factors - which were confirmed through factor analysis. The psycho-social factor was statistically significant for age and shift work. Self-perceived oral health levels across the three factors were quantitatively correlated except for psychological factors in blue-collar workers. The study found that occupational group affects workers' self-perceived oral health level. The explanatory power of these 4 variables total 51% in blue-collar group. In case of white-collar group, it was found one variable total 30%. Since oral health levels differ between blue-collar and white-collar workers, oral health promotion projects should differentiate between the two groups, and workers with an interest in their tooth for the prevention, yet negligent act because it will keep your personal oral health care in the prevention-oriented oral health promotion.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.239-248
• /
• 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 the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.80-85
• /
• 2015

In recent years, Korea's shipbuilding industry have expanded its business into offshore plant. These changes are increasing the interest on job stress in shipbuilding industry. The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences of job stressors between white and blue-collar workers. The survey was using Korean Occupational Stress Scale(KOSS) questionnaire and was administered to 8,080 workers of large shipyard company. As a result of the survey, compared with the median score of Korean workers, job stress level of shipyard company workers was low. However, seven categories of KOSS, except for job demand showed higher stress levels of blue-collar workers than white-collar workers. The overall stress level of shipyard company workers is low, however, it is important to find stressors by considering the type of work, working period etc., through a detailed analysis of KOSS 8-categories. The results of this study may be helpful to identify the level of stress and to establish preventive measures in Shipyard Company.