• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.214-223
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to provide basic data for development of health care programs for cleaners working in hospitals by analyzing job-related injuries among them and related factors. Methods: The study surveyed cleaners working in 6 general hospitals in D metropolitan city. The questionnaire was structurally designed to include items about job-related injuries, working conditions, health related characteristics. For the analysis of the collected data, the SPSS/WIN 21.0 software was used, and t-test, ANOVA, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were conducted. Results: Factors that affect health damages were gender and income levels. Inadequate safety facilities and equipment, noise, and income levels were found to be the factors affecting accident injuries. Conclusion: In order to reduce the job-related injuries, efforts need to be made to improve working conditions to deal with inadequate safety facilities and equipment and control noise. To fulfill this need, not only employers of cleaners but also hospitals in which they work should make efforts to educate those cleaners who have little knowledge of health and medical care, and improve their working conditions.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.213-225
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• 2020

Objectives: In order to prepare measures to enhance construction workers' satisfaction with their working environment, the effects of working conditions and the mediating effects of safety and health information on workers' satisfaction with their working environment in the construction industry have been studied. The results of this study can be used as basic data for further studies in this field. Method: Data on 1,361 male construction workers from the 5th Korea Working Condition Survey (KWCS) were used for this study. The effects of working conditions were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and the mediating effects of health and safety information were analyzed with SPSS PROCESS macro using the bootstrap method. Results: The safety and health management system and the self-determination of break time had a statistically significant positive effect on satisfaction with the working environment. Chemical and ergonomic risk factors had a statistically significant negative effect on satisfaction with the working environment. The provision of safety and health information, the mediating variable, had a statistically significant positive effect on satisfaction with the working environment. Therefore, it had a mediating effect between working conditions and satisfaction with the working environment. Conclusion: In order to enhance construction workers' satisfaction with their working environment, the above results suggest that the safety and health management system should be well established; self-determination of break times should be guaranteed; and chemical and ergonomic risk factors should be controlled. In addition, workers should be provided with necessary health and safety information related to their work. This study will be useful if these findings are used as basic data in further studies in related fields.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.267-271
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• 2023

Background: The objective of this study is to identify the working conditions and health status of Vietnamese male migrant workers in Republic of Korea, in comparison to the Korean general population. Methods: We conducted our survey through the Migrant People Center, and we received completed questionnaires from 87 male Vietnamese migrant workers. The questionnaire employed was identical to those used in the Korean Working Conditions Survey and the 2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The collected data from the Vietnamese migrant workers was then compared with the Korean reference population using indirect age-standardization. Results: Vietnamese male workers demonstrated a higher prevalence of health problems including hearing problems (age-standardized prevalence ratio (aSPR) 13.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.07-20.4), skin problems (aSPR 13.49, 95% CI: 8.07-20.4), and low back pain (aSPR 8.40, 95% CI: 6.50-10.69). Elevated exposure to workplace hazards such as chemicals (aSPR 2.36, 95% CI: 1.51-3.51), organic solvents (aSPR 2.22, 95% CI: 1.44-3.28), handling of heavy objects (aSPR 1.67, 95% CI: 1.24-2.21), and high temperatures (aSPR 1.96, 95% CI: 1.46-2.57) was observed among them. Additionally, they faced a higher risk of no personal protective equipment (aSPR 2.53, 95% CI: 1.26-4.52) and a greater prevalence of unmet medical needs (aSPR 7.14, 95% CI: 4.74-10.32). Conclusion: Our findings highlight the elevated workplace hazards, health problems, and unmet medical needs among Vietnamese male workers compared to the Korean reference population. These findings underscores the urgency for enhanced scrutiny over working conditions and protective equipment provision, coupled with efforts to improve healthcare accessibility and worker education.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.79-93
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• 2005

The purpose of the study is to identify Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSC) and their potential health insurance applicability in Korea, using the correlation and regression analysis with the empirical data provided by Korean Health Insurance Review Agency(KHIRA). Here, ACSC would be thought of as conditions that when timely and effectively treated in the outpatient medical services can help reduce the risk of hospitalizations. As for ACSC, reducing accessibility for outpatient visit results in increasing hospitalization. In this respect, the ACSC concept is popularly adopted as one of the performance indicators of the national health system. As one of main results, fortifying the accessibility to necessary health care in a way of sharing appropriately the role with private health insurance can lead to the efficiency of national health care delivery systems in view of total health care expense, in particular in a case of ACSC children. Lastly, we would like to strongly suggest that the disease treatment data set reported to KHIRA needs to be opened to private insurance companies only for illness experience investigation.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.219-229
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• 2014

Employees used computer significantly(IT employee) is increased by technological development in workplace. This study tried to find the magnitude of IT employees and the profile of their working conditions and ill health experiences in South Korea. Korean Working Conditions Survey was used with descriptive and mean difference test in order to find the difference working conditions and ill health status among the groups classified by the degree of using computer during work. Some of working conditions was positively correlated with the density of computer use such as work autonomy, the exposure of repetitive movement of hand and arms. The pain of upper extreme was also more frequently found in the highest user group of computer than lower user groups. Based on the result of hierarchical regression analysis, the effect of computer using on the experience of work-related symptoms after controlling other factors was shown as U shape. This study as heuristic one suggest that some of depth analysis with hypothesis will be done to identify the causes and pathway of impact of computer use.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.338-344
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• 2015

Background: The present study aims to investigate job stressors and stress relievers for Korean emotional laborers, specifically focusing on the effects of work conditions and emotional labor properties. Emotional laborers are asked to hide or distort their real emotions in their interaction with clients. They are exposed to high levels of stress in the emotional labor process, which leads to serious mental health risks including burnout, depression, and even suicide impulse. Exploring job stressors and relieving factors would be the first step in seeking alternatives to protect emotional laborers from those mental health risks. Methods: Using the third wave data of Korean Working Conditions Survey, logistic regression analysis was conducted for two purposes: to examine the relations of emotional labor and stress, and to find out job stressors and relievers for emotional laborers. Results: The chances of stress arousal are 3.5 times higher for emotional laborers; emotional laborers experience double risk-burden for stress arousal. In addition to general job stressors, emotional laborers need to bear burdens related to emotional labor properties. The effect of social support at the workplace is not significant for stress relief, unlike common assumptions, whereas subjective satisfaction (wage satisfaction and work-life balance) is proven to have relieving effects on emotional laborers' job stress. Conclusion: From the results, the importance of a balanced understanding of emotional labor for establishing effective policies for emotional laborer protection is stressed.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.22-31
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• 1993

Presently, in the countries, such as America and Japan which are better in socio-economical conditions than Korea, in Taiwan which is similar in them to us, and even in Thailand and Philippine which are thought lower in them, health education is taught as one of curricular subjects in elementary and secondary school levels. In Korea, however, the importance of teaching health education as a curricular subject has been recognized among many professionals of health since a long time ago. Along with current rapid development of polytechnique and industry, various kinds of serious health hazard have appeared even in our daily life, so it has been urgently needed that people have comprehensive knowledge and skills to resolve one's own health problems. Among various conditions needed to resolve the health problems in our society, it is one of the most effective precedures that health education is taught as a curricular subject at least in elementary and secondary school levels. For this, the followings are inevitable ; reformation of school health organization and laws involving health, development of teaching materials in health and training of health educators.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.63-72
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• 2014

Objectives: The current study reviews the implementation and evaluation of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) in the United States (U.S.) to illustrate the program's potential contribution to improving health among Korean adults with chronic conditions while saving healthcare costs. Methods: This study examines existing literature on the history, theoretical background, essential elements, and delivery outcomes of CDSMP with special focus on the successes and challenges to be faced in the implementation of CDSMP to Koreans with chronic conditions. Results: CDSMP is designed to empower people with chronic conditions to develop skills necessary for medical, social role, and emotional management of chronic conditions. Recent studies show the utility of CDSMP in achieving the Triple Aim health reform goals (i.e., better care, better health, better value). Lessons learned from the U.S. experience emphasize the importance of establishing evidence-based studies, collaborating with community partners, and diversifying funding sources to make CDSMP more sustainable. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates the replicability of CDSMP and potential for expansion in Korea. More concerted efforts among academia, government, and communities are needed to deliver CDSMP to Korean adults and identify its effectiveness within the Korean context in terms of meeting the Triple Aim goals of better care, better health, and better value.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.51 no.9
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• pp.511-517
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• 2013

To assess the association between oral health and general health, this study examined the relationship between chewing difficulty and twelve chronic health conditions such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, cerebro- and cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disease, respiratory disease, eye/nose/throat disease, stomach/intestinal ulcer, renal dysfunction, thyroid disease, depression, and cancer in Korea. The study population was 3,066 elders aged 65 years old and more from the fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Chewing difficulty was measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Chronic conditions were assessed by self-reported questionnaire. Confounders were age, gender, education, income, smoking, drinking, and obesity. Chi-square test, general linear model, and multiple logistic regression model were done with complex sampling design. Musculoskeletal disease (adjusted odds ratio=1.33), respiratory disease (adjusted odds ratio=1.52), and cancer (adjusted odds ratio=1.58) were independently associated with chewing difficulty. Multiple chronic conditions with more than 4 chronic disease showed significant association with chewing difficulty (adjusted odds ratio=1.37).

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.41-51
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• 2017

Objectives : This study investigates the association between weather conditions and the rate of no-shows at an academic medical center. Methods : Electronic data regarding medical appointments atover the course ofone academic year (2016.03~2017.02) were used for analysis. Characteristics of weather conditions and the daily number of no-shows were compared by Chi-square test. A logistic regression was run to determine if certain aspects of weather affected the rate of no-shows. Results : The results reveal an overall no-show rate of 6.8% that appears to vary in accordance with specific weather conditions. Lower average temperatures, in particular, corresponded with a higher rate of no-show patients. This may indicate that o-show rates in autumn and winter can be expected to exceed those during spring. Conclusions : This study investigates the association between no-show patients and weather conditions, and offers suggestions for augmenting this loss. One recommendation is to begin conducting investigations nationwide in order to provide more useful information.