• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.580-589
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the food insecurity status and dietary behavior and examine the association between the food insecurity status and consumption of processed beverage for secondary school students in Vientiane, capital city of Lao PDR. Methods: The study subjects are 714 students (boys = 307 and girls = 407) in four secondary schools (Chao_Anouvong, Phiavat, Saysetha, and Chansavang) of Vientiane, Lao PDR. Data on study subject's demographic characteristics, dietary behavior, food insecurity, and Mini Dietary Assessment (MDA) index were collected. A "Self-Administered Food Security Survey Module for Children Aged 12 Years and Older" developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was used for the food insecurity assessment. Results: As a result, 72.7% of the subjects were in a state of food insecurity, and food security was associated with higher socioeconomic status (higher life satisfaction, higher parent's education attainment, higher item ownership, fewer number of siblings, and having more lunches at the school restaurant than at home). Compared to the food insecurity group, the frequency of breakfast, self-rated diet, and the total score of MDA index were higher in the food security group. On the other hand, multiple logistic regression analysis showed that 'food security' was also associated with a higher consumption of processed beverages (OR 1.544; 95% CI 1.078-2.213; p = 0.018). Conclusion: Improving the quality of the diet is essential for adolescents in both the food insecurity and food security groups in Lao PDR. Therefore, it is necessary to provide well organized nutrition education and establish adequate nutrition policy for adolescents in Lao PDR.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.103-121
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• 2023

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the entire world population in many ways. This study aimed to analyze the patterns of changes in eating, food purchasing and preparation, physical activity, and subjective health after COVID-19 outbreak by various sociodemographic factors and to understand the factors associated with changes in subjective health. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A cross-sectional survey using a representative sample from Seoul was used for the analysis. The data collection was conducted from September to October 2020. A total of 3,833 citizens aged more than 18 years old participated in the Seoul Food Survey. Descriptive statistics and generalized ordinal logistic regression models were used to understand the changes in health behaviors, health indicators, and subjective general health by various socioeconomic status. RESULTS: It was shown that the changes in household income, food expenditure, food consumption and physical activities differed significantly by age, education, occupation, income, weight, and food security status. Low-income and food-insecure households were affected more severely by the pandemic. Older age, household food insecurity, income reduction, increased home cooking and frequency of having instant foods, decreased physical activity and weight gain were significant factors explaining worse perceived health during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that focusing on older populations and low-income families with food insecurity should be prioritized during infectious disease outbreaks. In addition, the role of physical activities and instant food consumption in explaining perceived health should be investigated further in this prolonged battle with the pandemic situation.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.603-614
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was performed to identify the health and nutritional status of Korean adults according to food security by age group. Methods: The subjects were 20~79 year old adults (n = 16,595) who participated in the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010~2012). Subjects were divided into three groups based on food security such as secure, mildly insecure, and moderately/severely insecure groups. Dietary intake was estimated by 24-hour dietary recall. As for mental health status, the data on mental stress, sleep hours, depression symptoms, and suicide ideation were used. Results: Korean adults who were exposed to high food insecurity typically had low income levels, lived alone, and were recipients of basic welfare. In the 20~39y group, people with higher food insecurity had lower concentrations of hemoglobin and higher iron-binding capacity. In the 40~59y group, people with higher food insecurity had lower HDL-cholesterol. In the 60~79y group, people with higher food insecurity had higher total cholesterol levels, more stress, more experiences of depression symptoms, and were more suicidal. Mean intakes of energy, protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A, carotene, vitamin $B_1$, vitamin $B_2$, niacin, and vitamin C were lower in the food insecure groups. Amounts of vegetables, fruits, and seasoning intakes tended to be lower in people with higher food insecurity. The effects of food security on nutrition intake were greater in the 40~59y and 60~79y groups than the 20-39y group. Conclusion: Food insecurity was related to certain health indicators such as anemia and cholesterol levels and affected mental health. The effects of food insecurity on health and nutritional status were different by age group.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.9 no.8
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• pp.268-273
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• 2019

The study was to find out whether the more difficult each activities of daily living(ADLs) is, the more high subjective health status, or health insecurity, is among those in their 65 or older in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The subjects were asked up to 1 to 5 points for subjective health status and ADLs. And according to the performance level of each activities of daily living, the order trend was analyzed in four groups (very difficult, difficult, easy, and very easy) by Jonckheere-Terpstra. Order trends were also compared using a linear regression line. Depending on the degree of difficulty in "using toilet," "bathing" and "shopping," the insecurities in subjective health status showed a corresponding order differences. It has been shown that the slope of "using toilet" on a linear regression line is the largest. The more difficult it was to "use toilet," "bathing" and "shopping," the higher the score of health insecurity was.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.337-344
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• 2005

Objectives : Job insecurity, such as non-standard work, is reported to have an adverse impact on health, regardless of health behaviors. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between non-standard employment and health in Korea. Methods : We analyzed a representative weighted sample, which consisted of 2,112 men and 1,237 women, aged 15-64, from the 1998 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Non-standard employment included part-time permanent, short time temporary and daily workers. Self-reported health was used as a health indicator. Results : This study indicated that women were more likely to report poorer health than men with standard jobs. Of all employees, 20.3% were female manual workers. After adjusting for potential confounders, such as age, education, equivalent income, marital, social and self-reported economic status and health behavior factors, nonstandard employment was found to be significantly associated with poor health among female manual workers (OR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.24 to 2.79). No significant association was found in other working groups Conclusions : Among female manual workers, nonstandard employees reported significantly poorer health compared with standard workers. This result raises concern as there are increasing numbers of non-standard workers, particularly females.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2010

This study investigated the relationships between Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), contributing factors, and the occupational stress of physical therapists. Self-reported questionnaires were given to 180 physical therapists in Gangwon Province. Variables examined included the prevalence of pain sites related to WMSDs; pain intensity; pain pattern; and job stress, which is thought to involve the physical environment; job demand; insufficient job control; interpersonal conflict; job insecurity; organizational system; reward system; and occupational culture. Among physical therapists, work-related musculoskeletal pain commonly affected the low back (30.1%), shoulder (29.3%), and wrist (12.2%). The sites of work-related musculoskeletal pain treated medically were the low back (22.8%), shoulder (19.8%), neck (12.7%), and wrist (12.1%). "Repeating the same work constantly" was suggested to be the major cause of the pain. The younger therapists were significantly more likely to feel high job stress due to the physical environment (p<.05), job demand (p<.05), and organizational system (p<.01). Women were more likely to feel greater job stress related to job demand, insufficient job control, the organization system, and job rewards. Men were more likely to feel greater job stress related to job insecurity. Weak positive relationships were observed between work-related musculoskeletal pain and job stress, which is thought to involve the physical environment; job demand; insufficient job control; interpersonal conflict; job insecurity; organizational system; reward system; and occupational culture. Physical therapists appear to be at higher risk of WMSDs because 80.1% of the physical therapists studied experienced work-related musculoskeletal pain. To reduce the risk, we need intervention strategies such as preventive education, ergonomically designed medical equipment, a psychosocial approach to work conditions, improved mechanical conditions related to therapeutic patterns, and an institutional infrastructure with sufficient personnel and scheduling.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.174-183
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• 2008

Although food insecurity might be associated with poor dietary intake, this relationship has not been researched in Korea. This study examined the association of food security with dietary intake from the third Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Food security was measured by a self-reported hunger measure on the dietary situation of subjects' households in the previous year and approximately 2/3 of the subjects lived in food-insecure households. Dietary intake was based on a 24-hour dietary recall. Food insecurity was significantly associated with low nutrients intake and nutrients intake compared to dietary reference intakes (DRI) was also lower among subjects in food-insecure households. Overall diet quality based on dietary diversity score (DDS) was worse in food-insecure subjects. Food security should be considered an important issue to public health because dietary change due to food insecurity may affect health status.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.45-58
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• 2002

This research was conducted to understand and analyze the physical awareness symptoms of college students and get fundamental research data essential to provide efficient student guidance and public health service at schools. The survey was carried out for 1 month from May 7th, 2001 to June 7th, 2001. The interviewees were 950 enrolled students at junior colleges in Daegu. 26.5% of them were men and 73.5% women. Among the surveyed, public health majors were 76.9%. Daytime students were 64.1 %, and the majority of the students, 42.8%, were atheistic. 56.0% of the students grew up in big cities, 22.2% in medium and small-sized cities, and 21.8% in farming and fishing communities. 66.1 % used public transportation. The majority of the students, 48.7%, answered that the satisfaction level for their majors was average. The result shows that the ocular fatigue was indicated as a greatest complaint, and the female students showed the higher complaint rate than the males. In the study of the complaining rate of physical symptoms by major, the public health majors showed the highest complaining rate in gasping when going up/down stairs, shoulder pain, a burning feeling on empty stomach, and leg/knee pain. On the other hand, the highest complaint factors for the technical majors were ocular fatigue and the feelings of heavy head. In the study of the complaining rate of physical symptoms by transportation, gasping during going up/down stairs and shoulder pain were most common, which were 52.2% and 36.0% respectively. In the study of the insecurity response distribution by transportation, college students who drive a car showed 3.8% and students using public transportation 3.7%. In the study of the insecurity response by subject satisfaction, students who answered dissatisfactory were 8.3%, average 3.9%, satisfied 3.0%. Therefore, it was concluded that students who were dissatisfied with their subjects showed the higher rate of insecurity response. it can be recommended that a school health education program regarding ocular fatigue and shoulder pain should be developed.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 2013

Purpose: To identify factors that affect the job stress of visiting nurses at health centers in Seoul, Korea, who perform home care services. Methods: Data were collected in the period from November 20 to December 10, 2008, from 206 visiting nurses working at 25 health centers in Seoul metropolitan city. Self-report questionnaires of the Organization-Based Self-Esteem (OBSE) and the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) were used. Data were analyzed by the SPSS win 15.0. Results: Several findings were obtained from the study. First, the mean of job stress was 52.4 points, which was higher than that of Korean women. Second, it was shown that by the sub-domain of job stress, the mean value belonged to the top 50% in the four sub-domains of physical environment, job demand, interpersonal conflict, and organizational system. Additionally, it belonged to the top 25% in the sub-domain of job insecurity, wherein the job stress was the highest. Third, the self-esteem of the nurses had the most significant effect on their job stress. Conclusion: Stress related to job insecurity was the highest among the visiting nurses at health centers in Seoul who perform the custom home care service thus, institutional support is urgently needed to alleviate such stress and secure their employment.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.83-93
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• 2006

Purpose: This study purposed on investigating how the emotional labor affects the physical uncomfortable feeling of the workers in the department store. Method: The method of data collection was used of questionnaire for 574 workers of one department store located in Seoul. The period of data collection was done from November 1, 2004 to November 30 for about one month. The working career of the participants was over one month at that department. Result: The degree of emotional labor for participants, men were $3.21{\pm}0.53$ for the total point of 5.0 point, and the degree of the physical uncomfortable feeling was $3.07{\pm}0.48$ for total of 5.0 point. The degree of emotional labor for participants, women were $3.22{\pm}0.42$ for the total point of 5.0 point, and the degree of the physical uncomfortable feeling was $3.13{\pm}0.42$ for total of 5.0 point. In order to analyze the factors that affected the emotional labor and physical uncomfortable feeling, the multi-level reflecting analysis was used. As a result, men were insecurity of job influenced the emotional labor feeling in remarkable degree, women were the responsibility of job influenced the emotional labor. Men were insecurity and responsibility of job influenced physical uncomfortable feeling in remarkable degree, women were responsibility of job and emotional labor influenced the physical uncomfortable feeling in remarkable degree. Conclusion: The results of this study show that various strategies to remove the factors of job insecurity in order to reduce the level of emotional labor of the workers at the department store should be devised. In addition, the special way to minimize the physical insecurity should be contrived and carried out. Since the workers of the department stores had higher emotional labor, the factors of stress need to be analyzed and should be removed.