• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.335-346
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• 2020

Background: Nursing service is a nonroutine work with an excessive physical load and diverse tasks. This study derived representative common tasks based on the frequently occurring tasks with a high physical load in the nursing workers' daily work and developed indicators to evaluate the work risk by reflecting the characteristics of nonroutine work. Methods: Common tasks were classified through the following stages: literature review, first focus group interview (FGI) with experts, first classification of common tasks, second FGI with hospital health managers, a survey of nursing service workers, and the final classification of common tasks for each task type. To develop an objective risk index for physical load assessment, we investigated the frequency and duration of the derived common tasks via survey. Results: Nursing common tasks were categorized into six task types and 56 subtasks. To evaluate the risks of various tasks in nonroutine works, three frequencies and three working time levels were defined by examining the task frequency and working hours. Exposure time was defined to reflect the characteristics of a nonroutine job. The final risk assessment was the product of the exposure time level and job intensity level. From this, four risk action levels were derived. Conclusion: This study has the advantage of solving the problem of focusing on some tasks in evaluating the physical load. It was meaningful in that a new risk assessment index based on exposure time was proposed based on the development of an evaluation scale for frequency and time by reflecting the characteristics of nonroutine work.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.157-172
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• 2010

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of health-behavioral change for the elderly group after community based education of chronic diseases management. We measured self recognition of health status, medication administration of hypertension and diabetes, regular check for blood pressure and blood sugar level, recognition of body indicators (weight, hight, blood pressure, blood sugar etc), knowledge level for chronic diseases management and smoking and alcohol habitation before and after education of chronic diseases management for participants. The subjects of this study consist of 432 people with community-dwelling Seoul citizen being active churches. Education programs designed essential parts of fundamental chronic diseases management, physical exercises for health promotion, diet and nutrition etc. All data collection completed for 5 months from Aug. 2008 to Dec. 2008 by trained surveyors via interview survey. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon Singed Rank test, McNemar test and Paired t-test. The results showed that self recognition of health status, knowledge level for chronic diseases management, recognition of body indicators were statistically significantly increased after the education of chronic diseases management. Also, blood pressure were statistically significantly decreased in elderly with hypertension and blood sugar were statistically significantly decreased in elderly of high-risk group. Based on these results, it was suggested that preventive education policy of chronic diseases management should be considered with priority coming true for successful aging society.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.462-470
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• 2021

Background: Fatigue is pervasive, under-reported, and potentially deadly where flight operations are concerned. The aviation industry appears to lack a standardized, practical, and easily replicable protocol for fatigue risk assessment which can be consistently applied across operators. Aim: Our paper sought to present a framework, supported by real-world data with subjective and objective parameters, to monitor aircrew fatigue and performance, and to determine the safe crew configuration for commercial airline operations. Methods: Our protocol identified risk factors for fatigue-induced performance degradation as triggers for fatigue risk and performance assessment. Using both subjective and objective measurements of sleep, fatigue, and performance in the form of instruments such as the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, Samn-Perelli Crew Status Check, Psychomotor Vigilance Task, sleep logs, and a wearable actigraph for sleep log correlation and sleep duration and quality charting, a workflow flagging fatigue-prone flight operations for risk mitigation was developed and trialed. Results: In an operational study aimed at occupational assessment of fatigue and performance in airline pilots on a three-men crew versus a four-men crew for a long-haul flight, we affirmed the technical feasibility of our proposed framework and approach, the validity of the battery of assessment instruments, and the meaningful interpretation of fatigue and work performance indicators to enable the formulation of safe work recommendations. Conclusion: A standardized occupational assessment protocol like ours is useful to achieve consistency and objectivity in the occupational assessment of fatigue and work performance.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.81-91
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• 2004

Although it is suggested that risk -based management plan is needed to manage air pollution effectively, we have no resources enough to evaluate all aspects of substances and set priorities. So we need to develop a logical and easy risk-based priority setting method. However, it if impossible that only one generic system that is consistent with all the use is developed. In this study, we proposed a human health risk based priority-setting method for hazardous air pollutants, and ranked priorities for this method. First of all, after investigating previous chemical ranking and scoring systems, we chose appropriate indicators and logics to goal of this study and made a chemical priority ranking method using these. As results, final scores in priority ranking method were derived for 25 substances, and ethylene oxide, acrylonitrile and vinyl chloride were included in high ranks. In addition, same substances were highly ranked when using default values like when using no default, but the scores of hydrofluoric acid and ryan and compounds were sensitive to default values. This study could be important that priorities were set including toxicity type and quality and local inherent exposure conditions and we can set area-specific management guidelines and survey plans as a screening tool.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.571-576
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• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between early childhood caries(ECC) and breastfeeding. Methods : Data of 670 children were derived from the Forth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2009. Demographic and socioeconomic data, oral health related behavior, and breastfeeding practice data were collected as independent variables. The ECC was used as a dependent variable. The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were performed to identify the relationship between ECC and the other variables. Results : Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that ECC was related with age, tooth brushing frequency, and breastfeeding practice. Conclusions : This study confirmed various risk indicators of ECC in Korean children, using Korean national survey data. Parents should begin an early and consistent mouth care regime to decrease the risk of ECC.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.300-310
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• 2016

Purpose: Few studies have considered the psychosocial work environment factors in relation to employee health. This study explored the relationship between psychosocial work characteristics and self-rated health among Korean employees. Methods: The study population of 21,476 employees was derived from the 2014 Korean Work Environment Survey (KWES). Psychosocial work environment was measured by Copenhagen psychosocial questionnaire scales. Results: Among employees at workplaces (n=21,476), 23.3% rated their health as poor. Among 12 indicators of psychosocial work environment characteristics, 'higher emotional demand', 'demands for hiding emotions', 'work-family conflict', and 'social community at work' were independently associated with risk of poor self-rated health of Korean employees after adjustment of all sociodemographics, work condition characteristics and physical work environment exposure. In addition, higher 'possibilities for development' and 'social support from supervisor' were more likely to decrease the risk of poor health. Conclusion: We suggest that psychosocial work environment is an important determinant of employees' health. The study results provide a good starting point for developing intervention and strategies for health improvement.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.597-609
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• 2012

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of workers health behaviorals, oral health behaviorals and metabolic syndrome risk factors on oral health and to identify the relationship between these. and then, a basis data propose for integrative health promotion programs development and effective Management measures. Methods : The subjects were 4,600 workers working at a industrial place in North Gyeongsang Province, data were collected from July 13, 2010 to September 12, 2010. using the results of the subjects medical check-ups and Oral examinations, this study was performed. collected data included workers general characteristics, job characteristics, and smoking, drinking, exercise behavior as lifestyle factors, and waist measurement, fasting blood sugar level, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, the level of Triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol as metabolic syndrome risk factor indicator. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, chi-square test, correlation analysis, logistic regression using SPSS 18.0. Results : In results of the subjects medical check-ups, 14.1% were above the criterion value of waist measurement, 2.5% fasting blood sugar level, 8.5% hypertension, 16.8% Triglyceride level and 4.0% HDL-cholesterol respectively. according to oral examination results, showing that 43.3% inflammation of the gums. The inflammation of the gums was correlated with gender, age, dental clinic visit, scaling management, smoking, exercise behavior and high triglyceride level and hypertension of metabolic syndrome risk factor indicators. In addition, this result was statistically significant. Conclusions : Based on this study, the workers health should be managed actively and effectively by using periodical workers health check-ups. At a corporate level, the institutional supports were achieved and arranged for activation of regular oral health education programs, and the prevention plan of metabolic syndrome were needed for changing exercise behavior by conducting suitable exercise programs.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.478-491
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine whether alcohol drinking patterns (drinking frequency, drinking quantity, binge drinking frequency and risk drinking) were related to obesity and abdominal obesity. Methods: A total of 6,749 adult men from the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to determine if obesity and abdominal obesity was associated with alcohol consumption patterns after adjusting for covariates. Results: No relationship was observed between drinking frequency and obesity. The odds ratio vs. nondrinkers for obesity was significantly low for individuals who consumed 5 to 6 drinks per typical occasion and monthly binge drinking. However ${\geq}7$ drinks per typical occasion resulted in a significantly higher odds for obesity relative to nondrinkers. The odds ratio vs. nondrinkers for abdominal obesity was significantly lower in response to monthly binge drinking, whereas ${\geq}10$ drinks per typical occasion and daily binge drinking resulted in significantly higher odds for abdominal obesity. Risk drinking had higher odds for abdominal obesity than non-risk drinking. Conclusion: Although moderate alcohol drinkers have a lower prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity than nondrinkers, higher drinking quantity and frequent binge drinking are indicators of a higher prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity in men.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.51-59
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• 2021

This study was undertaken to identify factors that influence high-risk drinking among women. Seventh National Health and Nutrition Survey data were used, and 3,453 women aged 19 or older were studied. Subjects were divided into general and high-risk drinking groups according to high-risk drinking rate indicators, and these groups were compared to identify demographic and sociological characteristics, differences in health-related characteristics, and factors associated with high-risk drinking. The data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS 25.0. The analysis showed 8.8% of the cohort were high-risk drinkers, and that rates of high-risk drinking were higher among women in their 20s to 30s, smokers, and those with experience of depression. In particular, smoking, and depression were associated with a 4.5 [(95% confidence interval (CI)=2.804-7.372, p<0.001)] and 7.0-fold [(95% CI=2.918-16.855, p<0.001)] increases in rates of high-risk drinking. In addition, the risk of high-risk drinking was high among 15- to 19-year-olds, which indicates an urgent need to develop and implement drinking education programs for women in adolescence and early adulthood. We expect the results of this study to be used to create health policies and health promotion programs aimed at reducing the high-risk drinking rate among women.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2004.05a
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• pp.47-60
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• 2004

Higher plants can be valuable genetic assay systems for monitoring environmental pollutants and evaluating their biological toxicity. Two assays are considered ideal for in situ monitoring and testing of soil, airborne and aqueous mutagenic agents; the Tradescantia stamen hair assay for somatic cell mutations and the Tradescantia micronucleus assay for chromosome aberrations. Both assays can be used for in vivo and in vitro testing of mutagens. Since higher plant systems are now recognized as excellent indicators and have unique advantages over in situ monitoring and screening, higher plant systems could be accepted by regulatory authorities as an alternative first-tier assay system for the detection of possible genetic damages resulting from the pollutants or chemicals used and produced by industrial sectors. It has been concluded that potential mutagen and carcinogen such as the heavy metals among indoor air particulates, volatile compounds in the working places, soil, and water pollutants contribute to the overall health risk. This contribution can be considerable under certain circumstances. It is therefore important to identify the level of genotoxic activity in the environment and to relate it to the biomarkers of a health risk in humans. The results from the higher plant bioassays could make a significant contribution to assessing the risks of pollutants and protecting the public from agents that can cause mutation and/or cancer. The plant bioassays, which are relatively inexpensive and easy to handle, are recommended for the scientists who are interested in monitoring pollutants and evaluating their environmental toxicity to living organisms.