• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.325-331
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• 2023

Background: Heat stress is a harmful physical hazard in many occupational settings. However, consequences of occupational heat exposure among workers in a sugarcane factory in Ethiopia are not well characterized. This study aimed to assess the level of occupational heat exposure-related symptoms and contributing factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, five workstations were selected for temperature measurement. Heat stress levels were measured using a wet-bulb globe temperature index meter. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 1,524 participants. Heat-related symptoms were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results: The level of occupational heat exposure was 72.4% (95% CI: 70.2%-74.8%), while 71.6% (95% CI: 69.3%-74.9%) of participants experienced at least one symptom related to heat stress. The most common heat-related symptoms were swelling of hands and feet (78%), severe thirst (77.8%) and dry mouth (77.4%). The identified risk factors were a lack of reflective shields (AOR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.53, 3.17), not-enclosed extreme heat sources (AOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.23, 2.51), a lack of access to shade (AOR: 9.62, 95% CI: 6.20, 14.92), and inappropriate protective clothing provision (AOR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.27, 2.71). Conclusions: The burden of occupational heat exposure and heat-induced symptoms was high. Lack of reflective shields, the absence of enclosed extreme heat sources, a lack of access to shade, and inappropriate protective clothing provision were considerable attributes of heat stress. Therefore, the use of mechanical solutions to stop heat emissions at their sources and the key factors identified were areas for future intervention.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.243-249
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• 2023

Background: Southeast Asia has many people who work in the agriculture sector. Not many stakeholders pay special attention to the health of farmers, even though they are exposed to various types of hazards. One of the most common health complaints among farmers is related to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). This study aims to assess the prevalence of WMSDs and factors associated with them among farmers in Southeast Asia. Methods: A literature search on PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and EBSCO was conducted. Articles were included if they studied ergonomic problems among farmers from 11 countries in the Southeast Asia region and were published during 2015-2022. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program was used to evaluate the quality of the articles. The search process and retrieval process reflected PRISMA's recommendation. Result: There were 14 studies found from 3 countries that had published articles in PubMed and ScienceDirect, including Thailand [8], Indonesia [4], and Malaysia [2]. The prevalence of WMSDs in Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia was 78,31%, 81,27%, and 88,39%, respectively. Common factors associated with WMSDs include age, sex, smoking habits, drinking alcohol habits, working period (years), type of work, awkward position, non-ergonomic equipment, repetitive movements, and lifting heavy loads. Conclusion: The prevalence of WMSDs among farmers in Southeast Asia is considerably high. Effective intervention is essential for reducing the prevalence and protecting workers' health and well-being.

• The Korean Journal of Emergency Medical Services
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.53-63
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• 2012

Purpose: This study examines and compares the differences between self-esteem and health promotion behavior of health department and non-health department college students. Method: The research instruments were as follows : The first one is RSES developed by Rosenberg and translated into Korean by Jeon. The second one is HPLP developed by Walker et al, and including six subareas by Lee and modified to be suitable to Korean culture by Suh. Data were statistically analyzed with SPSS PC/12.0. Results : 1. Comparison of self-esteem had no significant difference(p=.190) and health promotion behaviors had significant differences(p=.000) between the two groups. 2. According to general characteristics and health-related characteristics, the differences of self-esteem in health department showed significant differences in grade(p=.020), sex(p=.000), age(p=.000), parents' economic conditions(p=.048), and smoking(p=.030) while non-health departments revealed significant differences in grade(p=.003), sex(p=.000), age(p=.000) and smoking(p=.001). 3. According to general characteristics and health-related characteristics, the differences of health promotion behaviors in health department showed significant differences in grade(p=.008), sex(p=.021), age(p=.000) and parents' economic conditions(p=.017) while non-health department revealed significant differences in sex(p=.000) and age(p=.000). 4. There were positive correlations between self-esteem, health promotion behaviors and subareas in health department (r=.422) and non-health department (r=.383). Conclusion: There were significant positive correlations between self-esteem and health promotion behaviors in health and non-health department college students. Therefore, health related programs should be developed to enhance self-esteem and health management by college students can influence themselves on self-esteem and health promotion behaviors.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.183-195
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to discover the effects on women's health education for college women on their health promotion behaviors and the health related knowledge. The content of women's health education consisted of sex education, smoking, alcohol, exercise, nutrition, diet and stress management. “A Women and Heath” course was provided as an optional full term subject in the years of 2002 and 2003 at C University in G City. Out of 210 students who had chosen this course, 134 had agreed to participate in the research and had answered the same questionnaire which was given before the education and 14 weeks after the course at the last class. The findings are as follows： 1. It was found that the subjects have obtained knowledge mainly from television, radio, the Internet, women's magazines in order before the education. 2. Knowledge related to women"s health origionally scored low(average 1.92 out of 5). However, having completed a course on women and their health, they showed a significant increase of knowledge statistically(t＝26.945, p＝ .001) with average score of 3.48. 3. Health promotion behaviors who had completed the course has statistically significantly increased (t＝6.464, p＝ .001) compared to before the education. The results of this study are that by providing a women's health related course for college women on a regular basis, they could broaden their health related knowledge and become more active in practicing health promotion behaviors. This shows us the need to broaden the curriculum on women's health at the college level so that women have good knowledge and practice the knowledge for the sake of their health throughout their life.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.56-66
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• 2024

Purpose: This study explored the factors influencing the health-related life satisfaction of people with disabilities who engaged in physical activity, by age and gender. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted of the 2020 Third Disability and Life Dynamics Panel (2021). The participants were 2,796 people who performed regular physical activity at least once a week. The variables selected were disability-related factors (degree of disability, multiple disabilities, and type of disability), sociodemographic factors (age, gender, living alone, and mean monthly family income), and health-related factors (amount of physical activity, self-esteem, depression, chronic disease, subjective health, and health-related life satisfaction). Descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, the t-test, two-way analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis were conducted. Results: In total, 58.0% of participants were male, and 42.0% were female. For age groups, 14.4% were children/adolescents (0-19 years), 42.6% were adults (20-59 years), and 43.0% were seniors (≥60 years). The mean score for health-related life satisfaction was 5.0±2.15 out of 10. Adults and seniors whose level of physical activity met or exceeded recommendations had higher subjective health. Moreover, men had better subjective health than women in seniors. Health-related life satisfaction was higher among those who had higher self-esteem, were not depressed, did not have chronic diseases, and had better subjective health. Conclusion: Gender significantly influenced health-related life satisfaction in children/ adolescents and seniors. Disability-related factors were significant in adults, and health-related factors were significant in all age groups. Therefore, these factors should be considered when designing interventions to promote subjective health and health-related life satisfaction of people with disabilities.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.18-40
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• 2008

Measurements of health related quality of life can be used to compare patients with specific conditions to average individuals in the general population in a similar age and gender group. However there are few data available regarding health related quality of life for the general population of Korea. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the validity of the Korean version of EQ-5D and to measure the health related quality of life of the general adult population in a metropolitan city. The survey was cross-sectional and employed a stratified and multistage sampling design through 100 examination sites in 5 districts of UIsan. A total of 12,644 individuals from 4,112 households participated in the survey. Of these, we analyzed data from 8,068 adults who were over 19 years old and completed the EQ-5D. To examine the validity of the questionnaire, the differences in 5 dimensions and the $EQ-5D_{index}$ were analyzed with regard to demographic and socioeconomic factors such as sex, age, income, and education. In addition, visual analogue scales (VAS) were used to evaluate the overall health related quality of life issues of the respondents. The level of health related quality of life of the general adult population was then compared with the results from the third Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and other countries. There were a small number of people with problems related tomobility, self-care, and usual activity. In addition, many people complained ofpain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. The complaint rate in each dimension, VAS, and $EQ-5D_{index}$ indicated relatively better states for males, the younger group, the higher income group, and the higher education group. In addition, the level of health related quality of life of the general population of Ulsan was relatively higher than that of Koreans nationwide as well as the populations of other countries. EQ-SD provided a valid measure of the health-related quality of life of the general adult population. In addition, the results of a survey of Ulsan revealed that the quality of life of its population is better than that of the overall population of Korea and of the populations of other countries.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.81-90
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors contributing to health-related quality of life in patients under rehabilitation after stroke. Methods: A descriptive correlational study design was used. Ninety-two stroke patients under rehabilitation from a university hospital were included. Data were collected on March and April, 2013 using structured questionnaires. Hierarchial multiple regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing health-related quality of life. Results: There were significant differences in health-related quality of life according to type of impairment. The health-related quality of life had significant correlations with age, functional dependency, and stress. Factors influencing health-related quality of life for stroke patients under rehabilitation were stress, functional dependency, type of impairment, and age, which explained about 34.5% of total variance. Conclusion: To promote health-related quality of life for stroke patients under rehabilitation, stress and functional dependency should be managed in this population, especially for older adults. Also these results can be utilized in the development of program for helping rehabilitation of stroke patients. The effect of depression and anxiety on health-related quality of life should also be addressed in future research.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide substantial foundation to establish effective sex education plan for university students, and to inquire into sexual knowledge, consciousness and values of university students and into whether there are difference between health related major subjects and non-health related major subjects. Methods: This study was conducted on students in 227 health related major subjects and 226 non-health related major subjects in chungbuk C city. The Questionnaire, used in this study, was re-made on basis of reviews and previous studies, and total of 453 questionnaires were used. Results: Sexual knowledge scores were not significantly difference between health related major subjects and non-health related major subjects. but health related major subjects were more educated contraception, pregnancy artificial abortion, sexually transmitted disease than non-health related major subjects. Sexual knowledge was correlated with attitude in sex, times of sex education and usefulness of sex education. Conclusion: The university authorities make a curriculum for systematic sex educations and need to assertive support students and they can have right sexual consciousness and have mature and responsible attitude to sex through right education of knowledge in sex.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.5-17
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• 2008

Purpose: To understand the dietary habits and factors influencing the dietary habits in adults of an urban community. Method: The data were collected via questionnaires that investigated dietary habits, health behaviors, health-related factors, and general characteristics. A total of 302 subjects were selected from those who had visited an urban public center over a 2-week period. The data of 294 subjects were analyzed using descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression, after 8 questionnaire were excluded due to incomplete data. Results: The degree of dietary habits was in the middle range. The most positive dietary habit was 'intake fibers from vegetables, fruits, and cereals', followed by 'not enjoy salty food and salt' and 'eating breakfast everyday'. The significant predictors influencing dietary habits were age, present smoking behavior, perceived health status, and drinking frequency, and these variables accounted for 27.3% of the variance in the dietary habits score. Conclusion: Health care providers should focus on health promotion planning regarding dietary habits and other health-related behaviors in combination and use integrated strategies regarding the factors that influence dietary habits and other health-related behaviors.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.741-750
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• 2021

Objectives: To provide basic data for oral health policy by identifying the differences in oral health behaviors and conditions among middle-aged people in their 40s and 50s and relating these to their health-related quality of life, and to identify factors affecting health-related quality of life. Methods: In this study, secondary data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used. Data were gathered from 8,127 participants, of which 2,353 were middle-aged (40-59 years old). Covariance analysis was performed using a complex sample general linear model to investigate the changes in the subjects' health-related quality of life (EQ-5D) according to their general characteristics, oral health behaviors, and oral health status. Results: Oral health behavior was not significantly related to health-related quality of life. In contrast, a higher oral health status (chewing function) was associated with better health-related quality of life. Conclusions: In conclusion, this study suggested a close relationship between oral health status (chewing function) and health-related quality of life. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize the importance of oral health in improving the health-related quality of life of middle-aged people in their 40s and 50s, as well as in informing oral health policies and preventive measures for individuals and communities.