• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.91-107
• /
• 2002

In order to evaluate the factors related to therapeutic compliance of hypertensive patients in small and medium scale industry, the questionnaire survey and the blood pressure measurement were performed on 138 hypertensive patients who were reported to have C or $D_2$ result of hypertension at the workers' periodic health examination from March to November 2001. The contents of questionnaire included the informations of factors related to therapeutic compliance of hypertensive patients such as, age, sex, marital status, income, education levels, scale, occupation, work duration, smoking and drinking habits, exercise, family history, stress and A type personality, employer's concern, organizational culture, health status, awareness, knowledge and attitude toward the needs of hypertension treatment, and experience of health education. The results of the study were as follows: 1. The proportion of those who were compliant to the treatment of hypertension was 41.3% of subjects. Among small scale industry less than 50 employees, the rate of therapeutic compliance group was 27.5% and therapeutic noncompliance group was 72.5%. Among medium scale industry more than 50 employees, the rate of therapeutic compliance group was 60.3% and therapeutic noncompliance group was 39.7%. 2. Among therapeutic noncompliance group, 95.1% of patients were aware of the fact that workers have hypertension, and 77.8% of patients got 6-10 marks of hypertension related knowledge. For health education, 27.2% were experienced and 34.6% said no intention to participate. And for hypertension treatment, 9.9% said no need to get the treatment and 44.4% said have no idea whether get treatment or not. 3. The significant factors related to therapeutic compliance of hypertensive patients in small scale industry were work duration, A type personality(anger), health status, attitude toward the needs of hypertension treatment, and experience of health education. 4. The significant factors related to therapeutic compliance of hypertensive patients in medium scale industry were age, occupation, subjective symptom, attitude toward the needs of hypertension treatment, and experience of health education. In consideration of above findings, it was suggested that in order to improve the therapeutic compliance in small and medium scale industry hypertensives, it be necessary to change attitude, perception, knowledge and treatment of hypertension by various methods such as effective health education and individually consulting programs by occupational health professional.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.91-100
• /
• 2007

The purposes of this research are to survey work-related risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) in various departments and tasks at general hospitals in non-manufacturing sectors, and to use basic data derived from the survey results in preventing work-related MSDs in hospital workers. Investigation started in March of 2006 and continued for 6 months in 220 general hospitals at Seoul, Incheon, Kyeongi, and Kangwon area. Investigators visited and interviewed workers in hospitals to identify the presence of tasks of musculoskeletal burden, the investigation results of ergonomic risk factors required by the Occupational Safety and Health Law, statistical analysis from questionnaire for musculoskeletal symptoms, and major departments and tasks that have such risk factors. Twenty-seven percents of hospitals finished the investigation of ergonomic risk factors, and 69% did not do the investigation while remained 4% did not have such factors in their hospitals. The rank order of major departments that had such musculoskeletal burdens was kitchen rooms of 143, managing departments/computer rooms/dispensaries of 137, physical treatment rooms of 109, nursing departments of 96, radiological and clinical laboratories of 63. Eighteen hospitals that did not hold legal duties by the section 148 of labor minister decree practiced prevention programs of MSDs according to the labor-management cooperation. Nursing departments ranked in the first place for the numbers of musculoskeletal symptoms of 438. Managing departments/computer rooms/dispensaries, kitchen rooms, and medical treatment departments held 127, 52 and 45 symptoms, respectively. The magnitude order of physical symptom areas followed shoulder of 185, backs and waist of 166, hand wrists of 120, necks of 110, and legs/feet of 106. The departments and jobs that had major work-related ergonomic risks were patient transporting, central supplying, patient nursing (moving patients into wheel-chairs, changing of patient posture and sheet alteration), manual transporting, operation, and managing/computer departments.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.385-397
• /
• 2006

A high prevalence of farmer's work-related musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) have been reported in precedent studies. To offer the basic data for reducing the melon farmer's MSDs, a questionnaire survey about MSDs symptoms and work loaded body part and video analysis by 3 checklist(REBA, RULA, OWAS) for musculoskeletal risk assessment were carried. 94 melon farmers for this questionnaire and 1 typical farm for risk assessment were participated. A total of 80.9% of the farmers reported musculoskeletal symptoms and 60.6% reported musculoskeletal symptoms over NIOSH standard. The mainly symptom body part is low back, knee and shoulders. Main risk factors in melon farm are awkward postures, heavey/frequent lifting and repetitive hand/arm motions. The high risk tasks induced by video analysis were harvesting, removing the sprouts and covering with rags. These result can be used practically for planning intervention strategy and programs to prevent farmer's MSDs.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.18 no.6
• /
• pp.70-83
• /
• 2001

Objective : In order to investigate symptoms prevalence related to visual display terminal(VDT) syndrome, and to evaluate the variables affecting the development of the VDT syndrome. Methods : a questionnaire survey was conducted on 127(81 men and 46 women) VDT operators who had been studied in Soongsil University graduated school in Seoul. Result : As a result of analysis with data collected by questionnaire, l. Variables affecting the level of general symptoms were sex, the total time of VDT operation per day, type of typewriting, location of keyboard, illumination, VDT working duration, the time of VDT operation without rest. 2. Variables affecting the level of eye symptoms were sex, the total time of VDT operation per day, type of typewriting, VDT working duration, illumination, method of eye-resting. 3. Variables affecting the level of musculoskeletal symptoms were sex, the total time of VDT operation per day, the time of VDT operation without rest, illumination. Conculsions : In order to protect workers from VDT syndrome, it is urgently required to implement standard management recommendations including restriction of VDT working hours and allowance of more sufficient resting time for VDT workers.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
• /
• 2008.11a
• /
• pp.329-341
• /
• 2008

The psychosocial stress and musculoskeletal disorders(MSDs) have been one of major health problems for hospital workers. This study tried to understand the relationship between symptoms associated with MSDs and risk factors such as working posture, job stress, psychosocial stress and fatigue. A total number of 655 hospital workers participated in this study. Specifically, REBA was applied for evaluating working posture and a checklist prepared by KOSHA(Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency) was used for symptom survey. A questionnaire from KOSHA was also used for collecting data associated with job stress, psychosocial stress and fatigue. All these data were formulated and modeled by path analysis which was one of major statistical tools in this study. Specifically, path analysis for the data we collected came up with several major findings. The risk scores from working posture based on REBA had indirect effects via fatigue factor(MFS) as well as direct effects on symptoms. The factors associated with job stress(KOSS) and psychosocial stress(PWI-SF) had significant effects on symptoms. Specifically, indirect effect of job stress factors via fatigue factors(MFS) had bigger than that of direct effect of job stress on symptom.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.24 no.3 s.35
• /
• pp.279-286
• /
• 1991

Much of the working population in developing countries are engaged in shift work now and the number of shift workers is not expected to decrease in the future mostly because the need for continuity of production is increasing. Therefore, the possible effects of shift work on health are of particular interest, and in fact, there have been many epidemiological studies on shift work since the first world war. However, no studies on health effects of shift work have been reported in Korea, and the existing studies in western world have arrived at quite different conclusions mainly because the conditions of work other than shift work, such as age and selection of workers, work environment, and labor conditions also influence the health of workers. This study was firstly carried out in Korea to investigate the health risks related to shift work with 2,093 female workers randomly selected from three major manufacturing industries in proportion to total number of female workers in those industries. Differences of work conditions other than shift work in this study were adjusted by multivariate analysis. Ma findings obtained from this study are as follows : 1. There were significant differences between shift and day workers in the distribution of age, type of industry, condition of noise and dust, regularity of mealtime, working position, and working duration. Shift workers tended to be younger, to have shorter working duration, to have more irregular mealtime, to work in standing position, and to work under more noisy and dusty environment than day workers. 2. Univariate analysis showed that shift work increased the Todai Health Index (THI) scores of digestive tract, respiratory tract, and mental instability symptom categories. Shift work also increased days of sickness absence and number of industrial accident per 100 workers per month. 3. Multivariate analysis that adjusted the differences of demographic, occupational and non-occupational health-related working conditions showed that digestive tract symptom and mental instability symptom scores were significantly higher in shift workers than those in day workers. Based on these study results, it is concluded that the shift work has significant effects on some psychophysiological conditions of the workers and the effects are also influenced by several other personal and working conditions.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• v.31
• /
• pp.18.1-18.8
• /
• 2016

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation in a rural population. Methods A survey was conducted with 543 farmers from Chungcheongnam-do Province using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) for depression, Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS) for social support, Swedish Q16 for neurotoxicity symptoms and a survey tool for farmer's syndrome. Results After adjusting for socioeconomic factors using logistic regression analysis, poor self-rated health, low social support and neurotoxicity were positively associated with the risk of depression (odds ratio [OR], 15.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.11 to 81.97; OR, 3.14; 95% CI, 1.26 to 7.82; and OR, 3.68; 95% CI, 1.08 to 12.57, respectively). The risk of suicidal ideation significantly increased with low social support, neurotoxicity and farmer's syndrome (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.18 to 4.40; OR, 6.17; 95% CI, 2.85 to 13.34; and OR, 3.70; 95% CI, 1.51 to 9.07, respectively). Conclusions Given the overall results of this study, there is a need to establish programs which can improve the health and social relationships of farmers. Also, when farmers have neurological symptoms from pesticide exposure and characteristic symptoms of farmer's syndrome, a monitoring system for depression and suicide must be made available.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.136-143
• /
• 1997

The purpose of this study was to analyze relationship between the role conflict and self-reported climacteric symptoms in the middle-aged industrial female workers. The data were collected by self-reported questionnaire from Nov. 1 to Nov. 30, 1996. The subjects were 201 women whose age, between 40 and 59 years. The analysis of data was t-test, ANOVA, $Scheff{\grave{e}}$ test, Pearson correlation coefficient analysis, Stepwise multiple regression analysis. The results were as follows : 1. 54.8% of the respondents had their climacteric symptom in middle life. 2. Age and religion affected significantly self-reported climacteric symptoms(F=4.2, P=.007 ; t=-2.1, P=0.42). 3. A comparison between two groups, with high and low rate of self-reported climacteric symptoms, indicated that for middle-aged industrial female workers when role conflict is high, climacteric symptoms is high(t=7.8, P=.000). 4. The relationship between self-reported climacteric symptoms and role conflict was positively significant(r=.5, P=.000). 5. The role conflict as a spouse affected significantly self-reported climacteric symptoms(F=52.6, P=.000). Role conflict the role as a spouse was explained 21% of self-reported climacteric symptoms. In conclusion, role conflict is the dominant factor in influencing self-reported climacteric symptoms.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.38-43
• /
• 1997

Backgroud : Now a days, most studies for professional voice user have been performed after artificial voice abuse without consideration of environmental and personal factors, and occupational specificity, therefore those studies have some problems. Objectives : To make a basic guideline for the management of untrained professional voice user, practically we ananalyzed the voice of experimental group. Materials and methods : Just after working, the sustained vowel sounds of the 15 female telephone operators (subjective group) and the 20 normal female persons (control group) were analysed, using a history paper, acoustic analyzer and videostroboscopy. Results : The most common symptom in subjective group was dysphonia. Stroboscopic findings in subjective group were as following ; posterior chink 11 cases (73%), incomplete closure 2 cases (13%), anterior chink 1 case (7%). The mean maximal phonation time in telephone operators was 12.8 seconds and in control group was 16.8 seconds. Jitter, pitch pertubation quotient (PPQ), shimmer and amplitude pertubation quotient (ASQ) were significantly increased in subjective group than control group, but there is no difference between two group in fundamental frequency and noise to harmonic ratio. Conclusion : Untrained professional voice user needs professional career guidance and counseling. And when we manage the untrained professional voice user, we should consider specific occupational, personal and environmental factors as well as laryngeal factors.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.229-238
• /
• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the fatigue of operating room nurses and examine factors contributing to their fatigue. Methods: The subjects of this study were 115 nurses who worked in operating rooms of three hospitals. Data were collected from September 15, 2009 to September 30, 2009. Fatigue and job stress were measured by using the Symptom's Fatigue Scale and the job stress measurement tools in operating room nurses. Results: The mean score of fatigue level was $3.10{\pm}0.61$. We analyzed fatigue according to characteristics of subjects and found that there were significant differences in marital status, number of children and sleeping hours in general characteristics. Career, daily participation hours in the surgery relating to job related characteristics. Significant positive correlations were found between job stress and fatigue(r=.233, p= .012). Three significant variables influencing fatigue of operation rooms nurses were job stress, daily participation hours in the surgery, and sleeping hours (Adj. $R^2$=0.284, F=4.773, p<.001). Conclusion: An integrative care program that takes job stress, daily participation hours in the surgery and sleeping hours into consideration is essential to reduce fatigue in operating room nurses.