• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.13-21
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• 2016

Objectives: The present study aims to examine associations between job demands and problem drinking, smoking, and practice of regular exercise among middle-aged and older male employees. Methods: Analyses were based on 239 employees aged 50+ and participated the 1st(2006) and the 4th(2012) waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA). Panel logit regression analyses were performed to explore longitudinal associations between physical and cognitive job demands and the health behaviors when effects of demographic characteristics and objective job conditions were controlled. Results: Results suggested that first, workers who reported greater cognitive job demands were less likely to engage in problem drinking over the 6-year-period. Second, increased physical demands of the job were associated with greater odds of smoking, while physical demands predicted a reduced likelihood of practicing regular exercise. Conclusions: Results from the present analyses emphasize job demands could lead workers to problem health behaviors and suggest areas for health promotion efforts at the workplace that are sensitive to the needs of aging workers.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.504-511
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• 2019

Objectives: We evaluated the physical and mental health problems of waged workers in Korea who had different classes of occupation. Methods: We used data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007-2017) to examine 22,788 workers who were waged employees and categorized these workers into 5 occupational classes. Results: "Unskilled manual workers" were more likely to be older, less educated, have lower monthly income, and work fewer hours per week. Among men and relative to "managers and professionals" (reference group), "skilled manual workers" were more likely to have physician-diagnosed osteoarthritis, "clerks" were less likely to report suicidal ideation, and "unskilled manual workers" were more likely to report suicidal ideation. Among women and relative to "managers and professionals" (reference group), "service and sales workers" and "unskilled manual workers" were more likely to report physician-diagnosed osteoarthritis, depressive feelings, and suicidal ideation. However, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases did not differ among the occupational classes for men and women. Conclusion: We identified differences between men and women and among those in different occupational classes regarding employment status, physical health, and mental health. "Unskilled manual workers" of both genders were more likely to be older, less educated, have less monthly income, work fewer hours per week, and have suicidal ideation. Female "service and sales workers" were more likely to have osteoarthritis, depressive feelings, and suicidal ideation.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.41-58
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• 2019

Health capacity to work for the elderly is an essential piece of information for designing social policies in an aging society. Here, we assess the health capacity to work of older men in South Korea and provide a cross-country comparison. Following the methodology proposed by Milligan and Wise (2012), which uses the cohort mortality rate as a proxy for overall health status, we quantify the additional employment capacity of current older men in reference to the mortality-employment relationship of a generation ago. Despite the high employment rate of older men in South Korea, we find substantial additional employment capacity among older men (those aged 55 or more) as of 2016 comparable in size to those found in other advanced countries. We also find evidence that older men are not merely capable of working but are also willing to work, and many of them are increasingly combining pension income and work. These findings suggest that labor supply disincentives for older men embedded in public pension systems in South Korea need to be thoroughly reexamined and adjusted accordingly lest they should inhibit the labor supply of older workers.

• 한국노년학
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.497-516
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• 2017

This study explored the meaning and essential structure of the life of 12 older wage earners who are 65 years old or older residing in Seoul. For the in-depth analysis of the qualitative interviews, Giorgi(2012)'s phenomenological research method was used. Results presented a total of 349 meaning units, 35 core meanings, 16 emerging themes, and 6 essential themes. These essential themes consisted of a life tolerating contempt and prejudice, the hungry belly in the later years, a yoke of the subordinate, an unclimbable vertical wall, reviving the hours of youth through working, and labor pride. These six essential themes led to the essential structure of'small happiness that is felt at times out of the weary working life in later years. The research participants felt worn out by the social discrimination and unfair working conditions against older wage earners, but they felt relieved that they were able to work in old age and had a sense of self-esteem through their work. Working was the important tools for older wage earners to experience happiness in later years because it not only relieved their financial burden but also brought a sense of self-esteem and labor pride. Based on the results, we suggested as following: 1) with respect to social discrimination and unfair working conditions against older workers, the whole society should discuss it as the protection of human rights and take legal actions; 2) various service jobs need to be created so that older workers can contribute to the society by utilizing their experiences; and 3) educational programs of computer or internet use must be expanded through which older wage earners can improve their job skills.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.350-362
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of job characteristics and health on accident experience by analyzing the data of transportation workers according to age. The analysis used data from 'the fourth Korean Working Conditions Survey(KWCS)'. A total of 1,997 transport workers data were finally analyzed, and correlation analysis, crossover analysis and logistic regression analysis were performed. It was confirmed that there was no correlation between the age of the transport workers and the accident experience. In the relationship between the characteristics of transportation workers and the experience of the accident, it was found that, in the case of older workers, there was a significant effect in the order of 'at mistake someone else hurt', 'musculoskeletal problem', 'cardiovascular problem' and 'repetitive movements of hands or arms', the model explaining power was 56.9%(p <.01). In the case of non-older workers, it was found that 'depression and anxiety disorder', 'relationship between job and safety', 'at mistake someone else hurt' and 'labor union', the model explaining power was 21.8%(p <.01). Therefore, in order to promote prevent accidents of transportation workers in future, it is necessary to consider various variables such as health and job characteristics besides age.

• 한국노년학
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.1149-1171
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to increase understanding of the social intervention for severely isolated older adults who live alone and are in serious isolation as if they were 'hidden'. Through qualitative descriptive methods, it intends to describe how social workers in the "Making Friends of Older Adults who Live Alone" project have perceived older adults living alone in serious isolated situation, whether there have been changes in the perception of the elderly according to the progress of the project, and what kinds of experiences these social workers have had while providing case management to older adults. In-depth interviews with 40 social workers, case management records of 70 senior citizens, and research journals were collected and analyzed using qualitative content analysis methods. The results of data analysis were presented in two categories and four subcategories each. Based on the research findings, four kinds of implications were suggested.

• 한국노년학
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.959-976
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to understand socio-demographic factors related to older adults' participation patterns in lifelong education. For the purpose, this study used the raw data of 2017 Survey of the Living Conditions of the Elderly (SLCE) conducted by The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. From the data of 10,073 older adults, their lifelong education participation, participating program types, participating organizations, and participating frequency were analyzed by their sex, age, educational level, household income, the longest job status, and health status. This study found that female, age of 70-74 and 75-79, educational levels of high school and higher, the longest job status of regular employees and unpaid family workers, and decent health status of older adults more participated in lifelong education. According to lifelong education program types, significant differences were found between education groups of middle school/lower and groups of high school/higher and between 1, 2 quintile income groups and 3, 4, 5 quintile income groups. In relation to the participating organizations, groups of 70 years and older, middle school and higher education level, under 3 quintile income, and poor health tended to participate in lifelong education at the elderly welfare center, senior citizens, and elderly classrooms. In terms of participation frequency, high school and college/higher than 0 year of school education, and regular workers than unpaid family workers were more frequently participated in lifelong education. This study showed the inequality in lifelong education participation according to older adults' demographic characteristics; finally, this study suggested necessary policies and academic discussions for future older adults' lifelong education.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.10-18
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• 2017

Purpose: This study identified the prevalence of depressive symptoms and explored correlates of depressive symptoms among Korean women care-workers caring older adults living in community. Methods: A total of 465 participants were recruited for the study. Depressive symptoms was measured by the CES-D10 and distress was assessed using a single question given 5 Likert scale. Results: The prevalence of depressive symptoms and distress among care-workers were 32.5% and 32.0% respectively. Work environment safety, violence exposure experience, work-family conflict, weekly care work time, and poor health status were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Only violence exposure experience and poor health status were associated with distress. Conclusion: Our findings suggest more attention on mental health of care-workers and their risky work condition such as violence.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.349-354
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• 2019

Workers who die from falls at construction sites account for about 40 percent of the total number of deaths and are the main forms of accidents. In addition, as the nation's population structure is gradually aging, the rate of aging is increasing at construction sites, and the number of crashes due to decreased physical function and cognitive ability is increasing. Accordingly, we conducted a survey on the factors affecting the fall of older workers and would like to present more fundamental measures to prevent falls, focusing on older workers who are the victims of the disaster.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.185-198
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• 1997

This study was initiated to research on the uniform preference uniform satisfaction and wearing of female workers' uniform of the fiber firms. Data was obtained from 361 female workers of the fiber firms in Chon Buk. And it was analyzed by frequency percent mean duncan's multiple test. The results of this study were as follows; 1) Pocket sleeve and front hem were parts of the damage. The weaving workers were mostly wore upper and under garments but most of there workers were only wore an upper garment on the basic type of uniform The older and married were small in the fitness of uniform the armhole sleeve girth sleeve length and breast girth were unfitted 2) Workers was dissatisfied to the noise and the dust in working environment. Uniform satisfaction of workers were mostly low design color and fabric were the lowest factors of uniform satisfaction. The satisfaction of material were also low the lowest factors were absorptiveness elasticity breathability. Workers wanted the fashion and light colored uniform but they prefered function activity to work and manageability on wearing rather than externals among the uniform preference.