• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.263-267
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• 2015

Significant changes in the past year have taken place in the world of work that are bringing new challenges with regard to employee safety and health. These changes have led to emerging psychosocial risks (PSRs) at work. The risks are primarily linked to how work is designed, organized, and managed, and to the economic and social frame of work. These factors have increased the level of work-related stress and can lead to serious deterioration in mental and physical health. In tackling PSRs, the European labor inspectorates can have an important role by enforcing preventive and/or corrective interventions in the content and context of work. However, to improve working conditions, unilateral interventions in the context and content of work are insufficient and require adopting a common strategy to tackle PSRs, based on a holistic approach. The implementation of a common strategy by the European Labor Inspectorate for tackling PSRs is restricted by the lack of a common legislative frame with regard to PSR evaluation and management, the different levels of labor inspectors' training, and the different levels of employees' and employers' health and safety culture.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2019

Background: Promoting healthy lifestyles at work should complement workplace safety programs. This study systematically investigates current states of occupational health and safety (OHS) policy as well as practice in the European Union (EU). Methods: OHS policies of EU member states were categorized as either prevention or health promotion provisions using a manifest content analysis. Policy rankings were then created for each prevention and promotion. Rankings compared eight indicators from the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks-2 data on prevention and promotion practices for each member state using Chi-square and probit regression analyses. Results: Overall, 73.1% of EU establishments take preventive measures against direct physical harm, and about 35.4% take measures to prevent psychosocial risks. Merely 29.5% have measures to promote health. Weak and inconsistent links between OHS policy and practice indicators were identified. Conclusion: National OHS policies evidently concentrate on prevention while compliance with health and safety practices is relatively low. Psychosocial risks are often addressed in national policy but not implemented by institutions. Current risk assessment methods are outdated and often lack psychosocial indicators. Health promotion at work is rare in policy and practice, and its interpretation remains preventive. Member states need to adopt policies that actively improve health and well-being at the workplace.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.42 no.7
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• pp.1095-1104
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of actual cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, as well as, individual, psychosocial, and work-related factors as predictors of CVD risk perception among Korean blue-collar workers. Methods: The participants were 238 Korean blue-collar workers who worked in small companies. Data were collected through a survey; anthropometric and blood pressure measures; and blood sampling for lipid levels. Results: Blue-collar workers had high actual CVD risk and low CVD risk perception. The significant predictors of risk perception included perceived health status, alcohol consumption, knowledge of CVD risk, actual CVD risk, decision latitude, and shift work. The model explained 26% of the variance in CVD risk perception. Conclusion: The result suggests when occupational health nurses are giving routine health examination in small companies, they can enhance CVD risk perception in blue-collar workers by providing essential information about CVD risk factors and personal counseling on the individual worker's CVD risk status.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.9-15
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide the information of renal disease patients and to provide evidence the physical therapy recipient of renal disease patients. The reviews suggest that renal disease patients are physical inactivity situation, increase on cardiopulmonary risk factor, developed complication disease, increased psychosocial factor like depress and anxiety, decreased Quality of life because their disease effects. Thus. exercise program seems to have beneficial effect on physiologic and psychosocial functioning, Quality of life. It is expected that this study will consider rehabilitation program for internal medicine patients and should be consider as availability of therapeutic exercise program on understanding renal disease in physical therapy.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.41
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• pp.147-172
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• 2000

Although it has been noted that mentoring program is viewed as a effective way of intervention for the youth at-risk and vulnerable, few empirical studies have documented the benefits of mentoring program on youth. This research focused on effectiveness of campus-based mentoring program for children of unemployed families. It examined psychosocial benefits of mentoring program on mentor and mentee using the experimental design, posttest-only control group design. Significant differences were found between the control and intervention group. Children who have participated in mentoring program marked higher scores than control group in various psychosocial aspects including interpersonal skills, self-efficacy, sense of plan and motivation of schooling. Also university students who have participated as mentors marked higher ego-strength score than not. On the basis of these findings, this study recommended campus-based mentoring program as a effective growth-oriented program for the university students as well as the children of unemployed families.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.54 no.10
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• pp.395-400
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• 2011

During the adolescent period, they experience rapid physical, emotional, cognitive developments while they establish their lifestyle and habitual routines that strongly influence adult health and life. Recent rapid economic growth in Korea, and the earlier onset of physical, sexual, and psychological maturation of adolescents, has resulted in changes in the health status of adolescents from many years ago. Risk-taking behaviors such as drinking alcohol, smoking, and sexual experiences are critical issues that affect the health of, adolescents. Therefore, it is important for pediatricians to note the that risk-taking behaviors of adolescents in Korea that are caused by individual psychosocial factors. This review article illustrates the current health status of Korean adolescents and provides an overview of risk-taking behaviors, to inform pediatricians about some of the key issues.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.73-83
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• 2022

Purpose : Low back pain (LBP) is reported as a risk of experiencing musculoskeletal disorders due to muscle stiffness and hypokinetics. The lumbar spine in an unstable state causes imbalance and lumbar instability. Therefore, This study examined the effects of lumbar stabilization exercise and self-complex exercise program on pain, function, psychosocial level, static balance ability, and transverse abdominal muscle (TrA) thickness and contraction ratio in patients with lumbar instability. Methods : The design of this is a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Twenty-six LBP patients participated in this study. Screening tests were performed and assigned to the experimental group (n=13) and control group (n=13) using a random allocation program. Both groups underwent a lumbar stabilization exercise program. In addition, the experimental group implemented the self-complex exercise program. All interventions were applied three times per week for four weeks. The quadruple visual analog (QVAS), the Korean version of the Oswestry disability index (K-ODI), Korean version of fear-avoidance belief questionnaire (FABQ), static balance ability, TrA thickness, and contraction ratio were compared to evaluate the effect on intervention. Statistical significance was set at 𝛼=.05. Results : Both groups showed significant differences before and after the intervention in QVAS, K-ODI, FABQ, static balance ability, and TrA thickness in contraction (p<.05). In addition, significant differences in K-ODI and FABQ were observed between the experimental group and control group (p<.05). Conclusion : A lumbar stabilization exercise and self-complex exercise program resulted in reduced dysfunctions, psychosocial stability in patients with lumbar instability. Therefore, Lumbar stabilization exercise and self-complex exercise program for patients with lumbar instability are effective method with clinical significance in improving the function and psychosocial stability.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.13-16
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• 2014

Background: This study assesses influences of baseline psychological risk factors on prevalence of low back pain (LBP) at baseline and follow-up among nurses. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was performed at two phases, baseline and 1-year follow-up among 246 nurses of university hospitals in Shahroud, Iran. A standardized Cultural and Psychosocial Influences on Disability questionnaire was used for data collection. Logistic regression was performed for analysis. Results: At the baseline of the study, 58.9% of nurses reported back pain in the previous 12 months. Age (p = 0.001), belief that work causes pain (p = 0.022), and somatization tendency (p = 0.002) significantly increased risk of LBP. At 1-year follow-up, prevalence of LBP was 45.7% and expectation of back pain at baseline (p = 0.016) significantly increased risk of LBP in this phase (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Results indicate that risk factors for prevalence of back pain at baseline and 1-year follow-up are different. At baseline, the risk factors are age, belief that work causes pain, and somatization tendency, and at follow-up, expectation of pain is the major risk factor.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.370-376
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• 2021

Backround: Working condition surveys are widely recognized as useful tools for monitoring the quality of working life and the improvements introduced by health and safety policy frameworks at the European and national level. The Italian Workers' Compensation Authority carried out a national survey (Insula) to investigate the employer's perceptions related to working conditions and their impact on health. Methods: The present study is based on the data collected from the Italian survey on health and safety at work (INSULA) conducted on a representative sample of the Italian workforce (n = 8,000). This focuses on the relationship between psychosocial risk factors and self-reported health using a set of logistic and linear regression models. Results: Working conditions such as managerial support, job satisfaction, and role act as protective factors on mental and physical health. On the contrary, workers' risk perceptions related to personal exposure to occupational safety and health risks, concern about health conditions, and work-related stress risk exposure determine a poorer state of health. Conclusions: This study highlights the link between working conditions and self-report health, and this aims to provide a contribution in the field of health at work. Findings show that working conditions must be object of specific preventive measures to improve the workers' health and well-being.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.569-581
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to define the quality of nursing services in relation to a nurse's psychosocial factors (type A behavior pattern, self-esteem, locus of control, and anxiety), job stress, and fatigue. This study targeted 503 nurses currently working at one of six general hospitals in Daejeon city, the data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire, which was surveyed from April 1 to June 30, 2014. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, the high self-esteem, locus of control, and strong support by supervisor and co-workers decrease the risk of a low career quality. In contrast, high situational fatigue and overall fatigue increase the risk of a low career quality. According to the results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis, the quality of nursing services increased with age, the subjective health condition was satisfying, aptitude corresponded to the jobs, self-esteem was high, anxiety was low, support by co-workers was strong, and the overall fatigue was low. Above results suggest that the quality of nursing services of nurses who work at a general hospital has a strong correlation with the psychosocial factors, job stress, and fatigue.