• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.61-66
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• 2019

Background: Emergency workers such as firefighters are cataloged within the most demanding and injurious professions globally. Considering the health and safety implications in firefighting, a lot of research needs to be conducted to examine how firefighters' task characteristics and their work demand influence the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). This study therefore examines how the task characteristics of firefighters moderates the relationship between their work demand and the development of WMSDs. Methods: Convenient sampling was employed to select 320 firefighters in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression. Results: The findings revealed that work demand and task characteristics have significant positive effects on WMSDs. Again, the task characteristics of firefighters moderates the relationship between their work demand and WMSDs. Conclusion: Since the study shows that task characteristics influences the relationship between work demand and WMSDs, it is vital for managers to constantly modify the nature of tasks performed by and work demand of emergency workers to minimize the development of WMSDs and other industrial health complications.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.170-183
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• 2022

Purpose: This descriptive survey-based study aimed to identify the factors associated with obese adults' quality of life (QOL) using a secondary analysis of data collected through the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2019). Methods: In this study, factors affecting the health-related quality of life of obese adults were analyzed by categorizing them into three independent variables: general characteristics, health behaviors, and mental health characteristics. Using t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA), an analysis was performed to determine the differences in obese adults' QOL depending on their general characteristics, health behaviors, and mental health conditions. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed to identify the factors that affect obese adults' QOL. Results: In obese adults' general characteristics, the risk factors for QOL were older age, male, lower-income level, presence of spouse, and occupation. With regard to health behaviors, the risk factors were lack of exercise. In terms of mental health conditions, the risk factors were stress and suicidal ideation. Conclusion: Obese adults' QOL was affected by age, sex, income level, absence/presence of a spouse, occupation, health behaviors (e.g., exercise), and mental health conditions (e.g., stress and suicidal ideation).

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.115-129
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• 1996

This study was designed to provide the material for the development of policies for the improvement of the quality of life the elderly by identifying the relationship among general characteristics, mental health, physical health and social health which exert an effect on the improvement of the quality of old people’s lives, development of a model capable of enhancing the quality of life for the elderly and establishing the future direction of health education. 1000 old people who were more than 60 years old were selected as subjects for this study, and the interview and inquire methods using the questionnaire and the self-completion method were employed to obtain data. 1. It was shown that there was a significant difference between the home elderly and Institutionalized elderly in terms of all measured items except stress item of general characteristic, as well as on almost measured items of physical health, mental health and social health, and it was shown that there was the interaction between departments. 2. Since it was shown that general characteristics, mental health, physical and social health were interrelated, it can be seen that one characteristic is mutually related to other characteristics.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.137-146
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate cognitive function decline by socio-demographic and health-related characteristics (health behaviors and health status) using 5th Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging panel data. Methods: The subjects were 4,440 community-dwelling people aged over 57 years. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, χ²-test, and binary logistic regression analysis using SPSS ver. 25.0. Results: The findings revealed that socio-demographic characteristics (gender, age, area of residence, educational level, marital status, number of children, number of grand-children) and health-related characteristics (smoking, drinking, regular exercise, weight category by body mass index, hypertension and diabetes mellitus) were factors that influenced cognitive function decline (p<.05). Conclusions: Cognitive function decline was closely related to health behaviors and disease types. Future studies must examine related constructs to accurately determine these relationships among various populations. The present study could be used as a tool for the development and implementation of health promotion and prevention strategies.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.192-200
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study aimed to investigate job stress levels of occupational health managers and whether job stress levels were affected by various factors such as size and types of company and work-related characteristics of occupational health managers. Methods: The study was conducted from May to September 2011 in the chemicals manufacturing factories in Korea and total subjects were 59 occupational health managers. We measured job stress levels of occupational health managers using Korean occupational stress scale (KOSS) questionnaires and the information of company characteristics was obtained using a self-reported questionnaire. Results: The characteristics of company such as type, size and industries and job characteristics of occupational health managers were significant factors in job stress. Job demand, job control, job insecurity, organizational system and occupational environment scores were significantly associated with type, size and industries of company. In multiple regression analyses, we found that job demand was significantly associated with occupational position and type of company, and job insecurity was significantly associated with working hour. Also, we found that lack of reward was significantly associated with education level, speciality, duration of work and hour and type of company. Conclusion: These results indicate that job stress of occupational health managers is significantly associated with work-related characteristics and company's characteristics.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.91-97
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to compare effects of oral health education on oral health behavior according to demographic and dental health-related characteristics in inpatient alcoholics. 62 alcoholic male patients were recruited to 32 patients at education group and 30 at non-education group. To search demographic and dental health-related characteristics, the self-administered structured questionnaires were used, and the survey was conducted before and after the oral health education. The oral health education program was consisted of 40 mins theoretical education and individual tooth brushing training once a week for 4 weeks. The oral health education for alcoholic patients had big effects on oral health behavior. And these results indicate that if oral health program was performed systematically in alcohol counseling centers or alcohol hospitals, more oral health promotion effects will appear.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.701-711
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• 2023

In order to fully reflect variation characteristics of composite concrete dam health state, the monitoring data is applied to diagnose composite concrete dam health state. Composite concrete dam lesion development to wreckage is a precursor, and its health status can be judged. The monitoring data are generally non-linear and unsteady time series, which contain chaotic information that cannot be characterized. Thus, it could generate huge influence for the construction of monitoring models and the formulation of corresponding health diagnostic indicators. This multi-scale diagnosis process is from point to whole. Chaotic characteristics are often contained in the monitoring data. If chaotic characteristics could be extracted for reflecting concrete dam health state and the corresponding diagnostic indicators will be formulated, the theory and method of diagnosing concrete dam health state can be huge improved. Therefore, the chaotic characteristics of monitoring data are considered. And, the extracting method of the chaotic components is studied from monitoring data based on fuzzy dynamic cross-correlation factor method. Finally, a method is proposed for formulating composite concrete dam health state indicators. This method can effectively distinguish chaotic systems from deterministic systems and reflect the health state of concrete dam in service.

• 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.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.215-222
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• 2009

Objectives : Vigorous physical activity is a well-known method to promote people s health. This research aims to investigate whether perceived neighborhood characteristics affect vigorous physical activity among adult Seoul residents (aged 19 to 64). Methods : Utilizing the 2005 Seoul Citizens Health Indicators Survey data, this study estimates the probability of vigorous physical activity. Particular attention is given to the effects of three perceived neighborhood characteristics satisfaction with relationship to the neighborhood, satisfaction with park and recreational facilities, and satisfaction with public security). Logistic regression models are analyzed separately by gender for the parameter estimation. Results : Vigorous physical activity is positively associated with three perceived neighborhood characteristics for women, while neither significant nor substantive association is found for men. Conclusions : As vigorous physical activity among Seoul citizens is differentially affected by perceived neighborhood characteristics and by gender, a different approach will be needed to increase vigorous physical activity of men and women in Seoul.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.17-25
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• 2009

This study was aimed to analyze of characteristics of Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) based on the industrial accident statistics which were extracted from the Ministry of Labor. In this study all MSDs cases in 2007, 7,723 cases, were investigated. First of all, for the analysis of a wide view point concerning the characteristics of MSDs, We have inspected characteristics of the user population (i.e. age, gender, employed periods, etc.). Secondly, work-related risk factors such as repetitive motions, awkward postures, manual material handling were analyzed in terms of disease code, injured part of body, types of business, etc. Next, characteristics of handling of heavy materials were analyzed according to weight, types of handling, agency of cause, etc. Finally, we have compared and analyzed the features between the period of hospitalization and other variables. In addition to that we also conducted statistics analysis. The study results showed that there were significant characteristics of MSDs that could be used as basis data for the MSDs prevention policy.