• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.46 no.1
• /
• pp.39-49
• /
• 2013

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and factors related to daily activities in a representative Korean population. Methods: This study was based on the questions about musculoskeletal symptoms in the Korean General Social Survey 2010. The questionnaire about musculoskeletal symptoms was adopted from Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency guide, and it includes general characteristics, characteristics of pain, work type, work intensity and a 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). We utilized the criteria of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to define the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms. Demographic, behavioral and socioeconomic factors were analyzed using logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms was 38.3%. The prevalence was higher in females, the elderly, those without health insurance, and those with a low income, low education, and occupations with a heavy workload. The prevalence by body part was highest in the back, shoulder, and knee, in that order. The physical component summary and mental component summary of the SF-12 decreased with increasing musculoskeletal symptoms. Conclusions: Musculoskeletal symptoms are very common in the general population, and related to various socio-demographic factors. These results suggest that active prevention and management of musculoskeletal symptoms is needed at a national level.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.223-235
• /
• 2010

Purpose: This study was done to investigate the prevalence of job stress and musculoskeletal symptoms, and to identify the factors that affect work-related musculoskeletal symptoms of the 119 Emergency medical technicians (EMT). Method: From August 26 to September 10, 2010, the data were obtained from 456 EMT working in Daejeon city or Choongnam province. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression were performed using SAS version 9.1. Results: Physical environment, job demand, interpersonal conflict, and occupational climate were stressful to 119 EMT. The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms of female EMT was higher than those of the male EMT's. After gender and age were adjusted, there ware significant relationships between musculoskeletal symptoms and some risk factors including occupational class, hours of intensive musculoskeletal use, previous injury or work-related injury, physical burden, and job stress. Overall, a higher degree of job stress increased musculoskeletal symptoms. Conclusion: Job stress is a major cause of musculoskeletal symptoms. To prevent and manage musculoskeletal disease of 119 EMT, there is a need to develop a management program for musculoskeletal symptoms to reduce occupational stress, considering gender differences.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.11-21
• /
• 2004

Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine prevalence and related factors of musculoskeletal symptoms in electronics assembly line workers. Method: A questionnaire survey was performed on 350 workers in In-chon city. The questionnaire consisted of questions on the general characteristics, work duration, working hours, hobby activity hours, housekeeping activity hours and standardized descriptions of NOISH on musculoskeletal symptoms. Result: Complaint rates of musculoskeletal symptoms by anatomical site were as follows: shoulder, 67% : neck, 40.4% : waist, 28.7% : wrist and hand, 27.1% : foot and leg, 14.4% : arm and elbow, 11.2%. Significantly higher prevalence of shoulder musculoskeletal symptom was found women than men, married than unmarried, less than 1hours housekeeping activity than over 1hours housekeeping activity. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified gender, marital status and housekeeping activity as the main affecting factors for shoulder musculoskeletal symptoms. Conclusions: The most prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms was shoulder site. It was higher in married women and over 1hours housekeeping activity in a day. It is recommended that married women should be reduce housekeeping activity time.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.311-320
• /
• 2010

This study aimed to examine the development and characteristics of the workers with upper limb musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders and to analyze the upper limb musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders for its relationship with the individual socio-demographic characteristics. This study investigated the effect on the limitations of physical activities using standardized surveillance tool and clinical diagnosis. Musculoskeletal symptoms and the limitations of physical activities were examined. The clinical diagnosis of musculoskeletal disorders were carried out by physical examination, radiological examination and electromyography-electroneuronography for 22 workers in kitchen hood assembly process and 50 workers in toggle process of leather product manufacturing. The proportion of workers with musculoskeletal disorders was higher and the DASH score was also statistically higher in female and aged workers with longer working hours, longer household working hours, less leisure/hobby activity and higher physical load. Physical activities component score increased in the following order: workers in normal health, workers with musculoskeletal symptoms, and workers with musculoskeletal disorders as clinically diagnosed. Score for each DASH component increased in the following order: sports/performing arts ability, social activities, specific physical functional activities, work or other regular daily activities, work ability, psychological activities, insomnia and upper limb symptoms. The overall and each component DASH scores were higher in workers with symptoms of status praesens and of more severity, and receiving medical intervention. Musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders are associated with individual socio-demographic characteristics, and DASH score for physical activities of upper limb was higher in workers with musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders have a remarkable epidemiological significance for physical activities, social activities, work or other regular daily activities, upper limb symptoms and insomnia, where work ability, sports/performing arts ability and preventive measure is needed.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
• /
• v.12 no.5
• /
• pp.897-908
• /
• 2012

Objectives : This study was purposed to estimate prevalence of upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms, level of occupational stress and their relationship among dental hygienists. Methods : This questionnaire study was performed during May to October 2010 with 317 dental hygienists worked in Busan and Gyeongsangnam-do recruited as study population. The occupational stress and upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms were accessed using questionnaire of the Korean Occupational Stress Scale and musculoskeletal symptoms from the Korea Occupational Safety Health Agency. Data analysis was performed with the descriptive analysis, chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression analysis using SPSS(ver 19.0K)program. Results : The prevalence of upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and the level of occupational stress were 79.2% and $52.67{\pm}4.86$ in dental hygienists. By multiple logistic regression analysis, job insecurity(OR=2.86, 95% CI: 1.38-5.94 in stress high risk group; reference-stress low risk group) and organizational system(OR=3.32, 95% CI: 1.55-7.08 in stress high risk group; reference-stress low risk group) were associated with upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms in dental hygienists. Conclusions : The overall prevalence of upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and level of occupational stress in dental hygienists were relatively high and some sub-scales of occupational stress were related with upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms. Not only previously reported risk factors of musculoskeletal symptoms but also occupational stress should consider to prevent and improve upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms in dental hygienists.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.113-120
• /
• 2013

This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of smartphone usage and posture of users during using smartphone. A survey was conducted for 983 smartphone users to understand the association between smartphone usage and including subjective symptoms associated with musculoskeletal disorders. Main results from the survey were as follows; 1) 18.8% of the subjects experienced musculoskeletal symptoms at least at one of body parts. Specifically, 8.1%, 5.6%, 4.1%, and 11.3% of the subjects experienced musculoskeletal symptoms at neck, shoulder, elbow, and hand respectively, 2) The symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders were also associated with amount of text message and time for daily usage of smartphone. Specifically, relative risks of musculoskeletal disorders at hand/wrist/fingers in terms of "amount of text message" and "time for daily usage" for experienced user were 1.425 and 1.368 respectively to inexperienced user. This study identified 'amount of text message' and 'time for daily usage' as the major risk factors of smartphone usage in terms of musculoskeletal symptoms. The results of the study provided a good basis in order to remove or reduce the risks associated with musculoskeletal symptoms due to smartphone usage.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.410-419
• /
• 2007

Purpose: This study is a descriptive survey to find out musculoskeletal symptoms in care workers working at medical welfare facilities for elders and factors affecting such symptoms. Methods: Data were collected from 115 care workers selected through convenient sampling from 6 medical welfare facilities in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do during the period from May 15th to May 19th. 2006. The Korean version of Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) were used. Result: Of the subjects, 81.7% complained of musculoskeletal symptoms in two or more parts of their body. The frequency of body parts with musculoskeletal symptoms was high in order of shoulder, leg/foot, waist, neck/hand/wrist/finger and arm/elbow. The average job insecurity instability in the age group of 50-59 was 9.19, the average degree of regular exercise was 59.68. and the average job demand in those diagnosed with musculoskeletal diseases was 47.06, and the average job demand in those wounded during exercise or by an accident was 47.78, and all these were statistically significant. The heavier physical load in their work was, the higher their complaint of musculoskeletal symptoms was. In the lower social support group, the degree of complaint on musculoskeletal symptoms was remarkably high. Conclusion: The physical load of their duty and social support worked as the factors affecting musculoskeletal symptoms in care workers.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.270-280
• /
• 2009

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the relationship between job stress and work-related musculoskeletal symptoms of hospital nurses. Method: The questionnaires were administered to 290 nurses working in a general hospital located in S city from September 1 to 15, 2008. The data were analysed with descriptive statistics, and logistic regression test by SPSS WIN 14.0. Results: With the NIOSH criteria 1, the musculoskeletal symptoms were prevalent in 66.8% of the subjects. The musculoskeletal symptoms by body parts appeared mostly on leg/foot(40.6%) and followed by shoulder (38.7%), waist(30.3%), neck(23.6%), hand/wrist/finger(14.0%) and arm/elbow(4.4%). There were statistically significant differences in prevalence rate of musculoskeletal symptoms by age, work department, career and job stress. Conclusion: When developing a management program for musculoskeletal symptoms of hospital nurses, it is necessary to fully understand nurses' work considering each hospital's nursing administration system.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.164-170
• /
• 2005

Purpose: The present study attempted to find subjective musculoskeletal symptoms of operating room nurses (OR nurses) and then to use them as basic data for prevention and management of musculoskeletal symptoms of OR nurses. Method: This study was an exploratory research, and data were collected from OR nurses working in 8 polyclinics in Korea from July 26 to August 19, 2004, using a self-report questionnaire. The questionnaire contains items concerned with subjective musculoskeletal symptoms include ones with the presence of symptoms and with the degree of discomfort, in the joints such as neck, shoulder, arm/elbow, hand/wrist/finger and waist. For data collection, the aim of the study was explained to the operating room managers to obtain their help, and these questionnaires were sent to hospitals, and were retrieved by post. 271(90.3%) questionnaires were returned among those sent to 300 nurses. 249 questionnaires excluding 22 insufficient ones such as no response were used for data analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS WIN 12.0. Subjective musculoskeletal symptoms were analyzed in the number and percentage. Result: 187(75.1%) nurses said they 'had' subjective musculoskeletal symptoms and 62 (24.9%) said they had 'nothing'. 130(52.2%), 125 (50.2%), 113 (45.4%), 86(34.5%), and 42 (16.9%) nurses had subjective musculoskeletal symptoms in waist, shoulder, hand/wrist/finger, neck, and arm/elbow, respectively. 51(27.3%) and 136 (72.7%) nurses complained of the pain in one site, and in two or more sites, respectively. In particular, 51% and 47.4% nurses said that they were 'discomforted' due to the pain in waist and in shoulder, respectively. Conclusion: Subjective musculoskeletal symptoms which OR nurses complained of were significant. This may cause difficulty in nursing tasks in the operating room. So various arrangements have to be made for OR nurse with subjective musculoskeletal symptoms at an early stage.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.33-40
• /
• 2016

Objectives: The study aimed to determine the prevalence of and the relationship between stress and musculoskeletal symptoms among undergraduate students. Methods: The convenience sampling method was used for this cross-sectional survey that was conducted from June 16, 2014 to June 21, 2014. A total of 223 subjects (88 men, 135 women) participated in the study and completed a comprehensive self-administered questionnaire requesting information on demographics, medical history, lifestyle, and musculoskeletal symptoms. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) was also administered to the subjects. A total of 223 subjects from 12 universities completed the questionnaires; the data obtained was used for the final statistical analysis. Results: Women had a higher prevalence of stress and musculoskeletal symptoms. Adjusting for sex and age, subjects who were stressed had a 2.85-fold higher risk of musculoskeletal symptoms than subjects who were not stressed. Stratified analyses by sex also showed that women had a higher risk of musculoskeletal symptoms (Modified OR 2.98, 95% CI 1.38-6.45). Conclusions: We found a positive association between stress and musculoskeletal symptoms in undergraduate students; sex differences were present. Further dose-response relationship between stress and musculoskeletal symptoms will be identified by a longitudinal study with a larger sample size.