• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.108-113
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• 2021

Background: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between changes in employment status and new-onset depressive symptoms through a one-year follow-up of permanent waged workers. Methods: We analyzed the open-source data from the Korea Welfare Panel Study. Using the 2017 data, we selected 2,314 permanent waged workers aged 19 to 59 years without depressive symptoms as a base group. The final analysis targeted 2,073 workers who were followed up in 2018. In 2018, there were five categories of employment status for workers who were followed up: permanent, precarious, unemployed, self-employed, and economically inactive. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the association between employment status change and new-onset depressive symptoms. Results: Adjusted multiple logistic regression analysis showed that among male workers, workers who went from permanent status to being unemployed (odds ratio: 4.50, 95% confidence interval: 1.19 to 17.06) and from permanent status to being precarious workers (odds ratio: 3.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.30 to 7.65) had significantly high levels of new-onset depressive symptoms compared with those who retained their permanent employment status. There were no significant increases in new-onset depressive symptoms of male workers who went from permanent status to being self-employed or economically inactive. On the other hand, no significant differences were found among female workers. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the change of employment status to precarious workers or unemployment can cause new-onset depressive symptoms in male permanent waged workers.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.180-188
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the health status between foreign workers and native workers and to examine the influencing factors of health status of foreign and native workers. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of the data collected from the 3rd (2011) Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS). The sample included 101 foreign workers and 101 native workers matched by age and gender. Results: The difference in health status between foreign workers and native workers was not statistically significant. The most commonly complained health problem of foreign workers was muscle pain of the upper limbs. Among foreign workers, hazard exposure, coworker support and supervisor support were significant predictors of health status. Among native workers, income level and obesity were significant predictors of health status. Conclusion: For health management and health promotion of foreign workers, employers and health providers need to establish coworker supporting systems in workplace and improvement strategies of work environment. Particularly, they must pay closer attention to management of foreign workers' musculoskeletal disorder.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.472-481
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study were to compare working condition, socioeconomic status, and health status between elderly and non-elderly workers and to examine the influencing factors of health status according to age groups. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of data extracted from the 2014 Korean Working Conditions Survey. For the present analysis, 15,980 elderly workers over the age of 55 and 32,037 non-elderly workers under the age of 55 were selected. Results: The prevalence of subjective unhealthy status and poor mental health were significantly higher among the elderly workers than the non-elderly workers. The elderly workers were more likely to have lower level of education and income than the non-elderly workers. They also reported less support from colleagues and managers, however, have more decision authority. Among the elderly workers, long working hours, awkward posture, physical environmental risks, quantitative demand, decision authority, social support, age discrimination, education level, and income level were significant predictors of subjective health status or mental health. Conclusion: For keeping elderly workers healthy and productive, work environment needs to become more age-friendly. An age-friendly workplace may include: accommodative support, workers' participation, minimization of environment risk, etc.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.346-355
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was aimed to examine the effect of employment status upon the subjective health status. Methods: The data of the study were from the 11th Korean Labor Panel Data, obtained by using a face to face interview method. These data were analyzed by ANOVA, t-test and multiple regression using the SPSS program. Results: There was a significant, statistical difference on the subjective health status according to employment status. The subjective health status of non-regular workers was lower than that of the regular workers. The significant predictors of the subjective health status of all subjects were economic status, age, gender, education, marital status, drinking, employment status, and egular work time. The significant predictors of the subjective health status of workers were age, economic status, gender, and education. The significant predictors of the subjective health status of non-regular workers were age, economic status, marital status, gender, education, and regular work time. Conclusion: These results indicate an association between the subjective health status and employment status. The subjective health status may be affected by instability of temporary employment. The additional research to clarify the role of employment instability is recommended. Research on social policy to resolve health inequalities is recommended.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.47-58
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• 1989

This study was undertaken to investigate whether the stress caused by day/night shifts on industrial workers can be affected through nutritional status. A sample of 573 female industrial workers, aged 17 through 23 years, from 4 different industries (2 in normal, 2 in 3 shift work pattern) were surveyed by questionaire examining their nutritional status, food intake, dietary habit, sleep complaint, performance of digestive organs, and degree of fatigue. Shift workers were surveyed during night work. The results are summarized as follows: 1. Sleep complaints and degree of fatigue in shift workers were higher than normal workers, whereas the performance of digestive organs were as lower than normal workers. These results showed that shift workers were more stressed than normal workers. 2. The workers who were surveyed were all poor in nutritional status. The intakes of calorie, protein, Ca, riboflavin, and ascorbic acid were lower than Korean Recommanded Dietary Allowences (RDA). Dietary habit of the shift workers was irregular. 3. There was a negative correlation between nutritional status and degrss of fatigue. The intakes of energy nutrients, ascorbic acid, and niain were significantly related to the degree of fatigue in which protein intake was found to be most influential. Among workers with the same level of protein intake, shift workers showed higher degree of fatigue. When the protein intake of shift workers was 100-125% of R.D.A., they showed the same degree of fatigue to the average normal workers.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.773-781
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• 2007

The objective of this study was to investigate the nutritional and health status of women industrial workers by working fields. One hundred forty eight (105 lead and 43 office) workers were recruited from March 2005 to October 2005. Information on age, education, smoking and drinking status were collected using questionnaire and nutrient intake and diet quality of workers were assessed by average of two-day 24 hr recall method. Biochemical indexes including blood lead level (PbB), indexes for iron status, serum calcium (Ca) and serum lipid profiles were analyzed from fasting venous blood or serum. Results showed that education level of lead workers was lower than that of office workers (p<0.05), but nutrient intake levels were not significantly different by working fields. Overall nutritional status of the subject were good except for calcium, vitamin $B_2$, C and folic acid intakes. PbB of lead workers were significantly higher than that of office workers while mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and serum Ca levels were significantly lower in lead workers. MCHC was positively correlated with zinc intake (r=0.166) and serum Ca was positively correlated with vitamin C intake (r=0.179). This study confirms that lead workers need extra care to keep their health and nutritional management especially for the nutrients known to interact with lead. Tailored nutrition education for workers at specific working fields needs to be more focused for the improvement of health status of industrial workers.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.191-201
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study were to investigate the health status and to identify the influencing factors on health status by gender among service workers. Method: Data were collected from the self-reported survey of 781 service workers in sales, food & lodging industry. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression analysis using SPSS Win 10.0. Result: The influencing factors of male workers' health status were job satisfaction, standing hour during work time, physical work environment, job demand and family support. The influencing factors of female workers' health status were job satisfaction, emotional labor, physical work environment, regular exercise, standing hour during work time, social support and age. Conclusion: Gender specific occupational Health program for service workers should be developed in consideration of these influencing factors.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.363-371
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of information regarding health and safety risks on the subjective health status of workers using data from the Fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey. Methods: Among the survey respondents, 30,094 people classified as salaried workers, of which 8,513 (28.3%) used protective equipment. Results: Although the majority of workers using protective equipment reported being well-informed about safety and health risks, 15% of them were still insufficiently informed. Multivariate analyses have shown that the subjective health status of workers using protective equipment was significantly better if they received sufficient information. When the workers using protective equipment were classified by the kinds of hazards they were exposed to, the satisfaction of information was also significantly beneficial for the subjective health status of all groups. However, in workers who did not use protective equipment, information satisfaction did not appear to be a significant factor. Conclusion: These results suggest that when providing information on safety and health risks, it is necessary to focus on workers using protective equipment, for whom the effects of the policy are clearly expected.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.622-635
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the level of job stress and health status and find out factors affecting the health status among circulation enterprise workers. Method: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The subjects were 128 workers whose mean age was 33.2 years. Korean occupational stress questionnaire Short Form was used to measure job stress. Todai Heath Index that was made by Aoki in 1977 and translated by Kim(1997) was used to measure the health status. Results: The total job stress scores of men and woman fell in the lower 50% of Korean workers. Job autonomy and interpersonal conflicts as a subcategories fell in upper level 50% in both men and women and job insecurity fell in the upper level 50% in women. The mean score of health status was 51.47, indicating slightly higher frequency of complains of health symptoms. There was no significant correlation between total job stress and total health status. Finally, factors influencing the health status were organizational system and age. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it is necessary to develop comprehensive stress management programs including interventions of personal and organizational levels for promoting workers' health.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.41-54
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• 2001

This study was designed to assess the relationship between occupational stress and health status in a study group of 197 workers employed in four newspaper publishing companies, using a self-adminstrative questionnaire. The types of occupation of them were reporters(79), clerical workers(54), and engineers (64). The studies on workers' health have been focused mainly on the physical, chemical, and biological diseases in our country. Therefore, the study of mental health, especially of occupational stress, is to be carried out. I consider stress as a factor having an effect on the health status of the newspaper employees, who have been well known to have high stress due to time pressures. I expect that this research will be helpful not only for understanding of health status by occupation, but also for making clear the issues that have been raised continuously from the previous researches. The results of this study are as follows; 1. The mean values of stress by occupation were statistically significant; the reporters had the highest stress symptom scores, and the engineers had the lowest levels of stress. The mean values of stress symptoms were higher in the workers who had long working hours. 2. The health status by occupation showed significant differences in gastrointestinal systems and in depression. The clerical workers were healthier than the engineers in gastrointestinal systems, and the reporters were more depressed than the engineers in depression. 3. The health status by the general characteristics, there was a statistical significance as for a gender, marital status, and absenteeism in the gastrointestinal systems. The men, the married, and the workers who had not been absent were more healthy. Only absenteeism had an effect on the problems in optical-dermal systems and in oro-fecal systems. Gender, marital status, absenteeism, and working hours were related with health status : the men. the married, the workers who had not been absent, and the workers who had longer working hours were more healthy. In mental stability, gender had a significant effect : the men were more healthy than the women. In general condition, the men, the older, the married, and the workers who had not been absent were more healthy. 4. Stress level had an effect on the health status in the respiratory systems, optical-dermal systems, oro-fecal system, depression, mental stability, general condition, and health condition. The workers who perceived more stress had more problems in their health status. 5. In the results of the multiple regression analyses, age in the respiratory systems, absenteeism in the optical-dermal systems, occupation and absenteeism in the gastrointestinal systems and in the oro-fecal systems, gender in depression and in mental stability, gender, age, absenteeism, and working hours in the general condition, absenteeism in the health condition had an effect on the health status of the workers.