• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.131-139
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the changes in stress, occupational stress, and subjective health problems of novice female nurses within the first 18 months of work. Methods: This was a longitudinal study conducted with a secondary data analysis based on the Shift Work Nurse's Health and Turnover (SWNHT) study. The participants were 178 female novice nurses who participated in all 3 data collection activities (on the first day of orientation before ward placement [T0], 6 months after work [T1], and 18 months after work [T2]). The stress, occupational stress, 8 subjective health problems (upper musculoskeletal pain, leg/foot discomfort, depression, anxiety or emotional disorder, sleep disturbance, headache, gastrointestinal disorder, menstrual disorder, and others), and the greatest health problem during the study period were measured, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 to obtain descriptive statistics. Results: The subjective health of novice female nurses were found to be poor at T1 compared to T0 on both physical (upper musculoskeletal pain, leg/foot discomfort, and sleep disturbance) and psychological health problems (depression and stress). However, the psychological health problems of the participants were alleviated at T2 whereas; physical health problems persisted until T2. Conclusion: Novice nurses had poor health problems 6 months after work. Sleep disturbance and musculoskeletal pain persisted although other health problems such as depression and stress were alleviated over the period. Strategies to prevent and manage different health problems of novice female nurses at different work duration are urgently needed.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.394-400
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• 2022

Background: Impacts of exposure are generally monitored and recorded after injuries or illness occur. Yet, absence of conventional after-the-effect impacts (i.e., lagging indicators), tend to focus on physical health and injuries, and fail to inform if workers are not exposed to safety and health hazards. In contrast to lagging indicators, leading indicators are proactive, preventive, and predictive indexes that offer insights how effective safety and health. The present study is to validate an extended Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) that consists of six leading indicators. Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to 13 organizations (response rate = 93.1%, 1,439 responses) in Taiwan. Cronbach α, multiple linear regression and canonical correlation were used to test the reliability of the extended Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) which consists of six leading indicators (safe climate, transformational leadership, organizational justice, organizational support, hazard prevention and control, and training). Criteria-related validation strategy was applied to examine relationships of six leading indicators with six criteria (perceived health, burnout, depression, job satisfaction, job performance, and life satisfaction). Results: The results showed that the Cronbach's α of six leading indicators ranged from 0.87 to 0.92. The canonical correlation analysis indicated a positive correlation between the six leading indicators and criteria (1st canonical function: correlation = 0.647, square correlation = 0.419, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The present study validates the extended VPP framework that focuses on promoting safety and physical and mental health. Results further provides applications of the extended VPP framework to promote workers' safety and health.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2024

Background: The present study aimed to analyze several aspects of the working conditions and health status of platform workers in the Republic of Korea, such as ergonomic and emotional hazards. We also compared the health status of the platform workers with that of the general population. Methods: A total of 1,000 platform workers participated in this survey from August 7 to August 17, 2022. The participants included 400 designated drivers, 400 food-delivery drivers, and 200 housekeeping managers. A face-to-face survey with a structured questionnaire was conducted by researchers who had received specific instructions. The focus of the survey extended to the work environment, encompassing factors such as workplace violence, as well as physical, chemical, and ergonomic hazards. Health-related data for the previous year were also collected, covering a range of issues such as hearing problems, skin problems, musculoskeletal symptoms, headaches, injuries, mental health issues, and digestive problems. Subsequently, we compared the health symptom data of the responders with those of the general population in the Republic of Korea. Results: Platform workers, including designated drivers, food-delivery drivers, and housekeeping managers, existed in the blind spot of social insurance, facing frequent exposure to physical and chemical hazards, ergonomic risk factors, and direct or indirect violence. The prevalence of health problems, including musculoskeletal symptoms, general fatigue, and depressive symptoms, in each occupational group was statistically higher than that in the general population after standardization for age and gender. Conclusion: The results revealed unfavorable working environment and inferior occupational health of platform workers compared with those of the general population.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.433-444
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• 2018

This study aims to examine the screening rate of health screening of the disabled by screening the data of disability and health statistics of the National Health Insurance Corporation, to suggest the problems of health examination and the future improvement measures, and also to review the type of health management of the disabled based on the results of health examination interview. As people with limited daily life or social life for a long time because of their physical/psychological disabilities in accordance with the Article2 of , out of 2,479,080 registered people with disabilities on the basis of December 31st 2015, the research subjects were limited to people with disabilities who participated in the health screening and health type for presenting the opinions about policies. In conclusion, regarding the health screening for the disabled, first, it would be necessary to collect the opinions from people with disabilities in order to prepare the health screening service suitable for them. Second, it would be needed to develop the health screening items for each type of disability and severity. Third, it would be necessary to consider the medical equipments and amenities of health examination for the disabled. Fourth, there should be the securement of manpower and education for service providers. Fifth, the mobility right of the disabled should be secured. Regarding the health type of the disabled, first, the expert consultative group in each area should be composed for the health enhancement of the disabled. Second, it would be necessary to screening the current status of health enhancement programs for the disabled and operating facilities. Third, the Central Health Medical Center for the Disabled, shown in the law on the securement of health rights & medical accessibility of the disabled should develop the standardized health enhancement programs for each disability type and severity. After examining the contents of health examination and health type of the disabled, the opinions about policies were suggested. Thus, in the future, there should be more detailed researches based on the tasks suggested by this study, and also the causal relations between health of the disabled and relevant programs should be continuously revealed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.64-75
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of satisfaction in neighborhood park environments located in the Changwon-si of Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, on physical activity, the number of parks used for health improvement, and health levels based on Body Mass Index(BMI). Accordingly, a survey was conducted of 429 nearby residents and users of eight neighborhood parks located in urban areas of Seongsan-gu and Uichang-gu in the Changwon-si. The correlation between the environmental perception of neighborhood parks and physical activity and health, which was observed in the survey results, was analyzed using one-by-one linear regression analysis. By summarizing the study results, it was found that the primary reasons for avoiding park use were lack of time, time and effort required to reach the park(i.e., distance from the park), and lack of facilities within the park. Conversely, the primary reasons for using the park included accessibility, walking or strolling, leisure facilities, trees or shade, and diversity in exercise areas. In the case of park users, walking or strolling was the most common activity in the park. On average, park users walked to the parks for 10 minutes and exercised for an hour at least twice per week. With respect to the physical environment of the parks and surrounding areas, park users showed a high level of satisfaction with the distance between their houses and parks and the street environment. On the contrary, they exhibited low levels of satisfaction with water spaces and sightseeing within the parks. Subsequently, it was shown that the number of people using the parks for physical activities and health improvement was positively influenced(within a 5% significance level) by the intent to use the park for exercise, time spent in the park, satisfaction with park use and health improvement, distance to the park, and the convenience of using the park for the elderly. However, only the health improvement gained from park use was found to exhibit a correlation with BMI at the 10% significance level. Continuous accumulation of practical case studies on physical activities in parks and their health improvement effects is required. Through this, park spaces that are under the threat of reduction or elimination owing to various development plans can be conserved and expanded. Furthermore, such case studies can be used to provide data as the basis for deriving park plans and designs that improve parks' functions as sites of physical activity and health improvement.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.246-257
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of physical health status and social support on depression and quality of life among the elderly in G City. This is a descriptive research study of 497 elderly residents in 45 senior citizen centers in G city; the data were collected from March 5 to 30, 2018. Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS/win 24.0 program by t-test, ANOVA and multiple regression analysis. In physical health status, the chronic disease score was $1.35{\pm}0.91$, the functional status score was $1.80{\pm}4.45$, and the subjective health score was $3.14{\pm}1.13$. The average score for social support in the emotional network was $5.71{\pm}1.13$. In the sub-region of the social network, the score for frequency of contact with relatives was $2.92{\pm}1.31$, that for contact with friends was $3.18{\pm}0.98$, and that for social participation was $0.68{\pm}0.82$. In the multiple regression analysis of factors affecting depression and quality of life, the explanatory power of physical health status and quality of life was 45.5% and 21.1%, respectively. The explanatory power of depression based on social support and quality of life was 46.7% and 27.5%, respectively. This study indicates that physical health status and social support affect depression and quality of life. Therefore, programs should be developed to increase the physical health status and social support and thus improve the quality of life of the elderly in the community.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 1996

Body position is known to have an effect on vital capacity(VC). The purpose of this study was to examine effect on VC of posture, sex and smoking, and the difference between predicted and measured values of VC. VC was measured in the standing and the $30^{\circ}$ head-down position in 40 healthy subjects (20 men and 20 women) in a random order of testing. When subjects changed from standing to head-down position, this VC decreased by 19.9%. In both positions, VC changes in men were significantly larger than in women. No statistically significant difference was found in men who smoked. There was no difference between the predicted and measured values in men. But measured values were larger than predicted values in women. Because VC can decrease by 19.9% in the head-down position due to the effect of gravity, attention should be paid especially to patients who are placed in the head-down position for postural drainage since they already have a decreased VC.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.240-248
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was done to identify the influence of workplace violence on anger and post traumatic stress disorder among nurses. Methods: The research design for this study was a descriptive survey design using a random sampling. Data collection was done using self-questionnaire with 477 nurses. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, ${\chi}^2$-test and logistics regression. Results: The incidences of total violence, verbal, physical, and sexual violence were 31.2%, 28.7%, 6.3%, 3.6% of the nurses, respectively. Anger was significantly associated with verbal violence (OR: 2.34, CI: 1.40~3.91) and physical violence (OR:4.85 CI: 1.67~14.13). Post traumatic stress disorder was significantly associated with verbal violence (OR: 15.99, CI: 9.58~26.69) and physical violence (OR: 5.37, CI: 1.66~17.40). Conclusion: To promote psychological health in nurses, there is a need to develop prevention programs to decrease workplace violence and to develop programs supporting psychological aspects of verbal violence that nurses experience.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.135-148
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• 2013

The aim of this study is to analyze affecting factor on the job finding stress of university students majoring occupational therapy. We collected data for 7days from 12 to 19 July, 2012. This study was surveyed 270 university students majoring occupational therapy was located in the Pusan and South Kyungnam region. It was found that mean score of the job find stress was $2.12{\pm}0.57$. There was statistically significant difference in the physical symptom, depression, anxiety and sub-domain on the job finding stress by gender, age, the economic status, region of birth, the state of employment, employment determinants, job finding stress relief, advice for job finding(p<0.05). From the multiple regression analysis, it was found that affecting factor on the job finding stress was personal characteristics, job related characteristics, stress relief characteristics, physical symptom, depression, anxiety which was statistically significant difference(p<0.05). As a result, we could know that they must relieve the physical symptom, depression and anxiety for lowering job finding stress of university student majoring occupational student.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.67-73
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• 2011

Objectives: To examine the overview of fatigue-related health conditions in the Korean general population. Methods: Data were collected from 2,203 adults (1,126 men and 1,077 women) via a self-reporting questionnaire and their sleeping, exercise, stress, physical problems, use of functional food, and fatigue status were analyzed. Results: The average sleeping hours was about $6.6{\pm}2.0$ hrs per day, and 24.3% of subjects didn't exercise (over 30 min) in a week. Around 16.5% of subjects were under severe stress, and 46.1% (36.9% male vs. 55.6% female) had had trouble with at least one form of physical distress including dyspepsia, headache or muscular pain. 45.4% (37.2% male vs. 53.9% female) of subjects used functional supplements. 46.3% (42.8% male vs. 50.0% female) of subjects complained of chronic fatigue, and they were significantly different compared with no-fatigue subjects regarding severe stress status (8.6% vs. 24.0%), frequency of physical distress (33.2% vs. 69.9%), and use of functional supplements (41.6% vs. 49.8%). Conclusion: This result first reports the features of fatigue-related health conditions including prevalence of chronic fatigue in the Korean population. This data could be helpful to develop fatigue-focused traditional Korean medicine in the future.