• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.66-74
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• 2024

Purpose: This study evaluates the effectiveness of providing frailty prevention services by living support workers through a case of community resource connection centered on living support workers to revitalize frailty prevention programs for vulnerable elderly people. Methods: This is a research study using secondary data from a neighborhood health-sharing project among the integrated health promotion projects of one public health center in Daegu Metropolitan City. To assess frailty effects pre-assessments were conducted in August, and post-assessments were conducted in November. Frailty was measured using a 20-item frailty instrument used in home healthcare projects. Data were analyzed using the chi-square, independent t-test, and paired t-test. Results: Preliminary measurements showed that older elderly had higher frailty scores than younger elderly. However, among the elderly aged 75 or older the total frailty score decreased statistically significantly from 5.97 points to 5.30 points (t=3.03, p=.003). Conclusion: The older elderly showed greater effect of frailty prevention than the younger elderly.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.200-207
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• 2024

Background: Workers are often exposed to hazardous heat due to their work environment, leading to various injuries. As a result of climate change, heat-related injuries (HRIs) are becoming more problematic. This study aims to identify critical contributing factors to the severity of occupational HRIs. Methods: This study analyzed historical injury reports from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Contributing factors to the severity of HRIs were identified using text mining and model-free machine learning methods. The Multinomial Logit Model (MNL) was applied to explore the relationship between impact factors and the severity of HRIs. Results: The results indicated a higher risk of fatal HRIs among middle-aged, older, and male workers, particularly in the construction, service, manufacturing, and agriculture industries. In addition, a higher heat index, collapses, heart attacks, and fall accidents increased the severity of HRIs, while symptoms such as dehydration, dizziness, cramps, faintness, and vomiting reduced the likelihood of fatal HRIs. Conclusions: The severity of HRIs was significantly influenced by factors like workers' age, gender, industry type, heat index , symptoms, and secondary injuries. The findings underscore the need for tailored preventive strategies and training across different worker groups to mitigate HRIs risks.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.115-129
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to examine the actual dental hygiene status of workers in cement industry in an effort to serve as a basis for enhancing their dental hygiene. The subjects in this study were 420 laborers from the cities of Curi, Donghae and Samcheok who handled cement. As a result of conducting a survey, the following findings were given : l. The workers investigated found their working environment satisfactory, getting a mean score of 323. They also expressed a high job satisfaction with a mean score of 333. 2. They didn't have a big interest in oral health. By age group, those who were aged between 36 and 40, or who cared less about health management, showed a higher interest in oral health. Besides, the laborers who kept smoking for a longer period, or who drunk more, expressed greater interest. 3. The toothbrushing method was considered most important for periodontal health, by 45.0% of the workers, and the next most crucial one was regular dental examination, followed by refraining from smoking and staying away from sweet food in the order named. 4. Concerning daily mean toothbrushing frequency, 455% brushed their teeth three times a day on the average. More than half them didn't pay enough attention to toothbrushing. 5. Regarding scaling, the large number of the workers, 42.4%, had no experience to get their teeth scaled, 37.6%, the greatest percentage, didn't have their teeth scaled because it seemed to make their teeth painful or cold. 6. As fororal health education experience, 67.6%, the great number of them, had no experience to receive dental health education. The above-mentioned findings suggest that the cement-related workers generally neglected dental health management. They should be encouraged to correct their wrong oral health knowledge or habit to make their oral cavity more healthy. To make it happen, it's required to provide oral health education and promote organized dental health projects.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.328-333
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• 2009

The average sodium intake of Koreans was reported to be 5,279.9 mg/day, which is one of the highest intake levels worldwide. The average Koreans intake 19.6% of sodium from kimchi, showing kimchi as the main contributor of sodium in this country (Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2005). The sodium content of dishes that are frequently chosen by workers, and which were served by foodservice cafeterias were chemically analyzed. The average sodium content of one meal provided by 10 foodservice cafeterias was 2,777.7 mg. Twenty-one, one-dish-meals, frequently chosen by workers for a lunch menu, were collected at 4 different restaurants for each menu by one male, aged in the twenties and analyzed chemically also. Workers who eat lunch at a workplace cafeteria everyday could intake about 8 g of salt at a one-time meal and those who eat out for a one-dish-meal would intake 3-8 g of salt without counting sodium content from the side dishes. From these study results, one could estimate that over 10 g of salt could be possible for a single meal for workers who eat out everyday. A nationwide nutrition campaign and education for low salt diets for restaurant owners and foodservice providers should be seriously considered.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.28 no.2 s.50
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• pp.406-420
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• 1995

To study the health hazards and exposure status of manganese among female manganese workers, authors conducted airborne, blood and urine manganese concentration measurements, questionnaire and neurological examinations on 80 manganese-handling productive female workers(exposed group) in a manganese manufacturing facto in Pohang city and 127 productive female workers not handling manganese(control group) in other factories in the Pohang city. The results are; 1. Geometric mean concentrations of manganese in air and urine were $0.98mg/m^3\;and\;4.12{\mu}g/l$ and arithmetic mean concentration of manganese in blood was $6.94{\mu}g/dl$ in exposed group, significantly higher than those of control group(p<0.05). However, clinical and laboratory findings in exposed group were not statistically different from those of control group. 2. As age increase, positive rates of clinical symptoms also increased in the exposed group. However, in older aged group, the positive rates of symptoms and signs were statistically different from those of control group. We observed the same tendency in the positive rates of the neurological examinations. 3. There was statistically significant correlation between airborne and urine manganese concentrations(r=0.61, p<0.01) while there was no statistically significant correlation between airborne and blood manganese concentrations(r=0.29, p>0.05). The results suggest that urine manganese concentration was the best appropriate biomarker to estimate the exposure to manganese in respect to clinical symptoms and signs. In the analysis of correlation between urine and airborne manganese concentrations, it is required to adjust the present permissible exposure level(PEL) of airborne manganese.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.2802-2811
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• 2013

This study was conducted to provide basic data for improvement of oral health of workers, by investigating oral health behaviors of industrial workers. About sixty percent(60.9%) of subjects experienced in having dental examinations and 54.3% of them didn't receive follow-up treatments after the dental examinations. Also, those who brushed teeth twice per week(58.6%) and averagely, earned 2~3 million won of monthly income(p<.01), showed a higher frequency of tooth brushing. Experienced workers(p<.01) were more interested in oral health. Those who were engaged in other jobs and had less than 10~20 years of experience(p<.05), had lots of experience in staying away from work. More aged group recognized that oral health education is necessary(p<.05). The population of oral examination and health instruction may have a favorable impact on maintenance of oral health status and improvement in quality of life.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.443-448
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• 2005

Objectives : This study was done to evaluate the reliability of education and occupational class between using the health survey and the death certificate data. Methods : The 1998 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) was conducted on a cross-sectional probability sample of South Korean households, and it contained unique 13-digit personal identification numbers that were linked to the data on mortality from the Korean National Statistical Office. The data from 263 deaths were used to estimate the agreement rates and the Kappa indices of the education and occupational class between using the NHANES data and the death certificate data. Results : The simple and weighted Kappa indices for education were 0.60 (95% CI=0.53-0.68) and 0.73 (95% CI=0.67-0.79) respectively, if the educational level was grouped into five categories: no-formal-education, elementary-school, middle-school, high-school and college or over. The overall agreement rate was 71.9% for these educational groups. The magnitude of reliability, as measured by the overall agreement rates and Kappa indices, tended to increase with a decrease in the educational class. The number of non-educated people with using the death certificate data was smaller than that with using the NHANES data. For the occupational class (manual workers, non-manual workers and others), the Kappa index was 0.40 (95% CI=0.30-0.51), which was relatively lower than that for the educational class. Compared with the NHANES, the number of non-manual workers for the deceased who were aged 30-64 tended to be increased (8 to 12) when using the death certificate data, whereas the number of manual workers tended to be decreased (59 to 41). Conclusions : The socioeconomic inequalities in the mortality rates that were based on the previous unlinked studies in South Korea were not due to a numerator/denominator bias. The mortality rates for the manual workers and the no-education groups might have been underestimated.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.2 s.46
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• pp.242-257
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• 1994

In Korea, female workforce has reached more than 40% of total working population, but the effects of work on spontaneous abortion are yet to be examined. This study as conducted to investigate the occupational effects on spontaneous abortion. Medical insurance claim data were used to examine the effects of the employment status and industry of employment on spontaneous abortion. The study population was composed of females, aged $15{\sim}44$, who were the beneficiary of medical insurance in the month of June, 1993. The working females covered by medical insurance for industrial workers, had the highest age-adjusted Spontaneous Abortion rate (SAB rate=claim frequency of spontaneous abortion/claim frequency of complication of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium), 6.65% whereas female dependants of medical insurance for industrial workers had the lowest age-adjusted SAB rate, 4.54%. Among industrial workers, the workers in manufacturing industry had the highest age-adjusted Spontaneous Abortion ratio(SAB ratio=claim frequency of spontaneous abortion/claim frequency of completly normal delivery), 43.2/100 whereas those in financing and service industry had age-adjusted SAB ratio, 16.2/100 and 20.5/100, respectively. The results of the study suggest the adverse effect of manufacturing Industry on reproduction. Work environments such as chemical exposures, overwork, awkard posture, and job stress should be further studied for their effects on reproductive functions of female.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2020

Objective: Bidi is an inexpensive, low-processed, hand-rolled tobacco product. In Bangladesh, especially in Rangpur, tobacco farming and bidi processing are common. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of bidi making on children working in bidi factories. Methods: This qualitative(walk-through survey) and quantitative(questionnaire-based survey and a urine cotinine level quantitation) study was conducted in Rangpur, Bangladesh in 2017. Study population included child-workers aged ≤14 years who were regularly employed as bidi makers. Findings: The results of the walk-through survey revealed hazardous working environments at bidi factories. For the quantitative survey, 171 child-workers were categorized into "less-working"(<5 hours/day) and "more-working"(≥5 hours/day) groups; additionally, "forced-working"(forced into work by parents) and "voluntary-working"(working voluntarily) groups were delineated within the same population. In the logistic regression analysis, odds ratios(ORs) of respiratory symptoms and unusual absence(absent ≥5 days/month) were higher in the "more-working" group than in the "less-working" group(unusual absence: OR, 2.91; 95% confidence interval[CI], 1.43-5.94), and this association became higher in the "forced-working" group with longer working hours(OR, 5.68, 95%CI 2.30-14.00). Conclusions: Cheap, hand-rolled tobacco(bidi) is harmful to the health of bidi-making child-workers. Children in poverty bow to the demands of cheap labor and poverty and jeopardize their health and future prospects by working in bidi factories. Tobacco control policies should consider the social effects of tobacco beyond its biological effects.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.277-286
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• 2014

Purpose: In this study, I am going to figure out Korean workers' actual exposure to risk factors and percentage of the workers who complain of health problems by performing a comparative analysis of the characteristics of the workers and working conditions in Korea and EU. Methods: The data used in this study includes the $1^{st}$ working conditions survey conducted in 2006 in Korea, the $2^{nd}$ working conditions survey in 2010, the $4^{th}$ EU working conditions survey, and the $5^{th}$ EU working conditions survey. I have compared the changes to Korean working conditions and those to EU working conditions in the categories of demographic characteristics, quality of labor, exposure to risk factors, and health problems included in the data. Results: The analysis of the characteristics of the demographic characters of Korean workers shows that aged and female workers register increased labor force participation. The analysis of labor quality shows that Korea has a long working time but with a lower work intensity compared to the countries included in EU working conditions survey. As for risk factors, Korea registers a low level of exposure as compared to countries included in EU working conditions survey and characteristically shows a decreasing exposure to tobacco smoke. The survey shows sharply increasing complaints of muscle pain in the upper and lower limbs. Conclusion: In this study, I have identified vulnerable social groups by using quantified values in a comparison of the working conditions of Korea and those of EU.