• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.235-246
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to comprehend the real context of metabolic syndrome-related factors of Korean male blue-collar workers from small-sized companies based on the health belief model. Methods: A total of 37 workers from three companies were interviewed, and three series of focus group interviews were conducted. Data were analyzed using deductive content analysis. Results: Data were classified into four categories: knowledge, perceived susceptibility and severity, perceived barriers, and beliefs. Knowledge referred to low knowledge level; perceived susceptibility and severity referred to unawareness of susceptibility and severity; perceived barriers referred to shift work, overtime work, and a social context including having no choice but to drink; and beliefs referred to believing that health promotion behaviors do not relate to preventing metabolic syndrome, believing that one cannot prevent metabolic syndrome oneself, and believing that professional help is required. Conclusion: To prevent and reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome among Korean male blue-collar workers, interventions should focus on strategies to increase metabolic syndrome-related knowledge and perceptions, social support, and self-efficacy for practicing health behaviors. In addition, it is necessary to develop policies for establishing a healthy drinking culture in companies.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.4758-4767
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• 2015

This study investigates the relationship between occupational stress, depression, drinking among heavy industrial male workers. The participants of this study were 312 workers in a local heavy industry. The data were collected by self-report using questionnaires from May to June, 2014. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. t-test, ANOVA, and pearson correlation coefficient, scheffe test, stepwise multiple linear regression with the SPSS/WIN 20.0 program. The total mean scores of occupational stress on the subjects were $53.77({\pm}6.33)$, depression were $12.10({\pm}7.44)$, drinking were $10.32({\pm}7.55)$. The study showed that drinking is positively correlated with occupational stress, depression. Also drinking explained 15.9% of occupational stress in heavy industrial male workers. This study provides baseline data for the preparation of management strategies that can address the occupational stress, depression, drinking of heavy industrial male workers.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.34
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• pp.33.1-33.13
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• 2022

Background: Circadian rhythm disturbance caused by shift work has adverse effects on the metabolic homeostasis of the liver. Disruption of the metabolic homeostasis of the liver causes fat accumulation in the liver. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between shift work and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among male workers in the steel manufacturing industry of Korea. Methods: Based on medical examination data collected in June 2020, 2,511 male subjects from one steel manufacturing company in Korea were selected in total. NAFLD was evaluated using abdominal ultrasound, which was performed by two experienced radiologists. The multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed by adjusting for age, physical activity, smoking history, alcohol consumption, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, blood glucose, lipidemia, liver function test, employment duration, and hepatotoxic materials exposure status. Results: Compared to daytime workers, the odds ratio (OR) of moderate-severe NAFLD in shift workers was 1.449 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.028-2.043). Compared to daytime workers, the ORs of moderate-severe NAFLD were significantly higher for the group that engaged in total shift work for more than 20 years (OR, 2.285; 95% CI, 1.051-4.970), the group that was not allowed to sleep during night shift work (OR, 1.463; 95% CI, 1.030-2.078), and the group that consumed food during night shift work (OR, 1.580; 95% CI, 1.093-2.284). Conclusions: There was a correlation between shift work and moderate-severe NAFLD in male steel manufacturing workers. There will be a need for more research related to the correlation of shift work with steatohepatitis and cirrhosis in the future.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.96-107
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of shift work and hours of sleep on metabolic syndrome in Korean workers. Methods: This study used the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data of 2014. The study included 1,579 Korean workers aged over 20. $x^2$ test, t-test, and hierarchical multiple logistic regression were used for statistical analysis of data. Results: From the univariate analysis, hours of sleep, regular work, occupational group, sex, age, marital status, education, smoking, and self-rated health were significantly related to metabolic syndrome. After adjusting demographic, occupational, and health-related variables, workers with under 6 hours/day of sleep showed higher risk for metabolic syndrome (AOR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.01~2.44), and shift work was not significantly related to metabolic syndrome. Male laborers and workers aged 40 or older also showed higher risk for metabolic syndrome. Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that workers with under 6 hours of sleep, male laborers and workers aged 40 or older are the risk groups of metabolic syndrome. Therefore, prevention and management program for metabolic syndrome should be implemented for this population.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.569-582
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• 2007

This study was carried out to examine information regarding usage of health improving agents and health status of male workers in the Chonnam Yeosu industrial area. We obtained data by means of a questionnaire from 329 men. Of the subjects 44.7% were in their forties, high school education was 43.0%, married was 83.0% and $1,500{\sim}3,000$ thousand won in monthly income was 35.8%. Average height and weight of the subjects was $171.8{\pm}5.4 cm$ and $70.5{\pm}8.1 kg$. Average BMI was $23.8{\pm}2.2$. Drinking rate of respondents was 85.5%, the drinking rate of daily workers was significantly higher than rotation workers (p < 0.05). Rotation workers exercised more regularly than daily workers (p < 0.001). Subjective symptoms of the subjects always had eye problems (11.7%), shoulder aches (5.8%), ache in one's empty stomach (4.7%) in decreasing order. 21.4% of the subjects had a disease, and liver disease was the highest in the subjects; the second was cardio-vascular disease. Interval of health food intake was highly irregular (62.7% of respondents), and keeping healthy was the main motivation fur the usage of health foods. Health improving agents included oriental medicine, animal protein based restorative foods, nutrition supplements, health supplements, and natural foods. 33.3% of the subjects took health supplements, nutrition supplements (29.1%), oriental medicine (20.6%), natural foods (16.7%) and animal protein based restorative foods (3.9%), in respective order. Health improving agents were consumed higher in liver disease than other diseases. This study suggests that nutritional education and monitoring should be implemented for industrial workers to prevent life-habit diseases and to keep proper self-management of health status under special environments.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.239-246
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• 2012

Purpose: This study is the narrative investigating research to comprehend the climacteric symptoms, depression and health promoting behavior of the male workers and to develop the nursing intervention. Methods: The research was done from August to September 2011, and the subjects were the middle-aged males between 40 and 64 working in capital cities of Chungcheongnamdo. Among the 220 questionnaires, 189 were retrieved and used for the analysis. The data analysis was done by $x^2$-test, and t-test using the SPSS/WIN 19.0 program. Results: The 70.9% of the subjects showed male climacterium and among them, those in their 40s showed high rate to the change in the body and emotions whereas those in their 50s showed high rate to the sexual function-related symptoms. Also, having the climacteric symptoms showed significant changes in depression and health promoting behavior. Conclusion: To promote health of the middle-aged male workers and the nursing intervention for those who show depression, verifying whether these males have climacteric symptoms is necessary.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.235-244
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing exercise behaviors of the male manual workers and office workers based on health promotion model by examining the relationships among them, and then to provide basic information for developing exercise program. Methods: The 97 laborers and 99 officiers were collected from two worksites. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients and multiple regression. Results: Male laborers' exercise behavior was significantly influenced by exercise self-efficacy, exercise social support and exercise experience over 3 months, and these factors explained 50.2% of the total variance. Male officiers' exercise behavior was significantly influenced by exercise self-efficacy, subjective health status, perceived exercise barriers and exercise social support, and they explained 47.3% of the total variance. Conclusions: Based on the findings that exercise self-efficacy and exercise social support commonly influence exercise behavior of male laborers and officiers, there is a need to develop an exercise program to improve exercise self-efficacy and exercise social support.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.268-283
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• 2016

Among men, depression is often unrecognised and untreated. Men employed in male-dominated industries and occupations may be particularly vulnerable. However, efforts to develop tailored workplace interventions are hampered by lack of prevalence data. A systematic review of studies reporting prevalence rates for depression in male dominated workforce groups was undertaken. Studies were included if they were published between 1990 - June 2012 in English, examined adult workers in male-dominated industries or occupations (> 70% male workforce), and used clinically relevant indicators of depression. Twenty studies met these criteria. Prevalence of depression ranged from 0.0% to 28.0%. Five studies reported significantly lower prevalence rates for mental disorders among male-dominated workforce groups than comparison populations, while six reported significantly higher rates. Eight studies additionally found significantly higher levels of depression in male-dominated groups than comparable national data. Overall, the majority of studies found higher levels of depression among workers in male-dominated workforce groups. There is a need to address the mental health of workers in male-dominated groups. The workplace provides an important but often overlooked setting to develop tailored strategies for vulnerable groups.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.3 s.47
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• pp.581-595
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• 1994

To investigate the effect of carbon disulfide on blood pressure, the BP measurements in the periodic health examination results and the medical records of factory clinic were reviewed. The study subjects were composed of 1336 male and 544 female workers, who were categorized into three groups by the exposure status-highly exposed, moderately exposed and non-exposed group. The results of the study were as follows; 1. The age-adjusted mean systolic and diastolic BP of male workers were 122.35 mmHg/79.11 mmHg in highly exposed, 121.57mmHg/79.05mmHg in moderately exposed and 122.67mmHg/82.27mmHg in non-exposed group. For female workers, BPs were 115.13mmHg/74.49mmHg in moderately exposed and 113.48mmHg/74.30mmHg in non-exposed group. 2. In multiple regression analysis of maximum BP against Age and tenure, the slope coefficients of age and tenure on the systolic BP were 0.379, 0.667 respectively and those on the diastolic BP were 0.331, 0.405 respectively in highly exposed male workers. Tenure was a significant variable in this study. For female workers, however the slope coefficients of tenure on BP were significant only for systolic BP of moderately-exposed group. 3. In multiple regression analysis of Bp against age, cumulative exposure index (CEI), cholesterol, all the variables showed significant slope coefficients in male, but age and CEI on systolic BP were significant for female workers (p<0.05). 4. In the multiple analysis of the amount of Bp change and the velocity of Bp change among male workers, the slope coefficients of tenure tended to increase as exposure level increased. Among female workers, the slope coefficients of tenure were significant on the amount of Bp change and the velocity of Bp change in moderately exposed group.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.1029-1044
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• 2021

This research was conducted to investigate the prevalence of depression and convergent factors related to depression in male and female wage workers. Using data from the 2014 and 2016 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 3,763 adults (1,888 males, 1,875 females) between the ages of 19 and under 65 were analyzed. Depression was measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the depression (PHQ-9≥10) of all workers was 4.1% (3.2% for men, 5.0% for women). Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the depressive factors of male and female wage workers. In male workers, work-related characteristics such as employment type and working hours per week were found to be significantly related to depression even after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics, health-related characteristics, and life style characteristics. However, in female workers, work-related characteristics did not expose a significant relationship, showing a difference from male workers. Therefore it is necessary to develop and implement workplace counselling or mental health promotion programs that take into account the gender characteristics of depression risk factors. Also, as health-related characteristics (diagnosis of depression, suicide plan, perceived stress level, unmet medical services, self-rated health status) were found to be related to depression for both male and female workers, continuous management of these factors is required.