• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.40-68
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• 2001

In this study, grade of subjective symptom appealed by laborer of Jeollabuk-do was evaluated using questionary regarding factor made effect on musculoskeletal disease and in addition, studied relationship with health promotion life style of them. Based on the result, relationship of general characteristics of musculoskeletal subjective symptom and life-style of the subjects was concluded as below. 1. General characteristics of study subjects were as following. Ratio of male was higher as 57.7% of male and 42.2% female and age distribution was 5.1% of 20s, 34.99% of 30s, 36.3% of 40s and 23.7% of 50s and therefore, $30{\sim}40$ aged groups showed highest ratio. Most subjects (74.9%) was married status and in case of education level, high-school graduate and dropout (23.3%) and over-college graduate (46.8%) showed highest distribution. $1{\sim}2$ Mil. KRW (29.5%) and $2{\sim}2.99$ Mil. KRW (21.2%) is the main income distribution and however there was high ratio of non-reply (29.0%). In case of employment period, $10{\sim}14$ years (15.3%) and over 15 years (29.6%) showed highest ratio and there were many non-reply (39.4%) and in addition, 67.6% replied as own house and 14.3% as lease on deposit base in question of residence type. 2. Subjects showed high ratio of subjective symptom appeal of 62.79% and many cases (50.23%) appealed 1 or 2 symptoms. Symptom by body region was 29.8% (waist), 27% (shoulder), 21.2% (knee), 15.5% (neck), 9.5% (ankle), 8.1% (wrist) and 5.0% (elbow) in order. In case of relationship with general characteristics, female comparing with male, non-residence of own house, subjects with lower education level and employment period of $10{\sim}14$ years showed higher appeal rate and kind of symptoms than others. Therefore, it was concluded that rate of musculoskeletal symptom appeal have close relationship with gender, level of living, education level, age and employment period. 3. In case of severe pain of upper body except waist and ankle, it was appealed in both or right side and it means that upper body pain is originated from right side and right region pain is transited to both region pain. In addition, there was 39.41% of non-reply to existence of right-left region pain and therefore, it was evaluated that, in may cases, there was no awareness of their own symptom condition even on subjective symptom. 4. Degree of pain was, as pain over middle level, evaluated as 2.79 on full mark of 4.0 and in order of waist (2.97), ankle (2.83), knee (2.82), wrist (2.82), neck (2.79), shoulder (2.70) and elbow (2.62). In addition, 71.97% appealed $2{\sim}3$ cases for the latest 1 week. Owing to subjective symptom, 54.95% drop into hospital or pharmacy, 10.32% made temporary retirement or absence, 7.99% transferred into more comfortable duty and $39.4{\sim}54%$ experienced one or more managing mentioned above. 5. Fulfillment of health promotion life style of subjects was evaluated on full mark of 4.0 and total score was 2.63. Average mark of each area was personal relationship (3.05), self-realization (2.92), stress management (2.63), health control (2.48), physical exercise (2.19) and nutrition management (2.19) and personal relationship was highest and physical exercise and nutrition management were lowest. As general characteristics influencing health promotion life style, gender, residence style and employment period showed significant difference. Male showed higher mark than female and showed higher mark in order of own house, others, lease on deposit base, monthly rent. Subjects with longer employment period showed higher mark with significant difference. 6. Accounting of factor influencing each area of health promotion life style, self-realization showed significance in marriage status, income, residence style and education level and health control in age, residence style and employment period. Physical exercise showed significant difference in gender, age, residence style and employment period and nutrition in gender, age, residence style and employment period. Stress management showed significant difference in residence style and employment period and however not in personal relationship. 7. Health promotion life style relating with existence and kind of pain showed significant difference in all area except personal relationship area. In absence of pain, there was statistically significant high score in all area even in total health promotion life style and all area. Accounting of kind of pain, cases of $1{\sim}2$ kinds of pain and $5{\sim}6$ kinds of pain showed relatively high score and it was lower than mark of subject stated absence of pain. 8. Subjects appeal symptom were classified by symptom region and difference of total and each areas were evaluated. General area (p=0.002), self-realization (p=0.012), health management (p=0.023), physical exercise (p=0.028), nutrition management (p=0.028) and stress control (p=0.001) showed statistically significant difference and not in personal relationship area. Especially, elbow, shoulder and neck area marked high and group appealed pain of knee, arm and elbow, foot and ankle marked low. Based on those results, subjective symptom should be accounted seriously in diagnosis of occupational musculoskeletal disease of laborer and among subjective symptom, general characteristics of gender, age, condition of living, education level and employment period make effect. Generally subject appeal symptom marked lower than subject without symptom appeal and it means that life management of subject appealing musculoskeletal pain make important role in management and treatment of occupational musculoskeletal disease.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.4 s.48
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• pp.711-734
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• 1994

Among chemical agents in herbicides, dioxin (2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachloro dibenzo-$\rho$-dioxin : TCDD), a chemical contaminant in herbicides sprayed during the Vietnam War has been known to be the major agent causing toxic effects. Approximately 320,000 korean soldiers participated the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1974. Although the potential hazards of the herbicides among Korean veterans exposed were implicated, the problem had not been a public issue until 1991 when Korean veterans were informed U.S. companies, the herbicides manufacturer payed fund, from which a trust fund for New Zealand and Australian Class members were established in 1985. After a series of appeals and demonstration by the Korean Veterans demanding medical care and compensation for their serious health damages, a bill of medical care and compensation for herbicides victims was promulgated in March 1993 and become effective from May 1993, This study was carried out with two major objectives : the first to understand the health problems caused from the herbicides by reviewing literatures published, and the second to examine the nature and extent of health impacts among Korean veterans exposed and to develop valid study methods for the major study by interviewing and reviewing records on a part of veterans (638 persons) registered and completed medical examination in Seoul Veterans Administration Hospital from June to October 1993. The results obtained are as followings: 1. The literature review of 107 papers revealed that 1) Dioxin is teratogenic, carcinogenic and affects almost all organs including nervous, endocrine, and reproductive systems in animal experiments. 2) The diseases showing evidence of causal association were Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's disease, lung cancer, lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma, chloroacne and polyneuropathy when judged on the basis of consistency in study results and biological plausibility. 2. Interview and medical record review study on 638 veterans, though limited validity owing to lack of control group, crude estimates of dioxin exposure levels (no biomarkers measurable), and uncertainty of diagnosis, showed that: 1) Most of the study subject's were in their 40's of age and had been dispatched to Vietnam during the period from $1965{\sim}1970$ around one year. 2) Most frequently complained symptoms in medical examination were motor weakness (32%), sensory abnormalities in extremities (23%), skin diseases (22%), and pain in extremities (20%) whereas in Interview they were more frequent in order of skin problem (44%), motor weakness (38%), sensory abnormalities and pain in extremities(17% and 19% each). Kappa indices on the same category of complaints between two sources of information were variable and relatively low. 3) On medical examination, only a part of the 638 subjects had initial impression (442 pts) and final diagnosis (218 pts) suggesting decision making on diagnosis appeared to be difficult even with all available modern medical technologies: in initial impression disorders from peripheral and central neuropathy were predominant whereas in final diagnosis various types of skin disorder were most frequent 4) When dose-response relationship between several conditions (from questionnaire) and arbitrary exposure scores were examined by CMH linear trend test, spontaneous abortion, sexual problems and health problem of offsprings showed statistically significant linear trends. However, pregnancy, accident and suicidal attempts did not show any relationship in this study capacity. 5) Among complaints, psychosis and neurosis (anxiety, phobia) in interview study, and memory disorder and psychosis in medical record study revealed linear trend. 6) Skin disorder was the only condition showing linear trend in initial impression and none in final diagnosis on medical examination. Even though objective to select out dioxin-related disease or group of diseases from this study was not achieved the research experiences provided firm basis for developing various methodological approaches. 3. From this preliminary study we concluded that a larger scale major epidemiologic study on health impacts of herbicides among Korean veterans exposed is not only Indispensible but also well designed study with more valid exposure information and diagnosis may be able to establish causal relationship between certain groups of diseases and exposure to the herbicides among Korean veterans.