• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.290-295
• /
• 2017

Background: Safety climate and occupational stress are related with occupational accident. The present study tried to identify the differences in safety climate and occupational stress according to occupational accidents experience and employment type (e.g., direct workers and subcontract workers). Methods: In this study, we conducted a survey using safety climate scale and Korean Occupational Stress Scale and classified the participants into four groups: direct workers working for accident-free departments, direct workers working for accident departments, subcontract workers working for accident-free departments, and subcontract workers working for accident departments for 2 years within the same workplace in the shipbuilding industry. Results: The direct workers and subcontract workers showed diverse results in subscales of safety climate and occupational stress. This result is supported by existing studies; however, further study is necessary for more supporting evidence and elaborative methodological approach. Conclusion: The necessity of management for safety climate and psychosocial factor such as occupational stress for both direct workers and subcontract workers as a whole is suggested by this study.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.79-87
• /
• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to provide occupational performance evaluated by stroke patients themselves as an intervention according to the periods of its outbreak and examine the effects of it on their activities of daily living and life quality by using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Method: The subjects of this research were divided into nine persons for the experimental group receiving the client-centered occupational therapy intervention and another nine for the control group getting the conventional occupational therapy intervention. And the intervention was performed for 30 minutes, three times a week, for total eight weeks. The level of activities of daily living was evaluated by the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and life quality was tested by using SS-QOL. Results: First, about the difference of change in the FIM points of the two groups, there was statistically significant difference in Mauchly's sphericity verification (p<.05). Second, about the difference of change in the SS-QOL points of the two groups, there was statistically significant difference in Mauchly's sphericity verification (p<.05). Third, regarding the coefficient of difference in the change of FIM and SS-QOL points according to the two groups, there existed statistically significant correlation in all the evaluations of before, in the middle of, and after the FIM points and also before, in the middle of, and after the SS-QOL points (p<.05). Conclusion: With the findings of this research, we can see that the client-centered occupational therapy training group shows more improved activities of daily living and life quality than the conventional occupational therapy training group. Therefore, it is expected that the client-centered occupational therapy training will be applied usefully to clinical situations as an intervention to improve stroke patients' activities of daily living as well as life quality.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.109-117
• /
• 2023

Purpose : Transcranial direct current stimulation is noninvasive method of cerebral cortical stimulation applied as an intervention to facilitate recovery in stroke patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on depression and anxiety in stroke patients with the aim to finding a reliable method to reduce depression and anxiety in stroke patients. Methods : This study was conducted at A hospital located in D city from December 2022 to February 2023. Patients diagnosed with stroke were selected according to predefined study criteria and divided into two groups. 9 patients in experimental group underwent transcranial direct current stimulation and traditional occupational therapy, while 9 patients in the control group underwent sham transcranial direct current stimulation and traditional occupational therapy for 20 min per session 3 times per week for a total of 8 weeks. Beck depression inventory (BDI) and Beck anxiety inventory (BAI) were used to evaluate depression and anxiety in the patients before and after intervention. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare differences before to after intervention. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the two groups. Differences with p<.05 were considered statistically significant. Results : First, both the experimental and control groups presented significant statistical difference before and after intervention on depression (p<.01). Comparison of two groups after intervention showed significant statistical difference in depression (p<.05). Second, the groups presented significant statistical difference before and after intervention on anxiety (p<.01). After intervention, the two groups showed significant statistical difference in anxiety (p<.05). Conclusion : Results of the present study demonstrated the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on depression and anxiety in stroke patients, suggesting it may be a useful method of rehabilitation in this patient population; as such, further studies are warranted.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.147-160
• /
• 2000

This study was carried out to investigate awareness and attitude of monitors in 206 small sized industries in Seoul and Kyeonggi area toward the occupational health programs using a specially prepared questionnaire. The industries had been running Government-Funded Subsidiary Program since 1998. The questionnaire was designed to be self-administered by respondents. Data were collected for two months from November to December, 1998. Major results are as follows: 1. Between two groups of industries, there were no significant differences in classification, scale, methods of production, existence of trade union, but in type of working pattern and facility ownership there were significant differences. 2. Between two groups of monitors, there were no significant differences in gender, age, marital status, rank, years of education, but in duration of working there was a significant difference. 3. In awareness and attitude of monitors toward their activities and occupational health programs, there was no significant difference by groups of industries, but a significant difference by type and scale of industry, gender, age, years of education 4. It was found that newly subsidized industries were more necessary to provide education programs on occupational health than old industries, and there was a significant difference between two groups of industries in the contents of education needed. In conclusion, it is desirable that the government should develop specific training programs for monitors on occupational health to provide them practical knowledge and specific skills which monitors can apply to their specific situation, and implement the training programs and continue Government-Funded Subsidiary Program for years until small scale industries would have been able to develop and keep their own health management system spontaneously.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.220-225
• /
• 2017

Background: Benzene is a known occupational and environmental pollutant. Its urinary metabolite trans, trans-muconic acid (tt-MA) has been introduced by some environmental and occupational health regulatory associations as a biological index for the assessment of benzene exposure; however, recently, doubts have been raised about the specificity of tt-MA for low-level benzene exposures. In the present study, we investigated the association between urinary levels of tt-MA and inhalational exposure to benzene in different exposure groups. Methods: Benzene exposure was assessed by personal air sampling. Collected benzene on charcoal tube was extracted by carbon disulfide and determined by a gas chromatograph (gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector). Urinary tt-MA was extracted by a strong anion-exchange column and determined with high-performance liquid chromatography-UV. Results: Urinary levels of tt-MA in intensive benzene exposure groups (chemical workers and police officers) were significantly higher than other groups (urban and rural residents), but its levels in the last two groups with significant different exposure levels (mean = 0.081 ppm and 0.019 ppm, respectively) showed no significant difference (mean = $388{\mu}g/g$ creatinine and $282{\mu}g/g$, respectively; p < 0.05). Before work shift, urine samples of workers and police officers showed a high amount of tt-MA and its levels in rural residents' samples were not zero. Conclusion: Our results suggest that tt-MA may not be a reliable biomarker for monitoring low-level (below 0.5 ppm) benzene exposures.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.33-42
• /
• 2017

Purpose: This study examined the effects of the fumanet exercise program on the cognitive function and fall down-related physical fitness factor in elderly people. Method: The study period was May 2-June 24, 2016. The participants included 20 elderly persons (control group 10, experimental group 10) who registered at the day-care Center in G. City. Descriptive statistics were used for the analysis of the control and experimental groups' general characteristics. The chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to identify the two groups' general characteristics' and dependent variables' homogeneity. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the pre-and post-intervention cognitive function and fall down-related physical fitness factor, and a Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the rate of cognitive function and fall down-related physical fitness factor changes between the groups after the intervention. Result: The participants' fall down-related physical fitness factors (balance, gait, leg strength) increased and memory in the cognitive function sub-area improved in the participants who participated in the fumanet exercise program. The amount of change in gait was significantly different between the control and experimental groups. Conclusion: The fumanet exercise program included gait training using the learn, remember and repeat phased steps. Therefore, this study proposes using the fumanet exercise program to improve the elderly's cognitive function and physical fitness factor.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.297-308
• /
• 2008

This study developed career education program applying cooperative learning structures (Kagan, 1993, 1995, 1997), and tested its effect on elementary school children's career development. Sixth grade students of 2 classes were divided into experimental and control group, and 14 sessions of the program were applied to the experimental group for 8 weeks. Career development test(Lee, 2005) were performed before and after the program. Students in both groups were retested 3 months after the post-test to test continuing effects of the program. Score tendencies and their differences between experimental group and control group of children in 3 career development areas - self-awareness, educational and occupational exploration, and career planing - were tested and the results are as follows: development of 3 areas of self-awareness, educational and occupational exploration, and career planing were consistently increasing along the experimental sequence in experimental group, while the development of 3 areas showed no changes or declining tendencies in control group. Self-awareness and educational and occupational exploration did not show the statistically significant differences between the groups. Meanwhile, the career plaining showed statistically significant difference between the groups in post-test, meaning that the career education program with cooperative structure has positive effects on the career planing in 6th grade students.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.45 no.5
• /
• pp.557-557
• /
• 2019

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.128-133
• /
• 2015

Background: To investigate the relationship between musculoskeletal disorders and comorbid health problems, including depression/anxiety disorder, insomnia/sleep disorder, fatigue, and injury by accident, and to determine whether certain physical and psychological factors reduce comorbid health problems. Methods: In total, 29,711 employees were selected from respondents of the Third Korean Working Conditions Survey and categorized into two groups: Musculoskeletal Complaints or Musculoskeletal Sickness Absence. Four self-reported health indicators (overall fatigue, depression/anxiety, insomnia/sleep disorder, and injury by accident) were selected as outcomes, based on their high prevalence in Korea. We used multiple logistic regression analysis to determine the relationship between comorbid health problems, musculoskeletal complaints, and sickness absence. Results: The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints and musculoskeletal sickness absence due to muscular pain was 32.26% and 0.59%, respectively. Compared to the reference group, depression/anxiety disorder and overall fatigue were 5.2-6.1 times more prevalent in the Musculoskeletal Complaints Group and insomnia/sleep disorder and injury by accident were 7.6-11.0 times more prevalent in the Sickness Absence Group. When adjusted for individual and work-related physical factors, prevalence of all four comorbid health problems were slightly decreased in both groups. Conclusion: Increases in overall fatigue and depression/anxiety disorder were observed in the Musculoskeletal Complaints Group, while increases in insomnia/sleep disorder and injury by accident were observed in the Sickness Absence Group. For management of musculoskeletal complaints and sickness absence in the workplace, differences in health problems between employees with musculoskeletal complaints and those with sickness absence as well as the physical and psychological risk factors should be considered.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.109-123
• /
• 2000

Inhaled halogen compound was examined through micronucleus tests and toxicity tests using SD (Sprague-Dawley) rats with repeated dosages for six hours a day, five days a week, during four weeks. In four-week repeated exposure, no specific sign caused by the $CF_3I$ compound was observed on the clinical symptoms, body weight variation, feed consumption, and urinalysis data in the testing groups with reference to the control group. In hematological and biochemical blood tests of the testing groups, the significant, but in their normal ranges, value dependencies of glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and etc., on the halogen carbohydride concentration was observed. In histo-pathological tests, no specific lesion or concentration dependent change due to the $CF_3I$ compound dosage was observed in both sexes of the female and male in the tested animals. But, micronucleus tests on marrow cells extracted from the tested animals which were repeatedly exposed in the $CF_3I$ compound during four weeks, the frequencies of micronuclei were significantly increased dose-dependently compared to the control groups.