Bokim Lee

Efficacy of a programme for workers with metabolic syndrome based on an e-health system in the workplace: a pilot study:

We tested the efficacy of the Healthy Workplace programme for metabolic syndrome. A total of 226 workers with metabolic syndrome from 12 companies enrolled in the study and completed baseline and 6-month follow-up. The Healthy Workplace programme consisted of a 4-week structured education module, telephone counselling, mobile phone messages (SMS) and email messages in the ensuing 6 months. The main outcome measures of the pre-post study were waist circumference, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure (BP) and glucose levels. At follow-up, waist circumference and diastolic BP were significantly reduced compared to baseline. Triglyceride and fasting glucose levels improved significantly 6 months after the study. At 6-month follow-up, manifest risk factors for metabolic syndrome had disappeared in 9% of the participants. The integrated Healthy Workplace programme encouraged workers to improve self-care behaviours.

Smoking, Physical Activity, and Eating Habits Among Adolescents:

The purpose of this study was to compare physical activity and eating habits of adolescent smokers with those of adolescent non-smokers in South Korea. This was a secondary analysis of data collected from the 2012 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey. The sample included 72,229 adolescents aged 12 to 18. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between smoking status and physical activity and between smoking status and eating habits, while controlling for other factors. Boys and girls were analyzed separately for all analyses. The proportion of self-reporting smokers was 11%. Surprisingly, girl smokers exercised significantly more frequently than non-smokers. Adolescent smokers were significantly less likely to consume fruits, vegetables, and milk/dairy products, and they ate significantly more fast-food than non-smokers. Health care professionals who plan smoking cessation programs should pay attention to South Korean adolescents’ specific characteristics and cultural values in terms of health behavior.

Relationship between handling heavy items during pregnancy and spontaneous abortion: a cross-sectional survey of working women in South Korea.

The researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey to determine the relationship between handling heavy items during pregnancy and spontaneous abortion among working women in South Korea. One thousand working women were selected from a database of those eligible for maternity benefits under the National Employment Insurance Plan. Study results showed that handling heavy items during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion after adjusting for general characteristics of the participants and their work environment. A collective effort is needed on the parts of employers, employees, occupational health nurses, and the government to protect working women from lifting heavy items while pregnant.

Contributors to shift work tolerance in South Korean nurses working rotating shift

Shift workers have rapidly increased in South Korea; however, there is no published research exploring shift work tolerance among South Korean workers. This study aimed to investigate factors related to shift work tolerance in South Korean nurses. The sample comprised of 660 nurses who worked shifts in a large hospital in South Korea. A structured questionnaire included following comprehensive variables: demographic (age and number of children), individual (morningness and self-esteem), psychosocial (social support and job stress), lifestyle (alcohol consumption, physical activity, and BMI), and working condition factors (number of night shifts and working hours). Shift work tolerance was measured in terms of insomnia, fatigue, and depression. The results of hierarchical regressions indicate that all variables, except for three, number of children, BMI, and working hours, were related to at least one of the symptoms associated with shift work tolerance. Based on these results, we offer some practical implications to help improve shift work tolerance of workers.

Relationship Between Hiding Emotions and Health Outcomes Among South Korean Interactive Service Workers.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among hiding emotions, psychological well-being, and presenteeism for South Korean interactive service workers. This study is a secondary analysis of data extracted from the 2011 Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS), a longitudinal study conducted by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA). For the present analysis, 15,669 workers who interacted with others at work were selected. Based on existing literature, a set of variables was chosen from the KWCS. Psychological well-being was measured using the World Health Organization (WHO)-5 Well-Being Index. The results indicated that frequently hiding feelings is related to presenteeism. Also, among workers who hide emotions at work, an inverse relationship was found between the degree to which these workers hide their feelings and their psychological well-being. Based on these results, the researchers offered practical suggestions to assist interactive service workers adjust to duties that require emotion management.

Factors associated with the occurrence of functional dyspepsia and insomnia in shift-working nurses

BACKGROUND In South Korea, people are growing more and more interested in the early detection and prevention of health problems in shift workers. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate demographic, work-related and health-related factors relevant to functional dyspepsia and insomnia in shift-working nurses in South Korea. METHODS The sample was comprised of 1431 nurses who worked rotating shifts in three large hospitals in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The questionnaire consisted of factors assessing demographic, work-related and health-related characteristics. Rome III criteria and the Insomnia Severity Index were applied to identify functional dyspepsia and insomnia, respectively. The survey was ongoing for approximately one month starting from 17 June 2013. RESULTS The results of this study indicated that gender, body mass index, the number of night shifts worked, work-related stress, and regular dietary patterns were related to functional dyspepsia and insomnia in shift-working nurses. CONCLUSIONS This study may help establish suitable working conditions and build workplace health promotion programs for shift-working nurses.

Economic Evaluation of a Workplace Occupational Health Nursing Service: Based on Comparison with Atmospheric Environment Managing Engineer

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to use cost-benefit analysis of activity to clarify the economic effect of prepared nurses versus atmospheric environment managing engineers as healthcare managers. METHODS For the study 111 workplaces were surveyed, workplaces in which nurses or atmospheric environment managing engineers were employed as healthcare managers. The survey content included annual gross salaries, participation in external job training, costs in joining association covered by the company, location and year of construction of the healthcare office, various kinds of healthcare expenditures, costs in operating healthcare office, health education, and activity performance in the work of environment management. RESULTS In the case of the healthcare manager being a nurse, benefit was larger than input costs at a ratio of 2.31. On the other hand, in the case of healthcare manager being an atmospheric environment managing engineer, input costs were larger than benefits (benefit-cost ratio 0.88). CONCLUSION Results indicate that nurses are an effective healthcare human resource and can offer good quality healthcare service. Therefore companies should hire nurses and actively promote the economic efficiency of nurses in workplace.

Job and life satisfaction of nonstandard workers in South Korea.

Since the South Korean financial crisis of the late 1990s, the number of nonstandard workers in South Korea has increased rapidly. With such a drastic change, it has been difficult to establish national welfare systems (e.g., accident insurance or support for families with dependent children) for nonstandard workers and identify critical aspects of their health. To evaluate job and life satisfaction among nonstandard workers, this study used a representative sample of South Koreans. Using data from the 2008 Korean Labor and Income Panel Study, the sample size totaled 4,340 observations, of which 1,344 (31.0%) involved nonstandard workers. Significant differences in job and life satisfaction between nonstandard workers and standard workers were found. The results also indicate discrimination in the welfare and fringe benefit systems in South Korea. Occupational health nurses must address the physical and psychological health issues, personal problems, and everyday life concerns of nonstandard workers. Given that the employment status of nonstandard workers in companies is generally unstable, it is difficult for these workers to report poor working conditions to employers or other authorities. Accordingly, occupational health nurses should advocate for nonstandard workers by notifying employers of the many problems they face.