Inah Kim

Working Hours and Cardiovascular Disease in Korean Workers: A Case-control Study

Working Hours and Cardiovascular Disease in Korean Workers: A Case‐control Study: Inchul JEONG, et al. Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea—

Prevention of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

Editorial Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) constitute a major component of occupational diseases (ODs), accounting for approximately 38.1% of all ODs in Europe [1] and approximately 70% of all compensated ODs in Korea [2]. According to a recent European Union report, WMSDs tend to be underreported and are tending to increase among women, young, and migrant workers. The costs for upper extremity WMSDs alone rage from 0.5 to 3.8% of gross national product [3]. In the United States, costs for compensation, wage loss, and production loss range from 45–54 billion US dollors [4]. Research to prevent these highly costly WMSDs is being conducted in various fields including epidemiology, physiology, ergonomics, biomechanics, molegular biology, and genetics and to tackle such issues as return to work, rehabilitation, policy and compensation. One of the most important avenues of communication for these research efforts is the Intenational Conference on Prevention of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (PREMUS). There are 35 active scientific committees in the International Commission on Occupational Health, and the Musculoskeletal Disorder Committee has held an international conference every 3 years under the name of PREMUS. The most recent PREMUS conference was held in Busan, Korea on July 7–11, 2013. It was the first time that PREMUS was organized outside of North America or Europe. Attending pariticipants were 290 scholars from 30 conutries all over the world, including 11 Asian countries. Among the many papers presented at the conference, 10 describing the spectrum of WMSDs research around world were chosen to public in AOEM. The study by Nur Azmar et al. shows the prevalence and psychosocial risk factors for WMSDs among Malaysian

Allergic Diseases and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity in Korean Adults

Purpose Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) is a clinical syndrome representing multi-organ and psychological symptoms caused by chronic exposure to various chemicals in low concentrations. We evaluated the prevalence and related factors of MCS targeting Korean adults using the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory (QEESI©). Methods A total of 446 participants were recruited from Severance Hospital. Participants underwent a questionnaire interview including questions on sociodemographic factors, occupational and environmental factors, allergic diseases, and the QEESI©. Among them, 379 participants completed the questionnaire and the QEESI©. According to the QEESI© interpretation results, participants were divided into very suggestive (VS) group and less suggestive (LS) group. Results The estimated prevalence of MCS was higher in allergic patients than non-allergic participants (19.7% and 11.3%, respectively, P=0.04). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, ages of 30-39 (OR, 2.94; 95% CI, 1.25-6.95) and those of 40-49 (OR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.02-6.21) were significantly related to MCS compared to those aged less than 30 years. Female sex (OR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.11-4.18), experience of dwelling in a new house (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.04-4.03), and atopic dermatitis (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.04-3.69) were also significantly related to MCS. However, only age of 30-39 in the allergic group was significant in the stratified analysis. Conclusions The estimated prevalence of MCS was higher among allergic patients than non-allergic participants. People with experience of dwelling in a new house and atopic dermatitis were more at risk of being intolerant to chemicals. Further studies to provide the nationally representative prevalence data and clarify risk factors and mechanisms of MCS are required.

Waveform analysis of tremor may help to differentiate Parkinson's disease from drug-induced parkinsonism

In this study, we analyzed the waveform characteristics of resting tremor by accelerometer recordings in patients with drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) and Parkinsons disease (PD). We prospectively recruited 12 patients with tremulous PD and 12 patients with DIP presenting with resting tremor. Tremor was recorded from the more affected side and was recorded twice for a 60 s period in each patient. Peak frequency, amplitude and all harmonic peaks were obtained, and the asymmetry of the decay of the autocorrelation function, third momentum and time-reversal invariance were also computed using a mathematical algorithm. Among the parameters used in the waveform analysis, the harmonic ratio, time-reversal invariance and asymmetric decay of the autocorrelation function were different between PD and DIP at a statistically significant level (all p < 0.01). The total harmonic peak power and third momentum in the time series were not significantly different. The clinical characteristics of DIP patients may be similar to those of PD patients in some cases, which makes the clinical differentiation between DIP and PD challenging. Our study shows that the identification of parameters reflecting waveform asymmetry might be helpful in differentiating between DIP and PD.

The association between concealing emotions at work and medical utilization in Korea

ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate the association between concealing emotions at work and medical utilization.MethodsData from the 2007–2009 4th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IV) was used, 7,094 participants (3,837 males, 3,257 females) aged between 20 and 54 who were economically active and completed all necessary questionnaire items were included. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for differences in hospitalization, outpatient visits, and pharmaceutical drug use between those who concealed their emotions and those who did not were investigated using logistic regression models with and without gender stratification.ResultsAmong those who concealed their emotions (n = 2,763), 47.4% were females, and 50.1% had chronic disease. In addition, 9.7% of the concealing emotions group had been hospitalized within the last year, 24.8% had been outpatients in the last two weeks, and 28.3% had used pharmaceutical drugs in the last two weeks.All ORs represent the odds of belonging to the concealing emotions group over the non-concealing emotions group. After adjustment for individual, occupational, socioeconomic and disease factors, the adjusted ORs (95% CI) in hospitalization are 1.29 (1.08 ~ 1.53) in the total population, 1.25 (0.98 ~ 1.60) in males and 1.30 (1.02 ~ 1.66) in females, in outpatient visits are 1.15 (1.02 ~ 1.29) in the total population, 1.05 (0.88 ~ 1.24) in males and 1.25 (1.06 ~ 1.47) in females and in pharmaceutical drug use are 1.12 (1.01 ~ 1.25) in the total population, 1.08 (0.92 ~ 1.27) in males and 1.14 (0.98 ~ 1.33) in females.ConclusionsThose who concealed their emotions at work were more likely to use medical services. Moreover, the health effects of concealing emotions at work might be more detrimental in women than in men.

Occupational Lung Cancer Surveillance in South Korea, 2006-2009

Objectives The lung cancer mortality in Korea has increased remarkably during the last 20 years, and has been the first leading cause of cancer-related deaths since 2000. The aim of the current study was to examine the time trends of occupational lung cancer and carcinogens exposure during the period 2006-2009 in South Korea, by assessing the proportion of occupational burden. Methods We defined occupational lung cancer for surveillance, and developed a reporting protocol and reporting website for the surveillance of occupational lung cancer. The study patients were chosen from 9 participating university hospitals in the following 7 areas: Seoul, Incheon, Wonju, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, and Gwangju. Results The combined proportion of definite and probable occupational lung cancer among all lung cancers investigated in this study was 10.0%, 8.6%, 10.7%, and 15.8% in the years 2006 to 2009, respectively, with an average of 11.7% over the four-year study period. The main carcinogens were asbestos, crystalline silica, radon, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), diesel exhaust particles, chromium, and nickel. Conclusion We estimated that about 11.7% of the incident lung cancer was preventable. This reveals the potential to considerably reduce lung cancer by intervention in occupational fields.

Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Korea Provoked by Workers’ Collective Compensation Claims against Work Intensification

This article presents the process of workers’ problems with work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), the introduction of risk assessments (RA) for their prevention, and the consequences of this process in Korea. In 1997, economic crisis caused a rapid increase of massive layoffs, worker dispatch system introduction, job insecurity, and use of irregular workers resulting in work intensification. Work intensification increased WMSDs, which created massive workers’ compensation collective claims. Workers argued for the reduction of work intensity. The RAs introduced as a consequence of the workers’ struggle is unique in the world. Whereas these RAs were expected to play a pivotal role in WMSDs prevention, they dis not due to workers’ lack of engagement after the compensation struggle. In fact, changes in the compensation judgment system and criteria have resulted in lower compensation approval rates leading to lower workers’ compensation claims. The Korean experience provides insight into WMSDs causes in a globalized world. In such a the globalized world, work intensification as the result of work flexibility could be an international trend.

Work‐related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Psychosocial Factors

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) have been the most common health problem covered by workers accident compensation insurance for several years in Korea. Korean government has strengthened related regulations since 2003. People looked forward to decreasing the incidence and prevalence of WMSDs. At first, the expectation could be realized. However, we were bumped against to limit at present. The authors think it is due to the negligence of psychosocial factors for WMSDs. Many researchers reported that the various psychosocial factors were associated with WMSDs or symptoms. Job demand, social support, job satisfaction and decision latitude are the major risk factors in job stress aspect. Work pressure, lack of rest, qualified workload, workload variability and monotonous job are the significant risk factors in work context of work organization. Employment flexibility, downsizing, lean production, contingent work and pay for by the piece are also the risk factors in an organizational context. Furthermore, these risk factors are associated with each other across different dimensions of work organization. Suggestive possible pathways between these risks and WMSDs have been taken note of increasing muscle strain or ergonomic stress and of a cognitive aspect. The authors suggest these risk factors could explain the limitation of the regulation system for WMSDs. In conclusion, the strategy to manage psychosocial factors is the one of the essential approach to prevent WMSDs.

The Effect of Work Characteristics on Dermatologic Symptoms in Hairdressers

ObjectivesHairdressers in Korea perform various tasks and are exposed to health risk factors such as chemical substances or prolonged duration of wet work. The objective of this study is to provide descriptive statistics on the demographics and work characteristics of hairdressers in Korea and to identify work-related risk factors for dermatologic symptoms in hairdressers.Methods1,054 hairdressers were selected and analyzed for this study. Independent variables were exposure to chemical substances, the training status of the hairdressers, and the main tasks required of them, and the dependent variable was the incidence of dermatologic symptoms. The relationships between work characteristics and dermatologic symptoms were evaluated by estimating odds ratios using multiple logistic regression analysis.ResultsAmong the 1,054 study subjects, 212 hairdressers (20.1%) complained of dermatologic symptoms, and the symptoms were more prevalent in younger, unmarried or highly educated hairdressers. The main tasks that comprise the majority of the wet work were strictly determined by training status, since 96.5% of staff hairdressers identified washing as their main task, while only 1.5% and 2.0% of master and designer hairdressers, respectively, identified this as their main task. Multiple logistic regressions was performed to estimate odds ratios. While exposure to hairdressing chemicals showed no significant effect on the odds ratio for the incidence of dermatologic symptoms, higher odds ratios of dermatologic symptoms were shown in staff hairdressers (2.70, 95% CI: 1.32 - 5.51) and in hairdressers who perform washing as their main task (2.03, 95% CI: 1.22 - 3.37), after adjusting for general and work characteristics.ConclusionsThis study showed that the training status and main tasks of hairdressers are closely related to each other and that the training status and main tasks of hairdressers are related to the incidence of dermatologic symptoms. This suggests that in the future, regulations on working conditions and health management guidelines for hairdressers should be established.

0126 Workplace violence and depressive symptomatology among police officer

Objectives The prevalence of depression in police officer is higher than in the general population. Police officers are often exposed to work place violence, long time work, shift work and other pcychosocial stressers. This study was conducted to evaluate the occupational factors associated with depressive symptomatology in police officer. Method The study sample was 7476 police officers. A structured questionnaire was used to assess exposures to violence, shift working with jobs, health behaviours and sociodemographic factors. Subjects with depressive symptomatology was who experienced depressive symptom for continuously for more than 2 weeks within last 1year. And chronic work place violence exposed subjects was who experienced threat or complaint from work related people more than 4 times per week. Results Prevalence of depressive symptom among subjects was 35.5% (n = 2622) and higher in subjects exposed to chronic violence. After adjusting covariates, the odds ratio of depression was 2.01 (95% CI; 1.80–2.25) for chronic work place violence exposed subjects (n = 2005, 27.11%), 1.20 (95% CI; 1.02–1.41) for shift working subjects (n = 6270, 85.68%). Conclusions Our findings support the association workplace violence exposure between depressive symptomatology. Further study with more detailed work place violence exposure classification and measurement is need to confirm the association workplace violence and depressive symptomatology.