The prevalence of multiple job-holding (MJH) is expected to show an upward trend among Korean workers, yet its potential impact on workers’ health remains poorly discussed. This study aimed to explore the association between MJH and experience of physical and psychological symptoms in various aspects among active Korean workers and to identify its differences depending on workers’ gender.
We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study among South Korean workers aged 15–59 using data from the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey. The final study sample comprised 34,175 participants. MJH status and symptoms, such as musculoskeletal pain, headache or eyestrain, fatigue, insomnia, and anxiety, were measured by self-reported data. Logistic regression analyses were performed on the total sample and gender-stratified groups, with adjustments for the sociodemographic and occupational characteristics of the participants.
One hundred thirty-five men and 103 women were defined as multiple job-holders (MJHers) among the study sample. When adjusted for sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, MJHers suffered more events of headache or eyestrain (odds ratio [OR]: 1.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.23–2.78) and anxiety (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.05–3.79). Gender-stratified analyses with adjustment showed that among women workers, MJH was associated with musculoskeletal pain (OR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.02–3.34), headache or eyestrain (OR: 2.53, 95% CI: 1.37–4.67), fatigue (OR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.29–4.40), insomnia (OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.04–3.57), and anxiety (OR: 2.83, 95% CI: 1.11–7.20).
We found a significant association between MJH and various symptoms. Women MJHers were revealed to be a more vulnerable population than their men counterparts. Further research should account for the social context of MJH, and appropriate monitoring and intervention for maintaining the well-being of MJHers are needed.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic drastically modified the occupational system wherein telecommuting has risen as the major form of work. Few studies have incorporated Karasek’s job demand-control (JDC) model into explaining the health effects of telecommuting. This study aimed to investigate the health risk in South Korean telecommuters during the pandemic, and its distribution according to the job stress-related factors.
A nationwide population-based cross-sectional study of South Korean laborers was conducted, utilizing the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey (2020–2021). Following the previously described concept of telecommuting, 14,478 white-collar employees were eligible study participants. Telecommuting, job demand, job control, and various health indicators were measured by the responses to the survey. Participants were stratified into 4 job profiles classified by the JDC model. We conducted multiple logistic regression analyses between telecommuting and health-related outcomes to estimate the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).
One hundred forty-six low-strain, 223 active, 69 passive, and 148 high-strain workers were screened as telecommuters. Compared to office workers, telecommuters had a higher proportion in high job control groups. Subgroup analysis demonstrated different relationships between telecommuting and health, where only active telecommuters showed a higher prevalence of depression (OR: 1.980, 95% CI: 1.126–3.481), and high-strain telecommuters were affected in most outcomes including insomnia (OR: 2.555, 95% CI: 1.473–4.433), musculoskeletal pain (OR: 2.786, 95% CI: 1.719–4.517), headache/eye strain (OR: 3.074, 95% CI: 1.992–4.745) and presenteeism (OR: 1.932, 95% CI: 1.193–3.131).
This study revealed significantly increased odds of multiple health outcomes among South Korean telecommuters during the COVID-19 pandemic era. High-strain job holders were prominently susceptible to the negative health impacts of telecommuting. Occupational health management towards telecommuters should approach mitigating high job demand and low job control.
Recently, use of work-related communication technology—smartphones, tablets, and laptops—is increasing rapidly by development of technology with the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Some studies have suggested that work-related communication technology has a significant link with work-family conflict (WFC) but these studies included only limited number of participants and lacked essential covariates. Therefore, this study analyzes this association using large representative data sample and selected waged workers who were married-couples with children.
This study was conducted based on data from the 6th Korean Working Conditions Surveys (KWCS). A total of 17,426 waged workers having a marriage partner and one or more children were selected. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine whether WFC was associated with communication technology use. The odds ratios (ORs) for WFC were stratified by sex and working hours.
In fully adjusted model, WFC was higher those who used communication technology outside regular working hours compared with those who did not use it (OR: 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.39–1.97). When stratified by sex and working hours, the effect was greater in women than in men (OR: 1.79; 95% CI: 1.42–2.26 vs. OR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.17–1.97) and women who worked over 52 hours per week had the highest OR (3.40; 95% CI: 1.25–9.26).
This study revealed that the work-related communication technology use outside regular working hours was associated with WFC. The association were greater among those having longer working hours and female workers. These results suggest that appropriate policy should be implemented to reduce working hours and right to disconnect after work, particularly in female workers.
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Although many epidemiological studies have reported the inverse associations between greenness and health outcomes, inconsistent associations in allergic diseases remain an issue. We aimed to identify associations between greenness and allergic diseases among Korean adults.
In total, 219,298 adults from the 2009 Korea Community Health Survey were included in this study. Individuals' allergy-related conditions, such as atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis, were evaluated. To identify the amount of green areas (m2) per capita in each administrative region, we used the 2009 data for green areas from the Korean Statistical Information Service.
The risk for atopic dermatitis in the highest quartile of green areas was significantly lower compared with that of the lowest quartile. Physician's diagnosis and current treatment of odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were 0.82 (0.73–0.91) and 0.77 (0.64–0.92), respectively. Similarly, the association results for allergic rhinitis showed that the highest level of green areas was significantly associated with a decreased risk of allergic rhinitis in full-adjustment model quartiles. Physician's diagnosis and current treatment of OR (95% CI) were 0.94 (0.89–0.99) and 0.91 (0.82–1.00), respectively.
We observed inverse associations of green areas with atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis in Korean adults.
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Ambient air pollution has a negative effect on many diseases, such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Recent studies have reported a relationship between air pollution and renal function, but the results were limited to exposure to particulate matter (PM). This study was to identify associations between various air pollutants and renal function among Korean adults.
Nationwide survey data for a total of 24,407 adults were analyzed. We calculated the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) for each individual to assess their renal function and used this to categorize those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). To evaluate exposure to ambient air pollution, we used the annual mean concentrations of four ambient air pollutants: PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO).
We identified significant inverse relationships between the air pollutants PM10 and NO2 and eGFR in all statistical adjustment models (all
Exposures to PM10 and NO2 were significantly associated with decreases in eGFR levels, but not CKD, in Korean adults.
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Recently, the emergence of long working hours and the associated conditions such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke have gained attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between long working hours and the 10-year-risk of CHD and stroke, estimated by Jee’s health risk-appraisal model for ischemic heart disease.
We analyzed data from Koreans who randomly enrolled in Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2012 and finally included 13,799 participants. The participants were classified as per their working hours: 0–30 h/week, 31–39 h/week, 40 h/week, 41–50 h/week, 51–60 h/week, 61–70 h/week, 71–80 h/week, and >80 h/week. The risks for CHD and stroke were determined using Jee’s health risk-appraisal model. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the association between working hours and 10-year risk for CHD.
The 10-year risks for CHD and stroke were significantly and positively associated with working hours in both men and women. Furthermore, higher risks for CHD and stroke were associated with longer working hours in women.
Long working hours are significantly associated with the risks of CHD and stroke, estimated by Jee’s health risk-appraisal model. This study suggests the need for proper management of working hours to reduce CHD risk and stroke risk in the Korean population.
The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40557-016-0149-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Presenteeism, a concept that has recently undergone active study, is the act of attending work while sick. This study investigates the association between presenteeism and various psychosocial factors within workplaces.
This study analyzed 29246 wage earners from the third Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS, 2011) data using the logistic regression analysis to investigate the association between presenteeism and various psychosocial factors within workplaces.
Among the 29246 wage earners, 6347 (21.7 %) showed presenteeism. Those who experienced age discrimination at work (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.77: 95 % CI 1.56–2.00), educational background discrimination (aOR 1.35: 95 % CI 1.22–1.51), regional discrimination (aOR 1.55: 95 % CI 1.31–1.83), sexual discrimination (aOR 1.65: 95 % CI 1.41–1.94), employment type discrimination (aOR 2.13: 95 % CI 1.89–2.40), physical violence (aOR 1.92: 95 % CI 1.45–2.55), sexual harassment (aOR 2.90: 95 % CI 2.01–4.19), job insecurity (aOR 1.36: 95 % CI 1.18–1.56), work–life imbalance (aOR 1.38: 95 % CI 1.29–1.47), low job satisfaction (aOR 2.04: 95 % CI 1.91–2.17), no colleague support (aOR 1.11: 95 % CI 1.02–1.21), job stress (aOR 1.89: 95 % CI 1.76–2.02), emotional labor (aOR 1.50: 95 % CI 1.41–1.60), high work intensity (aOR 1.31: 95 % CI 1.23–1.38), and 3 groups of job strain that are passive group (aOR 1.09: 95 % CI 1.00–1.18), active group (aOR 1.39: 95 % CI 1.28–1.51), and high strain group (aOR 1.35: 95 % CI 1.24–1.46) showed an increased risk of presenteeism compared to their respective counterparts (
The study results confirmed the association between presenteeism and various psychosocial factors within workplaces. Considering that presenteeism negatively affects productivity and the mental and physical health of individuals, managing various psychosocial factors within workplaces is proposed to reduce presenteeism.
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This study investigated the impact of occupation on cognitive and physical function within an occupational window of the past 15 years using a nationally representative sample in Korea.
A total of 4,408 subjects aged 60 and older were selected from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). Functional health was evaluated using the Korean versions of the Mental State Examination (K-MMSE), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (K-IADL), and Activities of Daily Living (K-ADL) measures.
The prevalence of lower function was higher among women than among men, and employed persons had better cognitive and physical function compared with the retired and unemployed. Longer work duration during the past 15 years significantly and positively affected all measures of function in men, whereas it only improved physical function in women. Manual laborers exhibited improved functional capacity with longer work durations over the past 15 years, although they presented lower functional scores compared with non-manual laborers. There was a curvilinear relationship of work duration with cognitive and physical function among men and manual laborers.
In our population, longer work duration, especially for men and for manual laborers, appears to be a significant contributor to the cognitive and physical function of older people.
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Working conditions can exert influence on the physical, mental, and even social health of workers. Well-being is an appropriate index for the evaluation of a person’s overall health. This paper investigated the association between various working conditions and worker’s well-being.
Data from 10,019 interviews were collected from the second wave of the Korean Working Conditions Survey (2010) conducted by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency between June and October 2010. The data from 5,995 employed workers were examined in this study. Well-being was measured through the WHO Five Well-Being Index (1998 version). Sociodemographic and working conditions were analyzed. Adjusted odds ratios for well-being were calculated with adjusted sociodemographic factors, working condition factors, or both.
Workers’ well-being was significantly higher when they were satisfied with their working conditions (OR = 1.656, 95% CI = 1.454–1.885), when their actual working hours were the same as their anticipated working hours (OR = 1.366, 95% CI: 1.120–1.666) or exceeding less than 10 hours (OR = 1.245, 95% CI: 1.004-1.543), and when their employment was stable (OR = 1.269, 95% CI: 1.098–1.467).
This study supports the association between working condition factors and well-being in workers.
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Presenteeism has become a public concern recently. Thus, we aimed to understand the relationship between self-employed workers and presenteeism using a nationally representative sample of Korean workers.
Using data from the Korean Working Conditions Survey conducted in 2011, a total of 43,392 workers including paid employees and self-employed workers were analyzed. The effect of employment status on presenteeism was analyzed using logistic regression analysis. The independent variables were socioeconomic characteristics, working conditions, and working environments.
Among the 43,392 workers, 34,783 were paid and 8,609 were self-employed. Self-employed workers were more likely to exhibit presenteeism than were paid workers. An elevated odds ratio of 1.27 (95% CI 1.19-1.36) was found for presenteeism among self-employed workers.
Being self-employed was significantly related with exhibiting presenteeism. Additional research should investigate whether other factors mediate the relationship between employment status and presenteeism as well as ways to reduce presenteeism among self-employed workers.
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This research was conducted with an aim of determining the correlation between job insecurity and an employee’s work-related health problems among permanent and temporary workers.
Using the data from the First Korean Working Conditions Survey conducted in 2006, a total of 7,071 workers, excluding employers and the self-employed, were analyzed. Work-related health problems were categorized as backache, headache, abdominal pain, muscular pain, stress, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety or depression. Each problem was then analyzed for its relationship to job insecurity through logistic regression analysis.
Among the 7,071 workers, 5,294 (74.9%) were permanent workers and 1,777 (25.1%) were temporary workers. For the permanent workers, presence of high or moderate job insecurity appeared more closely linked to backache, headache, abdominal pain, muscular pain, stress, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, and depression compared to absence of job insecurity. However, for the temporary workers, only depression appeared to be associated with the presence of high job insecurity.
The study showed that the presence of job insecurity is correlated with work-related health problems. The deleterious effects of job insecurity appeared to be stronger in permanent than temporary workers. Additional research should investigate ways to effectively reduce job insecurity.
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