Combined Effects of Individual Background, Work Shift and Job Stress on the Prevalence of Sleep Problems in Hospital Employers

BACGROUND: The accuracy and efficiency of a job performed by hospital employee can be linked directly with patients' health and life. It is considered that their irregular work and stress are relatively high as compared with other workplaces. In this article we tried to look into how job stress, working environment and factors of life-style influence sleep problems in hospital employees. METHODS: This research was conducted among 248 workers of a hospital in Busan on April, 2002. Sleep problems were categorized into insomnia, sleep deprivation, daytime sleepiness and snoring on the basis of the factor analysis of 11-item questions. The job stress was proposed by Karasek, etc., and measured by 14-item modified questions. The statistical analysis was conducted using Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Statistically insomnia, sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness showed a significant increase in women (OR:2.1/2.69/3.16) and shift workers (OR:4.67/3.28/1.98) and snoring showed a significant increase in obesity (OR:5.0) and smokers (OR:2.34). CONCLUSION: This research showed that many hospital employees perceive sleep disorders as critical. Especially, work shift seemed to be an important risk factor for sleep disorders.

Sexuality and Related Factors of Postmenopausal Korean Women / 간호학회지

PURPOSE: This cross-sectional survey was conducted to describe the sexuality of Korean women after menopause using a national sample, and to examine relationships between the sexuality and demographic, body mass index, and life style factors including smoking, alcohol use, and physical activity. METHOD: From Dec. 20, 1998 to April 30, 1999, 2196 naturally postmenopausal women aged between 41 and 65 years were recruited by a disproportional stratified random sampling method from 7 metropolitans and 6 provinces in Korea. The questionnaire was used to obtain information on the demographic characteristics, life style factors, body mass index, and sexual activities. RESULT: The findings show that the frequency of intercourse after menopause decreased among most of postmenopausal Korean women (64.5%). The frequency of women reported their sexual activity as satisfactory was higher among women doing physical activity, not smoking, with higher educational status, with middle socioeconomic status, without sleep disturbance, with lower body mass index, and with good subjective health status. CONCLUSION: Further studies need to be designed as the longitudinal studies with larger random samples and better measures of sexuality.

Relationship Between Fatigue Symptomes and Life Style Factors Among Industrial Workers / 대한산업의학회지

For the purpose of obtaining reference materials for the prevention and management of mental health promoting in industrial workers, this survey was investigated the relationship between subjective fatigue symptoms and its related factors such as demographic, job and health related variables. 442 cases of industrial workers which occurred in 7 factories of machine an4 metal manufacturing industrial in Taejon industrial area surveyed by self-recorded questionnaire. The results were as follows : 1. In the complaint raters of fatigue, "eye strain" was the highest (21.9%) and followed by "feel like tying" (12.4%) and "feel a pain in the low back" (12.4%), "feel drowsy" (12.2%), "yawning a lot"(11.8%) and "whole body feels tired" (11.1%) in the descending order. 2. In the average weighted scores of fatigue complaints, dullness and steepness group (I) was the highest, followed by difficulty in concentration group(II) and bodily projection of fatigue group(III) in the descending order. 3. The average weighted scores of fatigue complaints by general characteristics were significantly higher in the lower age group, lower education group and unmarried divorce group. But there was no significant difference in sex. 4. By the working condition, the fatigue scores were significantly higher in manual worker and shift worker than in clerical worker and day worker. 5. By the life style, the fatigue scores were significantly lower in 7-8 sleeping hour group and every day eating breakfast group than in other groups. But fatigue score of everyday alcohol drinking group and the lower health practice indecies group were significantly higher than that of other groups. 6. By the health status and psychological factors, the fatigue scores were higher in unhealthy group, unsatisfaction income level group, unsatisfaction worker contents group and the group of badly self-control in work. 7. In the stepwised multiple regression, factors affecting the fatigue symptoms scores were depression symptom score, health status, marital status, job satisfaction, job repeatedness and body mass index.