BACKGROUND: ‘Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs)' have been mostly reported in the manufacturing industry but recently the occurrence of industrial injuries has been constantly increasing in the service industry. This research is going to analyze the data about workers' compensation for WRMSDs in five different service sectors and identify characteristics of occupations with the highest approved occupations. METHODS: According to the data released from the Korea Worker's Compensation & Welfare Service, the overview of 12,730 cases of workers' compensation for WRMSDs in five service sectors from 2004 to 2013 is going to be analyzed and the source data is going to be classified by the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations to select the top five occupations that have the highest number of approval. RESULTS: After selecting each five occupations from the service sector that have work related musculoskeletal disorders, the result showed that the occupation with the highest number of approval in the health and social care sector were the early childhood educators, cooks in the school canteens in education services sector, garbage collectors in the sanitation and similar services sector, deliverymen in wholesale and retail, consumer goods repair and building cleaners in general management businesses such as those in building maintenance. The major event observed in the top five occupations was the overexertion and reaction as a cause of WRMSDs. The day when the WRMSDs mostly occurred was on Monday and the most likely time was 10 am. The median days away from work and lost working days are 29–90 days and 0–50 days respectively. The difference in each occupation was observed in year of service, age, and gender. CONCLUSIONS: 83.21% of the approved cases of workers' compensation for WRMSDs occurred in the top 25 occupations in all of the five service sectors, which meant that the approval of workers' compensation is concentrated in specific occupations. This research is going to suggest preventive measures for work related musculoskeletal disorders in the service industry and to help prioritize the preventive measures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.
Classification ; Commerce ; Education ; Garbage ; Humans ; Korea ; Occupations ; Sanitation ; Workers' Compensation

The purpose of this study was to investigate school dietitians' use of processed and packaged foods in Incheon. This study was carried out through a questionnaire and the subjects were 203 school dietitians in Incheon. The results are summarized as follows. Dairy product was the processed and packaged food used most frequently by the subjects for school lunch. Most subjects used processed and packaged foods for school lunch once or twice per week The first criteria for their choosing processed and packaged foods was manufacturing company. Also major reason for their using processed and packaged foods for school lunch was saving cooking time, easy purchase, hygienical packing and less garbage. The most common information source on processed and packaged foods for school lunch was promotion of food company. The subjects checked labelling of processed and packaged foods in order of open-date, manufacturer, origin of product, nutrition facts, ingredients and food additives. Some results were significantly different among the subjects by employment school, type of meal management and cost per meal. For children and adolescents' nutrition and well-being through school lunch, it is necessary to prepare a database of the processed and packaged foods and education program concerning nutrition labelling and food safety.
Child ; Cooking ; Dairy Products ; Education ; Employment ; Food Additives ; Food Safety ; Garbage ; Humans ; Incheon* ; Lunch ; Meals ; Nutritionists

Years of life lost (YLLs) are estimated based on mortality and cause of death (CoD); therefore, it is necessary to accurately calculate CoD to estimate the burden of disease. The garbage code algorithm was developed by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study to redistribute inaccurate CoD and enhance the validity of CoD estimation. This study aimed to estimate cause-specific mortality rates and YLLs in Korea by applying a modified garbage code algorithm. CoD data for 2010–2012 were used to calculate the number of deaths. The garbage code algorithm was then applied to calculate target cause (i.e., valid CoD) and adjusted CoD using the garbage code redistribution. The results showed that garbage code deaths accounted for approximately 25% of all CoD during 2010–2012. In 2012, lung cancer contributed the most to cause-specific death according to the Statistics Korea. However, when CoD was adjusted using the garbage code redistribution, ischemic heart disease was the most common CoD. Furthermore, before garbage code redistribution, self-harm contributed the most YLLs followed by lung cancer and liver cancer; however, after application of the garbage code redistribution, though self-harm was the most common leading cause of YLL, it is followed by ischemic heart disease and lung cancer. Our results showed that garbage code deaths accounted for a substantial amount of mortality and YLLs. The results may enhance our knowledge of burden of disease and help prioritize intervention settings by changing the relative importance of burden of disease.
Cause of Death ; Garbage* ; Korea* ; Liver Neoplasms ; Lung Neoplasms ; Mortality* ; Myocardial Ischemia

OBJECTIVES: This study was carried to investigate the prevalence and odds ratio of work related musculoskeletal disorders according to the job classification in small-to-medium-sized enterprises(<300 employee). METHODS: A questionnaire survey was given to 746 workers in 8 workplaces. 501 workers (67.2%) were finally selected in this study. The workers in the 8 workplaces was divided into 7 jobs. Those were manufacturers(metal), assemblers(appliances), cashiers, packers(cosmetics), garbage collectors, and VDT workers. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios of the musculoskeletal symptoms according to the job classification. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that the significantly related risk factors for musculoskeletal symptoms are as follows; age, marital status, gender, work load change, work duration, hours worked per day, job demand, decision latitude, type of job. According to the type of job, the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms were 7.7%(clerks), 24.3%(manufacturers), 30.0%(assemblers), 23.0%(cashiers), 30.4%(packers), 11.9%(garbage collectors), 29.2%(VDT workers). Multiple logistic regression showed that the following significant odds ratios (referenceclerks): 7.32(packers), 5.63(assemblers), 5.11(cashiers), 4.79(VDT workers), 3.11(manufacturers). CONCLUSION: In small-to-medium-sized enterprises, the job classification was major risk factor for work related musculoskeletal disorders. According to the job classification, the odds ratios of the work related musculoskeletal disorders were different. Considering the odds ratios, the establishment of a prevention program of work related mus-culoskeletal disorders is recommended.
Classification* ; Garbage ; Logistic Models ; Marital Status ; Odds Ratio* ; Prevalence ; Questionnaires ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVES: 1) To determine mercury levels in urine samples from garbage workers in Southern Thailand, and 2) to describe the association between work characteristics, work positions, behavioral factors, and acute symptoms; and levels of mercury in urine samples. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted by interviewing 60 workers in 5 hazardous-waste-management factories, and 60 matched non-exposed persons living in the same area of Southern Thailand. Urine samples were collected to determine mercury levels by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometer mercury analyzer. RESULTS: The hazardous-waste workers' urinary mercury levels (10.07 microg/g creatinine) were significantly higher than the control group (1.33 microg/g creatinine) (p < 0.001). Work position, duration of work, personal protective equipment (PPE), and personal hygiene, were significantly associated with urinary mercury level (p < 0.001). The workers developed acute symptoms - of headaches, nausea, chest tightness, fatigue, and loss of consciousness at least once a week - and those who developed symptoms had significantly higher urinary mercury levels than those who did not, at p < 0.05. A multiple regression model was constructed. Significant predictors of urinary mercury levels included hours worked per day, days worked per week, duration of work (years), work position, use of PPE (mask, trousers, and gloves), and personal hygiene behavior (ate snacks or drank water at work, washed hands before lunch, and washed hands after work). CONCLUSION: Changing garbage workers' hygiene habits can reduce urinary mercury levels. Personal hygiene is important, and should be stressed in education programs. Employers should institute engineering controls to reduce urinary mercury levels among garbage workers.
Absorption ; Case-Control Studies ; Fatigue ; Garbage ; Hand ; Hazardous Waste ; Headache ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Lunch ; Nausea ; Snacks ; Thailand ; Thorax ; Unconsciousness ; Water

OBJECTIVES: 1) To determine mercury levels in urine samples from garbage workers in Southern Thailand, and 2) to describe the association between work characteristics, work positions, behavioral factors, and acute symptoms; and levels of mercury in urine samples. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted by interviewing 60 workers in 5 hazardous-waste-management factories, and 60 matched non-exposed persons living in the same area of Southern Thailand. Urine samples were collected to determine mercury levels by cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometer mercury analyzer. RESULTS: The hazardous-waste workers' urinary mercury levels (10.07 microg/g creatinine) were significantly higher than the control group (1.33 microg/g creatinine) (p < 0.001). Work position, duration of work, personal protective equipment (PPE), and personal hygiene, were significantly associated with urinary mercury level (p < 0.001). The workers developed acute symptoms - of headaches, nausea, chest tightness, fatigue, and loss of consciousness at least once a week - and those who developed symptoms had significantly higher urinary mercury levels than those who did not, at p < 0.05. A multiple regression model was constructed. Significant predictors of urinary mercury levels included hours worked per day, days worked per week, duration of work (years), work position, use of PPE (mask, trousers, and gloves), and personal hygiene behavior (ate snacks or drank water at work, washed hands before lunch, and washed hands after work). CONCLUSION: Changing garbage workers' hygiene habits can reduce urinary mercury levels. Personal hygiene is important, and should be stressed in education programs. Employers should institute engineering controls to reduce urinary mercury levels among garbage workers.
Absorption ; Case-Control Studies ; Fatigue ; Garbage ; Hand ; Hazardous Waste ; Headache ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Lunch ; Nausea ; Snacks ; Thailand ; Thorax ; Unconsciousness ; Water

Tinea pedis is frequently found in people with poor personal hygiene and in hot, humid environments. The authors investigated the clinical, epidemiological, and mycological characteristics of tinea pedis in 170 garbage workers(166 males and 4 females) employed in a garbage plant in Seoul, Korea. 40 were clerical workers and 130 were field workers. Tinea pedis was found in 134 with a prevalence rate of 78.8%. Of those 134, 61(45.5%) also had onychomycosis. The prevalence of tinea pedis increased with age and the period working in garbage plant. However, there was no difference in the prevalence of tinea pedis between clerical workers and field workers, mitigating against the conclusion that their tinea pedis may be of occupational origin. Clinically tinea pedis was classified into 4 types ; interdigital (41.8%), vesicular(23.1%), dry squamous(22.4%), and mixed(12.7%). KOH smear positivity and culture positivity was related to clinical types of the lesion the lowest in the interdigital type. In the interdigital type, the etiology of nonmycotic lesions could not be identified. Negative fungal cultures could have been due to secondary bacterial infections. 63 strains of dermatophytes were isolated; 54 strains of Trichophyton rubrem(85.7%), 8 strains of Trichophyton mentagrophytes(12.7%) and 1 mixed infection of T. rubrum and T. mentagrophytes. T. mentagrophytes was isolated only from the vesicular lesions. 8 strains of yeast forms, positive in KOH smears and yielding pure colonies, were also isolated, and repeated mycologic examination yielded the same results. Among them, at least 4 cases of Trichosporon beigelii, and 1 case of Candida parapsilosis were considered to be of pathogenic significance.
Arthrodermataceae ; Bacterial Infections ; Candida ; Coinfection ; Garbage* ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Korea ; Male ; Onychomycosis ; Plants ; Prevalence ; Seoul ; Tinea Pedis* ; Tinea* ; Trichophyton ; Trichosporon ; Yeasts

Globally, the incidence of communicable diseases has decreased compared to non-communicable diseases. However, chronic communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis persist worldwide. Furthermore, emerging new infections such as H1N1 influenza pose a new threat to public health. However, most studies have focused on non-communicable diseases because of their increasing incidence, with fewer studies investigating communicable diseases. Therefore, we estimated the burden of communicable diseases in Korea using national representative 2012 data. To estimate the disability-adjusted life years (DALY), we used cause of death data from the Statistics Korea to estimate the years of life lost (YLL), applied the Korean garbage code algorithm, and used national claims data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) to estimate years lived with disability (YLD). In 2012, the total DALYs of communicable disease were 445 per 100,000, with 129 YLLs per 100,000 and 316 YLDs per 100,000. The total DALYs in men were 468 per 100,000, greater than the 422 per 100,000 DALYs seen in women. The DALYs of lower respiratory infections were the highest value among communicable diseases at 143/100,000 DALYs followed by tuberculosis and upper respiratory infections. The 40-49 years old age group had the largest number of total DALYs. In contrast, the over 80 years old age group had the largest number of total DALYs per 100,000 followed by the 70-79 and 0-9 years old age groups. These results enable the prioritization of interventions related to communicable diseases and can be used for evidence-based public health policies.
Cause of Death ; Communicable Diseases* ; Female ; Garbage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Influenza, Human ; Korea ; Male ; National Health Programs ; Public Health ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Tuberculosis

INTRODUCTION: Community health profiles guide workers in identifying health problems and prioritizing programs for implementation. A community health profile document helps local health stakeholders realize the need for collaborative effort to address and solve health problems. This paper is a situational analysis which looks at the community health profile of San Gaspar, Ilocos Sur, focusing on direct and indirect dimensions of the community that can effect the health status of the population.
METHODS: Survey of 59 households, focus group discussion, key informant interviews of existing records were done.
RESULTS & CONCLUSION: San Gaspar is found to be similar to other rural communities in the absence of an established water system, poor garbage disposal, lack of concrete waste management programs, and high prevalence of acute respiratory illnesses. However, it significantly differs from majority of rural areas in nutritional status, some health practices and health seeking behaviors. These differences can be attributed to: a) proximity to rural health unit, b) active and dynamic rural health workers, c) people's high regard for health, and d) relatively high educational attainment.

Human ; Family Characteristics ; Focus Groups ; Garbage ; Health Status ; Nutritional Status ; Prevalence ; Residence Characteristics ; Rural Health ; Rural Population ; Surveys And Questionnaires ; Waste Management ; Water

BACKGROUND: Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the major environmental health risk factor in Korea. Exposure to PM2.5 has been a growing public concern nationwide. With the rapid aging of the Korean population, the health effects attributable to long-term exposure to PM2.5 were expected to increase further in the future. We aimed to estimate premature deaths attributable to long-term exposure to ambient PM(2.5) in Korea. METHODS: A modelled estimation of long-term exposure to PM2.5 was used to calculate the nationwide exposure level. Hazard ratios of long-term exposure to PM2.5 were obtained from a large prospective cohort study in North America. Modified cause of death (CoD) data, which applied the garbage code reclassification algorithm, were used to calculate premature deaths attributable to long-term exposure to PM2.5. RESULTS: From 1990 to 2013, the average population-weighted PM2.5 concentration in Korea was 30.2 μg/m3. The estimated number of premature deaths was 17,203 (95% confidence interval [CI], 11,056–22,772). The most common CoD was ischemic stroke (5,382; 3,101–7,403), followed by cancer of trachea, bronchus, and lung (4,958; 2,857–6,820), hemorrhagic stroke (3,452; 1,989–4,748), and ischemic heart disease (3,432; 1,383–5,358). CONCLUSION: Premature deaths due to long-term exposure to PM2.5 accounted for 6.4% of all deaths in Korea. However, individual efforts alone cannot prevent the effects of air pollution. This disease burden study can serve as a basis for the establishment of government policies and budgets and can be used to assess the effectiveness of environmental health policies.
Aging ; Air Pollution ; Bronchi ; Budgets ; Cause of Death ; Cohort Studies ; Environmental Health ; Garbage ; Korea ; Lung ; Mortality ; Mortality, Premature* ; Myocardial Ischemia ; North America ; Particulate Matter* ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea* ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; Trachea