RESUMEN

Digital health literacy is crucial in accessing and applying health information in the COVID-19 pandemic period. Young college students are exposed daily to digital technologies, and they have further increased the use of digital information during the COVID-19 period. This study aimed to adapt DHLI into Korean and to assess the psychometric properties, during the COVID-19 pandemic period. A cross-sectional, nationwide, and web-based survey was conducted among 604 Korean undergraduates from 23 December 2020 to 8 January 2021. On the basis of the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI) by the Global COVID HL Network, the Korean questionnaire was developed by group translation, expert reviews, and forward-backward translation for validation. The scale reliability and validity were examined using Cronbach's alpha and confirmatory factor analysis. Results support the theoretical and empirical four-factor structure (search, express, evaluate, use) in the coronavirus-related DHL among Korean University students. Internal reliability of the overall scale was high (Cronbach's α = 0.908). The four-factor model was supported by confirmatory factor analysis (GFI = 0.972, CFI = 0.984, TLI = 0.978, RMSEA = 0.045). This study revealed that the COVID-DHL-K is a valid and reliable measure with appropriate psychometric characteristics.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Magnitudes of health inequalities present consequences of socioeconomic impact on each health problem. To provide knowledge on the size of health problems in terms of socioeconomic burden, we examined the magnitudes and patterns of health inequalities across 12 health problems. A total of 17,292 participants older than 30 years were drawn from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2010⁻2012). The age-adjusted prevalence ratios were compared across socioeconomic positions (SEPs) based on income, education, and occupation. The magnitudes of socioeconomic inequalities varied across 12 health problems and, in general, the patterns of socioeconomic inequalities were similar among groups of health problems (i.e., non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health, and subjective health states). Significant health inequalities across NCDs, such as diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and arthritis, were observed mainly in women. Socioeconomic inequalities in mental health problems, such as depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts, were profound for both genders and across SEP measures. Significant socioeconomic inequalities were also observed for subjective health. No or weak associations were observed for injury and HBV infection. The patterns of socioeconomic inequalities were similar among groups of health problems. Mental illnesses appeared to require prioritization of socioeconomic approaches for improvement in terms of absolute prevalence and relative socioeconomic distribution.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: In this study, we assessed the secular trends and socioeconomic differentials in menarcheal age among women aged 25-64 year. METHODS: Using the 5th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2010-2012), bivariate analysis and one-way analysis of variance were used to test the statistical differences between age groups. RESULTS: The mean age at menarche was 14.3 yr with a steep decrease in the younger cohort: from 15.9 yr in 1951-1955 to 13.1 yr in 1986-1990. Height as a proxy marker for early nutrition showed an inverse relationship with menarcheal age. The earlier menarcheal age patterns in women of higher socioeconomic position were observed according to one's education, monthly family income, occupation, region (urban vs. rural), and parental education. CONCLUSION: This result suggests a fast and ongoing trend in age at menarche and the socioeconomic discrepancy among Korean women in the last four decades.

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: A single-item depression measure may not be adequate in capturing the complex entity of mental health, despite wide use of this indicator in community studies. This study evaluated the accuracy of a single-question depression measure in comparison to two composite indices-the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 800 elderly participants ranging from 60 to 89 years of age and residing in Seoul were recruited using a multistage sampling scheme in 2015. The survey was conducted by trained interviewers with a constructed questionnaire. Reliability and validity measures such as the Kappa index, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and AUC were used to evaluate the accuracy of the single question measure. Socio-demographic group differences in accuracy were compared by age, sex, marital status, education, employment, and financial status. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression by a single-question measure was much lower than those of CESD and GDS (5.5%, 12.3%, and 12.1%, respectively). The sensitivity of the single-item measure, based on CESD and GDS, was extremely low at 30.6% and 36.1%. In the subgroup analysis, however, there was a marked educational discrepancy in all accuracy measures; in sensitivity, people with a university degree or higher showed about 2.4 times higher sensitivity than those having only a primary school education. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that a single-question depression measure should be used with caution. In addition, the single-question measure could substantially underestimate depression among the risk group of older adults.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence suggests that body weight misperception may be associated with psychological distress among people in developed countries. Participating in physical activity (PA) may negate the association between weight misperception and psychological distress given the well-known benefits of PA on psychological health. This study examined the role of PA in associations between body weight misperception and psychological distress among young South Korean adults. METHODS: Data from individuals aged 20 to 39 years who participated in the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2010-2012 (N = 6055) was included in the logistic regressions. RESULTS: The proportions of the respondents under- and over-perceiving their body weight were 66.9% and 0.8% among men and 16.3% and 15.6% among women respectively. A moderating effect of PA participation was observed on the relationship between body weight over-perception and depressed mood (Odds Ratio [OR] = 0.55; 95% Confidence Intervals [95% CI] = 0.34, 0.89). Among individuals who did not meet the recommended vigorous-intensity PA (≥ 20 min/session and ≥ 3 day/week), body weight over-perception was associated with depressed mood (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.19, 2.46) compared to the accurate-perception group. However, no association was observed among those who met the recommended vigorous-intensity PA (OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 0.45, 5.22). Similar patterns were found among physically active versus inactive individuals (recommended walking not met: OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.29, 3.15; recommended walking met: OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 0.66, 2.49; muscular strengthening exercises for < 2 day/week: OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.21, 2.51; muscular strengthening exercises for ≥ 2 day/week: OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 0.37, 5.14). No relationship existed between body weight over-perception and depressed mood after adjusting for PA. CONCLUSIONS: Participating in regular PA may buffer a potential negative impact of body weight over-perception on depressive mood.

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess in amyloidosis prevalence in Korea between 2006 and 2015. METHODS: Primary diagnoses related to amyloidosis, regardless of subtype, were collected from the Korean National Health Insurance Service from 2006 through 2015. RESULTS: Overall, the age-standardized prevalence of amyloidosis was 0.93 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.81, 1.04) persons per 100,000 persons in 2006 and 1.91 (95% CI 1.78, 2.05) persons per 100,000 persons in 2015. This included an increase from 0.43 (95% CI 0.35, 0.51) to 1.04 (95% CI 0.94, 1.14) persons per 100,000 persons in men and from 0.49 (95% CI 0.40, 0.57) to 0.87 (95% CI 0.77, 0.96) persons per 100,000 persons in women. In particular, the age-standardized prevalence of amyloidosis showed a greater increase in patients aged 65 years or older and in patients aged 45-64 years than in patients aged 20-44 years, for both men and women. CONCLUSIONS: The overall age-standardized prevalence of amyloidosis was approximately 2 persons per 100,000 persons in 2015. The overall age-standardized prevalence of amyloidosis increased between 2006 and 2015, especially in individuals aged 45-64 and older than 65 years.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the self-rated health trajectories of the Korean older population and revealed life-course factors that affect the trajectories over the life course. METHODS: Around 1000 older adults were randomly allocated by stratified multi-stage sampling based on the population census, and underwent face-to-face interviews. Self-rated health status, socioeconomic variables over the life course, and demographic variables were included in the analysis. A group-based trajectory model was used to investigate the association between self-rated health and explanatory variables. RESULTS: The enrolled men and women were divided into three groups by trajectory analysis, which showed marked differences in self-rated health trajectories from childhood to senescence. Among older men, those who experienced skipping meals in childhood and those with chronic disease conditions were more likely to be in the lower trajectory groups. Compared to the older men, the likelihood of being in the lower trajectory groups in older women was increased by experience of skipping meals, lower household income, housekeeping labor, receiving Basic Livelihood Security and chronic disease conditions. CONCLUSION: Various self-rated health trajectories of the Korean older population were identified, and differed according to socioeconomic variables during their life course. Therefore, socioeconomic variables during the life course should be monitored, and health policies directed at the elderly should focus on initial health status from the perspective of a life-course approach.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: This study will assess the accuracy of self-reported hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia among Korean older adults. METHODS: Using data from the fourth Korean National Health Examination and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES IV, 2007-2009), we selected 7,270 individuals aged 50 years and older who participated in both a health examination and a health interview survey. Self-reported prevalence of hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM), and hypercholesterolemia was compared with measured data (arterial systolic/diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and total cholesterol). RESULTS: An agreement between self-reported and measured data was only moderate for hypercholesterolemia (κ, 0.48), even though it was high for HTN (κ, 0.72) and DM (κ, 0. 82). Sensitivity was low in hypercholesterolemia (46.7%), but high in HTN and DM (73% and 79.3%, respectively). Multiple analysis shows that predictors for sensitivity differed by disease. People with less education were more likely to exhibit lower sensitivity to HTN and hypercholesterolemia, and people living in rural areas were less sensitive to DM and hypercholesterolemia. CONCLUSION: Caution is needed in interpreting the results of community studies using self-reported data on chronic diseases, especially hypercholesterolemia, among adults aged 50 years and older.

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the relationship between ageism and depression, exploring the stress-mediating and stress-moderating roles of emotional reactions and coping behaviors. METHODS: Data were from the 2013 Ageism and Health Study (n = 816), a cross-sectional survey of urban and rural community-dwelling seniors aged 60-89 years in South Korea. Participants with at least one experience of ageism reported on their emotional reactions and coping responses. The measure yielded two types of coping: problem-focused (taking formal action, confrontation, seeking social support) and emotion-focused (passive acceptance, emotional discharge). RESULTS: Although ageism was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (B = 0.27, p < 0.0001), the association was entirely mediated by emotional reactions such as anger, sadness, and powerlessness. Problem-focused coping, especially confrontation and social support, seemingly reduced the impact of emotional reactions on depression, whereas emotion-focused coping exacerbated the adverse effects. CONCLUSION: These findings support the cultural characterization explanation of ageism and related coping processes among Korean elderly and suggest that regulating emotional reactions may determine the efficacy of coping with ageism.

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: Obesity is a well-recognized risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) among young and middle-aged adults in South Korea. To elaborate on the association between obesity and Diabetes mellitus (DM), subjective data from self-reporting survey or objective data from health examination is generally used. This study was conducted to validate the change of association from using these different measurements. METHODS: Community Health Survey data and Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, as subjective and objective data respectively, were used. Population, resident in Seoul and over 45 aged, were selected for the study and the association between obesity and DM were defined by using multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: In subjective data, DM prevalence was 12.4% (male, 14.7; female, 10.6) and obesity prevalence was 26.0% (male, 29.2; female, 23.4). Whereas, in objective data, DM prevalence was 15.0% (male, 17.8; female, 12.9), and obese population was 32.4% (male, 34.4; female, 30.8). Based on the effect of obesity on DM prevalence from each data, using objective data increased the impact of obesity. Difference of relative risk of obesity between from subjective data and from objective was bigger in female than male and statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The differences of association pattern between subjective and objective data were found, due to higher obesity prevalence in objective data, and discrepancies of socio-economic status. These discrepancies could be inevitable Therefore we have to face them proactively, and understand the different aspect of various variables from different measurement.

RESUMEN

This study was conducted among 992 Koreans aged 60 to 89 to examine the effects of perceived discrimination on the health of an ethnically homogenous older population. Perceived discrimination was measured with a self-report instrument. Health outcomes included depressive symptoms, poor self-rated health, and chronic diseases. Of the elderly Koreans surveyed, 23.5% reported having experienced discrimination based on education, age, birthplace, birth order, or gender. Among women, 23.1% reported experiencing gender discrimination, compared to 0.9% among men. Men reported education and age discrimination most frequently-9.4% and 7.7%, respectively. Those who reported experiencing any discrimination were 2.19 times more likely to report depressive symptoms (95% confidence interval = 1.50-3.22) and 1.40 times more likely to report poor self-rated health (95% confidence interval = 1.02-1.93). The health effects of educational discrimination appeared most prominent. This study supports the positive associations between perceived discrimination and poorer health, particularly mental health, in later life.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

While there are strong correlations between self-reported and directly measured anthropometric data, the discrepancy and systematic errors associated with these, particularly among middle-aged and older persons residing in South Korea, remain a contentious issue. All participants were selected from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA), a panel study conducted by the Korea Labor Institute; data from 510 participants (290 females; 56.9%) were analyzed. We considered general characteristics, including sex, age, education, marital status, employment, income, and residential region, and used self-rated health (SRH) as a generic indicator of health status. One-way ANOVA, t-test, and Scheffé's test (α=0.1) were employed to explore the difference between directly measured and self-reported values. Sensitivity and specificity values were used to assess the validity of obesity diagnoses based on self-reported body mass index (BMI: body weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters). The means of BMI differences were 1.3 (±1.2)kg/m(2) among men and 1.8 (±1.5)kg/m(2) among women. In men, the difference could be attributed to measured BMI and residential region; among women, age and education level influenced the discrepancy in BMI. Scheffé's test (α=0.1) for multiple comparisons of group means revealed that women over the age of 65 years, with lower than middle-school education, who lived in rural areas, and had a measured BMI of 25kg/m(2) or more, were more likely to have significant BMI discrepancies. In contrast, for men, significant predictors were living in rural areas and being obese. Although adequate correlations were seen in self-reported BMI, they indicated low sensitivity, with 46.5% and 60.1% among males and females, respectively. However, specificities were very high, at 97.8% and 98.0% for males and females, respectively. The diagnostic performance of self-reported BMI is insufficient for assessing obesity prevalence among middle-aged or older Koreans.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

Women live much longer than men in Korea, with remarkable gains in life expectancy at birth for the past decades. The gender differential has steadily increased over time, reaching a peak of more than 8 years in 1980s, and decreased thereafter to 6.7 years in 2005. Studies to investigate the pattern and contributing factors to changes in the life expectancy gender gap have been mostly from Western countries, and there has been no such study in Asian countries, except in Japan. We therefore aimed to examine age- and cause-specific contributions to the changing gender differentials in life expectancy in Korea, in particular the decline of the gap, using a decomposition method. Between 1970 and 1979 when the gender gap in life expectancy widened, faster mortality decline among women in ages 20-44 explained 66% of the total increase in the gender gap, which would be due to substantial improvements in reproductive health among women and excess male mortality in occupational injuries and transport accidents. Although greater survival advantage among elderly women over 70 contributed to further increase in the gender gap, the contributions from younger ages with the ages 15-64 contributing the most (-2 years) resulted in the overall reduction of the gender gap which began in 1992 and continued to 2005. Among causes of death, liver diseases (-0.5 years, 38% of the total decline), transport accidents (-0.4 years, 31%), hypertensive diseases (-0.3 years, 19%), stroke (-0.1 years, 11%), and tuberculosis (-0.1 years) contributed the most to the overall 1.4 years reduction in the gender gap. However, changes in mortality from lung cancer (+0.3 years), suicide (+0.3 years), chronic lower respiratory diseases (+0.2 years), and ischemic heart diseases (+0.1 years) contributed to widening the gap during the same period. In sum, while smoking-related causes of death have contributed most to the narrowing gap in most other industrialized countries, these causes contributed toward increasing the gender gap in Korea. Instead, liver disease, hypertension-related diseases, and transport accidents were major contributing causes of death to the narrowing of gender differentials in life expectancy in Korea.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the trends in gender disparity in the self-rated health of people aged 25 to 64 in South Korea, a rapidly changing society, with specific attention to socio-structural inequality. METHODS: Representative sample data were obtained from six successive, nationwide Social Statistics Surveys of the Korean National Statistical Office performed during 1992 to 2010. RESULTS: The results showed a convergent trend in poor self-rated health between genders since 1992, with a sharper decline in gender disparity observed in younger adults (aged 25 to 44) than in older adults (aged 45 to 64). The diminishing gender gap seemed to be attributable to an increase in women's educational attainment levels and to their higher status in the labor market. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicated the importance of equitable social opportunities for both genders for understanding the historical trends in the gender gap in the self-reported health data from South Korea.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: We examined gender differential changes in employment-related health inequalities according to occupational position (professional/nonprofessional) in South Korea during the last decade. METHODS: Data were taken from four rounds of Social Statistical Surveys of South Korea (1995, 1999, 2003, and 2006) from the Korean National Statistics Office. The total study population was 55435 male and 33 913 female employees aged 25-64. Employment arrangements were divided into permanent, fixed-term, and daily employment. RESULTS: After stratification according to occupational position (professional/nonprofessional) and gender, different patterns in employment - related health inequalities were observed. In the professional group, the gaps in absolute and relative employment inequalities for poor self-rated health were more likely to widen following Korea's 1997 economic downturn. In the nonprofessional group, during the study period, graded patterns of employment-related health inequalities were continuously observed in both genders. Absolute health inequalities by employment status, however, decreased among men but increased among women. In addition, a remarkable increase in relative health inequalities was found among female temporary and daily employees (p = 0.009, < 0.001, respectively), but only among male daily employees (p = 0.001). Relative employment-related health inequalities had clearly widened for female daily workers between 2003 and 2006 (p = 0.047). The 1997 Korean economic downturn, in particular, seemingly stimulated a widening gap in employment health inequalities. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that whereas absolute health inequalities in relation to employment status increased in the professional group, relative employment-related health inequalities increased in the nonprofessional group, especially among women. In view of the high concentration of female nonstandard employees, further monitoring of inequality should consider gender specific patterns according to employee's occupational and employment status.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

The objective of this study is to investigate gender differences of obesity on major chronic diseases in elderly Korean males and females. This study applied a cross sectional design using the 2005 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHNES). We selected 508 elderly males and 830 elderly females who were 60 or more years old. Obesity was defined using Body Mass Index (BMI) (≥ 25) or Waist Circumference (WC) (≥ 90 for men and ≥ 85 for women). We applied a surveylogistic regression to determine gender differences in relation to the effect of obesity on eleven major chronic diseases. Using WC, 46.2% of females were obese compared to 34.3% for males. Similarly, using BMI, 42.2% of females were obese compared to 31.7% for males. While obese males and females had similar profiles for developing metabolic syndrome components including hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes (odds ratios [ORs] were 1.8-2.6 for males and 1.7-2.5 for females), obese elderly females had additional risks for arthritis and urinary incontinence (ORs 1.5-1.8 for females) as well as higher prevalence for these diseases. A clearer understanding of gender differences in relation to the association between obesity and chronic diseases would be helpful for reducing the social burden of chronic diseases in the elderly.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate whether working married women in different occupational classes affected diverse health outcomes. METHODS: We used data for married women aged 25-59 (N=2,273) from the 2005 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey. Outcome measures included physical/mental and subjective/objective indicators (self-rated poor health, chronic diseases, depression, and suicidal ideation from reported results; metabolic syndrome and dyslipidemia from health examination results). Age-standardized prevalence and logistic regression were employed to assess health status according to three types of working groups (housewives, married women in manual jobs, married women in non-manual jobs). Sociodemographic factors (age, numbers of children under 7, education, household income) and health behaviors (health examination, sleep, rest, exercise, smoking, drinking) and a psychological factor (stress) were considered as covariates. RESULTS: Non-manual married female workers in Korea showed better health status in all five health outcomes than housewives. The positive health effect for the non-manual group persisted in absolute (age-adjusted prevalence) and relative (odds ratio) measures, but multivariate analyses showed an insignificant association of the non-manual group with dyslipidemia. Manual female workers showed significantly higher age-adjusted prevalence of almost all health outcomes than housewives except chronic disease, but the associations disappeared after further adjustment for covariates regarding sleep, rest, and stress. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that examining the health impact of work on married women requires the consideration of occupational class.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: South Korea has experienced unprecedented ups and downs in the sex ratio at birth (SRB), which has been a unique phenomenon in the last two decades. However, little is known about socioeconomic factors that influence the SRB. Employing the diffusion theory by Rogers, this study was undertaken to examine the trends in social variations in the SRB from 1981 to 2004 in Korea. METHODS: The data was taken from Vital Birth Statistics for the period from 1981-2004. We computed the annual male proportion of live births according to the parental education (university, middle/high school, primary) and occupation (non-manual, manual, others). Logistic regression analysis was employed to estimate the odds ratios of male birth according to social position for the equidistant three time periods (1981-1984, 1991-1994, and 2001-2004). RESULTS: An increased SRB was detected among parents with higher social position before the mid 1980s. Since then, however, a greater SRB was found for the less educated and manual jobholders. The inverse social gradient for the SRB was most prominent in early 1990s, but the gap has narrowed since the late 1990s. The mother's socioeconomic position could be a sensitive indicator of the social variations in the sex ratio at birth. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in the relationship of parental social position with the SRB were detected during the 1980-2004 in Korea. This Korean experience may well be explained by diffusion theory, suggesting there have been socioeconomic differences in the adoption and spread of sex-detection technology.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: Suicide rates have recently been decreasing on average among OECD countries, but increasing trends have been detected in South Korea, particularly since the 1997 economic crisis. There have been no detailed analyses about the changes of the suicide rates over time periods in Korea. We examined trends in both absolute and proportional suicide rates over the time period of economic development, crisis, and recovery (1986 - 2005) as well as in birth cohorts from 1924 to 1978. METHODS: We used data on total mortality and suicide rates from 1986 to 2005 published online by the Korean National Statistical Office (NSO) and extracted data for individuals under 80 years old. The analyses of the trends for 1) the sex-age-specific total mortality rate, 2) the sex-age-specific suicide rate, and 3) the sex-age-specific proportional suicide rate in 1986-2005 were conducted. To demonstrate the birth cohort effect on the proportional suicide rate, the synthetic birth cohort from 1924 to 1978 from the successive cross-sectional data was constructed. RESULTS: Age standardized suicide rates in South Korea increased by 98% in men (from 15.3 to 30.3 per 100,000) and by 124% in women (from 5.8 to 13.0 per 100,000). In both genders, the proportional increase in suicide rates was more prominent among the younger group aged under 45, despite the absolute increase being attributed to the older group. There were distinct cohort effects underlying increasing suicide rates particularly among younger age groups. CONCLUSION: Increasing suicide rates in Korea was composed of a greater absolute increase in the older group and a greater proportional increase in the younger group.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVE: In view of the growing number of nonstandard workers in South Korea, this study examined whether nonstandard workers reported poorer health compared to standard workers and assessed whether there were gender differences in the association between employment status and chronic health outcomes. METHOD: Data were taken from a representative-weighted sample of 1,563 men and 1,045 women aged 20-64, from the 2001 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Nonstandard employment included part-time work, temporary work, and day labor. Self-rated health and self-reported chronic disease conditions were used as health measures. MAIN RESULTS: Nonstandard employment was significantly associated with higher risk of self-rated health and chronic conditions after adjusting for socioeconomic position (education, occupational class, and income) and health behaviors (cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, regular exercise, and health examinations). However, the pattern in the relation between nonstandard work and specific health problems greatly differed by gender. Among men, nonstandard work arrangements were significantly associated with musculoskeletal disorders (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.24-3.19) and liver disease (OR 2.83, 95% CI 1.27-6.32). Among women, nonstandard employment was related to mental disorders (OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.40-7.56). CONCLUSION: The findings clearly indicate the need for further study of the observed associations, particularly prospective and analytical studies.

Asunto(s)