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Occupational Characteristics and Health Status of Vietnamese Male Migrant Workers in the Republic of Korea

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to identify the working conditions and health status of Vietnamese male migrant workers in Republic of Korea, in comparison to the Korean general population. METHODS: We conducted our survey through the Migrant People Center, and we received completed quest...

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Autores principales: Kwon, Ohwi, Song, Ji-Hun, Kong, Jeong-Ok, Ma, Seong-Won, Lee, Young Shin, Ahn, Joonho
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10562105/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37818215
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2023.08.001
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author Kwon, Ohwi
Song, Ji-Hun
Kong, Jeong-Ok
Ma, Seong-Won
Lee, Young Shin
Ahn, Joonho
author_facet Kwon, Ohwi
Song, Ji-Hun
Kong, Jeong-Ok
Ma, Seong-Won
Lee, Young Shin
Ahn, Joonho
author_sort Kwon, Ohwi
collection PubMed
description BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to identify the working conditions and health status of Vietnamese male migrant workers in Republic of Korea, in comparison to the Korean general population. METHODS: We conducted our survey through the Migrant People Center, and we received completed questionnaires from 87 male Vietnamese migrant workers. The questionnaire employed was identical to those used in the Korean Working Conditions Survey and the 2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The collected data from the Vietnamese migrant workers was then compared with the Korean reference population using indirect age-standardization. RESULTS: Vietnamese male workers demonstrated a higher prevalence of health problems including hearing problems (age-standardized prevalence ratio (aSPR) 13.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.07–20.4), skin problems (aSPR 13.49, 95% CI: 8.07–20.4), and low back pain (aSPR 8.40, 95% CI: 6.50–10.69). Elevated exposure to workplace hazards such as chemicals (aSPR 2.36, 95% CI: 1.51–3.51), organic solvents (aSPR 2.22, 95% CI: 1.44–3.28), handling of heavy objects (aSPR 1.67, 95% CI: 1.24–2.21), and high temperatures (aSPR 1.96, 95% CI: 1.46–2.57) was observed among them. Additionally, they faced a higher risk of no personal protective equipment (aSPR 2.53, 95% CI: 1.26–4.52) and a greater prevalence of unmet medical needs (aSPR 7.14, 95% CI: 4.74–10.32). CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the elevated workplace hazards, health problems, and unmet medical needs among Vietnamese male workers compared to the Korean reference population. These findings underscores the urgency for enhanced scrutiny over working conditions and protective equipment provision, coupled with efforts to improve healthcare accessibility and worker education.
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spelling pubmed-105621052023-10-10 Occupational Characteristics and Health Status of Vietnamese Male Migrant Workers in the Republic of Korea Kwon, Ohwi Song, Ji-Hun Kong, Jeong-Ok Ma, Seong-Won Lee, Young Shin Ahn, Joonho Saf Health Work Original Article BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to identify the working conditions and health status of Vietnamese male migrant workers in Republic of Korea, in comparison to the Korean general population. METHODS: We conducted our survey through the Migrant People Center, and we received completed questionnaires from 87 male Vietnamese migrant workers. The questionnaire employed was identical to those used in the Korean Working Conditions Survey and the 2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The collected data from the Vietnamese migrant workers was then compared with the Korean reference population using indirect age-standardization. RESULTS: Vietnamese male workers demonstrated a higher prevalence of health problems including hearing problems (age-standardized prevalence ratio (aSPR) 13.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.07–20.4), skin problems (aSPR 13.49, 95% CI: 8.07–20.4), and low back pain (aSPR 8.40, 95% CI: 6.50–10.69). Elevated exposure to workplace hazards such as chemicals (aSPR 2.36, 95% CI: 1.51–3.51), organic solvents (aSPR 2.22, 95% CI: 1.44–3.28), handling of heavy objects (aSPR 1.67, 95% CI: 1.24–2.21), and high temperatures (aSPR 1.96, 95% CI: 1.46–2.57) was observed among them. Additionally, they faced a higher risk of no personal protective equipment (aSPR 2.53, 95% CI: 1.26–4.52) and a greater prevalence of unmet medical needs (aSPR 7.14, 95% CI: 4.74–10.32). CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the elevated workplace hazards, health problems, and unmet medical needs among Vietnamese male workers compared to the Korean reference population. These findings underscores the urgency for enhanced scrutiny over working conditions and protective equipment provision, coupled with efforts to improve healthcare accessibility and worker education. Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute 2023-09 2023-08-04 /pmc/articles/PMC10562105/ /pubmed/37818215 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2023.08.001 Text en © 2023 The Authors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
spellingShingle Original Article
Kwon, Ohwi
Song, Ji-Hun
Kong, Jeong-Ok
Ma, Seong-Won
Lee, Young Shin
Ahn, Joonho
Occupational Characteristics and Health Status of Vietnamese Male Migrant Workers in the Republic of Korea
title Occupational Characteristics and Health Status of Vietnamese Male Migrant Workers in the Republic of Korea
title_full Occupational Characteristics and Health Status of Vietnamese Male Migrant Workers in the Republic of Korea
title_fullStr Occupational Characteristics and Health Status of Vietnamese Male Migrant Workers in the Republic of Korea
title_full_unstemmed Occupational Characteristics and Health Status of Vietnamese Male Migrant Workers in the Republic of Korea
title_short Occupational Characteristics and Health Status of Vietnamese Male Migrant Workers in the Republic of Korea
title_sort occupational characteristics and health status of vietnamese male migrant workers in the republic of korea
topic Original Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10562105/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37818215
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2023.08.001
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