Type of Work and Subjective Health Components: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey Among Workers in Korea

Background: This study examined how type of work and working conditions (such as shift work and long working hours) are associated with subjective health components including health-maintenance behaviors, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and self-management strategies for maintaining health among Korean workers.Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional online survey was conducted in November 2021 among adults aged 20-64 years from 17 regions of the Republic of Korea (N = 3,900). Participants were categorized into unpaid family workers, irregular workers, self-employed workers, and permanent employee workers (n = 3,275). Paid workers were subcategorized into shift work (n = 574) and weekly working hours over 41 hours (n = 932). Among the subjective health components, HRQOL and self-management strategies for maintaining health were assessed using tools with proven validity and reliability. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.Results: Adequate rest, as a health maintenance behavior, was determined to have a statistically significant association with type of work, shift work, and working hours. Shift work and working over 41 hours per week were positively associated with the use of preparation strategies, with adjusted odds ratios of 1.052 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.015-1.090] and 1.035 (95% CI: 1.005-1.067), respectively. Furthermore, shift work negatively correlated with HRQOL (aOR = 0.026, 95% CI: 0.009-0.070).Conclusion: Subjective health components were influenced by differences in type of work, and working conditions. Utilizing this information to develop indicators for worker health management within Korean medicine and integrative medicine may contribute to efficient health management of workers.