Associations between income and work-related disease among Korean workers

Health status of workers could be affected by SES. This study was conducted to examine the association between income and work-related injury and illness among Korean workers. A total sample of 9,030 active working population from First Korean Working Conditions Survey (KWCS) conducted in 2006 was used in the study. The sample excludes retired, unemployed, housekeepers, full-time students and workers who work less than 35 hours per week. The dependent variable was a number of work related injury and illness such as hearing loss, vision problems, skin problems, back pain, headache, stomachache, muscular pains in shoulder, neck, upper extremity, lower extremity, respiratory difficulty, heart disease, injuries, stress, overall fatigue, sleeping problem, allergy, anxiety, depression. Demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status (monthly paycheck), heath behavior (alcohol consumption), preexisting illnesses, working conditions (occupation type, shift work) were considered as covariates. A multiple linear regression analysis was done to examine the associations between monthly income (less than 1 million/1-less than 2 million/2-less than 3 million/3 million or more Korean won) and the number of work-related diseases. The mean numbers of work-related diseases were 1.01, 0.92, 0.82, 0.69 in workers with < 1 million won (less than 909 dollar/month when 1$=1,100 won), 1-<2 million Korean won (less than 1,818 dollar), 2-<3 million (less than 2,727dollar), ≥3million Korean won (over 2,727 dollar/month), respectively. The monthly income was negatively associated with the number of work-related injury and illness. The results of this study support the association between low wage and workers health conditions.