Effect of work-related factors on the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease among Korean workers: a nationwide population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Working environment such as psychosocial factors impacts the health of workers. However, few studies have assessed the association of work-related factors with the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) in large population based study. METHODS: After exclusion of military personnel, 16,099 wage workers (20 ≤ age ≤ 65 years) from the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2008-2011) were included in this study. Job status was defined as the place of employment of longest duration. To evaluate the working environment, we used a comprehensive work-stressor measure. Univariate and multivariable regression analyses were performed to assess the effect of occupation type on the prevalence of PUD. RESULTS: Among the subjects, 5540, 3398, and 7161 were white-, pink-, and blue-collar workers, respectively. The prevalence of PUD was highest among blue-collar workers (n = 336, 7.1%), followed by pink-collar (n = 116, 5.1%) and white-collar (n = 180, 4.9%) workers. In the multivariable analysis, work type and uncomfortable gestures were independently associated with the risk of PUD. Compared with office workers, operators in industrial plants and machine operators had a significantly higher prevalence of PUD (odds ratio, 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.3) after adjusting for age, socioeconomic factors, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, daily exercise, sleep duration, and working conditions. DISCUSSION: In conclusion, work-related factors, particularly blue-collar work and uncomfortable job gestures, are independently associated with the risk of PUD. Therefore, it is important to monitor the development of PUD in workers exposed to these factors.