Health effects of weekend work on Korean workers: based on the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey.

BACKGROUND: Although weekend work makes up a significant part of work patterns in modern society, research on the health effects of weekend work is relatively limited compared to other types of nonstandard work. This study was conducted to examine the impact of weekend work on the health of Korean workers, aiming to provide evidence to support the development of welfare policies that promote workers' health. METHODS: This study was conducted using data from the 6th Korean Working Conditions Survey, targeting 35,957 Korean workers who met the research criteria. Based on the survey responses, information was collected on weekend work status and health outcomes, including general health, musculoskeletal pain, headaches or eye pain, fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, absenteeism and presenteeism. To examine the association between weekend work and health outcome variables, logistic regression analysis was performed adjusting for sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, with additional stratified analyses conducted according to employment status. RESULTS: Among the final study population, 11,255 workers, accounting for 30.5% of the total, were weekend workers. After adjusting for sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, weekend work was found to be significantly associated with depression (odds ratio [OR]: 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00-1.18), anxiety (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.16-1.58), musculoskeletal pain (OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.34-1.58), fatigue (OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.36-1.62), absenteeism (OR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.43-2.03), and presenteeism (OR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.62-2.04). The health effects of weekend work differed between the self-employed and employees, as shown in the results of the stratified analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Weekend work was found to increase the risk of both physical and mental health problems of Korean workers, and the effect varied according to employment status. There is a need to design a comprehensive occupational health policy that reflects the characteristics of different employment statuses.