The current study is to examine the differences in physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), and mental health (i.e., stress, depression, and suicidal behaviors) between early menopausal women and age-matched general middle-aged women. Among 1348 participants in South Korea, 674 participants who experienced menopause before the age of 45 were defined as the early menopausal group, and 674 women who experienced menopause from 45 years to 55 years were classified as the general group by matching age based on early menopausal women. PA, SB, and mental health were evaluated by using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). An independent t-test was used to compare the associations of PA, SB, and mental health between the two groups. To demonstrate the predictors of early menopause, variables in the study were analyzed by multinomial logistic regression. The main findings were that moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and light PA (LPA) had significant differences between the two groups, but SB had no significant differences. In mental health, only perceived stress had significant differences in this study. The moderate level of stress in the early menopausal group was twice as high as that of the general group, and the severe level of stress was even 2.6 times higher than the general group. PA plays an essential role in mitigating the causes of mortality and the risk of various chronic diseases and improving quality of life; thus, the main findings of this study could be important to provide insights on the corresponding impact between early menopausal women and PA to encourage their healthy lifestyle. Further longitudinal studies are needed to examine the mechanisms underlying the effects of PA, SB, and mental health on early menopausal women.

Shift work has become more widespread globally as the demand for round-the-clock production and service industries continues to grow. This study investigated the health and lifestyle disparities between day and overnight workers, focusing on the impact of work schedules on employee health. We used the raw data from the 2018–2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey involving 604 adult workers. The results revealed that overnight workers faced increased risks for health concerns such as sleep deprivation (weekday sleep time: Day = 6.78 ± 1.35, Overnight = 6.36 ± 1.65, p < 0.00), type 2 diabetes (HbA1c (%): O.R = 5.66, 95% CI: 2.57–12.45) compared to day workers. Furthermore, sedentary behavior time (≥ 601 minutes: O.R = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.25–3.60) and lifestyle factors (white-collar workers: O.R = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.28–0.85, low-income individuals: O.R = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.28–4.19, smoking status: O.R = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.70–4.43) were found to be associated with the likelihood of working overnight. The study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions, policies, and collaboration to address overnight workers' unique challenges, support their well-being, and raise awareness of associated health risks.

No abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the association between physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), satisfaction with sleep fatigue recovery (SSFR), and smartphone dependency in South Korean adults. We analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2020 data. We selected participants who answered Internet addiction-related questions as “Very much” (n = 241) and answered Internet addiction-related questions as “Not at all” (n = 241) in the questionnaire. The participants were matched by age and gender, then divided into two groups. Between the two groups, there were considerable differences in the number of days participating in moderate to vigorous PA (5 days or more, p = 0.01), the number of strength training days (1 day, p = 0.02), the number of light PA days for more than 60 min (every day for the last 7 days, p = 0.01), and the SSFR over the past 7 days (p < 0.05). Additionally, the mean smartphone usage time and mean sedentary behavior time between the two groups showed significant differences. The study demonstrated that there were significant associations between PA, SB, SSFR, and smartphone dependency among Korean adolescents matched by age and gender. Additionally, this study highlights the importance of increasing overall PA and number of days participating in MVPA, decreasing SB time and smartphone usage time could reduce the incidence of smartphone overdependence.

Shift work has become more widespread globally as the demand for round-the-clock production and service industries continues to grow. This study investigated the health and lifestyle disparities between day and overnight workers, focusing on the impact of work schedules on employee health. We used the raw data from the 2018–2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey involving 604 adult workers. The results revealed that overnight workers faced increased risks for health concerns such as sleep deprivation (weekday sleep time: Day = 6.78 ± 1.35, Overnight = 6.36 ± 1.65, p < 0.00), type 2 diabetes (HbA1c (%): O.R = 5.66, 95% CI: 2.57 – 12.45) compared to day workers. Furthermore, sedentary behavior time (≥ 601 minutes: O.R = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.25 – 3.60) and lifestyle factors (white-collar workers: O.R = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.28 – 0.85, low-income individuals: O.R = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.28 – 4.19, smoking status: O.R = 2.75, 95% CI: 1.70 – 4.43) were found to be associated with the likelihood of working overnight. The study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions, policies, and collaboration to address overnight workers' unique challenges, support their well-being, and raise awareness of associated health risks.