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We aimed to investigate the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) and its associated agricultural work-related, biomechanical factors among this population.

This study was conducted to identify the association between sleep duration and suicidal ideation among farmers in Korea.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of shoulder pain and analyze its association with socio-demographic factors, agricultural work-related conditions, and biomechanical factors among farmers on Jeju Island. We utilized initial survey data from the Safety for Agricultural Injury of Farmers’ cohort study involving adult farmers on Jeju Island. The presence and characteristics of shoulder pain, socio-demographics, agricultural work-related conditions, and biomechanical factors were assessed using semi-structured questionnaires. A total of 1206 participants were analyzed for prevalence and associated risk factors using frequency and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The overall prevalence of shoulder pain was 17%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis, adjusted for significant socio-demographic and agricultural work-related condition variables, revealed that stress level, type of farming, and experiencing an agricultural injury within the preceding year were significantly associated with shoulder pain (stress level: “occasional,” adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.581; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.079–2.318; “frequent,” aOR, 1.964; 95% CI, 1.205–3.200; and “extreme,” aOR, 2.999; 95% CI, 1.480–6.074 vs “rarely”; type of farming: “orchard,” aOR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.597–1.124; “livestock,” aOR, 0.225; 95% CI, 0.079–0.641 vs “field”; and experienced an agricultural injury within the past year: “yes,” aOR, 2.078; 95% CI, 1.269–3.405). In addition, 3 biomechanical factors significantly contributed to shoulder pain: activities requiring significant power such as shoveling, pickaxing, and hammering; repetitive use of a particular body part; and constant elevation of the arm above the head. The findings highlight the importance of postural education, injury prevention, and psychological support in managing shoulder pain among farmers.

This article reports five invasive Group B streptococcal (GBS) infections that occurred in a neonatal intensive care unit for about 3 months. This outbreak might have been associated with a prolonged GBS colonized infant and adjacent environmental contaminations. Infection control interventions prevented the additional spread of GBS infections.

No human cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) have been reported in South Korea. We tested for TBE virus (TBEV)-IgM and -IgG in serum samples from healthy farmers during 2015–2018 using ELISA kits. Seroprevalence study revealed a 1.9 % prevalence of TBEV. A neutralizing test for TBEV-specific antibodies was not performed.