Nurses often experience work-related physical and mental fatigue. This study sought to identify the levels of physical and mental fatigue present among Korean female nurses and discern factors influencing their onset. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the Korea Nurses’ Health Study (KNHS). A total of 14,839 hospital nurses were assessed by hierarchical regression analysis. The mean scores of physical and mental fatigue were 12.57 and 5.79 points, respectively. After adjusting for confounding variables, the work department had a significant influence on both physical and mental fatigue, that is, nurses working in special care units experienced greater degrees of both physical and mental fatigue than those working in general units. Nurse fatigue is an important consideration to monitor to ensure nurses’ continued wellbeing as well as good patient safety levels. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a strategy to mitigate nursing fatigue while considering the characteristics of specific departments. In nursing practice, the introduction of a counseling program and guarantee of rest time that can alleviate the mental and physical fatigue of nurses working in special care units should be considered.

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting subjective cognitive impairment. We analyzed data from the 2019 Korea Community Health Survey and enrolled 68,546 middle-aged adults, aged 50 to 64 years, and 74,547 older adults, aged 65 years and older, in this study. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors influencing subjective cognitive impairment. Of the participants, 11,926 (17.4%) middle-aged and 21,880 (29.4%) older adults living in the community reported subjective cognitive impairment. Major factors that influenced subjective cognitive impairment in both middle-aged and older adults were gender, subjective stress, depressive symptoms, and alcohol drinking. In contrast to middle-aged adults, the marital status of older adults affected subjective cognitive impairment. Therefore, the factors affecting subjective cognitive impairment in middle-aged and older adults need to be considered for screening and management to prevent cognitive impairment and dementia. In particular, it is necessary to evaluate and manage stress and depressive symptoms from middle age to prevent subjective cognitive impairment.

Aim: To identify the factors affecting fear, anxiety and depressive symptoms among frontline nurses working with COVID‐19 patients or are in charge of COVID‐19 screening in Korea.Background: Nurses are at a higher risk of COVID‐19 infection because they are in closer, longer‐duration contact with patients. These situations can negatively affect the mental health of nurses.Methods: This study analysed data from COVID‐19 module in the Korean Nurses’ Health Study. Data from 906 participants were analysed. To identify the factors influencing mental health, descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed.Results: Caring for patients who are COVID‐19‐positive increased levels of fear, anxiety and depressive symptoms of nurses. The hospital safety climate influenced mental well‐being among nurses.Conclusion: Caring for patients with COVID‐19 had a negative impact on fear, anxiety and depressive symptoms. However, the higher was the perceived hospital safety climate, the lower were the nurses’ psychological symptoms. Further research on the mental health of nurses is warranted.Implications for nursing and health policy: Institutions should manage human resources to enable periodic rotation of nurses’ work and working periods related to COVID‐19. In addition, hospital managers should provide sufficient personal protective equipment, related education, and safety climate.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is an important public health problem, and unhealthy dietary habits and shift work are considered major factors that increase the prevalence of MetS. The purpose of this study was to examine whether dietary habits, alcohol drinking, and shift-working were associated with development of MetS in shift-working female nurses. This study analyzed cross-sectional survey data from the Korea Nurses’ Health Study (KNHS). Of the 1638 nurses, 403 participants were selected based on the propensity score matching method (PSM). These participants had either no or more than three MetS determinant factors. Analysis was conducted by using multivariable logistic regression to confirm the factors influencing MetS. The prevalence of MetS in this group (1638 participants) was 5.6% (92 participants). Consumption of over 50% of daily calorie intake after 7 p.m., consumption of carbonated drinks, family history of diabetes, and non-shift work were significant factors influencing MetS. Nurses are one of the at-risk groups for unhealthy dietary habits due to the nature of their work. Therefore, nurse managers should include regular dietary education for nurses and continue their policy efforts to resolve health problems that may arise in connection with nurses’ work.

To enhance the life satisfaction of the elderly with multimorbidity, it is necessary to investigate the relevant factors and to examine the differences in factors according to gender. The aim of this study was to identify factors affecting life satisfaction of the elderly with multimorbidity in the community by gender in Korea. We analyzed data from 2140 participants with multimorbidity who were aged 65 or older and participated in the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA) in 2016. A multivariate linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the factors affecting life satisfaction among male and female older participants with multimorbidity. The most common pattern of multimorbidity of women was hypertension and arthritis/rheumatism, while that of men was hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Some factors, such as depression, exercise, and number of chronic diseases, affected both male and female participants, but others related to life satisfaction varied by gender. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the characteristics of multiple chronic diseases, and policy support should be provided in consideration of gender differences to improve the life satisfaction of the elderly.