Abstract
Objective: We investigated the usefulness of the new questionnaire for middle-aged working women by analyzing our questionnaire sheets answered at medical checkups during ningen dock. Methods: The subjects were 1,769 female who consulted our health control center in 2003, with a mean age of 50.8± 8.3 years. Based on the daily working time including overtime work, they were divided into 3 groups: a group with a daily working time of more than 8 hours and holidays of less than 7 days, a group with a daily working time of less than 8 hours and holidays of more than 8 days, and a group with no daily work. In our questionnaire, we selected 20 items with respect to the lifestyle, pastimes/habits, and physical/mental complications, and analyzed the characteristics of female workers. A total of 1,145 female (included four hundred and sixty five part-time workers) comprised the working group. Results: Six hundred and eighty working group members showed a younger age compared to the non-working group. In addition, there lifestyle was characterized by a short duration of sleep, the absence of regular exercise, meals taken irregularly, having a meal before retiring, taking fatty and salty foods, smoking, and drinking (p<0.005). Furthermore, complaints included general malaise, low patience/spirits, lack of sleep, and discomfort in daily life (p<0.05). Conclusion: It has been indicated that working women have limited free time and many mental complaints in their daily lives, and also demonstrated that this study should be the basis for creating the new questionnaire.
