Gender and occupation are major factors that affect oral health. It is assumed that economically active women with occupations belong to the health of disadvantaged population group. The purpose of this study was to survey conditions of economically active women whose activities are largely restricted by oral disease and to identify concerned factors and, ultimately, to promote economically active women´s oral health. A total of 1904 women living in Iksan, Chollabuck-do, 680 economically active women and 1224 economically inactive women, were sampled for this survey. Questionnaire method was adopted for our research. A total of 28 variables questioned included restricted activity days, demographic and socialeconomic factor, and factors related with oral health behavior. Difference between economically active women and economically inactive women were compared in social-economic features, oral health behavior, and restricted activity days. Especially, factors related with restricted activity days were analyzed by logistic regression analysis.
The obtained results of this study were as follows:
1. Annual rate of economically active women´s activity restriction experience was 50.9%, lower than that of economically inactive women´s.
2. Annual days of each economically active women´s activity restriction were an average of 3.51 days, fewer than that of economically inactive women´s.
3 Economically active women showed fewer frequency of toothbrushing and lower level of oral health
knowledge than economically inactive women.
4. The number of economically active women who feels time burden for dental care and who distrusts dental treatment was larger than the number of economically inactive woman.
5, Main factors that affect economically active women´s restricted activity days were the number of children, susceptibility and benefit of oral health belief, and dental visits. It was found that susceptibility of oral health belief and dental visits were also related with economically inactive women´s restricted activity days.
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