The Association of Workplace Exposures on Quality of Life in Small and Medium Enterprises Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study in Four ASEAN Countries

Asia Pac J Public Health. 2017 May;29(4):315-327. doi: 10.1177/1010539517699060. Epub 2017 Mar 22.

Abstract

Quality of life is associated with several factors, including personal living styles and working conditions. This article aims to investigate the factors associated with quality of life among small and medium enterprises (SME) workers in 4 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. A total of 2014 workers from food and textile industries were asked to answer a questionnaire about their sociodemographic characteristics, working environment and conditions, and quality of life. Results from showed that lifestyle (ie, alcohol intake and exercising), working characteristics (ie, shift work, working hours, and working days) and workplace conditions were associated with SME workers' quality of life (ie, physical, psychological, social, and environmental domain). Among the 16 types of workplace conditions, "sitting on the chair" and "slippery floor" most affect their quality of life . It is important for these variables to be taken into account in promoting workers' well-being and quality of life.

Keywords: ASEAN; quality of life; small and medium enterprise (SME); work ergonomics; working characteristics.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Indonesia
  • Life Style
  • Malaysia
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Occupational Exposure / statistics & numerical data*
  • Quality of Life*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Thailand
  • Vietnam
  • Work / statistics & numerical data
  • Workplace / statistics & numerical data*