Quality Of Life And Associated Factors On Scientific Journaleditors

Objectives:The use of SF-36 scale of the quality of life regarding healthy as the measurement is either to start the survey and analysis of main factors influenced the health-related life quality of scientific journals editors, or to put forward the countermeasure and suggestion to improve and promote the life quality of scientific journals editors.Subjects and Methods:1. Research subjectsThe study defines the scientific journal editor as follows:a person who has done an edit in a scientific journals newsroom for over 1 year. Research in Science and technology journal editors by a random sampling of 1200 scientific journals editors from 200 scientific journals newsroom for the survey and investigation in life quality of objects from November,2013 to February,2014.2. Research MethodsWhat is Quality of life (QOL)? The World Health Organization defines as individuals with different cultures and values experience lives with their goals, aspirations, standards, and concerns.(2) Research ToolsSelf-designed questionnaire of scientific journal editors’QOL. The questionnaire includes:Part Ⅰ, The measurement of Healthy quality of life (Short Form SF-36); PartⅡ, Self-designed questionnaire of general cases, lifestyle and experience based on the reality of scientific journal editors. SF-36 scale, which is widely employed by individuals, clinical research and other populations, has been proved to be reliable and valid.(3) Quality controlQuestionnaires, which are designed based on references by testing and modifying through pre-investigation combined with experts’ suggestion from sampling design to statistical analysis on the basis of the subject design, are collected from the scene. Investigators examine when questionnaires are completed and require respondents to fill in if there are omissions. After that, questionnaires without over 80% completion and high qualified answers are excluded (all choice questions or two questionnaires with the same answers).Database was established by Epidata3.02, and double input was conducted to make the lowest deviation.(4) Data managementEpdata3.02 is applied to establish the database. The correct data is imported into SPSS 20.0 statistical software for statistical analysis. (5) Statistical methodsThe application of descriptive statistics is to understand the basic situation scientific journal editors and SF-36 scales. Their liability and validity of the SF-36 scale is analyzed by the use of internal consistency reliability,split-half reliability,factor analysis. The use of t-test, single factor variance analysis, etc. is to compare the difference among the performance of scientific journal editors on SF-36 scales under diverse demographic factors and lifestyle. The multiple linear regressions are employed to study main factors impacting the life quality of scientific journal editors.Results:l.The survey handed out 1200 copiesand recycled 1149 copies of questionnaires with the recovery rate of 95.75% and the effective rate of 93.50%. The compliance of objects is good.2.The application of SF-36 scale is to evaluate the reliability research of the life quality of scientific journal editors.(1 ReliabilityInternal consistency reliability. Cronbach’sa coefficient of SF-36 scale is0.905.Cronbach’sa coefficient of every dimension is more than 0.77.Split-half reliability. The spot trial results indicated a Spearman-Brown split-half reliability of 0.768(P<0.01).(2)ValidityConstruct validity. Correlation coefficient between each dimension and its affiliated items were bigger than that between the dimension and other items. Correlation coefficient between each subscale and its affiliated dimensions were higher than that between the dimension and other subscale.②Factor analysis. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin index is 0.898, suggesting that the data is suitable for factor analysis. According to the design of SF-36 scale, extract 9 factors by principal axis factor analysis, whose cumulating contribution rate reach 66.38%.3.The average scores of scientific journal editorsThe average scores in eight dimensions of SF-36 scale, Its total score, PCS and MCS were (72.80±11.86), (73.02±11.45), (72.60±15.22) respectively.4.Single factor analysis for influential factors of the life quality of scientific journals editorsDifferent genders (t=3.16, P=3.16); marital status (F=4.356, P=0.002); monthly income (F=3.023, P=0.017); work (F=3.693, P=3.693); the independent office area (F=8.963, P=0.000); residential area (F=5.888, P= 0.000); working time per week (F=10.745, P=10.745); overtime-work per week(F=14.808, P=14.808); diet (F-29.212, P=29.212); the frequency of drinking per week (F=2.676, P=2.676); the breakfast habits (F=8.885, P= 8.885); exercises (F= 10.111, P=10.111); milk (F=7.815, P=7.815); dinner on time (F=21.717, P=21.717); sleeping time (F=14.744, P=14.744); physical examination (F=2.938, P=2.938); noise (The work environment) (F=41.584, P= 41.584); family support for the work situation (F=30.899, P=30.899).5. Logistic regressions Factors of quality of life in scientific journal editorsMultiple Factors logistic regressions analysis showed gender, age, overtime-work per week, independent office area, physical exercise, sleeping time, dinner on time, and marital status related to quality of life of scientific journal editors6. Solutions and Suggestions(1) Raising health awareness and cultivating good life habitsA. Cultivating good life habits. Good life habits are helpful to maintain one’s health. First of all, journal editors bend over their desk, overuse their eyes and lack exercises. Therefore, first, they should form the habit of resting and relaxing at a regular basis; they can choose to close their eyes for a while or do the eye exercises and look at the distant places. Second, editors should participate more in exercises at a regular basis, work and rest according to schedule and also avoid being overtired. In the meantime, they should eat on time, pay attention to balancing nutrition and also maintain regular diet so as to guarantee that their body can be provided with enough energy and reduce the incidence of being subhealthy.B. Cultivate good working mentality. Pressures from editing work cannot be avoided; however, pressure is a double-edged sword. Journal editors should be able to find and adjust their bad moods in time, learn to relax themselves and make active self-implication so as to turn the bad moods into motivations and face their work with healthy mentality.C. Regular physical examination. Regular physical examination is an effective method of guaranteeing health. It can help find potential pathogenic factors, early stage focus or function abnormality so as to prevent, find and cure earlier. Units of scientific journals and superior competent departments:first, improve working environment and conditions. A healthy and harmonious working environment should be created, for example, providing spacious and bright office sites, beautifying and afforesting office environment or reducing noise pollution; second, determine posts and staffs according to demands and strike a proper balance between work and rest. Reduce extra working hours so as to guarantee sufficient rest time for editors; third, encourage and help staffs improve psychological health care ability, for example, providing psychological guidance consultation, carrying out psychological consultation lectures. Actively organize collective activities and enhance group cohesion; forth, strengthen communication. Communication provides emotional expression mechanism of opening up minds and reducing misunderstandings. Strengthen communications between colleagues and shorten their distances through various conferences, meetings, individual talk and outdoor activities so as to release pressure and reduce the hidden trouble of their psychological health. In this way, the health conditions of editors of scientific journals can be improved so as to improve living quality.(2) Proposing according solutions aiming at the main factors of living quality of scientific journal editorFirst-level intervention--publicize health knowledgeThe journal unit and responsible departments can popularize hygienic knowledge and psychological health knowledge through carrying out health lectures, publicity brochures and publicity columns or through media power, such as broadcasting, TV, networks, telephone and magazine so as to strengthen health education and health awareness and to improve self-health care awareness of editors.Second-level intervention--early discovery, early diagnosis and early treatmentDiscover those who have lower living quality in time through general investigation, sifting check and regular health check as well as self-monitoring; then carry out further health check and psychological health test for those editors whose results are positive. Comprehensively judge the health conditions to attain the purposes of’early treatment and prevention’through early discovery, early diagnosis and early treatment so as to effectively prevent the hidden trouble caused by lower living quality.Third-level intervention--dynamic monitoring and comprehensive interventionFor those who have lower living quality, establish medical records of related people and trace their health conditions dynamically so as to effectively master its health conditions and to propose personalized diagnosis suggestions, such as reasonable diet, balancing psychology, strengthening sports and reasonable schedule. Guide editors to change their unhealthy living standards so as to change the living quality and raise the health level.Conclusion1. SF-36 scale is applied to editors of scientific journals, which has high credibility and is suitable for the living quality evaluation of this type of people.2. The total score of SF-36 scale is 100. The average score of editors’living quality is 72.80±11.86, in which the physiological function dimension has a higher score (90.27±13.70) and body pain dimension has a lower score (59.16±10.40).3. Single-factor analysis shows, those who have lower living quality are:females, bachelors, those whose independent office zones are small, those whose residential areas are small, those whose working time is long and extra working time is long, those whose diet is irregular, those who don’t eat breakfast, those who seldom exercise, those whose sleep hours are less, those who are always in the noisy environment and those who lack familial support.4. Multi-factor regression analysis shows, the main factors affecting the living quality of editors are:sex, age, marital status, extra working time, independent office zone, exercise, the habit of eating breakfast and also sleeping time.5. Formulate the three-level prevention measures of living quality of editors according to the main factors, and manage their health state.