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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Occupational Health and Safety
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1537976
This article is part of the Research Topic Evaluating Organizational Health Culture: Tools and Impact on Workplace Health Interventions View all 4 articles
Organizational Health Culture in the Korean Firefighter Intervention Studies: A Scoping Review
Provisionally accepted- 1 Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of Korea
- 2 National Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
This study examines the current state of intervention studies focused on Korean firefighters, who face unique health challenges due to the demands of their work and specific organizational culture. Recognizing a gap in studies tailored to firefighters' needs, this scoping review aimed to identify existing interventions and provide recommendations for future research. Following the Joanna Briggs Institute's methodological guidelines for scoping reviews and the PRISMA-ScR checklist, a seven-stage review was conducted. The search included articles from Korean and international journals published up until January 25, 2024. Data were analyzed using a pre-developed framework and the Template for Intervention Description and Replication checklist. This study was registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) and is accessible at https://osf.io/s378j/. From 35 articles analyzed, results showed an imbalance in topics, research design, outcome measures, and intervention delivery methods. Additionally, most studies lacked specific focus on firefighters' unique organizational characteristics and needs. The study highlighted three areas for enhancing intervention research quality: designing and tailoring studies to fit the specific demands of firefighting, ensuring ethical considerations, and aligning with the practical needs of firefighters. Future research should prioritize diverse interventions addressing firefighters' health, incorporate sensitive and ethical research designs, and work closely with experts in firefighting to develop adaptable and relevant interventions.
Keywords: Republic of Korea, Firefighter, intervention study, Organizational health culture, Scoping review,
Received: 02 Dec 2024; Accepted: 26 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jin, Jun, Ha, Youn and Leem. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Inae Youn, National Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Jungtae Leem, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Republic of Korea
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