Health Status of Haenyeo Who Visited the Emergency Department

Abstract

Professional female free divers (Haenyeo) in Korea have been exposed to breathing in the water without any respiratory equipment and are increasingly aging. However, data on their general health status are scarce. A total of 733 electronic medical records of 480 professional female free divers who visited the emergency department from July 2012 to June 2013 were analyzed. Their mean age was 74.3 years, and 87.4% were 65 years or older. Most women had one or more comorbid conditions and were taking medication. The most common discharge diagnosis based on the International Classification of Disease-10 was symptomsand abnormal clinical and laboratory findings. Furthermore, 12.3% had a discharge diagnosis related to injury, and almost half of the injuries were caused by slip down. Older professional female free divers were more likely to have comorbid conditions and take medication, and have discharge diagnoses related to slipdown injury, and digestive, respiratory, and circulatory conditions more frequently. Therefore, specific symptoms related to diving and various age-related aspects such as injury prevention and chronic disease management should be considered in developing a health program for professional female free divers.