Association Between Care-task Burden and Occupational Infection Among Care Workers in South Korea

Background Occupational infection is a significant concern among long-term care workers, yet most studies characterize risk by job category or general workload rather than by the burden of specific direct-care tasks. This study examined the association between care-task burden and occupational infection among care workers in South Korea. Methods This cross-sectional study used baseline data from the Korean Care Workers Cohort (N = 459), collected September–November 2025. Care-task burden was assessed across six tasks and classified as none, moderate, or high. Occupational infection was self-reported over the past 12 months. Modified Poisson regression estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs). Results Overall, 18.5% of workers reported an occupational infection. High care-task burden was associated with a significantly higher adjusted prevalence of infection (aPR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.12–3.32) compared with no burden; the moderate-burden association was attenuated (aPR = 1.58, 95% CI: 0.96–2.58). Burden related to mobility/wheelchair assistance (aPR = 1.81), bathing assistance (aPR = 1.74), medical procedures (aPR = 1.58), and position changes (aPR = 1.53) was significantly associated with infection. Conclusions High care-task burden was independently associated with occupational infection among Korean care workers. Infection prevention strategies should address the demands of direct-care tasks and organizational support, not only individual-level training. Trial registration Not applicable. This is an observational cohort study and does not report the results of a health care intervention on human participants.