Condições de trabalho nos ônibus e os transtornos mentais comuns em motoristas e cobradores: Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil, 2012

Transtornos Mentais Comuns em Motoristas de Transporte Coletivo de Passageiros

Este estudo teve como objetivo a identificação dos fatores associados aos transtornos mentais comuns (TMC) em motoristas de transporte coletivo de passageiros, em uma amostra de 258 motoristas pertencentes ao quadro funcional de duas empresas de transporte coletivo. Para a coleta de dados, foram utilizados o Questionário de Dados Sociodemográficos, Laborais e Estressores Ocupacionais e o Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Realizaram-se análises bivariadas (qui-quadrado de Pearson) entre todas as variáveis independentes. Para a análise dos TMC e relação com as variáveis independentes, foi utilizada análise de regressão logística bivariada e a odds ratio (OR), que consiste na razão de chances de aquisição do agravo entre expostos e não expostos. Os resultados identificaram como preditoras dos transtornos mentais comuns as variáveis pouco tempo de intervalo; falta de suporte social; falta de autonomia; e escala de trabalho.

Prevalence of common mental disorders among Brazilian workers: systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract The aim of the present study was to summarize the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) among Brazilian workers through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Searches were conducted in SciELO, LILACS, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Articles were included if they had; an observational design, a sample of Brazilian workers, used a validated instrument and cut-off to assess CMD, and provided the prevalence value. A random-effect meta-analysis using professional categories as subgroups and a meta-regression were conducted. In total, 89 studies were included, with a total of 56,278 workers from 26 professional categories. The overall pooled prevalence of CMD was 0.30 (95%CI: 0.27-0.34), varying from 0.07 to 0.58. Professional categories that presented higher prevalences of CMD were: Prostitutes 0.58 (95%CI: 0.51-0.65), Social Educators 0.54 (95%CI: 0.50-0.59), Banking Workers 0.45 (95%CI: 0.44-0.47), Ragpickers 0.45 (95%CI: 0.40-0.49), and Teachers 0.40 (95%CI: 0.32-0.48). No other variable in addition to profession was associated with prevalence of CMD in the meta-regression analysis. Workers from the most affected professional categories should be monitored to prevent social, occupational, and health impairment from CMD.

Whole body vibration influence on bus fare collectors evaluated by using a brain training mobile app

PURPOSE

The present work aims to study the effects of whole body vibration (WBV) on bus fare collectors through the use of cognitive tests. It is of interest for all individuals working as bus fare collectors or any other activity where logic is of paramount importance and that is performed on a vibrating environment.

METHODS

Laboratory simulations were performed in 24 volunteers employing a vibrating platform subjected to vertical vibration. The influence of WBV on cognition was assessed using the performance on a logic game. The frequencies used were 5 Hz and 30 Hz. The acceleration amplitude values were set up as 0.7 m/s² and 0.2 m/s². A daily commute was simulated, based on data of the public transport system in the city of Belo Horizonte. A vibration-free test was initially performed to serve as a basis for comparison.

RESULTS

The data obtained in all situations were compared and statistically analyzed. At 5 Hz, variation only shows significant after 5 min of vibration ceased as if the residual effect had passed after 5 min of rest. The gender variable was not significant. However, the older the volunteer, the worse the performance. Regarding 30 Hz frequency, the hypotheses did not meet the condition of significance at 5% but showed an opposite tendency indicating, in this situation, a score increase. It is noticed that the female volunteers presented a better performance in relation to the male gender The residual effect lasts for less than 10 min for short exposure intervals, since the score of test 8, in 5 Hz and 30 Hz, show a reduction of performance.

CONCLUSIONS

From the results, it was possible to conclude that the frequency of 5 Hz may be related to reduced performance for long exposure times while the 30 Hz frequency has positive effects on cognition as the exposure time increases. In fact, it is a tendency much more than a clear statistical finding. Regarding comfort, most reports related to the frequency of 5 Hz are linked to the sensation of discomfort and difficulty in focusing visually, whereas, for the frequency of 30 Hz, the reports indicate a feeling of muscular comfort and increased easiness of concentration.

Prevalence of abdominal obesity and associated lifestyle factors in bus drivers in a city in Southern Brazil

BACKGROUND

Bus drivers are exposed to unique working conditions. The behavioral and health trends of these workers should be investigated.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the prevalence of abdominal obesity and associated lifestyle factors in bus drivers in a city in Southern Brazil.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study with 103 bus drivers with mean age of 41 years (±8.5) was conducted. Abdominal obesity was measured through waist circumference using anthropometric tape. To evaluate the different lifestyle domains, the Brazilian version of the Canadian Fantastic Lifestyle questionnaire was used. To check the association between abdominal obesity and lifestyle, binary logistic regression was used, with odds ratio (OR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).

RESULTS

It was verified that 26.3% of drivers had abdominal obesity. In addition, bus drivers who had inadequate lifestyle in the "Nutrition" and "Type of behavior" domains were, respectively, 3.6 (95% CI: 1.3-9.5, p = 0.01) and 2.6 times (95% CI: 1.1-6.7; p = 0.04) more likely of having abdominal obesity when compared to those adequate in these lifestyle domains.

CONCLUSIONS

Approximately one in four drivers had abdominal obesity and the "Nutrition" and "Type of Behavior" domains were associated with abdominal obesity.

Condiciones laborales, salud y calidad de vida en conductores

Objetivo: Conocer las condiciones laborales, salud y calidad de vida de los trabajadores que se dedican al rubro de la conducción. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó revisión integrativa en las bases de datos Medline/PUBMED, BVS, WEB OF SCIENCE, SCOPUS, referente a artículos publicados desde el año 2010 a 2019, en relación a la temática de salud, condiciones laborales y calidad de vida de trabajadores que se desempeñan en el área de la conducción, siguiendo los lineamientos planteados según Ganong. Resultados: 29 estudios cumplieron con los criterios seleccionados, los cuales fueron realizados en población trabajadora del ámbito de locomoción colectiva como buses, taxis, motocicletas y en el área de transportes, como camiones. Discusión: La realidad que experimentan estos trabajadores crea consciencia y abre un espacio para implementar políticas de salud que busquen su bienestar, y a la vez es una puerta de entrada a crear conocimiento sobre la necesidad de estudiar a este grupo poblacional. Conclusiones: La calidad de vida y las condiciones laborales de estos conductores, en su mayoría es deficiente y esto los afecta de manera negativa en distintos ámbitos. Por otra parte, la salud de este grupo de trabajadores se ve perjudicada por las condiciones en el trabajo que muchos de ellos puedan tener, así mismo la mayoría carece de buenas prácticas de salud, teniendo hábitos poco saludables, que se relacionan directamente con la labor que realizan. Como citar este artículo: Sepúlveda Guerra Elena Belén,  Valenzuela Suazo Sandra Verónica, Rodríguez Campo Varinia Alejandra. Condiciones laborales, salud y calidad de vida en conductores. Revista Cuidarte. 2020; 11(2): e1083. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.1083

Precarious working conditions and health of metropolitan bus drivers and conductors in Minas Gerais, Brazil

BACKGROUND

To investigate the relationship between precarious working conditions and the health of bus drivers and conductors.

METHODS

Data were gathered by means of a survey and interviews conducted in 2012 with 1607 employees of the public transport system of the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Nine proxy variables were used to create a precariousness score, ranging from 0 to 9, on a comparative scale: score 0 "less precarious" and 9 "more precarious." Negative self-evaluations of health, medical diagnoses of depression and sleep disorders, common mental disorders, musculoskeletal pain and medical leave were assessed. Poisson regression was used to assess associations between precariousness and health adjusted for age, sex, education, vibration, and noise.

RESULTS

The sample was composed of 853 drivers and 754 conductors. Most were men (87%), with age below 40 years (67.4%) and medium educational level (64.5%). The maximum precariousness score observed was 7. Most individuals were in the groups of scores 3 (26.7%) and 4 (26.1%). The prevalences of the health situations were: common mental disorders, 26.3%; medical diagnosis of depression, 9.7%; medical diagnosis of sleep disorder, 14.6%; musculoskeletal pain, 43.0%; medical leave (absenteeism), 34.8%; and negative self-evaluation of health, 20.2%. The prevalences of health conditions, with the exception of negative self-evaluations of health, were significantly higher among workers with higher levels of precarious working conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

Worse health, particularly common mental disorders, was associated with self-assessed work precariousness.

Risks of illness in the work of the nursing team in a psychiatric hospital

Objective:

To analyze the risks of illnesses related to the work context of nursing workers in a psychiatric hospital.

Method:

Cross-sectional and quantitative study, developed in a psychiatric hospital with 74 nursing workers. The Work Context Assessment Scale was used to measure the risks of illness at work. Descriptive analyzes were performed with mean and standard deviation. To test the reliability of the data, the Cronbach’s alpha test was used. The correlation between the factors of the work context was tested using the Spearman correlation coefficient.

Results:

The organization of work was considered serious, social-professional relationships were considered satisfactory and working conditions were considered severe for risks of illness at work. The repetitiveness of tasks, work conditions that pose risks to safety, inadequate furniture and physical structure of the workplace, and the existence of noise in the work environment were indicated as severe risks to workers’ health.

Conclusion:

The factor working conditions is the one that contributes the most to illness among nursing workers.

Factors associated with common mental disorders among female nursing professionals in primary health care

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the factors associated with common mental disorders (CMD) in primary care female nursing professionals.

METHODS

We performed exploratory cross-sectional study, using a structured questionnaire, applied to 451 primary care female nursing professionals from five municipalities of Bahia, Brazil, in a randomly selected sample. The outcome variable (CMD) was evaluated by SRQ-20. To analyze the factors associated with the prevalence of CMD, logistic regression analysis was used in blocks.

RESULTS

The prevalence of CMD was 16.2% and the exposure factors were professional category (PR 0.56, CI 0.34-0.90, p = .01), having a workload of more than 60 h per week (PR 2.53, CI 1.55-4.11, p < .01), personal insecurity at work (PR 1.92, CI 1.28-2.88, p = .00), high domestic overload (PR 1.94, CI 1.25-2.98, p < .01), effort-reward imbalance at work (PR 1.78, CI 0.98-3.23, p = .05), dissatisfaction with oneself (PR 2.30, CI 1.52-3.46, p < .01), poor quality of life (PR 1.69, CI 1.07-2.65, p = .02), and negative health status self-assessment (PR 1.77, CI 1.12-2.77, p = .01).

CONCLUSIONS

The results reinforce the evidences of the relation between the health-disease process and work, be it professional or domestic. They also highlight the importance of changes in the organization of the nursing activities in the context of primary care, aiming to minimize stress and occupational dissatisfaction and promote the health of this category. It is noteworthy that domestic work should be considered and incorporated into investigations regarding the mental health of female population.

[Musculoskeletal pain among bus drivers and fare collectors in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil]

Musculoskeletal pain among professionals in the transport sector has been linked to working conditions. The scope of this study was to assess the prevalence of cervical musculoskeletal pain and its relation to pain in other areas (arms, hands and shoulders). The association between neck pain, related to pain in other areas or otherwise, was checked against occupational factors. A cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study was conducted with 799 bus drivers and 708 fare collectors of the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The outcome was characterized according to the positive answer to the question about musculoskeletal pain in the anatomical areas studied. The prevalence of neck pain in the sample was highest at 16.3%, followed by pain in the shoulders 15.4%, arms 13.3% and hands 6.3%. The factors associated with musculoskeletal pain in the sample were being female, complaints of disability, perception of threat to safety, vibration, excessive or unbearable noise and sitting in an uncomfortable posture. The results provide clues to transformation of the workplace, thereby contributing to the enhancement of occupational health.

Informality and employment vulnerability: application in sellers with subsistence work

OBJECTIVE

To describe the origin, evolution, and application of the concept of employment vulnerability in workers who subsist on street sales.

METHODS

We have carried out an analysis of the literature in database in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, without restriction by country. This is a review of the gray literature of government reports, articles, and documents from Latin America and the Caribbean. We have analyzed information on the informal economy, social-employment vulnerability, and subsistence workers.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The concept of informal economy is dispersed and suggested as synonymous with employment vulnerability. As a polysemic term, it generates confusion and difficulty in identifying defined profiles of employment vulnerability in informal subsistence workers, who sell their products on the streets and sidewalks of cities. The lack of a clear concept and profile of employment vulnerability for this type of workers generates a restriction on defined actions to reduce employment vulnerability. The profiles could facilitate access to the acquisition of assets that support their structure of opportunities, facilitating and mediating in the passage from vulnerability to social mobility with opportunities. We propose as a concept of employment vulnerability for subsistence workers in the informal sector, the condition of those who must work by day to eat at night, who have little or no ownership of assets, and who have a minimum structure of opportunities to prevent, face, and resist the critical situations that occur daily, putting at risk their subsistence and that of the persons who are their responsibility, thus making the connection between social and employment vulnerability.

Transtornos mentais comuns em educadores sociais

RESUMO Objetivo Investigar a presença de transtornos mentais comuns (TMC) em Educadores Sociais de albergues e abrigos do município de São Paulo. Métodos A amostra foi composta por 104 orientadores socioeducativos, entre 18 e 60 anos (masculino e feminino), que prestam serviço para a Secretaria Municipal de Assistência e Desenvolvimento Social (SMADS). Utilizou-se um Questionário Sociodemográfico, além do Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ-20). Resultados Os dados demonstraram que há maior prevalência de mulheres nessa função, a maioria dos profissionais já passou por situações de risco no trabalho, 68,3% (71 sujeitos) apresentaram índices que caracterizam a presença de TMC, e 40,4% das mulheres apresentam sintomas de TMC, enquanto o índice de TMC nos homens foi de 27,9%. Conclusões Neste cenário, observou-se que o público feminino é mais vulnerável à presença de TMC em relação ao público masculino.

Violence against metropolitan bus drivers and fare collectors in Brazil

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the correlation between sociodemographic factors and working conditions of bus workers in a metropolitan area and violence against them.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used a nonprobabilistic sample estimated according to the number of workers employed in bus companies located in three cities in the Belo Horizonte metropolitan region in 2012 (N = 17,470). Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a digital questionnaire. The factors associated with violence were analyzed in two stages using Poisson regression, according to each level. The magnitude of the association was evaluated using prevalence ratios with robust variance and a statistical significance of 5%, and 95% confidence intervals were obtained.

RESULTS

The study sample comprised 782 drivers and 691 fare collectors; 45.0% participants reported at least one act of violence in the workplace in the last 12 months, with passengers being predominantly responsible. The age of the bus workers was inversely associated with violence. Chronic diseases, sickness absenteeism, and working conditions were also associated with violence.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings on the correlation between violence and working conditions are essential for implementing prevention strategies by transportation service managers.