Trends in the Cumulative Incidence of Vocational Rehabilitation Indicators in Brazil, 2007-2016

Vocational Rehabilitation and Length of Stay at Work after Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Longitudinal Study in Brazil

Vocational rehabilitation is an intervention to enhance the return to work and improve quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate sociodemographic and occupational factors associated with the length of stay at work among workers with work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMDs) who had undergone rehabilitation through the Brazilian public social security system. This was a longitudinal study among 680 workers with histories of disability due to WRMDs who returned to the formal job market after vocational rehabilitation between 2014 and 2018. Survival analysis was performed to identify the factors influencing permanence in work. Job dismissal occurred for 29.26% of the workers. The average duration of employment after returning to the formal job position was 56 months. The following factors were associated with shorter length of employment: living in the southeastern region (HR: 2.78; 95% CI 1.12-6.91) or southern region (HR: 2.68; 95% CI 1.04-6.90) of Brazil; working in transportation, storage or postal services (HR: 2.57; 95% CI 1.07-6.17); or working in financial activities, insurance or related services (HR: 2.70; 95% CI 1.05-6.89). These findings may contribute to the discussion about prevention of disability and interventions to ensure health care for workers with WRMD disabilities who undergo rehabilitation.

Epidemiological profile, occupational accidents, and socioeconomic characteristics of workers in the state of Amapá, Brazil: a time series analysis (2007-2017)

INTRODUCTION:

The state of Amapá is located in Brazil’s Legal Amazon and comprises 16 municipalities. Its history is marked by social vulnerability and industrial mining; therefore, its current socioeconomic and occupational context should be analyzed considering possible sociohistorical and geographic influences.

OBJECTIVES:

To analyze and/or describe the epidemiological profile of workers, occupational accidents, the socioeconomic context, and time evolution of the number of workers in the state and their relationship with the state’s gross domestic product.

METHODS:

This is an analytic time series study based on official public data. We used a simple regression test to analyze the relationship between the number of workers and gross domestic product and to assess the time trend of the number of workers. The studied period was from 2007 to 2017.

RESULTS:

The number of workers presented an increasing trend over time (R² = 0.902; p < 0.001), with a relative increase of 49.8% between 2007 and 2017. We observed a positive relationship between the annual increase in the number of workers and the state’s gross domestic product (R² = 0.899; p < 0.001). The economic activity with the highest mean number of workers was public administration, defense, and social security. The highest socioeconomic indicators were observed in the state capital Macapá. Non-hazardous waste management was the activity concentrating the highest absolute number of occupational accidents.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study highlighted important socioeconomic contrasts within the state. The significant increases in the gross domestic product and number of workers are signs of development, but the high number of occupational accidents represents a serious public health problem.