Working and health conditions reported by informal commerce workers

Abstract

This study had the objective of describing the socio-demographic and professional profile, as well as the working and health conditions of informal workers in the commerce of the municipality of Jequié, Bahia. It is an epidemiological, cross-sectional study, conducted with 434 informal commerce workers at the Supply Center of Jequié. The data were analyzed descriptively using SPSS 15.0. It was found that 54.6% were male, mean age was 42.7 years, 50.9% were married/in a stable relationship, and 44.6% had an incomplete first grade as education. The professional aspects showed that the difficulty in finding employment was also the most reported reason that led individuals to the performance of informal activities (39.9%). There was wide variation in average monthly income and working hours. According to the demand-control model analysis, most workers were defined as high-strain (28.1%). Low back pain and hypertension were the most self-reported morbidities. One hundred and forty individuals (32.3%) had suffered accidents. We suggest the strengthening of public occupational health policies aimed at informal workers.