Background:Domestic workers around the world work and eventually live in private homes where control of working conditions is difficult.Objective:The aim of this study was to compare working conditions and its impact on general and mental health in live-in and live-out domestic workers in Argentina.Methods:In a cross-sectional study, the Spanish version of the European Workings Condition Survey and an ad hoc questionnaire were applied to 201 domestic workers (response 94%). Twelve months’ prevalence of verbal or physical workplace violence was assessed. Poor general health was defined by general health self-assessed as poor or fair. Symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) were considered present if Goldberg’s general health score was above 4. Data were analyzed using Chi square’s test and logistic regression models.Findings:Live-in workers formed 66% of the participants. They were more likely to take care of the elderly, iron and cook than live-out workers. Workplace violence was reported by 17% of live-in and 24% of live-out workers (p = 0.25). Overall prevalence of poor general health was 23%; 53% reported CMD. After adjustment, violence remained a statistically significant predictor of poor general health (Odds Ratio 7.3; 95% Confidence Interval 2.8–19.1) and CMD (3.2; 1.1–9.3).Conclusions:Working conditions of live-in and live-out domestic workers are different. However, exposure to workplace violence is common in both groups and affects general and mental health.
Integrating basic occupational health services into primary care is encouraged by the Pan American Health Organization. However, concrete initiatives are still scarce. We aimed to develop a training program focusing on prevention of occupational risks for primary healthcare professionals. This train-the-trainer program was piloted at four universities in Chile and Peru. Occupational health or primary healthcare lecturers formed a team with representative(s) of one rural primary healthcare center connected to their university (Nparticipants = 15). Training started with a workshop on participatory diagnosis of working conditions. Once teams had conducted the participatory diagnosis in the rural communities, they designed in a second course an active teaching intervention. The intervention was targeted at the main occupational health problem of the community. After implementation of the intervention, teams evaluated the program. Evaluation results were very positive with an overall score of 9.7 out of 10. Teams reported that the methodology enabled them to visualize hazardous working conditions. They also stated that the training improved their abilities for problem analysis and preventive actions. Aspects like time constraints and difficult geographical access were mentioned as challenges. In summary, addressing occupational health in primary care through targeted training modules is feasible, but long-term health outcomes need to be evaluated.
Objetivo: analizar la asociación entre ritmo de trabajo y salud mental general en una población de trabajadoras del servicio doméstico en Argentina. Método: se realizó un estudio de corte transversal en una muestra de 201 trabajadoras con un índice de respuesta del 94%. Las condiciones de trabajo y salud se evaluaron mediante la Encuesta Europea de Condiciones de Trabajo y Salud, la Escala de Goldberg (GHQ12) y un cuestionario ad hoc. La prevalencia de trastornos mentales comunes (TMC) fue definida como GHQ12 ? 5. El análisis estadístico requirió estadística descriptiva, análisis bivariado (test chi cuadrado) y regresión logística mutualmente ajustada. Resultados: se encontró que el 45% de la población eramenor de 29 años, contando con educación primaria solamente el 53%. El 65% de las trabajadoras era extranjera y un 22% manifestó trabajar aun ritmo de trabajoalto. Se halló una prevalencia de TMC para el 53% de las encuestadas, encontrándose como variables asociadas a TMC, trabajar a un alto ritmo de trabajo (4,4:1,4-14,1), tenerentre 30 y 39 años (5,4:2,0-15,0), poseer una educación intermedia (4,4:1,5-13,1) y contar con más de 9 años de antigüedad (3,4:1,1-11,3). Conclusiones: el ritmo de trabajo es un importante factor de riesgoparaTMC en empleadas domésticas, así como determinadas edades, antigüedad y educación.
Fifteen advanced architecture students took part in the teaching intervention designed to train them on how to control the employment conditions of construction workers, especially migrant ones. As the highest authority in the construction site, these future construction site directors are the ones who should take social responsibility inherent to their position. A novel Swiss teaching methodology was successfully implemented as it contributes towards the achievement of the learning goals as well as the participants’ behavioral changes. The overall mark of the course awarded by the participants was 9.73/10. The impact of this intervention transcended the classroom and prompted the development of training programs in the construction site and the integration of new contents to the curriculum of the construction site directors training course.
IntroductionDomestic workers form an important group of migrant workers throughout the world. They offer vital services to the receiving countries. In Argentina legal framework exists to employ domestic workers, but migrants from another country need to obtain a legal residency status. The aim of this study was to compare working and employment conditions of migrant domestic workers without residency status to domestic workers with an Argentinian passport or with a residency status. Additionally, risk factors for poor health should be identified.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 201 female domestic workers (response 94%) answered a written questionnaire. The European Working Conditions Survey was adapted to the specific work situation. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and one general health item were used to assess health.ResultsCountries of origin included Paraguay (87%), Peru (8%) and Bolivia (5%). Migrant workers without residency status (35%) were younger, had lower education and a shorter length of service than migrants with residency status. They were more likely to work informally (94% vs 65%; p<0.001), more than 48 hours/week (58% vs 37%; p=0.02), to be exposed to violence or bullying at the workplace (27% vs 15%; p=0.05) and to take care of elderly (67% vs 30%; p<0.001). Differences remained after controlling for age and education. For all domestic workers, violence or mobbing was the main predictor for poor mental health (prevalence 12%; OR 4.7; 95% CI: 1.6 to 13.6) and poor/fair general health (23%; OR 6.5; 2.7–15.4). Workers with a higher educational level and workers of 30–39 year are at high risk of poor mental health, informal workers are at low risk.DiscussionDomestic workers as an important pull factor in international migration may result in precarious employment especially for workers without a legal residency status. Violence or mobbing was the main predictor for poor health.
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