Abstract:ObjectiveTo analyse the health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in two groups of diamond miners (HIV negative and positive) in South Africa using three instruments. Two hypotheses were to be tested. One, was that the HR-QOL of HIV positive miners would be lower than that of HIV negative miners; and two, the selected instruments would behave consistently and thus all would confirm hypothesis one.MethodsIn our study, workers were recruited during a voluntary counselling and testing programme for HIV. HR-QOL were… Show more
“…They used the WHOQOL-BREF for that. Gow et al 56 ) defined Health-Related QOL supported on Lorenz et al They assessed the comparison of QOL in miners with/without HIV and used the AQOL (Mark 2) for HR-QOL, EQ-5D for health outcomes and HUI 3 for health status and generic health.…”
The Mining environment is hazardous for worker's health. It can affect the mental health, triggering symptoms and diseases, such as anxiety, job stress, depression, sleep disorders, mental fatigue and other. The aim of this study was to describe and analyze the scientific literature about the mental health in mine workers and to summarize the findings. The method used was Scoping review. The principal outcomes were the following: evidence in the last 12 years in the topic was focused in four themes 1) Psychological problems & personal factors (38.2%); 2) Psychosocial problems & health related factor (23.6%); 3) Well-being (21.1%) and 4) Physical problems & organization factors (17.1%). Several affections, symptoms, characteristics or disorders were inquired about mine worker's mental health, such as job strain, unsafety experiences, poor quality of sleep, non-subjective well-being, job unsatisfaction, social-relations conflict, risk of accidents and injuries, MSDs, substance abuse, dangerous working conditions and demanding job organization, and so on. For those factors, Mining could expose to serious mental health problems to a part of their workers. It's necessary to deepen the elaboration of international policies and carry out more scientific research and suggestions to make programs on the topic.
“…They used the WHOQOL-BREF for that. Gow et al 56 ) defined Health-Related QOL supported on Lorenz et al They assessed the comparison of QOL in miners with/without HIV and used the AQOL (Mark 2) for HR-QOL, EQ-5D for health outcomes and HUI 3 for health status and generic health.…”
The Mining environment is hazardous for worker's health. It can affect the mental health, triggering symptoms and diseases, such as anxiety, job stress, depression, sleep disorders, mental fatigue and other. The aim of this study was to describe and analyze the scientific literature about the mental health in mine workers and to summarize the findings. The method used was Scoping review. The principal outcomes were the following: evidence in the last 12 years in the topic was focused in four themes 1) Psychological problems & personal factors (38.2%); 2) Psychosocial problems & health related factor (23.6%); 3) Well-being (21.1%) and 4) Physical problems & organization factors (17.1%). Several affections, symptoms, characteristics or disorders were inquired about mine worker's mental health, such as job strain, unsafety experiences, poor quality of sleep, non-subjective well-being, job unsatisfaction, social-relations conflict, risk of accidents and injuries, MSDs, substance abuse, dangerous working conditions and demanding job organization, and so on. For those factors, Mining could expose to serious mental health problems to a part of their workers. It's necessary to deepen the elaboration of international policies and carry out more scientific research and suggestions to make programs on the topic.
“…Os soropositivos relataram um número maior de eventos negativos na vida e sintomas de trauma (transtorno de estresse pós-traumático), e esses sintomas são um contribuinte significativo para a QoL (19) . Além disso, mineradores sul-africanos HIV+ apresentaram uma pontuação significativamente menor na Qol em comparação com os trabalhadores HIV- (20) .…”
Este artigo está publicado em acesso aberto (Open Access) sob a licença Creative Commons, que permite uso, distribuição e reprodução em qualquer meio, sem restrições, desde que o trabalho seja corretamente citado. Qualidade de vida de pessoas soropositivas: relação entre situação socioeconômica e estágio viral Quality of life of HIV-positive people: relationship between socioeconomic status and viral stage Calidad de vida de personas seropositivas: relación entre la situación socioeconómica y el estado viral
“…The decision on the instrument depends on the purpose and the study design [50]. Among diamond miners, there were significant differences between the used instruments [51]. Amposah-Tawiah et al nor Noronha and Nairy used the EQ-5D as instruments for assessing HRQoL [18,47].…”
Background
In Zimbabwe, an estimated 500,000 people work in the sector of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). Two million Zimbabweans are dependent on this sector. Using mercury is common to extract gold from ore. Long term exposure to mercury can cause various adverse health conditions including chronic mercury intoxication. The influence of these adverse health effects on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is still unknown. The aim of this study is to assess the HRQoL of people who identify themselves as miners, and to analyze potential influencing factors, such as age, years of working with mercury and health conditions caused by mercury exposure.
Methods
This cross-sectional study assessed the HRQoL using the standardized EQ-5D + C (3 L) questionnaire and collected human specimens (blood, urine) of people living and possibly working in ASGM areas in Zimbabwe. Factors such as age, years of working with mercury and adverse health conditions possibly caused by mercury exposure were analyzed with regards to their influence on the HRQoL.
Results
The 207 participants (82% male, mean age 38 years) reported 40 different health states. Of the study participants 42.5% reported to be in complete good health while 57.5% reported being unwell in different ways. Nine participants (4.3%) were identified with chronic mercury intoxication, whereas 92 participants (33.3%) had mercury levels above the “Alert” threshold in at least one specimen. Having chronic mercury intoxication has a significant negative influence on the HRQoL, when taking into account age, gender and years of working with mercury. Cognitive problems were the most reported in the questionnaire, however, the association between this domain separately and the HRQoL was not verified.
Conclusion
This study shows that adverse health effects caused by chronic exposure to mercury, have a negative influence on the HRQoL among people living in ASGM areas.
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