Tracking bioaerosol exposure among municipal solid waste workers using hematological and inflammatory biomarkers.

High levels of bioaerosols may exist in the air of municipal solid waste (MSW) management facilities, constituting a significant occupational hazard for workers. In this study, we investigated the potential association between exposure to bioaerosols and inflammatory biomarkers among municipal solid waste workers (MSWWs) at both the landfill site and the municipal solid waste transfer station (MSWTS), in comparison to a control group without exposure. Air sampling was conducted at six points around the landfill, two points at the MSWTS, and one point in a public park (as a control area) during the spring and summer of 2019. The results of our study revealed that airborne pathogens were highly prevalent at the sampling points, especially in the active zone and leachate collection pond. Aspergillus species were the predominant fungal species detected in this study, with the highest occurrence observed for Aspergillus flavus (83.3%), Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus fumigatus (75.0%). Furthermore, Staphylococcus species accounted for over 75% of the total bacterial bioaerosols detected across all study areas. The blood test results of workers revealed a significant increase in platelets (PLT), immunoglobulin G (IgG), white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils, basophils, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) compared to the control group. Conversely, platelet distribution width (PDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR) in the exposed subjects exhibited a decreasing trend compared to the control group. These findings suggest a potential association between exposure to bioaerosols, particularly in the vicinity of open dumpsites, and elevated levels of hematologic and inflammatory markers in circulation. Furthermore, the influence of smoking status and confounding factors appears to be significant in both the control and exposure groups.

Intervenções breves no uso de risco e nocivo de álcool em trabalhadores de uma câmara municipal da região de Trás-os-Montes / Brief interventions on risky and harmful alcohol use among workers at a town hall in the Trás-os-Montes region

O presente relatório de estágio insere-se no Curso de Mestrado em Enfermagem de Saúde Mental e Psiquiátrica da Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra e pretende espelhar duas partes essenciais: o percurso de desenvolvimento de competências na prática clínica (três contextos de estágio) e a elaboração do trabalho de investigação. O estágio de natureza profissional em contexto hospitalar realizou-se em internamento, no serviço de psiquiatria mulheres, do Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, o estágio em contexto de comunidade decorreu na Unidade de Cuidados na Comunidade de Alijó e o estágio em contexto de respostas diferenciadas desenvolveu-se na Equipa de Tratamento de Vila Real. Nestes campos, foram implementadas intervenções, permitindo o desenvolvimento de competências comuns do enfermeiro especialista e competências especificas do enfermeiro especialista em enfermagem de saúde mental e psiquiátrica. O consumo de bebidas alcoólicas é um problema de saúde pública. Em meio laboral, o consumo de álcool surge como fator influenciador para a diminuição do desempenho do trabalhador, aumentando o risco de acidentes, erros, atrasos, absentismo e podendo inclusive culminar no desemprego. Muitas vezes, um espaço laboral onde exista stress, salário baixo, entre outros, pode conduzir ao consumo de bebidas alcoólicas, pois a pessoa procura nos efeitos que advêm do álcool uma diminuição da sobrecarga emocional e do sofrimento mental. O objetivo da componente de investigação é avaliar se as Intervenções Breves têm um efeito positivo na redução do consumo de risco e nocivo de bebidas alcoólicas, em trabalhadores de uma câmara municipal da região de Trás-os-Montes. Recorreu-se a um desenho de nível IV, de natureza quase-experimental, com avaliação antes e após com um único grupo. Foi implementado o protocolo Screening and Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment e utilizado como instrumento de avaliação o Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. As intervenções foram realizadas mediante o score obtido. A avaliação das intervenções foi realizada em follow-up, 6 meses depois. As intervenções realizadas no estudo demonstraram um efeito clínico positivo na redução do consumo de álcool.

COVID-19 Economic and Academic Stress on Mexican American Adolescents' Psychological Distress: Parents as Essential Workers.

OBJECTIVES: In a sample of Mexican American adolescents (N = 398; 51% females; aged 13-17), we examined the associations between psychological distress, COVID-19 household economic stress, COVID-19 academic stress, and whether these associations varied by adolescents' gender and by parents/caregivers' essential worker status. METHOD: First, linear regression models assessed the main effects of household economic and academic stress on psychological distress. Second, the moderating effects of gender and parents/caregivers' essential worker status on the association between household economic and academic stress, and psychological distress were examined. Third, the three-way interaction effect of household economic stress, gender, and parents/caregivers' essential worker status on psychological distress as well as the three-way interaction effect of academic stress, gender, and parents/caregivers' essential worker status on psychological distress were calculated. RESULTS: Household economic and academic stress were associated with psychological distress. However, these associations did not vary based on adolescents' gender or parents/caregivers' essential worker status. The three-way interaction for household economic stress, parents/caregivers' essential worker status, and gender for psychological distress was significant. Specifically, the effects of household economic stress on psychological distress was worse for boys than girls whose parents/caregivers were essential workers. Furthermore, the three-way interaction among academic stress, parents/caregivers' essential worker status, and gender was significant. Particularly, the effects of academic stress when grades were worse on adolescents' psychological distress was worse for boys than girls whose parents/caregivers were essential workers. CONCLUSION: Parents/caregivers' essential worker status was salient among Mexican American adolescents' mental health outcomes during COVID-19, particularly for adolescent boys.

Good for you, bad for me? The daily dynamics of perspective taking and well-being in coworker dyads.

Perspective taking is encouraged by organizations as a form of supporting coworkers. Yet, its impact on employees' and coworkers' well-being is not well understood. We, therefore, take a dyadic approach to understand the daily dynamics of employees' perspective taking, its benefits for coworkers, and its costs for employees themselves. Specifically, we draw from self-regulation theory to examine the double-edged sword of perspective taking for one's own and one's coworker's well-being (reflected by subjective vitality). With regard to coworker well-being, we take an other-oriented resource lens and theorize that the focal employee's perspective taking increases the coworker's received support and well-being. With regard to the focal employee's well-being, we take a self-oriented resource lens and theorize that perspective taking increases the focal employee's self-regulatory resource depletion, which impairs their well-being. We examined our research model in a dyadic experience sampling study with three daily measurement occasions over 2 working weeks in a sample of 89 coworker dyads (178 individuals). Multilevel analyses showed that perspective taking had a positive indirect effect on coworker well-being via received coworker support, while it had a negative indirect effect on the focal employee's well-being via self-regulatory resource depletion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Occupational groups and lower urinary tract symptoms: A cross-sectional analysis of women in the Boston Area Community Health Study.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to inform our hypothesis that the workplace toileting environment may impact lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS); we examined the prevalence of LUTS across occupational groups in the Boston Area Community Health Survey. METHODS: At baseline, women (n = 3205) reported their occupation and frequency of 15 LUTS. Using the US Department of Labor's Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system, we categorized women into 11 standard occupational groups. Prevalence ratios (PRs) were calculated by log-link generalized linear models, adjusting for age, race, education, fluid intake, and parity. Women classified in Office and Administrative Support were used as the reference group given their potential for fewer workplace toileting restrictions. RESULTS: Of the 3189 women with complete data, 68% of women reported any LUTS, ranging from 57% to 82% across the SOCs. Relative to women in Office and Administrative Support (n = 576), women in Computing, Engineering, and Science (n = 64) were more likely to report any LUTS (PR = 1.2, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.0-1.4) and urinating again in <2 h (PR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.4-2.2), and women in Education, Legal, Community Service, Arts, and Media (n = 477), as well as Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Occupations (n = 162), were less likely to report perceived frequent daytime urination (PR = 0.6, 95% CI: 0.5-0.9 and PR = 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4-0.9, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our cross-sectional findings suggest that urination frequency varies across understudied occupational groups with various workplace toileting environments. Future studies should examine this relationship prospectively to inform the influence of workplace toileting environments on urination frequency, as well as the development and/or worsening of LUTS.

The impact of Covid-19 on community and hospital pharmacists: a thematic analysis study

Abstract There are a limited number of studies examining the effects of the pandemic on the daily lives of Turkish community pharmacists, and no research investigating the impact on the lives of Turkish hospital pharmacists has been found. This study aimed to examine the effects of the pandemic on the personal and professional lives of Turkish community pharmacists and hospital pharmacists. In this qualitative study design, a comprehensive set of interviews was conducted with a total of 13 community pharmacists and 7 hospital pharmacists, employing a semi-structured interview guide. Through thematic content analysis of the interviews, four main themes, 1) long-term impacts, 2) dealing strategies, 3) professional life impacts, 4) personal life impacts, have emerged for both community pharmacists and hospital pharmacists. In addition to the psychological impacts and supply chain issues commonly mentioned in the literature, the study revealed ongoing effects such as the inability to sell available products and economic difficulties. Also, the increased demand for over-the-counter products during the pandemic highlights the need for the government to develop policies to address this issue.

Estresse ocupacional entre psicólogos atuantes na atenção primária à saúde no contexto pandêmico / Occupational stress in psychologists working in primary health care in the context of the pandemic / Estrés laboral entre los psicólogos que trabajan en atención primaria de salud en el contexto de la pandemia

Este estudo analisa o estresse ocupacional entre psicólogos que atuavam na Atenção Primária à Saúde durante a pandemia ocasionada pela covid-19, assim como as características sociodemográficas e laborais dos participantes e sua relação com o estresse ocupacional. Participaram da pesquisa 70 psicólogos atuantes em 51 unidades básicas de saúde das regiões Oeste e Extremo Oeste catarinense. Para coleta de dados, um questionário sociodemográfico e a versão reduzida da Job Stress Scale (JSS) foram aplicados. A análise dos dados foi realizada por meio da estatística descritiva e inferencial. Identificou-se que 35,7% dos psicólogos apresentaram alto desgaste no trabalho; 28,6% baixo desgaste; 27,1% se mostraram em trabalho passivo; e 8,6% em trabalho ativo. No modelo de regressão linear, os fatores associados à dimensão Demanda da JSS foram: possuir filho (a) (coeficiente -1,49; IC 95% -2,75 a -0,23) e afastamento do trabalho nos últimos 12 meses (coeficiente 1,88; IC 95% 0,60 a 3,15). Os psicólogos com hipertensão arterial sistêmica autorreferida apresentaram, em média, 3,96 pontos a menos no escore de Apoio social (IC 95% -7,06 a -0,85), quando comparados aos não hipertensos, e entre os psicólogos que trabalhavam no turno da manhã identificou-se aumento de 4,46 pontos, em média, no escore de Apoio social (IC 95% 0,90 a 8,02) em relação aos profissionais do turno manhã e tarde. Evidenciou-se que um número significativo de psicólogos apresentava-se em alto desgaste no trabalho, com potenciais implicações para sua saúde e atuação profissional.(AU)

This study analyzed occupational stress among psychologists who worked in Primary Health Care during the COVID-19 pandemic and participants' sociodemographic and work characteristics and their relationship with occupational stress. In total, 70 psychologists working in 51 basic health units in the West and Far West regions of Santa Catarina participated in this research. A sociodemographic questionnaire and the short version of the Job Stress Scale (JSS) were applied to collect data. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. In total, 35.7% of psychologists showed high stress at work; 28.6%, low burn out; 27.1%, passive work; and 8.6%, active work. The factors in the linear regression model that were associated with the JSS demand dimension referred to having children (coefficient −1.49; 95% CI −2.75 to −0.23) and absence from work in the last 12 months (coefficient 1.88; 95% CI 0.60 to 3.15). Psychologists with self-reported systemic arterial hypertension showed, on average, 3.96 points lower in the Social Support score (95% CI −7.06 to −0.85) than non-hypertensive ones and psychologists who worked in the morning shift, an average increase of 4.46 points in the Social Support score (95% CI 0.90 to 8.02) in relation to professionals working in the morning and afternoon shifts. A significant number of psychologists had high stress at work, with potential implications to their health and professional performance.(AU)

Este estudio evalúa el estrés laboral entre los psicólogos que trabajaron en la atención primaria de salud durante la pandemia provocada por la COVID-19, así como las características sociodemográficas y laborales de ellos y su relación con el estrés laboral. En la investigación participaron setenta psicólogos que trabajan en 51 unidades básicas de salud en las regiones oeste y lejano oeste de Santa Catarina (Brasil). Para la recolección de datos se aplicó un cuestionario sociodemográfico y la versión corta de la Job Stress Scale (JSS). El análisis de los datos se realizó mediante estadística descriptiva e inferencial. Se identificó que el 35,7% de los psicólogos presentaban alto estrés en el trabajo; el 28,6% tenían poco desgaste; el 27,1% se encontraban en trabajo pasivo; y el 8,6% en trabajo activo. En el modelo de regresión lineal, los factores asociados a la dimensión demanda de la JSS fueron: tener hijo (coeficiente -1,49; IC 95% -2,75 a -0,23) y baja laboral en los últimos 12 meses (coeficiente 1,88; IC 95% 0,60 a 3,15). Los psicólogos con hipertensión arterial sistémica autoinformada presentaron un promedio de 3,96 puntos más bajo en la puntuación de apoyo social (IC 95% -7,06 a -0,85) en comparación con los no hipertensos, y entre los psicólogos que trabajaban en el turno de la mañana, se identificó un aumento promedio de 4,46 puntos en la puntuación de apoyo social (IC 95% 0,90 a 8,02) con relación a los profesionales que laboran en el turno de mañana y tarde. Quedó evidente que un número significativo de psicólogos se encontraba en situación de alto estrés en el trabajo, con posibles implicaciones para su salud y desempeño profesional.(AU)

Vacunación con SOBERANA®02 y SOBERANA®Plus en trabajadores: éxito en el enfrentamiento a la pandemia de COVID-19 / Health intervention with SOBERANA®02 and SOBERANA®Plus vaccines in workers: a successful response in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic

La vacunación es una forma de contribuir a la protección de la población al reducir el riesgo de efectos graves de la enfermedad COVID-19. Para marzo de 2021, en tiempo récord, la industria biotecnológica cubana contaba con cinco candidatos vacunales. Se realizó una intervención sanitaria con un esquema heterólogo: dos dosis de SOBERANA®02 más una dosis de SOBERANA®Plus, en trabajadores durante el período de marzo a junio de 2021, en el Instituto Finlay de Vacunas, en La Habana, Cuba. Se evaluaron los efectos directos e indirectos de la vacunación con SOBERANA®02 y SOBERANA®Plus en una cohorte de riesgo de infección, enfermedad y diseminación de la COVID-19. La cohorte se estableció en marzo de 2021 en trabajadores con alta exposición al coronavirus de tipo 2 causante del síndrome respiratorio agudo severo, en el área de consulta médica de Instituto Finlay de Vacunas, establecida como sitio clínico. Entre el 22 de marzo de 2021 y el 11 de junio de 2021, se inscribieron un total de 1.776 participantes; de ellos, 1.719 cumplieron los criterios de inclusión con un porcentaje de 96,79 por ciento para la primera dosis, 1.675 recibieron la segunda dosis y 1.653 se vacunaron SOBERANA®Plus como tercera dosis para un 97,87por ciento. Mil cuatrocientos cincuenta y siete tenían entre 19 y 59 años, con predominio del sexo femenino. De los participantes, 175 tuvieron acontecimientos adversos y se observaron, predominantemente, una hora después de la administración de cada dosis. La reacción local más referida fue el dolor en el lugar de la inyección. Se registraron pocos acontecimientos adversos no solicitados. No se notificó ningún evento adverso grave o severo asociado a la vacuna. La distribución de casos de COVID-19 fue de 30, 16 y 6 posterior a cada dosis recibida. No se notificaron muertes asociadas a COVID-19. Las vacunas SOBERANA®02 y SOBERANA®Plus tuvieron un buen perfil de seguridad y fueron capaces de reducir la enfermedad grave por COVID-19 y la muerte, ayudando a revertir la situación epidemiológica causada por el coronavirus de tipo 2 causante del síndrome respiratorio agudo severo en Cuba(AU)

Vaccination is a way to help protect people by reducing the risk of serious effects from COVID-19 illness. By March of 2021, in record time, Cuba's biotech industry had five vaccine candidates. A sanitary intervention with a heterologous scheme, two doses of SOBERANA®02 and one dose of SOBERANA®Plus, was carried out in workers during the period of March to June 2021 at Finlay Vaccine Institute, in Havana, Cuba. We evaluated the direct and indirect effects of vaccination with SOBERANA®02 and SOBERANA®Plus, in a cohort at risk of infection, disease and spread of the epidemic COVID-19. The cohort was established in March 2021, among workers with high exposure to SARS-CoV-2, at the area of medical consultation at Finlay Vaccine Institute, established as clinical site. Between March 22, 2021 and June 11, 2021, were enrolled a total of 1,776 participants and, of them, 1,719 met the inclusion criteria with a percentage of 96.79percent for first dose, of which 1,675 received the second dose and 1,653 received SOBERANA®Plus as third dose for 97.87percent. The majority of participants were aged 19-59 years (1,457), being female, the predominant sex. Among the participants, 175 had adverse events, predominantly observed one hour after the administration of each dose. The most common local reaction was injection site pain. Few unsolicited adverse events were recorded. No vaccine-associated severe or serious adverse events were reported. The distribution of COVID-19 case was 30 post first dose, 16 post second dose and 6 post last dose. No deaths associated with COVID-19 were reported. SOBERANA®02 and SOBERANA®Plus vaccines had a good safety profile and were capable of a reduction of severe COVID-19 illness and death helping to reverse the epidemiological situation caused by the SARS-COV-2 in Cuba(AU)

Precarious work and methodological challenges to study hard-to-reach populations

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the methodological challenges and strategies of a web survey on the working conditions and health among delivery workers. METHODS The study population consisted of Brazilian delivery workers operating in the national territory. Procedures include building solid and ongoing collaboration with worker representatives and conducting a four-month data collection from February to May 2022, sharing the link to the online questionnaire on social media such as social networks (Facebook, Instagram) and messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram). RESULTS The recruitment of 41 leaders or influencers of delivery workers increased the dissemination of the study, some of whom participated in the consensual validation of the questionnaire; the production of content for social media for the dissemination of the questionnaire link on social networks and applications, and the in-person dissemination of the study at the delivery workers' meeting points during the workday played a fundamental role, totaling around 132 hours in 45 shifts. The strategies adopted for data collection with a hybrid approach to dissemination made it possible to carry out the web survey. After four months of the web survey, 564 delivery workers, 543 men and 18 women, responded to the online questionnaire. CONCLUSION The web survey presented methodological strategies to overcome the challenge of reaching workers, including hybrid work, to increase the participation of workers, on whom epidemiological research is still scarce.

Willingness of WHO staff to work in health emergencies in the African Region: opportunity for phased deployment of staff and ensure continuity of health services

A human resource base that ensures appropriate deployment of staff to emergencies, addressing different shock events in emergencies, without disrupting continuity of service is germane to a successful response. Consequently, the WHO Health Emergencies programme in the African Region, in collaboration with Africa Centre for Disease Control (ACDC) launched the African Volunteer Health Corps (AVoHC) and Strengthening and Utilization of Response Group for Emergencies (SURGE), an initiative aimed at ensuring a pool of timely responders. We explored the willingness of WHO staff to work in emergencies. A call for expression of interest to be part of the Elite Emergency Experts (Triple E) was published on 5th July 2022 via email and was open for 5 weeks. The responses were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics and presented with graphic illustrations. A total of 1253 WHO staff, from all the six WHO regions, cutting across all cadre, applied to the call. The applicants had various trainings and experiences in emergency and have responded to mostly disease outbreaks. Two-third of the applicants were males. This paper did not explore reasons for the willingness to work in emergencies. However, contrary to fears expressed in literature that health workers would not want to work in emergencies with potential for infections, the applicants have worked mostly in infectious emergencies. Literature identified some themes on factors that could impact on willingness of health workers to work in emergencies. These include concerns for the safety of the responders and impact of partners, child and elderly care, as well as other family obligations, which emergency planners must consider in planning emergency response.

Continuing education for forensic medical analysis of the constitutional appeals in Costa Rica / Formação acadêmica contínua para análise médico forense de recursos de amparo na Costa Rica / Formación académica continua para el análisis médico forense de recursos de amparo en Costa Rica

Introduction: Judicially demanding the right to health involves different elements and can lead to changes in continuing education programs. The current trend is to follow this pathway to access low-frequency and high-cost medications. In addition, the Constitutional Court of Costa Rica requests a technical concept from forensic doctors. Objective: To raise the need for continuous updating in specific theoretical-practical academic knowledge required by forensic doctors to guarantee the right to health services. Reflection: The training of forensic medical doctors is focused on evidence and encourages continuous education. Nevertheless, a commitment is necessary in continuing medical education programs such as literature search strategies, critical assessment of evidence, and academic practices that incorporate particular circumstances comparing them with scientific studies. These programs must take into account prevalent medications and pathologies as well as technical-scientific factors that differ in each service provider. Conclusion: A continuing education program about the interpretation and assessment of scientific evidence for proper decision making on health issues would allow medical doctors to judge existing health problems and choose a medication that is the most beneficial for a patient.

Introducción: La judicialización del derecho a la salud involucra a distintos actores y puede propiciar cambios en programas de educación continua; pues la tendencia actual es recurrir a esta vía para acceder a medicamentos de baja frecuencia y alto costo. Adicionalmente, en Costa Rica la Sala Constitucional solicita el criterio técnico a médicos forenses. Objetivo: Plantear la necesidad de actualización continua en conocimientos académicos teóricos-prácticos específicos que requiere el médico forense para garantizar el derecho a los servicios de salud. Reflexión: El médico forense cuenta con formación basada en evidencias y se incentiva su formación continua, sin embargo, es necesario un compromiso con los programas de educación médica continua: en estrategias de búsqueda de literatura, valoración crítica de la evidencia encontrada y práctica académica que incorpore las circunstancias particulares, comparándolo con los resultados de estudios científicos; tomando en cuenta medicamentos y patologías prevalentes y los factores técnico-científicos de divergencia entre los prestadores de servicios. Conclusión: Un programa de formación continua sobre interpretación y valoración de la evidencia científica para la toma de decisiones en salud, permitiría a estos especialistas responder con mejor criterio si un medicamento es el tratamiento más beneficioso para un paciente debido a sus problemas de salud.

Introdução: A judicialização do direito à saúde envolve diferentes atores e pode promover mudanças nos programas de educação continuada; porque a tendência atual é recorrer a esta via para ter acesso a medicamentos de baixa frequência e alto custo. Além disso, na Costa Rica, o Tribunal Constitucional solicita critérios técnicos aos médicos forenses. Objetivo: Levantar a necessidade de atualização contínua em conhecimentos acadêmicos teórico-práticos específicos que o médico forense necessita para garantir o direito aos serviços de saúde. Reflexão: O médico forense tem formação baseada em evidências e sua formação continuada é incentivada, porém é necessário o compromisso com programas de educação médica continuada: em estratégias de busca bibliográfica, avaliação crítica das evidências encontradas e prática acadêmica que incorpore as circunstâncias particulares , comparando-o com resultados de estudos científicos; levando em consideração medicamentos e patologias prevalentes e fatores técnico-científicos de divergência entre prestadores de serviços. Conclusão: Um programa de formação contínua sobre interpretação e avaliação de evidências científicas para a tomada de decisões em saúde, permitiria a estes especialistas responder com melhores critérios se um medicamento é o tratamento mais benéfico para um paciente devido aos seus problemas de saúde.

A rua como local de trabalho: o caso de entregadores via aplicativos / The street as a workplace: the situation of delivery drivers via apps / La rue comme lieu de travail: la situation des livreurs par l'entremise d'applications

O estudo apresentado neste artigo investigou o contexto em que se dá o trabalho de entregadores via aplicativos, levando em consideração problemas agravados pela pandemia de covid-19, tais como: o fato de ser realizado na rua, o sucateamento de direitos trabalhistas e sua precarização com o fenômeno de uberização. Os resultados apontam impactos negativos na saúde biopsicossocial desses entregadores, evidenciando uma queda da remuneração e uma maior exposição ao vírus. Dentre os impactos, destacam-se o aumento de processos psicopatológicos, além do medo em relação à iminente possibilidade de contrair o coronavírus e contaminar sua rede de apoio social. Desta maneira, conclui-se que a pandemia de covid-19, aliada a políticas de sucateamento dos direitos trabalhistas influenciam diretamente a saúde biopsicossocial desses trabalhadores, empurrando-os para a margem do trabalho formal e potencializando o processo de uberização relacionado a esse modelo de trabalho informal

The study presented in this article examined the work context of delivery drivers via apps, taking into account the problems aggravated by the covid-19 pandemic such as: the fact that the work is carried out on the street, the scrapping of labour rights and the precariousness of their work, due to the phenomenon of uberization. The results reveal negative impacts on the biopsychosocial health of these delivery drivers, highlighting a drop in remuneration and a greater exposure to the virus. Among these impacts, the increase in psychopathological processes as well as the fear of the imminent possibility of contracting the corona-virus and contaminating their social support network are the most visible. In this way, it is concluded that the covid-19 pandemic combined with policies to scrap labour rights have influence on the biopsychosocial health of these workers, pushing them to the margins of formal employement and intensifying the uberiza-tion process related to this informal work model

L'étude presentée dans cet article a examiné le contexte dans lequel des livreurs par l'entremise d'appli-cations travaillent, en tenant compte des problèmes aggravés par la pandémie de covid-19, tels que: le fait que le travail soit effectué dans la rue, la supression des droits du travail et sa précarisation causé par le phénomène d'ubérisation. Les résultats indiquent des impacts négatifs sur la santé biopsychosociale de ces livreurs, montrant une baisse des rémunérations et une plus grande exposition au virus. Parmi ces impacts, attirent l'attention l'augmentation des processus psychopathologiques, de la même manière que la crainte de la possibilité imminente de contracter le coronavirus et de contaminer leur réseau de soutien social. Il est conclu que la pandémie de covid-19 combinée aux politiques de suppression des droits du travail influent directement sur la santé biopsychosociale de ces travailleurs, en les poussant en marge du travail formel et en renforçant le processus d'ubérisation lié à ce modèle de travail informel

Risk factors for clinical stages of COVID-19 amongst employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) worldwide over a period of 12 months.

BACKGROUND: Essential workers carry a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 mortality than individuals working in non-essential activities. Scientific studies on COVID-19 risk factors and clinical courses for humanitarian aid workers (HAW) specifically are lacking. The nature of their work brings HAW in proximity to various populations, therefore potentially exposing them to the virus. The objective of this study is to assess severity degrees of COVID-19 in relation to multiple risk factors in a cohort of HAW. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of data collected by the Staff Health Unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross, over 12 months (February 2021 - January 2022). Prevalence of demographic and health risk factors and outcome events were calculated. Factors associated with disease severity were explored in univariable and multivariable logistic regression models. Resulting OR were reported with 95%CI and p-values from Wald Test. P-values < 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: We included 2377 patients. The mean age was 39.5y.o. Two thirds of the patients were males, and 3/4 were national staff. Most cases (3/4) were reported by three regions (Africa, Asia and Middle East). Over 95% of patients were either asymptomatic or presented mild symptoms, 9 died (CFR 0.38%). Fifty-two patients were hospitalised and 7 needed a medical evacuation outside the country of assignment. A minority (14.76%) of patients had at least one risk factor for severe disease; the most recorded one was high blood pressure (4.6%). Over 55% of cases occurred during the predominance of Delta Variant of Concern. All pre-existing risk factors were significantly associated with a moderate or higher severity of the disease (except pregnancy and immunosuppression). CONCLUSIONS: We found strong epidemiological evidence of associations between comorbidities, old age, and the severity of COVID-19. Increased occupational risks of moderate to severe forms of COVID-19 do not only depend on workplace safety but also on social contacts and context.

Influence of skill relatedness on the location choice of heterogeneous labor force in Chinese prefecture-level cities.

High-quality regional development should be promoted by facilitating inter-regional mobility of heterogeneous labor force to optimize its spatial allocation. This study incorporates skill relatedness into spatial categorization and selection effects, and explores how skill-relatedness affects the location choice of heterogeneous labor force. To do so, we use labor force migration data and employee data by occupation subcategory from the 2000 National Population Census and 2015 National Population Sample Survey. The empirical evidence provides three major findings. First, there are significant regional differences in labor migration rates by the occupational group between cities in China, and the trend is increasing. Regional concentration of location choice is increasing and six significant agglomerations are formed. Second, skill relatedness positively affects the location choice of the heterogeneous labor force in Chinese cities. When cities' skill-relatedness is more robust, influence on labor location choice is more remarkable. In cities with high-size classes, the effect of high-skill relatedness on labor location choice is higher. Third, labor force with solid skill relatedness with regional employment moves to the location owing to the spatial sorting effect. Labor force without skill relatedness or weak relatedness moves out or does not move to the location owing to the spatial selection effect.

Application of machine learning for risky sexual behavior interventions among factory workers in China.

Introduction: Assessing the likelihood of engaging in high-risk sexual behavior can assist in delivering tailored educational interventions. The objective of this study was to identify the most effective algorithm and assess high-risk sexual behaviors within the last six months through the utilization of machine-learning models. Methods: The survey conducted in the Longhua District CDC, Shenzhen, involved 2023 participants who were employees of 16 different factories. The data was collected through questionnaires administered between October 2019 and November 2019. We evaluated the model's overall predictive classification performance using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. All analyses were performed using the open-source Python version 3.9.12. Results: About a quarter of the factory workers had engaged in risky sexual behavior in the past 6 months. Most of them were Han Chinese (84.53%), hukou in foreign provinces (85.12%), or rural areas (83.19%), with junior high school education (55.37%), personal monthly income between RMB3,000 (US$417.54) and RMB4,999 (US$695.76; 64.71%), and were workers (80.67%). The random forest model (RF) outperformed all other models in assessing risky sexual behavior in the past 6 months and provided acceptable performance (accuracy 78%; sensitivity 11%; specificity 98%; PPV 63%; ROC 84%). Discussion: Machine learning has aided in evaluating risky sexual behavior within the last six months. Our assessment models can be integrated into government or public health departments to guide sexual health promotion and follow-up services.

As Relações Intersubjetivas e os espaços de Simbolização destinados às Equipes Profissionais que Implementam Políticas Públicas / Intersubjective Relations and Spaces of Symbolization Intended for Professional Teams that Implement Public Policies / Relaciones Intersujetivas y Espacios de Simbolización Destinados a Equipos Profesionales que Implementan Políticas Públicas

Considerando que um grupo é um agenciamento de vínculos intersubjetivos, que permite a expressão de relações entre vários sujeitos, o objetivo deste artigo é discutir a importância dos espaços de simbolização direcionados às equipes profissionais, no que se refere ao impacto destas ações na implementação de políticas públicas. Para esta discussão utilizar-se-á de uma experiência de campo profissional objeto de discussão no processo de doutorado. Participou do campo um grupo de educadores de oficinas culturais e artísticas (oficineiros de cultura) em uma intervenção de Grupo Operativo. Essa equipe profissional (participantes do campo) era composta por doze servidores públicos da Secretaria Municipal de Cultura (SMC) de uma cidade no interior de São Paulo. A duração da intervenção de Grupo Operativo foi de um ano. O trabalho permitiu compreender a importância de espaços que permitam trabalhar/simbolizar as experiências das equipes, no trabalho realizado durante a implementação das políticas: as experiências podem ser elaboradas e reconstruídas, a partir do que é depositado sobre a equipe, seja pela instituição na qual trabalham ou pelos usuários.

Whereas a group is an agency of intersubjective links, which allows the expression of relationships between several subjects, the aim of this article is to discuss the importance of symbolization spaces directed at professional teams, regarding the impact of these actions on the implementation of public policies. For this discussion, field experience will be used the professional subject of discussion in the doctoral process. A group of educators of cultural and artistic workshops (culture "coordinators" named in Brazil "culture oficineiros") in an Operative Group intervention. This professional team (field participants) was composed of twelve public servers of the Municipal Secretariat of Culture (SMC) of a city in the interior of São Paulo. The duration of the Operative Group intervention was one year. The work made it possible to understand the importance of spaces that allow working/symbolizing the experiences of the teams, in the work implementation of policies: experiences can be developed and developed by the reconstructed, from what is deposited on the team, either by the institution in which they work or by users.

Considerando que un grupo es una agencia de vínculos intersubjetivos, que permite la expresión de relaciones entre varios temas, el objetivo de este artículo es discutir la importancia de simbolización dirigida a los equipos profesionales, sobre el impacto de estas acciones en la implementación de políticas públicas. Para esta discusión, se utilizará una experiencia de campo, tema profesional de discusión en el proceso de doctorado. Un grupo de educadores de talleres culturales y artísticos (coordinadores de cultura llamados "oficineiros de cultura" en Brasil) en una intervención de Grupo Operativo. Este equipo profesional (participantes de campo) estaba compuesto por doce servidores autoridades de la Secretaría Municipal de Cultura (SMC) de una ciudad del interior de São Paulo. La duración de la intervención del Grupo Operativo fue de un año. El trabajo permitió comprender la importancia de los espacios que permiten trabajar/simbolizar las experiencias de los equipos, en el trabajo de implementación de políticas: las experiencias pueden ser elaborados y reconstruidos, a partir de lo depositado en el equipo, ya sea por la institución en la que trabajan o por los usuarios.

Salud física, calidad de vida y bienestar psicológico de trabajadores(as) universitarios chilenos en tiempos de COVID-19 / Physical health, quality of life and psychological well-being of workers in a Chilean university community in times of COVID-19

Introducción: COVID-19 no solamente tuvo efectos en la salud física de las personas, se sumó a una serie de otras problemáticas que afectarán la salud de las personas a mediano y largo plazo. El objetivo de la investigación fue identificar la percepción del nivel de actividad física, calidad de vida y bienestar psicológico de trabajadores y trabajadoras de una comunidad universitaria chilena durante la pandemia COVID-19. Se aplicó una encuesta online durante los meses de junio y julio de 2022 a285 sujetos, 65% mujeres y 35% hombres, de estamentos, administrativo y académicos (64% y 36% respectivamente). Los resultados indican que un 58% disminuyó su actividad física durante la pandemia en el 2020 y un 51% durante el año 2021. Un 52% señala que aumentó de peso corporal durante el 2020 y un 46% durante el 2021. En relación a su bienestar psicológico, un 49% percibe que empeoró durante el año 2020 y un 36% declara lo mismo para el año 2021.Conclusiones: La pandemia por COVID-19, generó efectos negativos en la actividad física, calidad de vida y bienestar psicológico de las personas. El desafío para las instituciones de educación superior es desarrollar programas para fomentar la promoción y prevención en salud para la comunidad universitaria en un contexto postpandémico(AU)

Introduction: COVID-19 not only had effects on people's physical health, it added to a series of other problems that will affect people's health in the medium and long term. The objective was to identify the perception of the level of physical activity, quality of life and psychological wellbeing of workers in a Chilean university community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was developed under a quantitative paradigm, it was descriptive cross-sectional. An online survey was applied during the months of June and July 2022 to 285 subjects, 65% women and 35% men, from estates, administrative and academic (64% and 36% respectively). The results indicate that 58% decreased their physical activity during the pandemic in 2020 and 51% during 2021. 52% say they increased body weight during 2020 and 46% during 2021. In relation to their psychological well-being, 49% perceive that it worsened during the year 2020, and 36% declare the same for the year 2021.Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic generated negative effects on people's physical activity, quality of life and psychological well-being. The challenge for higher education institutions is to develop programs to foster health promotion and prevention for the university community in a post-pandemic context(AU)