[Housemaids and non-fatal occupational injuries].
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the annual incidence of non-fatal work injuries according to sociodemographic and occupational variables among housemaids.


METHODS
A community-based survey was conducted in a population of 1,650 women aged 10 to 65 years who reported a paid occupation randomly selected in a household sample of the city of Salvador, Brazil. Data was collected through individual questionnaires on living and work conditions and health status. Fisher Exact test was performed for frequency analysis.


RESULTS
It was estimated an overall annual incidence of non-fatal work injuries in the study population of 5.0%, which was statistically significant (p<0.05) higher among housemaids (7.3%) than in the group with other occupations (4.5%). Half of the injuries among housemaids were not related with long-term disabilities, and 38.1% women referred not being able to work for two weeks on average after the injury.


CONCLUSIONS
Housemaids represent a major contingent of the work force in Brazil and other Latin America countries. The high incidence of non-fatal work injuries in this working group reveals its public health relevance and the need for preventive programs.
Santana
Vilma S
VS
Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA, Brasil. vilma@ufba.br
de Amorim
Andréa M
AM
Oliveira
Roberval
R
Xavier
Shirlei
S
Iriart
Jorge
J
Belitardo
Liliane
L
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006704:Homemaker Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health