title: [Assessment of health-related quality of life of sugarcane cutters in the pre-harvest and harvest periods].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess health-related quality of life in sugarcane cutters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal study conducted in a sugar and ethanol plant located in the western region of the State of São Paulo (Southeastern Brazil) from April (pre-harvest) to October (harvest) 2010. A total of 44 sugarcane cutters, smokers and non-smokers, was evaluated in three periods: pre-harvest, at the end of the third month during harvest and at the end of harvest. Health-related quality of life was assessed by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Analysis of variance for repeated measures and the Friedman test were performed to compare quality of life among the periods. To identify the frequency of workers whose score increased in the harvest periods compared to pre-harvest (positive responders), the Goodman test was used, considering the qualitative variables of the SF-36 domains.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of pre-harvest, 23% workers drop out of work; 27% were smokers. There was a significant decrease in the vitality domain at the end of harvest compared to pre-harvest. The dropouts presented higher score in the social aspect domain compared to the group that remained working. There was no difference in health-related quality of life between smokers and non-smokers. However, there was a higher percentage of positive responders among non-smokers in the physical, social and emotional domains in the third month of harvest and in the general health status and social domains at the end of harvest, compared to smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health-related quality of life in sugarcane cutters was reduced after the harvest period in the vitality domain. The individuals who remained working during harvest are those with lower scores for social aspects, which demonstrates the need to promote health assistance policies for this specific population, particularly during sugar harvest.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Fisioterapia, Departamento de Fisioterapia, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Presidente Prudente, SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luiz Carlos Soares de
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Carvalho Junior
authors.forename: Ercy Mara Cipulo
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Alessandra Choqueta de
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Toledo
authors.forename: Aline Duarte Ferreira
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Ceccato
authors.forename: Mariângela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Macchione
authors.forename: Alfésio Luis Ferreira
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Braga
authors.forename: Dionei
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ramos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D000383:Agriculture; D001938:Brazil; D005525:Food-Processing Industry; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012423:Rural Health; D031786:Saccharum; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D012919:Social Behavior