Socioeconomic, labor and health issues in the agricultural business of sugar cane in the Northwest Paulista

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: to characterize the socioeconomic profile, the motivation and the perception of the impact of the labor in relations to health, and the role of the health system for the migrant cane-cutting workers. METHOD: a transversal-descriptive study based on a sample population. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire applied to 112 migrant cane cutters in the city of Mendonça, Sao Paulo, in 2009, covering the categories of labor, health care and access to services. RESULTS: most of the cutters (90%) came from Northeast region of Brazil; young people aged between 18 and 30 years old (75%), most of them (86%) considered salary and formal employment the two great motivators for this type of job. The majority (92%) considered themselves healthy, 48% experienced pain in their body due to tiredness. Although 39% used the services of Medical Health Unit of Mendonça, most had no access to care due to incompatible hours of operation of the establishment and the clearances of the cutters, and a large part (87%) made use of self-medication. DISCUSSION: the motivation of young people for formal employment and wage induces the perception of tiredness and body aches as integral elements of the job. Together with the requirement of high productivity, painfulness of labor, lack of transfer of funds to the health sector and the difficulty of access to health services, which can stimulate self-medication; generate a reality that hinder the implementation of public policies for employees.