O uso de álcool e tabaco e as vivências de prazer e sofrimento no trabalho entre Agentes Comunitários de Saúde

Abstract

After Sanitary Reformation Move ment and along with creation of the Brazilian National Health System. The Primary Health Care becomes the preferential gateway for Brazilian health system. The Family Health Strategy was implemented in 1994 in order to organize, ex pand and consolidate Primary Health Care and, in 1991, was created Commun ity Health Agents Program . The Community Health Agent is the professional that develops the link between users and Primary Health Care services. This professional is exposed to pressu re that might initiate mental illness and compensatory behaviors, such as ingestion of alcoholic beverages and smoking. The present study aimed to analyze the use of alcohol and tobacco, associated to pleasure and suffering experiences of the Community Hea lth Agents at work in the city of Juiz de Fora This study is part of a larger resea r ch called “Primary Health Care Workers working and living conditions”. A cross sectional study, composed by a sample of 212 community health agents, was developed. The p redominance in the sample was female gender (91,5%) at the age range above 40 years old (65,9%), black/brown color (51,2%), married (55,5%) and with children (76,8%). To evalu ate alcohol use, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test test was utilized, in which 46,2% of the sample declared to consume alcoholic beverage and 12,3% of those make risk consumption and 0,5% are in the probable dependency zone. There was statistical significance (p=0,03 7 ) between alcohol use and being married/bei ng in a stable union, and this is a protective factor from risk, harmful consumption and probable alcohol dependence. About tobacco use, 9,9% are smokers and among those, 38,1% present high level of dependency. The association of the Fagerström and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test to Indicators of Pleasure Suffering indicators at work tests demonstrated an expressive percentage of those who present medium/high level of tobacco dependency and risk consumption and probable alcohol dependency that exp eriment suffering in workplace. The data found in this project indicates that there must be investments in public policies formulation and availability of services and actions consistent with the work reality of community health agents , aiming to ensure the worker’s life quality.