Home-based outsourced informal work by children and adolescents impacts sleep and leisure-a preliminary study

Author(s)

Pereira, Elizeu Chiodi ; Ferreira, Ana Paula Sacone da Silva ; Sato, Ana Paula Sayuri ; Fischer, Frida Marina ; Olympio, Kelly Polido Kaneshiro

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Environmental Science and Pollution Research; v. 27, n. 26, p. 8-pg., 2020-06-09.

Abstract

Child labor is a serious and controversial issue. Despite governments establishing health policies prohibiting or restricting the age of entry to the job market, there is still a large number of working children and adolescents worldwide, particularly informal workers. This study aimed to evaluate the living and working conditions of adolescents. Work activities were home-based involving the production of jewelry and fashion jewelry, in a Brazilian city, Limeira, Sao Paulo. Participants were 11-17-year-old workers and non-workers, who answered a comprehensive questionnaire on their living and working conditions and filled out a time-budget protocol for 10 consecutive days. Both instruments were applied twice during both school and vacation terms. Chi-square/Fisher and Student'sttests were used, and Bonferroni corrections were performed in the significance levels of the statistical methods. During school time, working children/adolescents had lower mean sleep duration (p < 0.01) than non-working ones. During vacation, non-working youths enjoyed longer leisure time (p < 0.04). Comparing school and vacation times, working youths showed no significant difference in daily routine (p > 0.05), while non-workers spent more time on leisure activities during the vacation period (p = 0.005). In summary, this study found that working at home had a deleterious effect on the sleep and leisure of the youths studied. These data should be considered as an exposome component (specific external exposure) in evaluations of long-term health endpoints and their possible causes. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/11087-8 - From exposome up to Regulatory Toxicology: a thematic study on potentially toxic elements (PTEs) exposure of families inserted in informal productive arrangement in the jewelry and fashion jewelry chain from Limeira, SP
• Grantee: Kelly Polido Kaneshiro Olympio
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/14392-9 - Living and working conditions of youths inserted in the informal and household productive arrangement of jewelry and fashion jewelry from the exposome perspective
• Grantee: Elizeu Chiodi Pereira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 17/15797-2 - Understanding the exposome approach: from the concept to the applications in public health
• Grantee: Ana Paula Sacone da Silva Ferreira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree