Beliefs and Care Practices around COVID-19 in Railway Personnel in Argentina

Abstract

Objective: to characterize the situation of railway workers regarding their beliefs and practices of occupational health care in the context of COVID-19. The “ASPO”, decreed on 03/20/2020 in Argentina, recognizes public passenger transport as an essential service. Public transport systems are high-risk contexts since they transport large numbers of people in a confined space, with limited ventilation, many common contact surfaces and few possibilities of identifying people infected with coronavirus. Methodology: exploratory-descriptive, quantitative and observational design, with a standardized questionnaire of questions and specific indicators for data collection. The sampling by quotas that was made up of 459 participants from different railway lines. Results 81.4% consider that it is very possible/quite possible to become infected in their workplace, while the home is perceived as the place with the lowest risk of contagion (65.68%). The perception of the
feeling of sustained tiredness / listlessness increased by 44%; that of bad mood / irritability / nervousness 46.8%; constant alertness 55.7%; fear of getting sick / dying 39.7%; appetite 40.1%; difficulty sleeping 35.9%; and sexual desire 16.6% while it decreased by 14.4%.