Workers' health intersectoriality: old questions, new perspectives?

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Public Health Policy
• Intersectoral Collaboration

Background:

• Workers' Health (WH) intersectoriality is crucial but challenging to implement.
• Existing WH public policies present varying approaches to intersectorality.
• Understanding the definition, context, and implementation of intersectorality is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze how intersectorality is addressed in Workers' Health public policies.
• To examine the contexts, definitions, and implementation guidelines of intersectorality in WH.
• To identify the leadership and conceptual evolution of intersectorality within WH policy documents.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative documentary research.
• Analysis of documents enacted between 1986 and 2015.
• Data sourced from Ministries of Health, Labor and Social Security, FUNDACENTRO, and ANAMT.

Main Results:

• The health sector demonstrates clear leadership in promoting intersectorality within WH policies.
• Terms like 'integrated actions,' 'articulation,' 'dialogue,' 'integration,' and 'intersectoriality' are used, often interchangeably or as evolving concepts.
• Despite conceptual development and increased sector participation, policies offer limited clear propositions on the effectiveness of intersectoral practices for managers and workers.

Conclusions:

• Workers' Health intersectoriality is a developing concept in public policy, with the health sector playing a leading role.
• Policy language regarding intersectorality is often generic and lacks precise definitions, hindering clear implementation.
• There is a need for more concrete guidelines and evidence on the practical effectiveness of intersectoral approaches in Workers' Health for both managers and workers.