Recyclable waste pickers: life and work in light of the social determinants of health

ABSTRACT Objectives: to know how the social determinants of health relate to the context of life and work of recyclable waste pickers. Methods: a qualitative study, derived from Convergent-Care Research, conducted with waste pickers from two recycling associations in the South of Brazil. We used systematic participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and convergence groups. The analysis followed the steps of Seizure, Synthesis, Theorization, and Transfer. Results: advanced age, precarious self-care, gender inequalities, violence, and family conflicts have shown to be elements linked to the individual, behavioral, and social network determinants. Determinants connected to living and working conditions were related to poor access to education and formal work, as well as to the daily occupational risks in recycling. The lack of labor rights and public policies represented macro-determinants. Final Considerations: social and economic deficiencies are potentiated in the context of life and work of waste pickers, strongly related to their determinants.