Trabalho, modos de vida e cuidados em saúde entre imigrantes bolivianos em São Paulo.

Abstract

The present study aims to study the ways of life, work and health care among Bolivian immigrants living in São Paulo. Within the socio-sanitary complexity inherent in migratory processes, the long working hours, the permanence and the seclusion in unhealthy places that are simultaneously space of work and housing offer ample conditions for the commitment of the health of the individuals. With the objective of investigating the experiences about the living and working conditions related to the conceptions of the illness process and the search for health care proper to the groups of Bolivian immigrants in São Paulo, a qualitative study was carried out through of daily observation and in-depth interviews in sewing workshops and conviviality and sociability spaces, as well as health services used by this population. The results presented in this study indicate the importance of public policies that contemplate not only the specificities of individuals, but also take into account the meanings that represent the health-disease-care process for them and observe their cultural delimitations, as well as the changes and transformations that have been suffering over the years as a community and protagonists of their stories.