Condiciones del entorno laboral informal y sus implicaciones en el riesgo de depresión para personas mayores en Ciudad Juárez, México

In Latin America many older people work in informal jobs; however, there is limited knowledge about how their working conditions (work hours, environment, safety) influence their physical and mental health, and their quality of life. This research aims at examining the impact of workplace environment on depressive symptoms among the informally-employed elders in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The methodology analyzes the data from an intentional survey of informal workers aged 65 and over, using quantitative techniques (confidence intervals, correlations, chi-square, Odds Ratio, binary logistic regression, ANOVA, and Post Hoc). Results indicate that the risk of depression is associated with people’ socioeconomic conditions, functional and health capacities, consumption habits, and with the physical and social working environment demands. This risk varies according to the workplace, especially in commerce and street shops, where it is also related with health, economic and alcohol-consumption problems. A strategy to review public health and employment programs to prevent threats for health and integrity of older people with informal employment is proposed.