Sepadi Maasago Mercy, Nkosi Vusumuzi
Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Doornfontein Campus, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa.
Environment and Health Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Johannesburg 2094, South Africa.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 25;19(3):1348. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19031348.
Informal street vending is a form of informal employment, and occupational conditions for people within this group have been proven to be detrimental to their health. Two independent reviewers carried out a systematic evaluation of the existing literature in South Africa on environmental and occupational exposures, as well as the health effects faced by informal street food vendors. 354 published publications were reviewed and 9 were included, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The evidence showed that informal street vendors are exposed to workplace risks that affect their health and wellbeing. Non-enclosed vendor stalls and frequent use of open fires were among the risk concerns. Vendors are vulnerable to gastrointestinal diseases such as salmonellosis and respiratory infections such as influenza and COVID-19 due to inadequate access to water, waste disposal facilities, and basic hygiene awareness and practices. Exposure to air pollutants increased the risk of respiratory and urinary illnesses and an impact on the reproductive health of female street vendors. This investigation demonstrated the difficulties in complying with the requirements of the Regulations Governing General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises, the Transport of Food, and Related Matters (no. R638 of 22 June 2018) and the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act (no. 85 of 1993). Within South African borders, there is a scarcity of research on occupational exposures and health effects in this occupation. As a result, eliminating or preventing these occupational exposures should be at the top of government and stakeholder agendas. The majority of the research was carried out in KwaZulu Natal and used a quantitative, cross-sectional technique. Other designs, including cohorts, time series, and randomized intervention trials, were underutilized.
非正式街头摊贩是一种非正规就业形式，事实证明，这一群体的职业条件对他们的健康有害。两名独立评审员对南非现有关于环境和职业暴露以及非正式街头食品摊贩所面临的健康影响的文献进行了系统评估。按照系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）指南，对354篇已发表的文献进行了审查，纳入了9篇。证据表明，非正式街头摊贩面临影响其健康和福祉的工作场所风险。风险问题包括无封闭的摊贩摊位以及频繁使用明火。由于缺乏用水、废物处理设施以及基本的卫生意识和做法，摊贩易患沙门氏菌病等胃肠疾病以及流感和新冠肺炎等呼吸道感染疾病。接触空气污染物增加了患呼吸道和泌尿系统疾病的风险，并对女性街头摊贩的生殖健康产生影响。这项调查表明，难以遵守《食品经营场所、食品运输及相关事项一般卫生要求管理条例》（2018年6月22日第R638号）和《职业健康与安全（OHS）法》（1993年第85号）的要求。在南非境内，关于这一职业的职业暴露和健康影响的研究很少。因此，消除或预防这些职业暴露应成为政府和利益相关者议程的首要任务。大多数研究是在夸祖鲁-纳塔尔进行的，采用了定量横断面技术。其他设计，包括队列研究、时间序列研究和随机干预试验，未得到充分利用。
