Workplace violence in the road passenger transport sector in Maputo City, Mozambique : extent, causes, consequences and prevention

Background: Every year millions of workers around the world are victims of workplace violence (WPV). Globally, WPV is a major occupational health and safety hazard, and it has been regarded as a public health problem. There is no WPV preventive program specifically designed for low-income countries (LICs). WPV preventive intervention models usually come from highincome countries (HICs), and they may not be sustainable, feasible or effective in other settings. With regard to WPV, there is a need better to understand its extent, nature, risk factors, causes, consequences and means of prevention, especially in LICs. The overall aim of this thesis is to study WPV in the road passenger transport sector in Maputo City, Mozambique. Methods: Four studies were conducted. In studies I-III the design was cross-sectional. A random sample of 504 participants was selected from a register of 2,618 transport workers in the road passenger transport sector. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, access to information, literacy level, occupational experience, organizational changes, work environment, work conditions, health conditions, quality of life, and WPV and its consequences. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test, Student’s t-test, linear logistic regression, and multivariate logistic regression. In Study IV the design was qualitative. Participants were purposefully selected among drivers and conductors identified in the quantitative investigation, reported in Study I, as victims of WPV, all with six or more years of experience in the road transport sector. Data were collected in semi-structured interviews. The open questions covered individual views on causes of WPV and suggestions for its prevention, based on the interviewees’ experiences of WPV while on duty. Thirty-two transport workers were interviewed. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Study I showed a life-time prevalence of phy