TRANSTORNOS MENTAIS ASSOCIADOS A EXPOSIÇÃO A AGROTÓXICO EM UM MUNICÍPIO DO PARANÁ/BRASIL

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Objective: Characterize the rural population of a municipality in Paraná exposed to pesticides and verify the association of sociodemographic and clinical variables with the occurrence of mental disorders. Materials and methods: Descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional study, carried out with 707 people, between November 2018 and July 2019. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square and Marascuilo test. Result: 50.85% were up to 20 years old; 24.29% farmers; 46.44% incomplete elementary education; 13.58% reported a mental health problem, 65.82% had direct exposure to pesticides, 18.94% had acute intoxication at least once and 58.92% did not use personal protective equipment. There were associations between mental disorder and female, unemployed or retired, non-use of personal protective equipment 73.58% and having been intoxicated more than ten times or several times. Conclusion: The association between exposure to pesticides and mental illness demonstrates the urgency of public policies for health promotion and disease prevention.