Inequalities in health services access and use among formal, informal, and unemployed workers, based on data from the Brazilian National Household Sample Survey, 2008

The aim of this study was to analyze whether job market status is associated with differences in health services access and use. Data from the Brazilian National Household Sample Survey (PNAD/2008) were used to study workers 18 to 64 years of age, both men and women (N = 152,233). Prevalence and crude and adjusted prevalence ratios for the worker's health characteristics were calculated using Poisson regression. When compared to formal workers (n = 76,246), informal workers (n = 62,612) and unemployed (n = 13,375) showed less schooling, lower monthly income, worse self-reported health status, more frequent reporting of have been "bedridden in the previous two weeks", greater difficulty in accessing health services, and lower health services seeking, even after controlling for sex, age bracket, region, schooling, and respondent. Health policies are needed to reduce inequalities in access to health services by informal workers and the unemployed.