Participatory screening of occupational risks among female street vendors of the Dantokpa market in Cotonou, Benin

Introduction: Street sales are a predominant activity in urban areas in African capital cities. It exposes female street vendors to occupational risks. The present study aims to assess these risks among these professionals, using the participatory approach. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study, conducted among 396 female street vendors working on the outskirts of the main track of Dantokpa market in Cotonou, systematically recruited for convenience, with the proportion of one in two, among those who met the defined selection criteria. A questionnaire on socio-demographic and professional characteristics was administered. Group interviews on the items of the Participatory Screening of Occupational Risks (DÉPARIS) guide were also carried out. The frequencies, averages and standard deviations were calculated. After triangulation of the data, a summary of the level of satisfaction of the participants with respect to each item of DÉPARIS and an overall assessment table of the situation were produced. Results: The averages (standard deviations) of age, professional seniority, daily working hours and monthly income of the participants were respectively 37.85 (9.71) years, 13.40 (8.44) years, 9.96 (1.39) hours and 118.20 (25.05) euros. Among them, 64.90% were unschooled. The participatory screening revealed four groups of occupational risks acknowledged by the female street vendors, which are: (i) poor work setting; (ii) work accidents; (iii) outdoor air pollution (OAP); (iv) psychosocial environment characterized by several clinical manifestations dominated by chronic respiratory disorders, the permanent fear of eviction and the lack of social security. The participants are somehow accustomed to these risks. Conclusion: The chronic respiratory disorders highlighted through this participatory screening, emphasize an interrelation, certainly not perceived, among the risks, in particular, OAP and the psychosocial environment. The perceptions of female street vendors on OAP and its impact on their health need to be further explored. It is urgent to institute the systematic wearing of respiratory masks by all saleswomen and to sensitize all users of the market to the need to ensure the cleanliness of the workplaces.