Living and working conditions of the professionals of the a Mobile Emergency Service.

The assistance provided by the Mobile Emergency Service (SAMU) may result in changes in the health of the workers. This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study which aimed to evaluate the sociodemographic, health and lifestyle characteristics and the working conditions among professionals of the SAMU in Campinas, SP, Brazil. A questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic, lifestyle, health and work data. The sample consisted of 197 workers - nurses, physicians, nursing technicians, auxiliary nurses, drivers and administrative personnel. There was a prevalence of males (61.4%), mean age 39.1 years (SD=8.3); married (63.5%), with children (76.7%); of the category of drivers (30.5%), monitored by physicians (18.3%) and auxiliary nurses (16.8%); 42.1% had additional employment, 48% performed overtime and 25.3% worked more than 70 hours per week. The majority practiced physical (56.5%) and leisure (96.5%) activities. New facets of the life of these workers were revealed and may contribute to programs aimed at health promotion.