OBJECTIVES: To (1) draft a comprehensive health program relevant to workers in the informal sector; (2) develop specific guidelines for the establishment of appropriate health services for informal workers, including recommended surveillance systems; and (3) formulate a mechanism for the full coverage of health insurance for informal workers integrated through the National Health Insurance system.

METHODS: Document reviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), informal surveys were conducted. The various agencies were involved from the study proposal to the final review through consultative meetings.

RESULTS: The health program for the informal sector (IS) is inadequate. Currently, the various health services of the government and its regulatory functions are not integrated to address the needs of the IS.

CONCLUSION: Hazard identification, evaluation and control with the appropriate IEC campaign aimed at behavioral modification for the informal sector and national health/social insurance service providers are the recommended steps. Tracking, monitoring and surveillance systems need to be established through local government units (LGUs), with the support of the workers' associations/cooperatives.

Social Security ; Informal Sector ; Local Government ; Focus Groups ; Aarskog Syndrome ; Dwarfism ; Insurance, Health ; Hand Deformities, Congenital ; Face ; Genitalia, Male ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Genetic Diseases, X-linked ; National Health Programs

OBJECTIVES: The study evaluated the quality of indoor air in households surrounding a coal-fired power plant in Pagbilao, Quezon and its impact to the residents in these communities. 
METHODS: The researchers used a quantitative approach and gathered both primary and secondary data from the Province of Quezon, Municipalities of Pagbilao and Padre Burgos and 12 other barangays from January to June 2008. A household survey was conducted to obtain the health and socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. Likewise, indoor air quality surveys, respiratory health profiling and pulmonary function tests were done. Indoor air quality monitoring measured eight hour levels of particulate matter -10 (PM10) in "near" and "far" barangays and sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in two primary impact barangays as indicated in the environmental impact assessment of the power plant.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Results showed that there is no significant difference (p= <0.05) in the eight-hour average of indoor PM10 in  "near" and "far" barangays. The monitoring results for SO2 and NO2 are below the ambient air quality standards. The results of respiratory profiling and pulmonary function testing revealed that the significant risk factors for respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function parameters are generally demographic characteristics such as sex, height and weight. However, cigarette smoking and indoor PM10 levels, which came out as significant risk factors for wheezing and the predicted forced expiratory volume at 1 second (FEV1), respectively, reflect the environmental exposure of children inside their homes.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Child ; Air Pollutants ; Coal ; Gases ; Air Pollution, Indoor ; Coal ; Environmental Exposure ; Nitrogen Dioxide ; Risk Factors ; Smoking ; Sulfur Dioxide ; Environmental Illness ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution