Objective: To understand the self-care requirements of informal male workers in carrying out their activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the light of Orem's theory.
Method: Qualitative approach, with an exploratory descriptive nature. Data collection was conducted through a closed questionnaire, with questions that refer to the self-care requirements and semi-structured interviews, both conducted in a virtual environment. Ten men working as delivery workers and app drivers participated. Data analysis was performed using thematic content analysis.
Results: The diagnosis of the self-care requirements performed by each of the interviewees was presented.
Final considerations: The work performed by the participants influences the self-care requirements of the population studied, and it is possible to infer that as specializations of these requirements occur, they are no longer performed or are practiced superficially.