Síndrome de desgaste profesional, índice de masa corporal y otros factores asociados con la labor de profesores de educación física de Ibagué, Colombia

INTRODUCTION: The burnout syndrome in teachers has been increasing during the last decades, which explains its becoming a very important study area. OBJECTIVE: To determine the levels of the burnout syndrome and its relation with other factors among the physical education teachers in some schools of Ibagué. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-descriptive correlational study among 111 physical education teachers from Ibagué with ages ranging from 26 to 65 years. We included gender and age as the sociodemographic variables, as well as the burnout syndrome-related variables. For data collection, we used a questionnaire in Spanish for the evaluation of the burnout syndrome specifically among teaching professionals. RESULTS: The physical education teachers interviewed had low levels of burnout syndrome; 22 teachers (19.8%) had high levels and 15 of these responded to profile 1 (burnout syndrome without feelings of guilt) and 7 to profile 2 (burnout syndrome with feelings of guilt). Burnout syndrome prevalence was higher in men while in women the prevalence of physical and emotional exhaustion, indolence and negative attitudes, and feelings of guilt was higher. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to design and implement training programs aimed at explaining what burnout syndrome is, how and why it appears, its progress and symptoms, as well as strategies of individual prevention and intervention such as physical relaxation and respiratory control techniques.