Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among schoolteachers

INTRODUCTION: Teachers belong to a risk group for the onset of musculoskeletal disorders, which may be justified by some work-related factors, with a direct impact on their lives. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders among elementary school teachers in Jequié, state of Bahia, Brazil, and to investigate the association of these disorders with sociodemographic, occupational, organizational and health variables. METHODS: A cross-sectional epidemiological study with a sample of 304 elementary school teachers in Jequié. A standardized collection instrument was applied and the instrument data were analyzed using descriptive statistics procedures, with prevalence ratios and 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was 24.3% for any of the body segments, 15.5% for the back, 16.1% for the upper limbs and 12.5% for the lower limbs. There was a statistically significant association between musculoskeletal disorders and female sex, older age, black, brown and red skin, time working as a teacher of more than 14 years, presence of comorbidities, irregular sleeping pattern, consumption of alcohol and tobacco, and a regular lifestyle. CONCLUSIONS: Teachers presented a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in upper limbs, back, and lower limbs. In addition, associations with the investigated factors demonstrate that inadequate teaching conditions contribute negatively to teachers’ health.