Chronic musculoskeletal pain and occupational aspects among Brazilian teachers

Abstract

Objectives. This study aimed to determine the association between working conditions and chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) in regions of the body in teachers. Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed with 958 teachers from Brazil. Outcomes were chronic pain in the upper limbs, lower back and lower limbs. Independent variables were characteristics and perceptions about the work. Poisson regression models were adjusted by socio-demographic, lifestyle and co-morbidity variables. Results. After adjustments, strong associations were observed between a negative perception regarding writing on the board and pain in the upper limbs (prevalence ratio [PR] = 4.65; 95% confidence interval [CI] [2.02, 10.70]) and lower back pain (PR = 2.10; 95% CI [1.06, 4.15]) and between a negative perception of standing duration and pain in the lower limbs (PR = 3.98; 95% CI [1.54, 10.26]). Additionally, the number of workplaces, number of students and conditions for carrying teaching material were associated with pain in the upper limbs. Time in the profession and a negative perception of work–life balance were associated with pain in the lower limbs. Conclusions. Different work conditions were associated with CMP in different body regions. Policies to improve teachers’ working conditions, such as providing furniture that meets teachers’ ergonomic needs, are needed to reduce CMP.

KEYWORDS:

• teacher
• occupational health
• musculoskeletal pain
• chronic pain

Acknowledgements

This study was financed in part by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, Brasil) as financial support for developing doctoral research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financed in part by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, Brazil) [Finance Code 001].