MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS IN TEACHERS: OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH NURSING STUDY

Abstract

The aim of this study is to know the working features and the implications in the occurrence of osteomuscular disorders in teachers. This is a descriptive and exploratory study, conducted under the research project “Health, Risk and Illnesses - Integrated study in different work environments”. For data collection a questionnaire that included variables related to the characterization of subjects, aspects of the school environment and musculoskeletal disorders. The study’s population was of teachers who represented 27 schools in a city in Rio Grande do Sul. The data handling was done through descriptive statistics and theme analysis. Work environment characteristics that stood out were: not enough space in the classroom (59,5%) and inadequacy of the furniture used in the development of work (51,4%). The most incident pathologies were low back pain (54,1%) and back pain (56,8%). The results permitted the identification of symptoms and pathologies among all the researched participants, thus emerging the teachers self-report, the possible influence of features and teaching working conditions in the occurrence of osteomuscular disorders. The knowledge acquired elucidates a field of nursing for easing risks and losses that suffer specific professional groups, such as teachers.