Prevalence and Risk-Factors of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Provincial High School Teachers in the Philippines.

Abstract

Pain in the muscles and tendons is one of the most common complaints among teachers. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and their risk factors among public school teachers in the Philippines. It involved 200 public school teachers in the secondary level from Calbayog City division, Samar Province, Philippines, and used an English version of the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency's questionnaire on MSDs for an analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms. The researchers employed frequency and percentages computations to determine the prevalence of MSDs in the respondents. Chi-square test and logistic regression were utilized to compute the correlation among socio-demographic profiles, teaching variables and MSDs. The reported overall prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was 74.5%, with legs (56.5%) and lower back (56%) having the highest prevalence. Significant differences in the prevalence of MSDs were found between age-groups (P = 0.032) and salary-groups (P = 0.045). Musculoskeletal disorders were prevalent among secondary public school teachers in the Philippines, suggesting that school administrators, curriculum and policy makers, and other stakeholders should improve the working conditions of teachers.