Occupational Health Problems among Slovenian Physical Education Teachers

Physical education teachers (PETs) are exposed to the same psychological stress factors as teachers of other subjects, but the increased physical load in this subgroup may significantly influence the prevalence of certain health problems. This cross-sectional study was designed to assess the frequency of occupational health problems and to identify the role of some risk factors (age, gender, teaching level) for PETs. A selfadministered questionnaire was used to examine this problem among 468 Slovenian PETs. The association between each health problem and the risk factors was analysed with two-way contingency tables, Cramer V and binary logistic regression. During their professional career, lower back pain, voice disorders, common cold and auditory problems are the most frequent health problems in PETs. Aging generally increases the odds ratio (OR) for most occupational health problems (OR between 1.01 and 1.11). Female PETs had significantly higher odds for urinary tract infection, headache, cervical spine disorder, dysphonia and aphonia in comparison with male PETs (OR=3.26, 2.40, 1.94, 1.92 and 1.82, respectively). Primary school PETs had approximately twice as high odds for lower back pain and dysphonia as secondary school teachers (OR=1.83 and 1.82, respectively). In order to maintain working ability, good preparation for work, understanding of the injury risk factors and chronic lesions mechanisms, regular prevention exercises and healthy working environments are required.