Introduction: Teachers have been reported to be a labor group with high rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), stress, and strong deterioration of quality of life (QoL). However, little information exists about the association between MSD, QoL, and body composition in rural and urban teachers.Objective: The aim was to study the association of MSD with QoL perception and body composition of urban and rural teachers.Participants and Methods: Participants are comprised a representative sample of urban and rural public schoolteachers from the Valparaiso Region, Chile. MSDs were evaluated with the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire for Musculoskeletal Symptoms validated for the Chilean population. QoL perception was evaluated with the 36-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-36). Body composition was measured via bioimpedance. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate the association between MSD, QoL, and body composition, adjusted for age and gender.Results: A total of 88.9% (urban 90%; rural 87%) of teachers felt pain in some body area, 71.2% of them with limitations; 39% of teachers presented body fat obesity, with the highest rate in rural women. The body area with the greatest MSD prevalence was the neck and shoulders (68.6%). Significant differences were observed between teachers with >p75 of MSD (over six pain regions) and those with ≤p75 (six or fewer painful regions; p < 0.05) on six QoL scales and on physical health components (PCSs) and mental health (MCS) in urban teachers. However, rural teachers presented no differences. The association between teachers with >p75 MSD and low QoL perception was significant (p < 0.05) in PCS and MCS. Furthermore, the regression model presents a significant association between rural areas and low PCS perception.Conclusions: Urban and rural teachers present high rates of MSD and obesity. Teachers with higher rates of MSD have their mental and physical QoL affected, making workplace intervention in MSD necessary to prevent teacher health deterioration.

The school teacher profession has been reported to be associated with an increased rate of health problems that can affect the quality of life (QoL) of teachers. However, there is little information about rural teachers. Objective: To investigate the associations of obesity, abdominal obesity, and hypertension with the perception of QoL in rural teachers. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included a representative sample of teachers from eight rural schools in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Obesity was evaluated by the percentages of fat mass (% FM) and abdominal obesity, and hypertension was recorded. The Short Form-36 Health Survey was administered to subjects to evaluate QoL. A logistic regression adjusted for age and gender was used to associate QoL with chronic health conditions. Results: Eighty-five percent of teachers presented abdominal obesity, 56% presented obesity evaluated by % FM and 33% presented hypertension. Thirty percent of teachers in the ≥45-year-old age group presented all three chronic conditions simultaneously. Teachers presenting abdominal obesity in the ≤44-year-old age group had lower scores in the mental health component (MCS) (p < 0.05) of the survey than the teachers in the ≥45-year-old age group. In addition, teachers in the ≤44-year-old age group who presented obesity scored lower in the MCS than those in the same age group without obesity (p = 0.004). The occurrence simultaneous of two and three chronic health conditions increased the risk of reduced MCS significantly (p = 0.015, OR 17.0, 95% CI: 1.741-165.90 and p = 0.003, OR 82.6, 95% CI: 4.58-1490.70, respectively). In addition, ages under 45 years old were associated with low score of MCS (OR 8.8, 95% CI: 1.565-49.698). Conclusion: A combination of chronic conditions affects the mental health (MH) of rural teachers. Although the association does not imply causation, these findings support the notion that teachers present early MH problems. This suggests that resources must be made available to detect early mental and chronic health conditions of rural teachers.

IntroductionTeaching professionals have reported multiple conditions associated with low quality of life (QoL) perception. Various studies have also reported high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). In this context, there are few studies regarding the association between low QoL perception and MSD suffering in teachers.ObjectiveTherefore, in this study the aim was evaluate MSD prevalence and its association with teachers' QoL perception.Participants and MethodsA total sample of 544 Chilean teachers were included in a cross-sectional study. MSD prevalence was evaluated via the Standardized Nordic Questionnaire and QoL perception via the Short-Form 36 Health Survey Instrument. Multinomial logistic regression was applied to evaluate the association between MSD and QoL perception adjusted for gender and age.ResultsA total of 91% of teachers have had some MSD in the last 12 months, and 28.86% have had 6 or more painful regions. Females showed greater MSD prevalence than males. Teachers who reported no MSD had higher QoL scores compared to teachers with MSD. The group of teachers with the most MSD (≥p75) saw significant increases in the risk of having low scores in the physical (OR: 2.82) and mental components (OR: 2.65) of QoL. By contrast, teachers without MSD have a buffer effect for their QoL (physical OR: 0.2; mental OR: 0.44).ConclusionsHigh MSD prevalence suggest that preventive and informative actions must be taken regarding these disorders to protect teachers' mental and physical health, considering the multiple risk factors to which teachers are exposed given their work conditions in Chile and worldwide.