A literatura científica sobre a saúde dos professores é escassa e recente, enfocando especialmente o desgaste e estresse. Este trabalho objetivou descrever as condições de trabalho e saúde dos professores da rede particular de ensino da cidade de Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brasil. Num questionário auto-aplicado foram coletadas informações de 250 professores de dez escolas. Entre as características do trabalho docente, avaliadas pelo Job Content Questionnaire, destacaram-se ritmo acelerado de trabalho, ser criativo e ter boas relações com as pessoas no trabalho. As queixas de saúde mais freqüentes estavam relacionadas à postura corporal, à saúde mental e a queixas relacionadas à voz. A prevalência de distúrbios psíquicos menores (DPM), medida pelo Self Reporting Questionnaire-20, foi de 41,5% e estava fortemente associada a longos períodos de intensa concentração em uma mesma tarefa e volume excessivo de trabalho. Os resultados sugerem relação entre a prevalência de DPM e algumas características do trabalho docente, evidenciando desgaste psicológico do educador.

A cross-sectional study with all the teachers in the municipal school system in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia State, Brazil, investigated the association between work content (psychological demand and control over work) and the occurrence of minor psychiatric disorders (MPD) among teachers. The Karasek demand-control model was used to evaluate control over work. The Self-Report Questionnaire-20 was used to evaluate minor psychiatric disorders. MPD prevalence was 55.9% among the 808 teachers studied. Crude prevalence of MPD showed a positive and significant association with psychological demand and a negative and significant association with control over work. MPD prevalence was higher in teachers with highly demanding work, characterized by heavy demand and low control (PR = 1.74; 95%CI: 1.44-2.10), and in those with active work, with heavy demand and low control (PR = 1.35; 95%CI: 1.13-1.61), as compared to teachers with low-demand work (light demand and high control), after adjusting for confounders in a multiple logistic regression model. As a conclusion, teachers' mental health is strongly associated with their work content.

This study aimed to identify risk factors for voice disorders (hoarseness in the previous

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the association between work-related psychosocial factors and the prevalence of mental disorders among pre-school and elementary school teachers. METHODS:This cross-sectional study was undertaken with 1,024 teachers from municipal public schools and from the ten largest private schools in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia State (Northeastern Brazil) in 2001. The main independent variable was based on the demand-control model, which classifies individuals according to their job pressures. The dependent variable was the incidence of mental disorders as evaluated by a self-reporting questionnaire. The measure of frequency was prevalence, and the measure of association was the prevalence ratio. A logistic regression model was used as the main statistical technique. RESULTS:There was a 44% prevalence of mental disorders among teachers. Evidence suggests that these were associated with work-related demands and control issues, after controlling for confounding variables such as sex, geographic region and social support. The prevalence of mental disorders among high-strain teachers was 1.5 times greater than that among low-strain teachers. CONCLUSIONS:The prevalence of mental disorders was high among teachers of the municipality. There was evidence that this was associated with job demands.

OBJECTIVE:To analyze factors associated with the prevalence of the medical diagnosis of vocal fold pathologies in teachers. METHODS:A census-based epidemiological, cross-sectional study was conducted with 4,495 public primary and secondary school teachers in the city of Salvador, Northeastern Brazil, between March and April 2006. The dependent variable was the self-reported medical diagnosis of vocal fold pathologies and the independent variables were sociodemographic characteristics; professional activity; work organization/interpersonal relationships; physical work environment characteristics; frequency of common mental disorders, measured by the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20 ≥7); and general health conditions. Descriptive statistical, bivariate and multiple logistic regression analysis techniques were used. RESULTS:The prevalence of self-reported medical diagnosis of vocal fold pathologies was 18.9%. In the logistic regression analysis, the variables that remained associated with this medical diagnosis were as follows: being female, having worked as a teacher for more than seven years, excessive voice use, reporting more than fi ve unfavorable physical work environment characteristics and presence of common mental disorders. CONCLUSIONS:The presence of self-reported vocal fold pathologies was associated with factors that point out the need of actions that promote teachers' vocal health and changes in their work structure and organization.

Este artigo apresenta a concepção e a implantação do Programa de Retorno ao Trabalho (PRT), em fase de projeto piloto, como parte do Programa de Reabilitação de Trabalhadores com LER/DORT do Cesat/Bahia, desde 2007. Esta experiência tem-se apresentado como um processo ativador de diálogos e mudanças no campo da saúde do trabalhador no estado da Bahia, envolvendo os diversos atores implicados na reabilitação de trabalhadores. É apresentado o GT de Reabilitação/Cesat, sua constituição, composição e características de atuação, os caminhos trilhados, as escolhas feitas no sentido da integração das ações de vigilância e assistência a partir do PRT/Cesat/BA. São descritas suas etapas, o papel de cada ator envolvido, os métodos e instrumentos utilizados e os resultados esperados. Chama-se atenção para a aproximação com a CIF enquanto um recurso para dar visibilidade às demandas biopsicossociais do processo de saúde e doença dos trabalhadores. A elaboração do PRT tem proporcionado o amadurecimento teórico do grupo técnico, como também o fortalecimento das interações institucionais necessárias ao desenvolvimento de um programa de reabilitação de trabalhadores de abrangência estadual, contribuindo para a formatação de ações mais integradoras para o enfrentamento da complexa problemática da reabilitação de trabalhadores na Renast/SUS.

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OBJECTIVE:To identify psychosocial aspects of work associated with common mental disorders in workers who maintain electrical transmission lines and equipment. METHODS:A cross-sectional study was performed with 158 workers in the maintenance sector of an electric power company, in Northeastern Brazil. The main independent variable were the psychosocial aspects of work, measured according to the demand-control model (passive job, active job, low-strain job, and high-strain job), while the dependent variable was the prevalence of common mental disorders, measured by the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20). The relationships between variables were analyzed in multiple logistic regression models, considering a 5% signifi cance level. RESULTS:The prevalence of common mental disorders was 20.3%, varying according to the four categories of the demand-control model. The high-strain job group showed a prevalence that was 2.7 times higher than that of the lowstrain job group, after adjustment for the "physical activity practice", "leisure", "level of education" and "social support" covariables. CONCLUSIONS:The prevalence of common mental disorders was associated with psychosocial aspects present in the work of electricians, especially high-strain jobs, in addition to high psychological demand and low social support.