Association Between Chronic Health Conditions and Quality of Life in Rural Teachers

Abstract

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.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Teacher Quality of Life: A Longitudinal Study from before and during the Health Crisis

“…The principal results indicate that Chilean teachers presented decreased scores on their health-related QoL perception before the pandemic. This background has also been observed in other regions of the world [ 22 ], as well as among Chilean teachers, who reported a significant association between low QoL perception and the mental component summary dimension among younger teachers (≤44 years vs. ≥45 years) [ 15 ]. Additionally, during the pandemic, the scores dropped significantly; this may be due to the impact of teleworking on teachers’ health, as reported in other groups of workers, who indicated that it was a principal factor impacting psychosocial health and physical burnout due to stress and work exhaustion among employees [ 2 , 3 , 4 ].…”

“…The health crisis outlook is a reflection of the critical scenario in many developed and developing countries, where the psychosocial impact has been reported as significantly high throughout the population [ 13 ]. This is a context in which differences in the quality-of-life (QoL) perception of the population could emerge, especially among the teacher labor pool, which, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, was already reporting diminished QoL perception associated with various factors [ 14 , 15 ].…”

“…On top of this, teachers have reported various epidemic problems, such as high rates of chronic non-transmissible diseases associated with QoL deterioration [ 15 ], high prevalence of obesity and low physical activity (associated with post-work fatigue and very late work hours) [ 18 ], high rates of musculoskeletal disorders, burnout syndrome, depression, and anxiety [ 21 , 22 ]. Additionally, these problems are exacerbated among females [ 23 ], a highly important sociodemographic factor given the high proportion of women in this profession [ 20 , 24 ]; age is also a significant factor associated with greater mental and physical deterioration [ 14 , 15 ]. All of this takes place within a context of work overload multiplied by teleworking and other factors that result in physical and mental QoL deterioration [ 19 , 25 ].…”

Association between air flow limitation and body composition in young adults

“…To evaluate BC, a bioelectric impedance device was used (TANITA MC-780 MA, Tanita Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). For the measurement, each participant was asked to wear no metallic objects and prior to the evaluation to drink no alcohol for 48 hours, not perform intense exercise for 12 h, not eat or drink (especially caffeine or diuretics) for 4 h, and be sure to urinate immediately before the evaluation [ 21 ]. The variables analyzed were weight, body fat percentage (%BF), and fat-free mass percentage (% FFM).…”

Lung Function Evaluation Through Computerized Tomography and 3D Reconstruction of Airways: A Body Mass Index Pilot Study

“…In 2016 more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight, of which 650 million were obese (WHO, 2020). Chile is not the exception, as reports indicate that there is a high prevalence of obesity throughout the entire life cycle of Chileans (Lizana et al, 2016;Lizana et al, 2018;Muñoz-Cofré et al, 2019;Lizana et al, 2020). The last 2016-2017 National Health Survey revealed that obesity is an increasing problem, as it went from 50 % of the population in 2009-2010 to 70 % in 2016-2017(Ministerio de Salud, 2019.…”