Physical education teachers of the basic public education of Minas Gerais in the pandemic of Covid-19: working conditions, health and lifestyle

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the working and health conditions of physical education teachers in public basic education in the state of Minas Gerais – Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional study, carried out from August to September 2020, via digital form and had the support of the Minas Gerais State Department of Education. The instrument presented variables related to the sociodemographic profile, work and health conditions during the pandemic. The prevalences of the variables were presented. 1,016 physical education teachers participated in the study. Of these, 61.4% were female, 65.8% aged 21 to 40 years and 15.3% worked in the countryside. In relation to working conditions during the pandemic, 99% performed remote activities, 35.7% were dissatisfied with their work, 37% worked much more than they used to and 81.2% presented the interest of students/parents in classes as a difficulty. As for health conditions during the pandemic, 10.3% increased their consumption of alcoholic beverages, 26.1% did not practice physical exercise, 56.5% had increased body weight and 37.8% reported a lot of fear of COVID-19. Physical education teachers of basic education in the state of Minas Gerais were significantly affected by the pandemic, so it is important to implement support strategies.

The Role of Technology in Physical Education Teaching in the Wake of the Pandemic

“…In terms of content analysis, the reviewed studies considered students [39,40] as participants in physical education and sport, as well as teachers in training [41,42] and active teachers [43,44]. Regarding the technologies used in both online [48,49] and blended [47,51] teaching, different platforms and webinars [46] stood out, as well as the use of augmented reality [46] or explanatory videos in flipped classroom methodologies [46] and gamification [47], mobile applications, or e-sports competitions [48].…”

“…Finally, there are also a large number of studies that focused on active teachers [29,30,[43][44][45]. For example, Asún-Dieste et al [43] focused on Spanish university teachers who supervised Final Degree Projects in Physical Education, while other studies focused on teachers of Basic Public Education in Brazil [44], on teachers from two Brazilian Federated Institutes of Physical Education [29], on elementary and high school teachers who implemented online physical education in Indonesia [45], and on multilevel elementary, middle, and high school teachers in the United States [30].…”

Lifestyle of health workers from pediatric units during the pandemic: A cross-sectional study

“…The COVID-19 pandemic impacted public health with a high number of cases and deaths, particularly in Brazil 14 . Although the pandemic directly affected the daily life of the population, health workers were severely affected in aspects related to living conditions, behaviors, and health 15 . During the pandemic, workers directly or indirectly involved in health care were continuously exposed to contamination due to specific duties of the profession and working conditions.…”