The aim of this study was to determine the impact of osteomuscular symptoms on the quality of life of public school teachers in Natal, Brazil. This is a descriptive-analytical study with a cross-sectional design, comprising a sample of 242 teachers. The WHOQOL-brief was used to assess quality of life and the Nordic questionnaire for osteomuscular symptoms. Descriptive statistical procedures and Mann-Whitney test were used in data analysis, with the significance level set at 5%. The prevalence of the aforementioned symptoms among the subjects investigated was 63.2%, considering the seven days before data collection. All quality of life domains were compromised in the group of teachers who presented osteomuscular symptoms, when compared to the asymptomatic group. The physical, psychological, social and environmental domains all had p-values smaller than 0.001. Thus, the presence of osteomuscular symptoms showed a strong statistical correlation with lower quality of life of teachers from the basic education system of Natal, Brazil.
Quality of life; Teachers; Worker's health; Cumulative trauma disorders; Education; Pain
