Teacher's work and health conditions were analyzed on the basis of results coming from eight epidemiological studies carried out in the State of Bahia, Brazil. The studies among teachers, performed from 1996 to 2007, have determined the prevalence of the three main groups of health complaints (voice problems, musculoskeletal problems, and mental health problems) and tried to associate them to characteristics of teacher's work organization. The studies revealed important contributions of the aspects related to school work environment and teachers' work organization to the occurrence of the negative health effects investigated. Inspite of the exploratory approach of these studies, the joint analysis of data showed that teachers in high strain jobs also presented the highest prevalence rates of poor health effects. These results support the necessity of policies that encompass prevention and attention to teacher's health.
Teaching; Voice disorders; Mental health; Cumulative trauma disorders; Work conditions; Bahia
