This study investigates the impact of professional seniority compared to age on musculoskeletal pain in preschool educators, highlighting the importance of ergonomic conditions nationwide.
Pre-school teachers were randomly selected from a list by the Ministry of Education. The study included 318 preschool employees, including teachers and assistants from various regular and special education kindergartens nationwide. The participants completed the Preschool Teacher's Ergonomic Questionnaire (PEQ), which includes 46 items divided into five categories: (1) Psychosocial (15 items), (2) Physical (11 items), (3) Caregiver-Child Interaction (10 items), (4) Subjective Difficulties (5 items), and (5) Ergonomic Environmental Limitations (5 items). The questionnaire demonstrated high face validity and reliability, with Cronbach’s Alpha values ranging from 0.814 to 0.953. Additionally, the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was 0.97, indicating excellent consistency in responses
: In the logistic regression analysis, participants were categorized into two age groups: younger (24-36 years) and older (37-46 years). The analysis, adjusted for the number of children, job type, and education level, revealed that for younger adults, each additional year of seniority increases the odds of neck pain by 2.25 times (Exp(B) = 2.246, 95% CI: 1.015-4.968, p = 0.046), explaining 7.9% of the variance (R² = 0.079) and 3.3 times increase in wrist pain. Conversely, for older adults, increased seniority is associated with an 86% decrease in the odds of hip pain (Exp(B) = 0.142, 95% CI: 0.022-0.908, p = 0.039), accounting for 8.2% of the variance (R² = 0.082).
The study demonstrates that seniority significantly influences musculoskeletal pain more than age among preschool teachers and assistants. For younger workers (24-36 years), greater seniority is associated to increased odds of experiencing neck and lower back pain. In contrast, among older workers (37-46 years), while higher seniority is associated with a reduced risk of hip pain, it is also significantly related to an increased risk of wrist pain. These results highlight that seniority, rather than age alone, plays a crucial role in determining the likelihood of specific musculoskeletal issues, suggesting the importance of considering work experience when addressing ergonomic and pain management strategies.
The findings reveal the significant impact of seniority on musculoskeletal pain, enabling physiotherapists to create targeted intervention programs for various age and experience groups among preschool teachers. Additionally, the study emphasizes the importance of preventive measures, such as ergonomic assessments and training, to minimize pain related to job duties.
preschool teachers
Seniority and age
