Working conditions and the state of health in teachers of secondary schools (literature review)

Abstract

Modern studies point to extremely low indicators of the teachers’ physical and mental health as an occupational group. Literature data shows that teachers of general educational organizations can be classified as workers who are subject not only to occupational stress, but also to the influence of factors of the labour process that do not meet hygienic standards. According to the severity of the labour process, due to being in a standing position up to 80% of the lesson time, their work belongs to the harmful class 1 degree (class 3.1), in terms of tension, due to intellectual, emotional, and sensory loads - to harmful working conditions 1–2 degree (class 3.1.–3.2). Analyses of teachers’ health showed that out of 40% of employees has had pathology required outpatient examination and treatment during initial examination, and almost 50% of the examined teachers needed dispensary observation. Diseases of the eye and adnexa (43.6%), diseases of the respiratory system (36%), diseases of the digestive system (31.1%) are leading in the structure of morbidity. According to medical documentation, the most often detected morbidities are diseases of the cardiovascular system (35.6%), diseases of the digestive system (15.9%), and diseases of the genitourinary system (11.8%). An increase in the number of diseases with age and length of service was noted. In addition, with an increase in teaching experience, there is a gain in maladjustment processes and psychopathological states of a neurotic or psychopathic nature. Information was collected using the databases Scopus, Web of Science, MedLine, The Cochrane Library, PubMed, RSCI, Cyberleninka.