Absences due to illness and health problems of the teachers of municipal public schools in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil

Introduction

Absenteeism is defined as the absence of workers from their workplace, resulting from a complex phenomenon.

Objectives

To analyze the profile of absence due to illness and health problems of the permanent teachers of early childhood education (day care and preschool) and elementary school (years 1-5) in the city of Rio Branco - Acre, Brazil, from 2014 to 2017.

Methods

An observational, analytical, individual, cross-sectional, retrospective cohort study with data from 1,584 teachers from 100 municipal public schools in Rio Branco. The period prevalence was calculated by chapters of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, and by specific reasons for absence for those chapters with higher proportions. Additionally, the absenteeism-illness frequency index and mean sickness absence duration were calculated.

Results

The chapters of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, with the highest prevalence of absences were Chapter XIII (diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue) with 7.83%, Chapter V (mental and behavioral disorders) with 7.45%, and Chapter X (diseases of the respiratory system) with 6.12%. The absenteeism-illness frequency index was 0.72, and the mean sickness absence duration was 24.07 days.

Conclusions

The present study showed that diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, mental and behavioral disorders, and diseases of the respiratory system are the main problems that lead the permanent teachers of municipal public schools in Rio Branco to be absent from the classroom.