Condições de trabalho, características sociodemográficas e distúrbios musculoesqueléticos em trabalhadores de enfermagem Nursing workers: Work conditions, social-demographic characteristics and skeletal muscle disturbances*

Objectives: To verify the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among nursing workers at a teaching university hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, and to identify socio-demographic and labor variables associated with those symptoms. Methods: Transversal study involving 491 nursing workers at a teaching university hospital in Rio Grande do Sul. It was used the Brazilian version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire to identify the musculoskeletal. Results: Among participants, 96.3% reported pain in some part of the body in the last year, 73.1 % in the last seven days and 65.8% difficulties in daily activities; pain in the spinal column was the most frequent mentioned by workers; socio-demographic characteristics (being a woman, extremes of age, minor children, little education, obesity, tabaccoism) and labor characteristics (technician or auxiliary nurse, night shift work, strenuous physical labor) were associated with pain in various regions. Conclusion: The results indicated for participatory proposals for promoting health and well-being in nursing work environment; hospital managers and workers should participate.