MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS IN SERVERS OF A BRAZILIAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY: AN ERGONOMIC STUDY Sintomas osteomusculares de servidores de uma universidade pública brasileira: um estudo ergonômico Síntomas oesteomusculares de empleados de una universidad pública brasileña: un estudio ergonómico

Objective: To determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and possible relations with the working conditions of teachers and administrative staff of a Brazilian public university. Methods: Cross-sectional analytical study conducted with 105 servers of the Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB - Southwest Bahia State University), using a structured instrument for collecting information on the labour organization and the participants’ sociodemographic profile. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ), a previously validated tool, was used in the musculoskeletal symptoms evaluation. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check normality of data, and the Pearson’s chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test for hypothesis testing, at 5% significance level. Results: Participants worked on average 5 (± 6.04) years in UESB, their mean age was 39.01 (± 11.03) years, and 53.3% (n=56) were female. All featured some pain in the musculoskeletal system. Consultations with health professionals were more evident among the administrative staff than in teachers (p=0.04). The working arrangements (working hours) under an exclusive contract (EC) and 40 hours per week were correlated considering the domains of the Nordic Questionnaire only in the group of teachers. In the previous seven days, there were differences between the groups of teachers (EC versus 40h) in symptoms of the shoulders (p=0.008) and upper back (p=0.004), and of the elbow (p=0.01) and wrist/hand (p = 0.004) in relation to consultation with a health professional. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints in this sample, regardless of being a teacher or an administrative server, being possibly related to the working conditions, meaning that there are workplace inadequacies.