Physical Well-Being in Early Childhood Educators: Correlates of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Issues and Cardiorespiratory Fitness

• In Event: Critical Issues in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

The physical demands on early care and education (ECE) teachers are substantial. Thus, it is not surprising that many ECE teachers have physical health issues. In particular, musculoskeletal injuries comprise a third of work-related problems in education settings and 8.9 million working days are lost. Current research in the physical wellness of ECE teachers is limited in scope with only a few aspects of physical health and healthy behaviors being reported, and most studies are limited to descriptive information, with an over-reliance on self-report. This study reports on the status of the physical well-being of a sample of 262 ECE teachers in a Midwestern state who underwent on-site physical assessment and tests of their cardiorespiratory fitness.

Authors

• Timothy G. Ford, University of Oklahoma

• Ken Randall, Oklahoma State University

• Kyong-Ah Kwon, University of Oklahoma

• Adrien Malek, University of Oklahoma