Do teachers at primary education level experience a greater prevalence of tension type headache and stress, than non-teachers

Lawrence Bergstrom                                                                                         Supervisor: Emma Chippendale

Abstract

Objectives This comparative study investigated the prevalence of Tension Type Headache

and levels of reported stress in teachers at primary education level. Comparisons

were then made between members of a teacher group and a non-teacher group.

Methods: 3 semi-rural primary schools were selected and 22 full-time teachers at primary education level from these schools were invited to complete a 9 item questionnaire regarding levels of headache and stress experienced. 22 parents from the same schools, from diverse occupational backgrounds were also invited to complete the same questionnaire. Comparisons were then made to observe if there were any significant differences between the responses of the two subject groups.

Results: It was found that there was no significant difference in levels of headache between the teacher and non-teacher groups. A similar high prevalence of headache was noted between the two groups.