Factors associated with perception of loud occupational noise by school teachers in basic education in Brazil

To determine the prevalence of the perception of loud noise in basic education schools in Brazil and the associated factors.

A cross-sectional study with a representative national sample of teachers. The data collection was conducted with 6,510 teachers from October 2015 to March 2016. All teachers answered a telephone questionnaire with questions related to health and working conditions. The measure of association was prevalence ratio, estimated using Poisson regression.

The prevalence of reported loud occupational noise was 33.0%. There was a positive association in the outcome of classroom disturbance reports (PR = 3.41; 95%CI 3.07 - 3.75), feeling of working under high-pressure levels (PR = 1.33; 95%CI 1.22-1.45), having suffered verbal abuse from students (PR = 1.21; 95%CI 1.11-1.31), teaching in different teaching modalities (PR = 1.21; 95%CI 1.02-1.42), more than 30 active teachers in the school (PR = 1.28; 95%CI 1.07-1.54). The teachers who reported a pleasant school environment (PR = 0.81; 95%CI 0.75-0.87), along with the teachers who worked in rural areas (PR = 0.84; 95%CI 0.75-0.95), experienced less noise at work.

The prevalence of loud noise perception in Brazilian schools reached high levels and showed statistical significance with the characteristics of schools and teacher's work environment. These results demonstrate the need for developing public policies that take into consideration the reduction of noise levels in schools.