The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted into issues on occupational health, especially in health care services sector. Due to the nature of their work, this sector is at an increased risk of exposure to the virus. In this issue, we further discuss the importance of occupational health as our special theme. Occupational Health is an area of work in public health to promote the highest degree of physical, mental, and social well-being of workers in all occupations. Occupational health deals with all aspects of health and safety in the workplace and has a strong focus on primary prevention of hazards. The Philippine College of Occupational Medicine (PCOM), which is an affiliate specialty society of the PAFP, is responsible for promoting occupational health in the country. PCOM, formerly known as the Philippine Occupational and Industrial Medical Association (POIMA), was established in 1977 through the merger of three occupational health associations, namely the Industrial Medical Association of the Philippines (IMAP), the Philippine Association of Occupational Health (PAOH), and the Philippine Association of Compensation Medicine (PACOM). As a medical specialty society and a DOLE-accredited safety and health training organization, PCOM is a prime mover in the preservation, promotion, protection, and enhancement of health, safety and wellness of workers in all occupations through its active members nationwide and collaboration with various stakeholders both locally and internationally.

Introduction: Teaching is considered to be a high-risk occupation for developing burnout, a phenomenon where chronic workplace stress is unsuccessfully managed. Despite studies on burnout in high- and upper-middle income countries, there is limited evidence for lower-middle-income (LMIC) countries and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with burnout under worker’s health, working environment, and working culture among junior high school teachers. Methods: Data were collected through a six-part, self-administered questionnaire that measured sociodemographics and teacher characteristics, musculoskeletal pain, comorbidities, job insecurity, workplace social support, and burnout from 16 public high schools in Quezon City. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess significant factors associated with burnout. Results: Of the 171 JHS teachers in the study, the prevalence of burnout was 5.3%. Teachers who were more likely to have burnout were males, younger age, lower teaching positions, fewer working hours and teaching experience, blended work setup, with musculoskeletal pain and mental comorbidities, job insecurity, and low workplace social support. Bivariate analysis found that mental comorbidities and job insecurity were significant, however, these were not significant in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion This study presents alternative findings for the factors associated with burnout when contextualized in an LMIC setting. Despite not finding significance when adjusted for other variables, descriptive statistics have shown the characteristics of teachers who are more likely to have burnout. Efforts to detect, manage, and prevent burnout should take these into consideration to identify teacher with burnout.
Burnout, Psychological ; Occupational Health