Assessment of Burnout Syndrome and Physical Activity of the University Teachers – A cross-sectional Observational Study

Abstract

Background: Burnout and physical activity (PA) are two critical determinants of health. The burnout and PA of the university teachers in Pakistan are not well, established. The main objective of the present study is to determine the prevalence of burnout syndrome and the level of physical activity in university teachers. Methodology: The sample of university teachers (n=505) was drawn from 14 public/private universities in Peshawar using a partly convenient, non-probabilistic method based on an exhaustive and up-to-date database of all universities in Peshawar. Data were collected on these parameters: socio-demographics, anthropometrics (body weight, height, and body mass index: BMI), Burnout using Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-ES), and PA level. The global Physical Activity Questionnaire developed by WHO (GPAQ-WHO) was used.   Results: The sample consisted predominantly of males (78%) with a mean (SD) age of 37.5 ± 7.9 (Range: 28 – 60). The results demonstrated that 19% of university teachers suffered from burnout syndrome, with most of those with job experience <10 years. The mean PA for all the respondents was 955.1 MET minutes/week, with significant differences in PA levels of male and female teachers from public vs. private universities (p, for all trends < 0.05). The proportion of physically active university teachers was 63.6% (95%CI 56.6 to 68.2), with a higher proportion of university teachers without Burnout Syndrome being physically active than those with Burnout Syndrome (73.5% (95%CI 68.1 to 79.3) vs. 21.6% (95%CI 16.5 to 24.6). Only a small number of university teachers could achieve the recommended levels of PA with differences between genders and university types. Conclusion: Work-related burnout is seen in teachers with poor physical activity, and females are mostly affected. Public sector universities showed a greater burnout rate. The public sector needs to revitalize the staff and train them to manage their workload efficiently.