Occupational risks for preschool teachers in Alexandria.

We studied the occupational hazards facing the preschool teachers in Alexandria. The study included 106 preschool teachers working in kindergarten in Alexandria. They were all in the childbearing age. Their ages ranged from 20-30 years. The occupational health risks were studied by questionnaire including data about communicable diseases, occupational stress and ergonomic hazards leading to musculoskeletal problems. There was a significant increase of respiratory illness in unhealthy places (X2 = 24.22, p < 0.05), a significant increase of bone ache among preschool teachers in the presence of several jobs (X2 = 27.09, p < 0.05). The study also revealed a significant increase of bone ache in teachers having psychological stress (X2 = 35.34, p < 0.05) and teachers having job stress (X2 = 28.36, p < 0.05). There was a significant association between type of education and both headache (X2 = 20.48, p < 0.05) and psychological stress (X2 = 11.90, p < 0.05). Proper management of the environment will decrease occupational risks for preschool teachers.