[Analysis and evaluation of the health status of physical education teachers focusing on dance teachers].

Introduction: A dance teacher teaches in various professional and amateur genres. The physical load depends on the target group and is partly submaximal or even higher. The only tool of dance teachers is their own body. There are only few other tools to facilitate such work. Therefore, keeping the body in a good health status is of great significance. Up to the present, there have been little or no data on the health status of persons teaching dance. The aim of this study is to examine the health status of persons who teach dance in order to initiate a data base for the development of further projects with a preventive medical focus.

Methods: A total of 165 (f: 154, m: 11) average aged (46.1 years) dance teachers in Germany responded to a cross-section questionnaire survey.

Results: Teaching dance is for 96.6 % "the job of their dreams". Of all dance teachers 89.4 % continue to work while in pain and 85.5 % cannot afford a "longer down-time". 78.2 % state that they have paused due to a work-related disease, although 56.9 % of the respondents consider their occupation to be the cause for a disease with the answer only, seldom (44.4 %) or never (12.5 %). 4.5 % consult a medical doctor only after the self-treatment has failed. The lower extremity is the most common anatomic region in acute injuries (57.6 %) as well as in chronic complaints (58.3 %). The causes are multiple and comprise physical as well as psychic factors such as a high pressure of expectation (64.8 %) or a tight schedule/time table (43 %). 29 % of all dance teachers suffer from internal and 58 % from orthopaedic complaints. 43.1 % of them state that these complaints result from their occupation. 80.5 % make an acute injury responsible for compulsary breaks.

Discussion: The discrepancies between the self-perception and the findings of this investigation clearly show that the psychic and physical load in this occupation should not be underestimated. Here, further research on the social, psychic and physical health status of dance teachers is required. The results of this investigation warrant further research in the field of activity of the variable and up to now unprotected dance teacher profession in Germany.