title: How can the health situation and well-being of staff at German schools for the severely handicapped be improved?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to describe measures suggested by staff at German schools for the severely handicapped regarding possibilities to improve their health situation and well-being at work. We further wanted to analyze whether sociodemographic, occupation-related, and health-related characteristics influence the type of measures proposed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cross-sectional study was carried out between August 2010 and August 2012 at 13 schools for the handicapped focusing on motoric and/or holistic development of severely handicapped pupils. Data of teachers and educational staff were surveyed using written questionnaires. The analysis is based on free-text answers regarding the question: "What specific occupation-related measures would lead to an improvement of your well-being or health situation at the workplace?"
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 395 persons (response proportion: 59.7 %) with a mean age of 45 years and predominantly female (86.8 %) participated in our survey. A total of 205 persons answered the study question providing 456 improvement suggestions, which were classified into 6 main and 13 subcategories. The main categories were professional education and supervision, organization of working tasks and time, work safety and work equipment, social aspects of work, human resources and contractual framework, and other. Measures proposed were influenced by gender, burden by nursing activities, teaching, and administrative tasks, and frequency of deterioration in working atmosphere.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Proposed measures raise awareness for job-related health stressors and are a starting point to improve working conditions at these schools. Since suggestions vary widely by school and composition of staff, individual priorities have to be set and discussed with the school management.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Teachers' Health, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Kupferbergterrasse 17-19, 55116, Mainz, Germany. Matthias.claus@unimedizin-mainz.de.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Claus
authors.affiliation: Institute for Teachers' Health, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Kupferbergterrasse 17-19, 55116, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.affiliation: Institute of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Obere Zahlbacher Str. 67, 55131, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kimbel
authors.affiliation: Institute for Teachers' Health, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Kupferbergterrasse 17-19, 55116, Mainz, Germany.|Institute of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Obere Zahlbacher Str. 67, 55131, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Letzel
authors.affiliation: Institute for Teachers' Health, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Kupferbergterrasse 17-19, 55116, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Dirk-Matthias
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Rose
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004519:Education, Special; D000071195:Educational Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Germany; Handicapped; Schools; Special education; Teachers