Longitudinal associations of changes in physical activity and TV viewing with chronic musculoskeletal pain in Brazilian schoolteachers

by Mayara Cristina da Silva Santos, Flávia Lopes Gabani, Douglas Fernando Dias, Selma Maffei de Andrade, Alberto Durán González, Mathias Roberto Loch, Arthur Eumann Mesas

This study analyzed the longitudinal association of changes in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) practice and television viewing (TV viewing) with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP). The data about LTPA, TV viewing, and CMP were obtained in 2012 and after 24 months through individual interviews with schoolteachers from elementary and secondary education public schools in a large city in the southern region of Brazil. The statistical analysis was performed using generalized estimating equation regression models adjusted for sex, age, body mass index and depression. A total of 527 schoolteachers were studied, among which 66.6% were women, and the median age was 42 years (interquartile range: 34 to 49). A total of 170 (32.3%) participants reported CMP at baseline and 130 (24.7%) at follow-up. Both LTPA and TV viewing were independently and significantly associated with CMP regardless of all adjustment variables. Concretely, increasing LTPA by 60 minutes/week was associated with a 6.2% lower likelihood of CMP, and increasing TV viewing by 30 minutes/day was associated with a 5.1% higher likelihood of having CMP among the participants. In summary, this study showed that LTPA and TV viewing have independent and opposite relationships with the longitudinal risk of CMP, which suggests that the potential benefits obtained from practicing more LTPA are insufficient to compensate for the potential detrimental effect of viewing TV for longer with respect to the CMP.