Sustaining Educator Well-being: A Statistical Analysis of Fitness Trends in Public Schools

Abstract

The physical fitness of public school teachers plays a crucial role in maintaining their overall well-being, job satisfaction, and productivity, factors that ultimately affect educational quality. Hence, research on fitness trends among teachers provides insights into potential health challenges in the profession and informs policies to support educators’ health, yet this area remains relatively underexplored compared to other professional groups. This study employed a quantitative research design, particularly descriptive and comparative approaches. In collecting the data, the respondents were 152 randomly selected public school teachers in the Municipality of Antique and used a binary scale to determine the Physical fitness trends of the teachers. In analysing the data, frequency count, percentages, rank, and the chi-square test were used. The findings showed that male teachers tend to do strength training to build strength and prevent age-related muscle loss, while female teachers focus more on nutritional and lifestyle education complemented by workshops and initiatives promoting balanced diets and healthy lifestyle habits. Meanwhile, teachers aged 35 years old and below enjoys the integration of physical activity into their daily routine such as stretching or walking between classes, to counter sedentary hours, whereas the teachers with the ages above 35 years old are more focused on nutritional and lifestyle education complemented by workshops and initiatives promoting balanced diets and healthy lifestyle habits. Likewise, the teachers with 10 years or below in teaching service engage in workshops and programs encouraging balanced meals and good living choices to supplement nutritional and lifestyle education, whereas teachers with above 10 years in service to increase strength and stop age-related muscle loss, personal fitness regimens integrate resistance training and strength training. This paper offered valuable insights into the physical well-being of teachers, contributing to discussions on occupational health in education and potentially informing policy recommendations for promoting health and wellness within this critical workforce.