Self-evaluation of health and chronic disease among nurses from Pelotas/RS

Abstract

ABSTRACT

To describe the self-evaluation of health and the prevalence of chronic diseases among nurses. This cross-sectional study was performed with 240 nurses, who answered a structured questionnaire. Data treatment performed using descriptive statistics and association with the chi-square test. The sample consisted of nurses, mostly women (90.8%), young adults (69.6%), unmarried (55.4%) and with children (53.4%). In the sample, 35.4% reported working more that 40h, 40% worked the night shift, 31.2% had chronic diseases, and 37.1% evaluated their health as being between average and bad. A significant association was obtained between chronic diseases and age above 39 years (p<0.001), and a self-evaluation of health between average and bad (p<0.001). The findings reveal it is necessary to invest in nurses’ health care, mainly regarding their living with chronic diseases, which, in turn, will affect the self-evaluation that these professionals make of their own health and of the care that is delivered.

Descriptors: Quality of Life; Occupational Health; Nursing.