Burnout syndrome, sleep quality and the effect of the practice of physical activities among community pharmacists in Douala, Cameroon: a cross-sectional study

Background Burnout is a human psychological response to work stress, evolving more prevalent among healthcare professionals and associated with many contributing factors. Aim The present study aimed to determine burnout prevalence and its associations with physical activity (PAc) and poor sleep quality (PSQ) in community pharmacists. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists in Douala, Cameroon. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey. PSQ and PAc were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and International Physical Activity Questionnaire, respectively. Results A total of 136 pharmacists were included (mean age was 32 ± 7 years and 52.9% were females). The prevalence of burnout was 65.4%; with low severity in 82%. Overall (62.5%), moderate (5.6%) or high (10.4%) burnout was more in females and low in males (57.8%). High Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and decreased personal accomplishment were 20.6%, %, 14% and 51.5% respectively. Burnout was associated with annual holidays (OR: 0.33; 95% CI. 0.12–0.89; P: 0.02 ) and other activities (OR: 2.29; 95% CI. 1.10–4.77; P: 0.02 ). More than half of pharmacists with Burnout (69.7%) had PSQ. However, moderate PAc was significantly associated with a higher risk of depersonalization (OR: 5.10; 95% CI: 1.41–18.40; p = 0.01). Pharmacists aged 30–40 years were at risk of moderate or high burnout (OR: 0.22; 95% CI. 0.06–0.87; P: 0.02 ). No association was found between burnout and PAc. Conclusion This study revealed a high prevalence of burnout among community pharmacists and no association was found between burnout and PA, neither quality of sleep. The practice of moderate PAc was associated with a risk of high-moderate depersonalization