Prevalence and influencing factors of poor body posture among university students: a cross-sectional study from a university in eastern China

Abstract

Background: Existing studies have found that the severity of abnormal body posture is significantly and positively correlated with the prevalence of pain and musculoskeletal disorders in humans. College students belong to a sedentary population and obesity is common among them. Existing research on body posture has mainly focused on children and adolescents but lacks in-depth exploration of this issue in the college population. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the correlation between college students' lifestyle habits and abnormal body posture by assessing the body posture of current college students. Methods: From September 2023 to February 2024, 1545 randomly selected college students from Anhui Polytechnic University were assessed for body posture and surveyed for their living habits using the Posture-Analyzer (AFA-50) and the College Student Living Habits Questionnaire. Data were statistically analyzed using x2 test and logistic regression analysis (α=0.05). Results: The detection rate of poor body posture among college students was 65.5%; Group differences in abnormal detection rates existed and were statistically significant (p < 0.05) for gender, place of residence, and BMI; Among them, the rate of the abnormal body posture of college students in rural residence areas was 82.05%, while the rate of the abnormal body posture of college students in urban residence areas was 51.72%, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001); There is a correlation between healthy body posture development and lifestyle habits: Physical exercise of appropriate intensity and adequate sleep are positive factors in preventing and improving poor body posture; In contrast, excessive daily screen time, sedentary behaviors and high frequency of snacking behaviors are negative factors. Conclusion: This study found that the daily life behavioral habits of college students have an important influence on the development of body posture, and changing the relevant influencing factors (physical exercise, dietary habits, etc.), can help to reduce the detection rate of abnormal body posture among college students, and to prevent and improve musculoskeletal disorders accompanying poor body posture.