The prevalence of postural disorders among eighth grade elementary school students

Abstract

SummaryBy determining the prevalence of postural disorders among eighth grade school students it is possible to indicate the state of these disorders at the end of the elementary school level of education, and compare it to the results obtained by applying corrective treatments on high school students. Thus, the aim of the research was to determine the prevalence of postural disorders among eighth grade school children. The research was carried out on a sample of 101 eighth grade students of both genders, aged 14. The photometry method was used to determine the presence of any postural disorders. The research results indicated that a proportionally statistically significant large number of participants with postural disorders were identified. Of the total number of participants, 60.4% had postural disorders, the most prevalent of which was flat back (22.8%), kypho-lordosis, (20.8%), lordosis (9.9%) and kyphosis (6.9%). Analyzed in terms of gender, the percentage of the girls with postural disorders is statistically significantly greater than that of the boys. Due to the large number of children with postural disorders, the recommendation is that the evaluation of the postural status of students should take place not only at the elementary school age, but also at the high school age. In addition, evaluation alone is insufficient, and exercise programs to correct postural disorders are required as well.

The Association of Sagittal Spinal Posture among Elementary School Pupils with Sex and Grade

“…The exception is a lack of normal physiological curvature in the lumbar spine among participants attending the fifth and eighth grades, where a significant difference can be found. Analyzing the results of previous studies [27,34], a decrease in the prevalence of this postural outlier can also be noted, even though it was previously examined in a general sense for both the thoracic and lumbar spine, and not for each segment individually, as was the case in this study. These results can be associated with an increase in body muscle mass and lean body mass, as well as a greater prevalence of organized physical activity among male participants at this age [35].…”

“…Additionally, at this age, significant differences emerge in the prevalence of kypholordosis among various grades. Analyzing previous research results also revealed an increase in this postural outlier among older elementary school children [8,27,34]. These results can be explained by the increasingly greater lack of physical activity among children at this age, as well as the emergence of compensatory postural outliers, primarily resulting from primary kyphosis and scoliosis.…”

“…A more detailed analysis determined a significant difference between the female participants attending the fifth and sixth grades and those attending the seventh and eighth grades for kypholordosis. Analyzing the results of previous studies [27,34], an increase in the prevalence of this postural outlier among female elementary school children is evident, along with a higher percentage of occurrence compared to male participants of the same age. These results can be associated with an increase in body mass in the body composition and the trend of a decreasing prevalence of organized physical activity among female participants [36,37].…”

“…However, by analyzing the differences among grades, a significant difference was noted between the sixth and eighth grades, while no differences between the genders was noted for the fifth and seventh grades. In previous studies [27,34], kyphosis stood out as the most prevalent sagittal plane outlier of the spine, and its prevalence was statistically greater among the male population of participants, in general and by grades (Table 8). The second most prevalent outlier is kypholordosis, which is significantly more prevalent among the female participants.…”

The Influence of Body Composition on Sagittal Plane Posture among Elementary School-Aged Children

“…Among 515 subjects, 326 individuals were identified with various postural disorders in the sagittal plane, specifically including flatback, hyperkyphosis, hyperlordosis, and kypholordosis. In another study, the authors [31] also found high prevalence of postural disorders in the sagittal plane (60.4%) such as kypholordosis, flatback, hyperkyphosis, and hyperlordosis when working with eighth graders. Similar results were obtained in studies conducted in other countries.…”