Ligita Simonaitienė, Simona Ulevičiūtė, Agnė Jagelavičiūtė
Abstract
The disorders of the musculoskeletal system are determined by rapid children‘s growth, poor posture, low physical activity, benches not fit for children‘s height, large and heavy backpacks, lopsided wearing of backpacks etc. Purpose of study: to evaluate posture of primary school children (1st – 2nd grade) and find poor posture interconnectedness with physical peculiarities: trunk muscle endurance, feet conditions, spine mobility, body mass index (BMI). Methods: 123 school children (69 girls and 54 boys) from 1st to 2nd grade aged 7 to 8 years were investigated in Kaunas primary school in spring of 2015. Anthropometric measurements were collected and children’s postures were assessed by visual evaluation of posture in the sagittal and frontal plane methodologies. Also, spine mobility forward, backward and from side to side, as well as static endurance of abdomen and oblique muscles was measured. The data were analyzed using Excel and SPSS. Results: 68% of boys and 75% of girls have normal BMI, while 20% of boys and 11% of girls are overweight and 8% of boys and 9% of girls are obese. 13% of girls and 22% of boys showed great body posture, 44% of girls’ and 46% of boys’ body posture was evaluated as good and 43% of girls and 32% of boys as satisfactory. Flatfoot was discovered in 21,1% of students and flattened foot to 26,8% of students. The results of poorer spine mobility and trunk muscle static endurance are related with higher KMI. Conclusions: received results of all children (without separation of girls and boys) show that lower back (p<0,05) and right upper torso muscle endurance (p<0,05) is directly associated with higher BMI. Children who have higher trunk muscle endurance of the right side respectively have developed all trunk muscles (p<0,001). Children with weak right side torso muscles have worse forward spine mobility (p<0,05). Children who are taller and have higher BMI have better posture (p<0,05). The assessment of posture and influence of gender for spinal muscular endurance was higher for boys than for girls (p<0,05). Both boys and girls with higher BMI respectively have greater feet flatness ratio (p<0,05),
Keyword(s): children‘s posture; trunk muscles endurance; flatfoot; body mass index; spine mobility.
DOI: 10.5200/sm-hs.2015.086
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