Help Teach Children Proper Posture

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Help Teach Children Proper Posture

We've all heard, "Sit up straight!" more than once, usually while sitting in a classroom many years ago. Posture was not taught, it was demanded. In an effort to weigh the possible benefits of back education, a group of researchers led a two school-year study of Belgian schoolchildren that concluded positive immediate and long-term results.

The study, which was conducted on 9- to 11-year-old children, included 193 intervention children and 172 controls. The multifactorial program consisted of a back education course and the stimulation of postural dynamism in the classroom through support and environmental changes. The students, under the supervision of their teachers, were evaluated with a pre- and post-test that included 10 questions on the content of the back education program, a section on general back posture knowledge, and an evaluation of back and neck pain in the previous week. In addition, three children in each class were randomly selected for observation of postural behavior.
The children were given six sessions of back education and six activities related to good body mechanics, while the teachers were continuously involved in the promotion of good posture. The lessons included information on the autonomy and pathology of the back, principles of biomechanical favorable postural behavior, and skills according to good body mechanics. In each class, exercises balls, sitting wedges and other equipment were introduced for the children to use. Using the Portable Ergonomic Observation (PEO) method, unmanned cameras recorded the children for 30 minutes periods of their regular lessons.
The intervention resulted in increased back posture knowledge, improved postural behavior during material handling, and decreased duration of trunk flexion and neck torsion during lesson time. The intervention also resulted in improved postural aspects related to spinal loading. The authors believe that the long-term effect of improved postural behavior at young age on back pain prevalence later in life is of interest for future research.
Geldhof E, Cardon G, Bourdeaudhuij I, et al. Effects of a two-school-year multifactorial back education program in elementary schoolchildren. Spine 2006;31(17):1965-1973.