Postural habits in adolescents: the influence of a school physiotherapy program on improving the knowledge of postures

Effectiveness of school-based physiotherapy intervention for children

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effectiveness of school-based physiotherapy interventions for improving students' participation in school settings.

METHOD

A systematic review was reported using PRISMA guidelines. Four databases were searched for studies investigating physiotherapy outcomes of school-based physiotherapy interventions in children. Studies were categorised by intervention type and evaluated based on evidence level and conduct.

RESULTS

Fifteen intervention types (23 studies) met criteria. Strong positive evidence supported treadmill training without bodyweight support (n = 1), and upper limb interventions (n = 2). Moderate positive evidence supported robotic-assisted gait training (n = 1), Gross Motor Activity Training with Multimodal Education-Based Therapy (GMAT + MET) (n = 2), neurodevelopmental treatment (n = 2), and rock climbing (n = 1). Weak positive evidence supported environmental modifications (n = 1), Ergonomic Health Literacy (n = 3), GMAT (n = 1), GMAT with progressive resistance exercise (GMAT-PRE) (n = 1), hippotherapy (n = 1), MET alone (n = 7), overground gait training (n = 2), treadmill training with partial body-weight support (n = 1), and non-immersive virtual reality (n = 3).

CONCLUSION

There is preliminary supporting evidence for a variety of school-based physiotherapy interventions which is consistent with evidence for interventions with established efficacy in other contexts. The evidence for interventions in school contexts alone is insufficient to guide current practice. Future research should specifically evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy approaches in school settings.

Investigating the effects of postural habits and awareness on early adolescent's internet addiction levels

OBJECTIVES

Early adolescence is a period of growth and development determined by the onset of puberty, during which important changes in psychological development and social roles occur. Excessive use of the internet, especially in adolescents in this period, causes health problems such as postural disorders, vision problems, sedentary life, and unbalanced nutrition. When the studies are analyzed, it is observed that postural disorders are observed in children and adolescents. This study was planned to investigate the effect of postural habits and awareness on the level of internet addiction in early adolescents.

METHODS

Physical characteristics of the participants (age, height, weight, gender, body mass index) were recorded. Duration and purpose of internet use and internet addiction were determined with the Young Internet Addiction Test-Short Form, body composition sensitivity level with the Body Awareness Questionnaire, and postural awareness with the Postural Habit and Awareness Scale.

RESULTS

There was a significant positive correlation between internet addiction and duration of internet use (r=0.466) (p=0.000). In addition, there was no relationship between internet usage time and body awareness (r=-0.117) (p=0.084) and postural awareness and habit (r=-0.017) (p=0.798). When internet addiction was compared with body awareness, a significant relationship was found in the opposite direction (r=-0.145) (p=0.031). When internet addiction was compared with postural awareness and habit, a positive relationship was found (r=0.190) (p=0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed that internet addiction negatively affects body awareness, and does not affect postural habits, but positively affects postural awareness.

Health literacy and musculoskeletal disorders in adolescents: a scoping review

OBJECTIVES

Health literacy (HL) related to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in adolescents is a field with limited previous evidence. This study aimed to review and synthesise studies on MSDs and HL as well as various dimensions of HL in adolescents.

DESIGN

Scoping review in accordance with Arksey and O'Malleys framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews.

SEARCH STRATEGY

The search strategy was performed in the following databases in November 2021 (initial search) and December 2022 (updated search); Medline, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Cochrane, CINAHL, ERIC, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Eligible studies involving MSDs and HL or either of the HL dimensions related to finding, understanding, appraising or applying health information in adolescents were considered. Any dimension of HL studied, the outcome measure(s) used to assess HL and the type of MSD examined were charted, reviewed and synthesised. A directed content analysis was used for the subjective interpretation of text data.

RESULTS

A total of 16 841 studies were identified and 33 were eligible for inclusion. Ten articles presented HL with a definition or description in the theoretical background. The remaining 23 studies involved finding, understanding, appraising or applying health information, without using the term 'health literacy'. Most of the studies addressed how adolescents understand (n=32), and apply (n=23) health information, while few studies focused on how they find (n=11) and appraise (n=7) musculoskeletal health information.

CONCLUSION

Few studies have addressed HL and MSDs in adolescents explicitly, while most studies have considered dimensions of HL. Our findings suggest that there is important work to be done to align conceptual understandings with the measurement of HL in adolescents and that further research should be carried out to explore how HL is distributed among adolescents with MSDs and how adolescents living with MSDs report their HL.

Assessment on Practicing Correct Body Posture and Determinant Analyses in a Large Population of a Metropolitan Area

An incorrect posture can generate stress of the spine and can be the cause of musculoskeletal disorders. Considering the extensive use of the computer, which worsens posture disorders, among workers, is important to analyze the phenomenon in order to reduce his impact on industry. The aim of this study is to assess determinants regarding posture in a large population of a metropolitan area. A total of 1177 questionnaires was analyzed. The majority of sample showed good knowledge and attitude regarding correct posture; most of the sample, 70.4% was aware of the definition of posture and 68.7% feel that not enough attention is paid at posture at workplace. Despite the good predisposition, only 2.8% of the sample consult a specialist for posture. The multiple linear regression analysis shows that those who have higher knowledge and best attitudes will consequently have good behaviors in maintaining a correct posture. Furthermore, age and education resulted main drivers of correct posture in any model considered. The results enlighten the necessity of conducting further studies to analyze attitudes of the general population and suggest improving educational and training programs to the enrichment of knowledge and to correct posture behaviors.

Study of the Association between Postural Misalignments in School Students

Nowadays, postural misalignments prevalence in students is increasingly evident and its early detection is the best way to prevent complications in adulthood. It is also known that postural problems appear to have association between them. The aim of this study was to characterize and study the association between spine, scapular and pelvic girdles postural misalignments in 213 school students (124 males and 89 females), aged between 10 and 20 years, from Escola Básica e Secundária de Santa Maria (EBSSM). To understand the relation between postural misalignments we compare the head positioning with the shoulder girdle, the shoulder girdle with the dorsal spine and the lumbar spine with the pelvic girdle. The postural assessment was made by visual scan analysis in a symmetrograph based on photogrammetry and the Adams. We found high percentages of postural misalignments in all subjects. High prevalence was observed in the posterior view of the frontal plane in the head lateral flexion, shoulders vertical asymmetry, scoliosis and in the presence of gibbosity, whereas, in the right view of the sagittal plane forward head posture and protracted shoulders were observed. The lumbar scoliosis was more prevalent in subjects with iliac crest’s asymmetry (p < 0.001) and forward head posture was significantly related to the subjects with protracted shoulders (p = 0.010). The protracted shoulders were more prevalent in subjects with dorsal hyperkyphosis (p = 0.048) and lumbar hyperlordosis was related to the subjects with pelvic anteversion (p < 0.001). The students’ postural assessment showed a wide variety of postural misalignments. It also seems evident that there is a relationship between their occurrences. It should be highlighted the importance of postural assessment in physical education (PE) classes to determine postural misalignments among school students.

Back School Postural Education Program: Comparison of Two Types of Interventions in Improving Ergonomic Knowledge about Postures and Reducing Low Back Pain in Adolescents

This study aimed to compare the impact of two Back School Postural Education Programs on improving ergonomic knowledge of postures adopted at school and home, as well as on reducing low back pain (LPB) in adolescents. The sample was constituted by 153 students, aged 10–16 years, with 96 (62.7%) girls, divided into 2 intervention groups (GA, GB). Two tests (theoretical and practical) and LBP questionnaire were applied 1 week before and 1 year after the end of the program. In GA, three sessions were performed for each class separately, on theoretical and practical issues, lasting 45 min and at intervals of 1 week, and in GB, only one theoretical session (90 min) was given to all students. Statistically differences on GA were obtained between the values 1 week before and after 1 year of evaluation in both theoretical and practical tests (p ≤ 0.001). In GB, only the values of the practical test present a statistical difference (p ≤ 0.001). GA obtained higher values on both tests after 1 year of follow-up compared with GB (p ≤ 0.001). The number of students with LBP decreased on GA (p ≤ 0.001). The program with longer duration, higher weekly frequency, and more practical and individualized character promotes better effects.