POSTURAL ASSESSMENT IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

Objective: To perform a postural assessment of elementary school students from the University College Teacher Canisius Ignacio Lunkes in Lavras/MG, in order to intervene preventively on poor posture and raise awareness of the alterations. Material and method: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study using an anamnesis form and the Postural Assessment Instrument – IAP for data collection. The sample consisted of 284 children based on statistical calculation. The following inclusion criteria were determined: primary school students, aged 10-14 years, who presented or not history of musculoskeletal pain or surgery. The exclusion criteria were: students who were not present at school on the day of the assessment, students who declined to participate and students who were physically unable to participate. The data were collected between April and May 2013, tabulated in Microsoft Office Excel® 2010, and statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 program. Results: The most significant findings were: 70% of students had winged scapula; 53.50% had lumbar concavity; 93.50% pelvic anteversion, and 71% had flat feet. Conclusion: The findings of postural assessment indicated that all students from this school showed some sort of postural dysfunction or alteration. DESCRIPTORS: Postural. Children. School.