title: Classroom postures of 8-12 year old children.
abstract: This study examined classroom postures of 8-12 year old school children in Flanders and related the outcomes to self-reported back or neck pain. Postural behaviours using the portable ergonomic observation (PEO) method and self-reported one-week back and neck pain were studied in 105 children from 41 different class groups. Pupils sat statically for 85% of the time, 28% of which the trunk was bent or flexed forward. For 9% of the time, children sat dynamically and for 36% they used a back rest. Children who spent more time sitting with a flexed trunk reported significantly more thoraco-lumbar pain compared to pain-free children and to children with cervical pain (p < 0.05). Children reporting pain stood for a longer period of time than pain-free children (p < 0.05). It is concluded that prolonged static kyphotic sitting without use of a backrest is common in elementary school children in Flanders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium. Elisabeth.Geldhof@UGent.be
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Geldhof
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Clercq
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Bourdeaudhuij
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cardon
mesh_terms: D001416:Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D006804:Ergonomics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D019370:Observation; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D012574:Schools; D012650:Self Disclosure; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires