title: Prevalence of incorrect body posture in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity.
abstract: The ever increasing epidemics of overweight and obesity in school children may be one of the reasons of the growing numbers of children with incorrect body posture. The purpose of the study was the assessment of the prevalence of incorrect body posture in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity in Poznań, Poland. The population subject to study consisted of 2732 boys and girls aged 3-18 with obesity, overweight, and standard body mass. The assessment of body mass was performed based on BMI, adopting Cole's cutoff values. The evaluation of body posture was performed according to the postural error chart based on criteria complied by professor Dega. The prevalence rates of postural errors were significantly higher among children and adolescents with overweight and obesity than among the group with standard body mass. In the overweight group, it amounted to 69.2% and in the obese group to 78.6%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most common postural deviations in obese children and adolescents were valgus knees and flat feet. Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents, predisposing to higher incidence of some types of postural errors, call for prevention programs addressing both health problems. What is Known: • The increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has drawn attention to additional health complications which may occur in this population such as occurrence of incorrect body posture. What is New: • The modified chart of postural errors proved to be an effective tool in the assessment of incorrect body posture. • This chart may be used in the assessment of posture during screening tests and prevention actions at school.
authors.affiliation: Physical Education and Sports Department, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Marcelińska 25, 60-802, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maciałczyk-Paprocka
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology Chair of Social Medicine, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Dąbrowskiego 79, 60-529, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stawińska-Witoszyńska
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Orthopedics and Traumatology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kotwicki
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science and Medical Statistics, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sowińska
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology Chair of Social Medicine, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Dąbrowskiego 79, 60-529, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krzyżaniak
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Metabolic Diseases, 1st Chair of Pediatrics, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Jarosław
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walkowiak
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology Chair of Social Medicine, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Dąbrowskiego 79, 60-529, Poznań, Poland. mwiewior@ump.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krzywińska-Wiewiorowska
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011187:Posture; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: Adolescents; Child; Obesity; Overweight; Posture; Prevalence