Improving child's sitting position, BACK COMFORT and attention in classroom with a postural education

Abstract

Back pain concerns 30 to 50% of children and can appear as soon as primary school; mainly due to poor sitting position [1] . In addition it seems posture have an effect on school achievement [2] . This study aimed to evaluate the influence of school furniture and postural education on schoolchildren's sitting position, back complaints and attention in classroom. Nine children aged 6–7 years constitute the experimental group (EG) and took part in this 2-school-year-follow-up study including 5 phases of evaluation (E1 to E5) consisting of assessing the children's sitting position (SP) with a specific observation form. Nine other children (representative of the EG) constituted a control group (CG). In the first year, the children's SP was assessed before (E1) and after having provided new school furniture fitted to the children's size (E2) and after having provided a triangular cushion and postural education (E3). In the second year, the long-term effect was evaluated (E4) and then, a tilted desk was installed and its influence was assessed after a second postural education period (E5). An oral questionnaire about spinal pains and adapted attention tasks of the Nepsy [3] were submitted to children at the beginning and the end of each school-year. Student t-tests were used to compare children of both classroom and Friedman's and Wilcoxon signed-rang tests to compare each evaluation with others. Compared with the CG and except from E3 to E4, the children of the EG significantly improved their SP at each step of the study ( P < 0.02). Furthermore, interventions tend to decrease back complaints and to improve attention. The children's SP was improved using appropriate furniture and specific tools (triangular cushion and tilted desk) combined with a postural intervention. This approach also tends to reduce back complaints and to improve attention. Further studies are needed to determine if this kind of programs is efficient to reduce the risk of LBP in adulthood and to really improve school achievement.