Posture is defined as the position taken by humans. Epidemiological data indicate a high prevalence of backbone postural changes among children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to investigate the postural deviations of the spine in schoolchildren (n=670) from 11 to 19 years. The methodology used was a simetrograf and a camera for the presence of deviations in the spine. We used a water level and a ruler to measure the spinal deformity, a plumb line and a ruler to measure the lateral deviation of the spine. Of the obtained results it was found a prevalence of 8.8% of lateral deviation and 2.4% of gibbosity, besides it was observed the presence of scoliosis in patients with asymmetries in the shoulders and hipbones. However, there was no influence of weight, height and body mass index (BMI) for the prevalence of scoliosis. Thus, through this study, it was stated the high prevalence of postural deviations in schoolchildren.
posture; scoliosis; adolescent
