Postural education program for elementary school: a one-year follow-up study

The objective of this study was to verify the short- and long-term effectiveness of the Elementary School Postural Program in the performance, generalization, and perception of daily school activities. The final sample consisted of 61 subjects divided into experimental (14 years ±0.93; ♀=22; ♂=10) and control group (15.38 years ±0.97; ♀=16; ♂=13), all participants attended a Brazilian public school in Porto Alegre, State of Rio Grande do Sul. The postural program included 20 sessions over a 10-week period. In each session, participants discussed and practiced routine actions that typically occurred at schools. Eight other meetings were required for the completion of the pre- and post-tests. The experimental group performed significantly better than the control group in the short-term evaluations, although there were no significant statistical differences in the long-term follow-up evaluations. The children demonstrated a good behavioral response to the postural program; nevertheless, the knowledge had not been completely mastered after a year.

Keywords:
posture; postural balance; exercise movement techniques

Gender	Experimental Group		Control Group
	n	Average Age	n	Average Age
Male	10	14.10 ± 0.78	13	15.41 ± 1.16
Female	22	13.95 ± 0.97	16	15.33 ± 0.78
Total	32	14.00 ± 0.93	29	15.38 ± 0.97

Meeting	Theme/Main objective
I	Evolution of man and his spine Objective: Demonstrate that, when leaving the trees, apes did not undergo as many changes as necessary in their skeletal apparatus, specifically in the spine.
II	The emergence of spinal curves in humans: from birth to adulthood Objective: Enable participants to identify the fact that spine evolution is subject to the laws of gravity as well as to individual needs, such as a larger visual range.
III	Role of spinal curves Objective: Enable participants to identify the normal physiological curves of the spine (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral) in the context of their functions.
IV	Spine structures Objective: Analyze the spine joints, pointing out that rather than being an isolated entity in our body, the spine is actually closely connected to the hip.
V	Recreational and associative activity Objective: Improve the relationship within the group and the rapport with the tutor.
VI	The spine and movements Objective: Discuss the possibilities of movement of the spine and its joints and their consequences for the spinal curves.
VII	Review of the anatomy and mechanics of the spine
VIII	The act of sitting Objective: Discuss ways of sitting in a chair and the consequences of sustaining the spinal curvature.
IX	Sitting and standing Objective: Provide experiences that illustrate the difficulties and facilities of performing sitting and standing tasks under different body configurations.
X	Sitting Objective: Approach different ways to sit and their consequential sensations.
XI	Sitting and rising from a chair Objective: Engage participants in recreational activities involving the sit-to-stand practice.
XII	Sitting position for writing Objective: Propose alternative ways to keep the spinal curves in a sitting position for writing.
XIII	Picking up objects from the floor Objective: Approach similarities regarding the shape of the spine and the act of sitting or being seated, as well as lifting objects.
XIV	How to pick up objects from the floor Objective: Discuss appropriate and possible ways for picking up objects from the floor.
XV	Review of everyday actions Objective: Review the concepts and practices discussed so far to identify what is quite clear and what needs further reinforcement.
XVI	Picking up objects from the floor Objective: Talk about levers and their uses on a daily basis.
XVII	Outdoor recreational activities Objective: Foster closer ties between the group and mentor, meeting a group demand.
XVIII	Carrying school bags Objective: Discuss the effects on specific parts of the body, especially the spine, of carrying school bags.
XIX	Carrying school bags Objective: Suggest and talk about different ways of carrying school bags and their consequences.
XX	Carrying school bags and overall evaluation of the program Objective: Continue the previous debate and close the program with a special assessment.

Groups	Test	Pre-test	Post-test	Follow-up test
	ADL1	1.07±0.91	2.96±0.81*+	1.70±0.79†
Experimental	ADL2	1.70±0.84	2.62±1.00*+	1.60±0.93†
(n=26)	ADL3	0.97±0.93	1.88±0.89*+	0.60±0.77†
	ADL4	0.50±0.57	2.19±0.99*+	0.43±0.50†
	ADL1	0.78±0.95	1.14±0.85	1.32±0.78
Control	ADL2	1.52±0.79	1.14±0.79	1.73±0.46
(n=23)	ADL3	0.26±0.69	0.48±0.68	0.36±0.90
	ADL4	0.48±0.66	0.43±0.68	0.59±0.80

Groups	Test	Pre-test	Post-test	Follow-up test
Experimental (n=23)	SPC	1.00±0.79	1.83±0.72*+	1.08±0.64†
Control (n=16)		0.67±0.72	0.75±0.93	0.76±0.59

	Test	Pre-test	Post-test	Follow-up test
	Q1	1.59±0.67	1.77±0.43*	1.64±0.58+
Experimental	Q2	1.29±0.51	1.81±0.41*	1.36±0.49+
(n=27)	Q3	1.27±0.45	1.32±0.48	1.33±0.48
	Q4	3.40±0.97	3.73±1.01	3.44±1.13
	Q5	1.25±0.51	1.36±0.49	1.19±0.40
	Q6	1.18±0.39	1.27±0.46	1.14±0.36
	Q1	1.50±0.52	1.44±0.63	1.56±0.63
	Q2	1.19±0.40	1.31±0.48	1.56±0.51
Control	Q3	1.19±0.40	1.25±045	1.38±0.50
(n=22)	Q4	3.67±0.82	3.60±0.89	3.55±1.04
	Q5	1.13±0.34	1.31±0.48	1.29±0.51
	Q6	1.31±0.48	1.25±0.48	1.19±0.40

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E-mail: motriz.rc@unesp.br

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[1] Alexandre Luis Ritter Phone: (51)9163.2123 e-mail: alexandreluisritter@gmail.com