The Intervention Program effect on the Quality of Children’s Body Posture at Elementary Education Level

Abstract

The goal of this research was to determine the impact of an intervention program containing music-accompanied sport and dance activities on the quality of pupils’ body posture at the elementary level of education in physical and sports education classes. The research sample comprised Ʃ 102 pupils at the primary level of education, 53 of whom were boys with a decimal age of 8.83±0.69 and 49 were girls with a decimal age of 8.77±0.68. They were subjected to testing according to the Klein and Thomas method modified by Mayer. The output results of the posture diagnostics confirmed the significant effect of targeted exercises on the overall posture of boys with a substantial effect (Z=-6.131, p<0.05, r=0.60 – substantial effect). The greatest influence in the boys’ group was confirmed in the general spine curvature in the sagittal plane (Z=-5.209, p<0.05, r=0.51 – substantial effect). In the girls’ group, the targeted movement program was confirmed to have a substantial effect on overall body posture (Z=-5.793, p<0.05, r=0.59). In all other segments, it was significantly manifested with a medium effect. It was concluded that none of the participants had flawless posture. After the application of the intervention program, good posture was demonstrated by 62.2% of boys and 61.1% of girls. In the output test, the posture of 37.7% of boys and 38.8% of girls was incorrect. None of the pupils was diagnosed with very bad posture after the application of the intervention program. The relationship between BMI and posture assessment of the respondents was assessed. The results of the correlation of BMI values (r=0.007, p>0.05) and overall body posture did not show statistical dependence in both sexes. The intervention program including music-movement and dance elements had a significant effect on improving the posture quality of both boys and girls. The program supported by a musical piece was perceived positively by the pupils for its variety and emotionality. The program should be applied in the physical education classes at a frequency of minimum 2 times a week.