Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
European Spine Journal
Published in: European Spine Journal 6/2007

01-06-2007 | Original Article

Back posture education in elementary schoolchildren: a 2-year follow-up study

Authors: Elisabeth Geldhof, Greet Cardon, Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij, Dirk De Clercq

Published in: European Spine Journal | Issue 6/2007

Login to get access

Abstract

Within the scope of primary prevention regarding back functioning in children, research on the stability of intervention effects is indispensable. Along this line, the transition from childhood to adolescence is an important phase to evaluate the potential stability of intervention effects because of the typically mechanical and psychological demands related to adolescence. The main aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of a back education program at 2-year follow-up, in youngsters aged 13–14 years, on back posture knowledge, fear-avoidance beliefs and self-reported pain. An additional purpose was to evaluate which aspects of postural behavior were integrated in youngsters’ lifestyles. At 2-year follow-up, the study sample included 94 secondary schoolchildren in the intervention group (mean age 13.3 ± 0.8 years) and 101 controls (mean age 13.2 ± 0.7 years). The back posture program that had been implemented for two school years consisted of back education and the stimulation of postural dynamism in the class through support and environmental changes. A questionnaire was completed comparable to the pretest, posttest and follow-up evaluations. The current study demonstrated at 2-year follow-up stability of the improved general (F = 1.590, ns) and specific (F = 0.049, ns) back posture knowledge in children who had received early back posture education. Back posture education did not result in increased fear-avoidance beliefs (F = 1.163, ns) or mounting back and/or neck pain reports (F = 0.001, ns). Based on self-reports for postural behavior, youngsters who had received the back posture program in the elementary school curriculum integrated crucial sitting and lifting principles conform to biomechanical favorable postural behavior. The steady intervention effects 2-year post-intervention demonstrated that intensive back posture education through the elementary school curriculum is effective till adolescence. Future research on the impact of early school-based back posture promotion in relation to the integration of back posture principles according to a biomechanical favorable lifestyle and back pain prevalence later in life is essential.
Literature
1.
Balagué F, Troussier B, Salminen JJ (1999) Non-specific low back pain in children and adolescents: risk-factors. Eur Spine J 8:429–438PubMedCrossRef
2.
Brattberg G (2004) Do pain problems in young school children persist into early adulthood? A 13-year follow-up. Eur J Pain 8:187–199PubMedCrossRef
3.
Burton K, Clarke D, McClune D, Tillotson M (1996) The natural history of low back pain in adolescents. Spine 2:2323–2328CrossRef
4.
Burton K (1996) Low back pain in children and adolescents: to treat or not. Bull Hosp Joint Dis 55:127–129
5.
Cardon G, Balagué F (2004) Low back pain prevention’s effects in schoolchildren. What is the evidence? Eur Spine J 13:663–679PubMedCrossRef
6.
Cardon G, De Clercq D, De Bourdeaudhuij I (2000) Effects of back care education in elementary schoolchildren. Acta Paediatr 89:1010–1017PubMedCrossRef
7.
Cardon G, De Bourdeaudhuij I, De Clercq D (2002) Back education efficacy in elementary schoolchildren: a one year follow-up study. Spine 27:299–305PubMedCrossRef
8.
Cardon G, De Bourdeaudhuij I, De Clercq D (2002) Knowledge and perceptions about back education among elementary school students, teachers, and parents in Belgium. J Sch Health 72:100–106PubMedCrossRef
9.
Cherkin DC, Deyo RA, Street JH, Hunt M, Barlow W (1996) Pitfalls of patient education. Limited success of a program for back pain in primary care. Spine 21:345–355PubMedCrossRef
10.
COST B13 (2006) European guidelines for the management of low back pain. Eur Spine J 15 (Suppl 2):S125–S297
11.
Feldman DE, Shrier I, Rossignol M, Abenhaim L (2001) Risk factors for the development of low back pain in adolescence. Am J Epidemiol 154:30–36PubMedCrossRef
12.
Geldhof E (2006) Back functioning: the effectiveness of an intervention promoting good body mechanics in elementary schoolchildren. Doctoral thesis. Chapter 3.3—Back posture education in elementary schoolchildren: stability of 2-year intervention effects
13.
Geldhof E, Cardon G, De Bourdeaudhuij I, De Clercq D (2006) Effects of a two-school-year multi-factorial back education program in elementary schoolchildren. Spine 31:1965–1973PubMedCrossRef
14.
Goubert L, Crombez G, De Bourdeaudhuij I (2004) Low back pain, disability and back pain myths in a community sample: prevalence and interrelationships. Eur J Pain 8:385–394PubMedCrossRef
15.
Harreby M, Nygaard B, Jessen T, Larsen E, Storr-Paulsen A, Lindahl A, Fisker I, Laegaard E (1999) Risk factors for low back pain in a cohort of 1389 Danish school children: an epidemiologic study. Eur Spine J 8:444–450PubMedCrossRef
16.
Jones MA, Stratton G, Reilly T, Unnithan VB (2004) A school-based survey of recurrent non-specific low-back pain prevalence and consequences in children. Health Educ Res 19:284–289PubMedCrossRef
17.
Jones MA, Stratton G, Reilly T, Unnithan VB (2005) Biological risk indicators for recurrent non-specific low back pain in adolescents. Br J Sports Med 39:137–140PubMedCrossRef
18.
Knight G, Noyes J (1999) Children’s behaviour and the design of school furniture. Ergonomics 42:747–760PubMedCrossRef
19.
Limon S, Valinsky LJ, Ben-Shalom Y (2004) Children at risk–risk factors for low back pain in the elementary school environment. Spine 29:697–702PubMedCrossRef
20.
Linton S, van Tulder MW (2001) Preventive interventions for back and neck pain problems. What is the evidence? Spine 26:778–787PubMedCrossRef
21.
Mendez FJ, Gómez-Conesa A (2001) Postural hygiene program to prevent low back pain. Spine 26:1280–1286PubMedCrossRef
22.
Milanese S, Grimmer K (2004) School furniture and the user population: an anthropometric perspective. Ergonomics 47:416–426PubMedCrossRef
23.
Murphy S, Buckle P, Stubss D (2004) Classroom posture and self-reported back and neck pain in schoolchildren. Appl Ergon 35:113–120PubMedCrossRef
24.
Panagiotopoulou G, Christoulas K, Papanckolaou A, Mandroukas K (2004) Classroom furniture dimensions and anthropometric measures in primary school. Appl Ergon 35:121–128PubMedCrossRef
25.
Parcells C, Stommel M, Hubbard R (1999) Mismatch of classroom furniture and student body dimensions. J Adolesc Health 24:265–273PubMedCrossRef
26.
Sjölie AN (2004) Persistence and change in non-specific low back pain—a 3-year prospective study. Spine 29:2452–2457PubMedCrossRef
27.
Szpalski M, Gunzburg R, Balague F, Nordin M, Melot C (2002) A 2-year prospective longitudinal study on low back pain in primary school children. Eur Spine J 11:459–464PubMedCrossRef
28.
Staes F, Stappaerts K, Lesaffre E, Vertommen H (2003) Low back pain in Flemish adolescents and the role of perceived social support and effect on the perception of back pain. Acta Paediatr 92:444–451PubMedCrossRef
29.
Steele EJ, Dawson AP, Hiller JE (2006) School-based interventions for spinal pain: a systematic review. Spine 31:226–233PubMedCrossRef
30.
Troussier B, Tesniers C, Fauconnier J, Grison J, Juvin R, Phelip X (1999) Comparative study of two different kinds of school furniture among children. Ergonomics 42:516–526CrossRef
31.
Walker BF (2000) The prevalence of low back pain: a systematic review of the literature from 1966 to 1998. J Spinal Disord 13:205–217PubMedCrossRef
32.
Wilke HJ, Neef P, Hinz B, Seidel H, Claes L (2001) Intradiscal pressure together with anthropometric data—a data set for the validation of models. Clin Biomech 16(Suppl 1):111–126CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Back posture education in elementary schoolchildren: a 2-year follow-up study
Authors
Elisabeth Geldhof
Greet Cardon
Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij
Dirk De Clercq
Publication date
01-06-2007
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
European Spine Journal / Issue 6/2007
Print ISSN: 0940-6719
Electronic ISSN: 1432-0932
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-006-0227-4

Other articles of this Issue 6/2007

European Spine Journal 6/2007 Go to the issue

Original Article

Movement coordination of the lumbar spine and hip during a picking up activity in low back pain subjects

Original Article

Do MRI findings correlate with mobility tests? An explorative analysis of the test validity with regard to structure

Original Article

Dynamic control of the lumbopelvic complex; lack of reliability of established test procedures

Original Article

Effects of back posture education on elementary schoolchildren’s back function

Review

Sciatica in the female patient: anatomical considerations, aetiology and review of the literature

Original Article

Transcranial motor-evoked potentials monitoring can detect spinal cord ischemia more rapidly than spinal cord-evoked potentials monitoring during aortic occlusion in rats