Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
Volume 33, Issue 6 , Pages 425-431, July 2010

Reliability of a Photographic Method for Assessing Standing Posture of Elementary School Students

  • Jelena Paušić, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Assistant Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Split, Croatia
    • ,
  • Željko Pedišić, MEd

      Affiliations

    • Research Associate, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
    • Corresponding Author InformationSubmit requests for reprints to: Željko Pedišić, MEd, Research Associate, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Horvačanski Zavoj 15, Zagreb, Croatia 21000
    • ,
  • Dražan Dizdar, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Assistant Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Received 13 October 2009; received in revised form 27 February 2010; accepted 29 March 2010.

Abstract 

Objective

A high prevalence of poor standing posture among elementary schoolchildren indicates the need for the introduction of school-based interventions for improvement of postural alignments. For assessing the effect of intervention programs, reliable quantitative measures of standing posture should be used. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of a photographic method for assessment of standing posture among elementary schoolchildren.

Methods

The study was conducted on a convenience sample of 273 male students between 10 and 13 years old. Each subject was photographed in habitual standing posture, 3 times in a front view and 3 times in a side view. Deviations from ideal postural alignment were calculated with Posture Image Analyzer software and UTHSCSA ImageTool software. Interitem reliability was estimated using intraclass correlation coefficient.

Results

Intraclass correlation coefficients for posture deviations assessed with Posture Image Analyzer ranged from 0.81 for knee joints deviation and ankle joints deviation in the coronal plane to 0.92 for trunk deviation and knee joints deviation in the sagittal plane. Intraclass correlation coefficients for posture deviations assessed with UTHSCSA ImageTool ranged from 0.80 for knee joints deviation in the coronal plane to 0.91 for trunk deviation and knee joints deviation in the sagittal plane.

Conclusions

This study showed a satisfactory interitem reliability of a photographic method for the assessment of standing posture among elementary schoolchildren.

Key Indexing Terms: Posture, Reproducibility of Results, Schools, Child

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PII: S0161-4754(10)00149-1

doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2010.06.002

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
Volume 33, Issue 6 , Pages 425-431, July 2010

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