Prevalence of Postural Deformities Among School Going Children in Rural Areas Due To School Furniture: A Cross-Sectional Study

Posture is an upright position that is generally kept against gravity. Body posture is influenced by many factors including general health, musculoskeletal alignment, body endurance, muscle strength, weight, height, fatigue, state of mind, and age etc. The perfect collaboration between segments of the body is called good posture. The imperfect collaboration between segments of the body is called bad posture. Abnormal body posture can cause various musculoskeletal disorders along with headache, fatigue, cervical and lumber pain. The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in school going children can be reduced by macro and micro ergonomic approach such as postural awareness, furniture design and bag pack loads carriage. School pupils sit for many of their classroom lessons and adopt different postures. An inappropriate body posture can destroy a student’s interest, even during the most stimulating lecture. School children attend schools for a considerable amount of time, 6 h a day on average. They spend the largest part of their time at school performing different related activities, which lead them to be seated on their seats constantly for a long time. Classroom furniture is usually not designed to accommodate the dimensions of the individual user. Considering that school is an ideal setting for the acquisition of healthy habits that can continue into adulthood, it is necessary to implement actions to identify ideal school furniture dimensions.