Postural Habits and Related Joint and Muscle Pain Among School-age Students: A Cross-sectional Study

Background and aims: Current lifestyles, with the growing use of contemporary technologies, have resulted in changes in people’s behavior, causing them to become increasingly sedentary and develop unhealthy body habits. Posture is an essential variable determining an individual’s physical and emotional well-being. The purpose of this study was to investigate postural habits and any related joint and muscle pain among school-aged students. Methods: An online questionnaire was utilized to measure participants’ postural habits and related joint and muscle pain. The questionnaire was completed by 43660 school-aged students (15532 boys and 28128 girls in the age range of 8-17 years) by a non-randomized convenient sampling method through Google Forms via social media on the schools’ platform in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran, in the middle of 2022. The questionnaire inquired about body postural patterns and any associated joint or muscle pain. Results: The majority of participants (77%) reported spending most of their time in the sitting position. Overall, 57% of the students reported that they did not maintain the correct posture during their daily activities. The majority of respondents (54%) reported feeling some joint or muscle pain. The greatest pain was reported in the neck (28%), upper back (14%), and lower back (13%). Conclusion: The findings indicated that schools and the medical profession may need to screen students for health risks such as poor postural status. Further, information related to bad posture should be provided to children, their families, and healthcare professionals to take care of them.