Links between adolescents' subjective health assessment, type of physical activity and posture

ENPosture is not only our outer image which we notice having seen a person. It determines the perception of the Self, self-confdence and acknowledgement (Adaškevičienė, 2008). According to Girskis (2011), Balčiūnienė (2009), posture not only represents harmonious development of the person but is also a mirror of good health, self-feeling, mental and emotional state. Kendall, McCreary, Provance, Rodgers and Romani (2005) describe good posture as a good habit which affects the person’s good self-feeling. According to Mallau, Vaugoyeau, Assaiante (2010), posture monitoring depends on a complicated complex of senses; i.e., sight, hearing, touch, arising from such sensory sources as muscles, skin and joints. Raudoniūtė (2010) states that in the presence of irregular posture or slight spinal deformity a person may not complain of anything and even not notice the formed deformation. If no preventive measures are taken and the person wants to preserve regular posture, in the course of time irregular posture progresses determining spinal problems (back pain, the possibility of intervertebral disc rupture, etc.). According to Astašenko (2008), poor posture can be one of the reasons causing depression, sleeplessness, constant fatigue and other problems. Aim of the research: to disclose the effect of subjective assessment of health and physical activity on adolescents’ posture. Subject of the research: links between adolescents’ posture, subjective assessment of health and physical activity. Research methods: Questionnaire survey, Assessment of posture and spinal mobility employing standardised test (Schober). Research participants. The research was attended by 60 eighth form pupils, aged 13-14 years, from one progymnasium of Šiauliai city.There were 27 female pupils and 33 male pupils. Out of all adolescents who took part in the research 45 are physically active, 7 are physically inactive and 8 adolescents state that they do not have opinion about their physical activeness. Organization and Methods of the Research. The research employed anonymous questionnaire about aspects of pupils’ healthy lifestyle, which was drawn up based on scientifc literature. The questionnaire consisted of fve blocks: 1) demographic and general data, 2) attitude to health and healthy lifestyle, 3) subjective assessment of health, 4) knowledge about health and its determinants, 5) components of healthy lifestyle. Out of a total of 870 eighth form pupils who were questioned employing the questionnaire in Šiauliai city, posture was assessed using Schober’s standardized test for 60 of them. Schober’s test was intended for the assessment of spinal mobility. Assessing spinal mobility, the following was assessed: side leaning; breast area (C7-T12); breast-waist area (C7-S1); waist area (T12-S1); spine stretching (C7-S1). Side leaning was assessed using the tape-measure, measuring the distance from middle fngers of the right hand and the left hand to the foor, standing straight and being leaned. Other indicated areas are assessed using the tape-measure to measure the distance in the indicated areas, standing straight and being leaned. The received difference between the distance standing straight and the distance being leaned is compared with the established norm. Based on Schober’s methods, the test was supplemented with measurements: the distance from C7 to scapulas and the distance from the corners of scapulas to the spine, standing straight and being leaned.Data of posture assessment (N=60) were compared with data of the questionnaire of the target group, considering the following questions given in the questionnaire: Assessment of own health status; Assessment of own physically activity; Places of engagement into physical activity. Research data analysis was conducted employing SPSS (Statistical Packet for Social Sciences 19.0). Results of the research let to draw conclusions: The majority of adolescents look after their health often but assess their health as good. More than a half of adolescents indicated that they were physically active; the remaining share indicated that they were physically inactive or did not have opinion about their physical activeness. Adolescents who do sports on their own have to receive suffcient knowledge about organisation, dosage of physical activities, beneft and possible harm of physical exercises. Mobility of breast area and spine stretching, spinal mobility among all adolescents is too big, assessing according to the established norm. Analysing links between adolescents’ posture and subjective health assessment, it was noticed that posture assessment data of adolescents who rarely took care of their health were worse than the ones of adolescents who sometimes, often and always looked after their health. Posture of physically active adolescents is better than the one of physically inactive. Considering the type of physical activity, it can be stated that posture is better among adolescents who go to the sports club or physical education lessons. Posture assessment data of adolescents who go to the dance club, considering the established standards, are far worse than of other adolescents. Such assessment results may be affected by specifcity of the activity chosen by the target group. Keywords: adolescents’ posture, spinal mobility, health, physical activeness.