Applied Medical Research. 2018;
5(2):(57-154)
Prevalence of forward head posture among 12–16-year-old school going students—A cross-sectional study
Shivani Lalitkumar Verma, Jilani Shaikh, Ranveer Kumar Mahato, Megha Sandeep Sheth
Abstract
Introduction: Posture is the attitude of the body, the relative arrangement of body parts for a specific activity, or a characteristic manner of bearing one’s body. Forward head posture (FHP) is characterized by increased flexion of the lower cervical spine and upper thoracic region and increased extension of upper cervical vertebrae which also leads to changes in the lumbar spine. FHP is a measure of the poor posture of the neck, so this study was conducted to find the prevalence of FHP among 12–16-year-old school going students. Methodology: Three hundred school going children of the age group 12–16 years were included in this cross-sectional survey study. After obtaining a voluntary signed assent, the neck was exposed and colored markers were placed on C7 vertebrae and the tragus of the ear. A photograph was taken, which was then digitized to calculate the cranio-vertebral angle (CVA) which is used to measure FHP by using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Results: In all 300 students who were screened, 158 were males, out of them 88 males (56%) had FHP. One hundred and one females (71%) had FHP from 142 evaluated. Mean CVA was found to be 42.9° ± 7.43°. Out of the 300 students evaluated, 189 were found to have FHP. Conclusion: The study revealed a prevalence of 63% of FHP among 12–16-year-old school going students
