Effects of a Postural Education Multicomponent Intervention in Primary School Children.

Effects of a Postural Education Multicomponent Intervention in Primary School Children.

The present study, named PEPE project, aims to study the effects of a 9-month postural educational multicomponent intervention on back health in schoolchildren. As well as, this project aims to examine the effectiveness of the intervention on teachers. Total of 2000 children aged 10 to 12 and 20 schools will be randomized into an intervention group (N=1000 children, N=10 schools) and a control group (N=1000 children, N=10 schools). A 9-months intervention program will be implemented. Participants will be evaluated three times: before the intervention (baseline, Month 0), after the intervention (post-test, Month 9) and 6 months after the intervention finished (follow-up, Month 15). The intervention will consist on: (1) nine oral presentations delivered at school, (2) multisubject teaching unit, (3) information campaign widespread by the school (i.e. posters, triptychs, school website, social networks, etc.), and (4) The Back-Care Day at school. The effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated by means of primary outcomes which include the back-care knowledge of schoolchildren. As well as, a set of secondary outcomes such as daily postural habits, use of a backpack, and LBP prevalence in schoolchildren and among teachers involved will be studied. This intervention will provide new insights into the prevention of childhood LBP which may lead to a better management of this health problem throughout an individuals lifetime.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children aged between 10 and 12 years, who belonged to the fifth and sixth grades of primary school.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children with some type of medical condition that may affect the results of the measurements or that present some limitation of their abilities that prevents the intervention program from developing normally.