ASSESSMENT OF BODY POSTURE OF 6-7 YEARS OLD CHILDREN IN RELATION TO THE BMI

ABSTRACT Introduction: Increased weight in childhood is a determining factor in developing several diseases in adulthood. The poor posture of the child might be a result of the rapidly growing musculoskeletal system, the increased BMI, or a combination of both. This study aims to investigate the relation between BMI and poor posture in 7-6 years old children. Material and Methodology: The study included 2 kindergartens in Sofia and was held in September 2018. The New York Posture Rating Chart was used to evaluate the posture. The anthropometric data were assessed and the BMI was calculated by BMI-for-age (5-19) years. The screening covered 112 children with a mean age of 6.14 years. Results: Poor posture was identified in 32 (28.5%) of the subjects. Abnormal BMI was amounted to 22 (19.6%) of the children: 4 (3.5%) underweight, 16 (14.3%) overweight and 2 (1.7 %) obese. The increase in BMI correlated with a higher chance of poor posture was identified by almost 11.6 % of the pupils.