Prevalence of Postural Issues and Associated Risk Factors among House Officers: A Cross-sectional Study
Saba Waheed *
Institute of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Dow University of Health Sciences, DUHS, Karachi, Pakistan.
Tarim Nayab
(DPT)Dow University of Health and Sciences, (MPHIL) Ziauddin Medical University, Pakistan.
Maristella Masi
Unitelama Sapienza, Italy.
Fatima Fatima
University of Rome Tor Vergara, Italy.
Muhammad Zair Khan
University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy.
Afshan Ahmed
Dow University of Health Sciences, Pakistan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the association between common faulty postures and their risk factors among 147 house officers at Dow University of Health Sciences. Data were collected using a posture analysis form and analyzed with SPSS version 22 over six months. Informed consent was obtained prior to postural assessments, which included general physical evaluation and a plumb line test. Six common faulty postures were evaluated: forward head posture, lordosis, kyphosis, scoliosis, uneven shoulder height, and back muscle hump. The sample size was determined using Open Epi software. Forward head posture was the most prevalent faulty posture (76.9%), followed by lordosis (28.8%), while scoliosis was the least common (7%). The chi-square test was used to analyze the relationship between postures and working hours. Forward head posture (p = 0.05) and uneven shoulder height (p = 0.002) showed statistically significant associations with working hours. However, no significant associations were found for lordosis (p = 0.85), kyphosis (p = 0.07), or scoliosis (p = 0.32). These findings highlight the potential impact of working hours on specific postural deviations.
Keywords: Posture, scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis