The impact of gymnastics on the body posture of preschool children

Background
Preschool age is crucial for developing proper body posture. Regular physical activity, particularly gymnastics, may significantly influence postural alignment, potentially preventing future musculoskeletal issues. However, specific evidence on how structured gymnastics programs impact posture in preschool children remains limited.

Aims
The aim of the study was to determine the impact of the gymnastics program on the posture of preschool children.

Material and methods
Thirteen children, with an average age of 4.49 ± 0.50 years who attended gymnastics classes were included in the study. The gymnastics intervention lasted 24 weeks, with sessions lasting 45 minutes twice a week. A digital posture assessment tool (2016 Postureco™ Posture Screen Mobile) was used for monitoring purposes. The collected data were compared and statistically evaluated using the Wilcoxon test.

Results
Research findings have shown improvements in posture.Statistically significant improvement was observed in the assessment of hips/pelvis (z = 2.41, p<0.01) and overall posture (z = 1.71, p<0.05). Additionally, notable improvements were documented inthe positions of the head and shoulders, though these were notstatistically significant. The greatest magnitude of improvementoccurred in pelvic alignment, highlighting the targeted benefits of the gymnastics intervention for this region.

Conclusions
The results indicate that the application of the gymnastics program had a positive effect on the posture of the children involved in the study.