Charlotin S1, Pasquet M1
1Haitian Association of Physiotherapy Technicians (ASHATP), Ouest, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Background: A number of deformities and back pain in children are due to poor posture and inappropriate use of backpack. According to data collection during assessments, these students who suffer from this disability are referred to a rehab service for follow-up. We noticed, as Rehab Technicians, an increase in such cases in the rehab centers, and we consequently decided to launch a pilot project “POSTURAL AND GESTURAL EDUCATION TO PREVENT DEFORMITIES AND BACK PAIN”. The goal of this project is to prevent the growing numbers of such cases through education. 10 schools were pre-selected for the implementation of the pilot project. Our approach is to bring awareness to students for good postures and appropriate gestures can be acquired as a strong prevention.
Purpose: The purpose of our pilot project on posture and gesture education is to prevent deformities and back pain to young children in school”. This is one of our association key strategies to promote rehabilitation in our community.
Methods:
Results: The sensitization of the ten schools was carried out in two phases:
1) In five schools, approximately 562 children (292 girls and 270 boys) in 22 classrooms, 35 teachers, were sensitized from October 2016 to July 2017.
2) The second one took place from November to December 2017, and 1756 children (935 girls; 821 boys) in 40 classrooms, 51 teachers were reached.
Conclusion(s): The pilot project of postural and gestural education confirmed the importance of health promotion in schools, especially in regards to postures and gestures to adopt in terms of successful prevention.
We were able to observe how important the need is to implement this project from the following findings which confirmed the importance of our work in the community: The unawareness of the students regarding the subject; the comments of establishment's Principle at the first meeting; testimonies of teachers in the post-training survey. Subsequently, we are working hard on the second phase of the project in order to expand the program first in all rural schools, before introducing it to urban schools. This projet will encourage the responsible for a better adaptation of class materials for the children and motivate the Ministry of National Education´s involvement in the field of rehabilitation.
Implications: Teachers and students of the 10 preselected schools realized that poor daily postures can have harmful effects such as tiredness, headache, and lack of education resulted to disability. They are now well informed and sensitized about good and poor postures and the consequences and learned recommended gestures for better performance and focus in school and in everyday activities.
Keywords: Education, Posture, Back pain
Funding acknowledgements: To the Ministry of National Education, Humanity and Inclusion, Haitian Society of Physical Therapy & to all Rehab Technicians.
Purpose: The purpose of our pilot project on posture and gesture education is to prevent deformities and back pain to young children in school”. This is one of our association key strategies to promote rehabilitation in our community.
Methods:
- Submission of the project to the Ministry of National Education and Professional Training (MENFP) and their validation allowed us to carry out the pilot project in selected schools in the Delmas area in Port-au-Prince.
- Training of Rehabilitation Technicians for the awareness sessions pupils.
- Sensitize each class with 3 awareness sessions on: Spine, Postural hygiene and Posture.
- Use of a brightly colored picture box to keep children attentive.
- Distribution of stickers with different pictures and brochures to all students.
- Posters are left in classrooms as a reminder.
Results: The sensitization of the ten schools was carried out in two phases:
1) In five schools, approximately 562 children (292 girls and 270 boys) in 22 classrooms, 35 teachers, were sensitized from October 2016 to July 2017.
2) The second one took place from November to December 2017, and 1756 children (935 girls; 821 boys) in 40 classrooms, 51 teachers were reached.
Conclusion(s): The pilot project of postural and gestural education confirmed the importance of health promotion in schools, especially in regards to postures and gestures to adopt in terms of successful prevention.
We were able to observe how important the need is to implement this project from the following findings which confirmed the importance of our work in the community: The unawareness of the students regarding the subject; the comments of establishment's Principle at the first meeting; testimonies of teachers in the post-training survey. Subsequently, we are working hard on the second phase of the project in order to expand the program first in all rural schools, before introducing it to urban schools. This projet will encourage the responsible for a better adaptation of class materials for the children and motivate the Ministry of National Education´s involvement in the field of rehabilitation.
Implications: Teachers and students of the 10 preselected schools realized that poor daily postures can have harmful effects such as tiredness, headache, and lack of education resulted to disability. They are now well informed and sensitized about good and poor postures and the consequences and learned recommended gestures for better performance and focus in school and in everyday activities.
Keywords: Education, Posture, Back pain
Funding acknowledgements: To the Ministry of National Education, Humanity and Inclusion, Haitian Society of Physical Therapy & to all Rehab Technicians.
Topic: Education
Ethics approval required: No
Institution: Haitian Association of Physiotherapy Technicians (ASHATP)
Ethics committee: Not yet existed we supported by HI, PT in SHP
Reason not required: Rehabilitation in Haiti is considered as a new field and until now we didn’t get yet a system of regulation.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
