Central European Journal of Sport Sciences and Medicine

ISSN: 2300-9705    eISSN: 2353-2807    OAI    DOI: 10.18276/cej.2026.2-05
CC BY-SA   Open Access   DOAJ  DOAJ  DOAJ

Issue archive / Vol. 54, No. 2/2026
Posture in Relantion to BMI among 10-year-old Primary School Pupils

Authors: Elena Bendíková ORCID
Catholic University in Ružomberok, Faculty of Education, Department of Physical Education and Sports, Ružomberok, Slovakia; Member of the WLO Board of Directors

Ricardo Ricci Uvinha ORCID
University of São Paulo, School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities, São Paulo, Brazil; Member of the WLO Board of Directors

Dragoș Ioan Tohănean ORCID
Transilvania University of Brașov, Faculty of Physical Education and Mountain Sports, Department of Motoric Performance, Brașov, Romania

Robert Rozim ORCID
Catholic University in Ružomberok, Faculty of Education, Department of Pre – School and Elementary Pedagogy, Ružomberok, Slovakia
Keywords: primary school posture BMI musculoskeletal health child development
Whole issue publication date:2026
Page range:11 (51-61)
Cited-by (Crossref) ?:

Abstract

We are currently seeing an increase in poor posture and body weight. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between proper posture and the Body Mass Index (BMI) among pupils in primary education. We applied ex post facto research. The study sample consisted of a total of n=559 pupils. We compared the groups of boys (n=127) and girls (n=138) from 2015 with the group of boys (n=143) and girls (n=151) studied in 2025 from 26 primary schools in the regions of Western and Central Slovakia. When assessing the overall posture in relation to the BMI of primary school girls in selected regions of Slovakia in 2015 and 2025, we found a significant increase in the BMI of 0.52, as well as a deterioration in overall posture by an average of 1.5 points. Among primary school boys from selected regions of Slovakia tested in 2025, we found a significant increase in the BMI of 0.88 compared to boys tested in 2015. These findings indicate that an elevated BMI negatively impacts overall posture in both boys and girls in primary schools in selected regions of Slovakia.
Download file

Article file

Bibliography

1.Arufe-Giráldez, V., Sanmiguel-Rodríguez, A., Ramos-Álvarez, O., & Navarro-Patón, R. (2022). Gamification in physical education: A systematic review. Education Sciences, 12(8), 540.
2.Bendíková, E. (2016). Changes in the posture of students due to equipment-aided exercise programs that are applied in physical and sport education. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 16(2), 281–286.
3.Bendíková, E. (2020). Diversification of the physical and sport education syllabi and its effects on the musculoskeletal system in young female students. Trends in Sport Sciences, 27(3), 149–155.
4.Calcaterra, V., Marin, L., Vandoni, M., Rossi, V., Pirazzi, A., Grazi, R., ... & Zuccotti, G. (2022). Childhood obesity and incorrect body posture: impact on physical activity and the therapeutic role of exercise. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(24), 16728.
5.Cvejic, D., & Ostojić, S. (2018). Effects of the FITT program on physical activity and health-related fitness in primary school age children. Facta Universitatis, Series: Physical Education and Sport, 15(3), 437-451.
6.Chen, W., Hammond-Bennett, A., Hypnar, A., & Mason, S. (2018). Health-related physical fitness and physical activity in elementary school students. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 1–12.
7.Delas-Kalinski, S., Ljubica, B., & Babic, V. (2025). Adolescence as a Critical Period: Gender Differences in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior. The Eurasia Proceedings of Educational and Social Sciences, (EPESS), 45, 98–105.
8.Desouzart, G., & Filgueiras, E. (2023). Posture Mind - Postural Education in Back Pain and Postural Habits of Children and Teenagers. In: Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health V, (pp. 31–41). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
9.Faik, A., Vanderhulst, E., Rossem, V. I., & Devroey, D. (2017). Influence of physical activity and interest for food and sciences versus weight disorders in children aged 8 to 18 years. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, 58(2), E105–E113.
10.Faust, A. M., Auerbeck, A., Lee, A. M., Kim, I., & Conroy, D. E. (2024). Passive sensing of smartphone use, physical activity and sedentary behavior among adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 47(5), 770–781.
11.Grabara, M. (2014). Postural variables in girls and boys aged 10–12 years. Biomedical Human Kinetics, 6(1), 66–70. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10101-009-0017-7
12.Gajewska, E.., Kalinskam K.., Bogdanskim P.., & Sobieskam M. (2015). Cardiorespiratory endurance in relation to body mass in Polish rural children: Preliminary report HOMO- Journal of Comparative Human Biology, 66(3), 278–285.
13.Halasi, S., Lepes, J., Stajer, A., & Cvetković, M. (2018). Relation between body composition and HRQOL in primary school children. Croatian Journal of Education - Hrvatski časopis za odgoj i obrazovanje, 19(2), 125–133. https://doi.org/10.15516/cje.v19i0.2699
14.Hojker, M., Vaishnav, J., & Dobravec, S. (2023). Effectiveness of the prevention programme on posture and the incidence of back pain in primary school children: a pilot study. Slovenian Medical Journal, 92(9-10), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.6016/ZdravVestn.3388
15.Jakab, A. E., Hidvégi, E. V., Illyés, M., Cziráki, A., & Bereczki, C. (2018). Prevalence of overweight and obesity in Hungarian children and adolescents. Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism, 72(4), 259–264. https://doi.org/10.1159/000487929
16.Kabatová, H., Kopecký, M., Strnisková, D., & Tomanová, J. (2012) Těžké školní aktovky jako další možný faktor ovplivňujúci výskyt vadného držení těla. Hygiena, 57(3), 89–93.
17.Lombardo, M., Feraco, A., Armani, A., Camajani, E., Gorini, S., Strollo, R., ... & Bellia, A. (2024). Gender differences in body composition, dietary patterns, and physical activity: insights from a cross-sectional study. Front. Nutr., 11, 1414217. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1414217
18.Marsigliante, S., Gómez-López, M., & Muscella, A. (2023). Effects on children’s physical and mental well-being of a physical-activity-based school intervention program: a randomized study. International Journal of Environmental Research, 20(3), 1927. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031927
19.Neville, R. D., Lakes, K. D., Hopkins, W. G., Tarantino, G., Draper, C. E., Beck, R., & Madigan, S. (2022). Global changes in child and adolescent physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 176(9), 886–894.
20.Ng, M., Dai, X., Cogen, R. M., Abdelmasseh, M., Abdollahi, A., Abdullahi, A., ... & Khan, M. S. (2024). National-level and state-level prevalence of overweight and obesity among children, adolescents, and adults in the USA, 1990–2021, and forecasts up to 2050. The Lancet, 404(10469), 2278–2298.
21.Pfefferbaum, B., & Van Horn, R. L. (2022). Physical activity and sedentary behavior in children during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for mental health. Current Psychiatry Reports, 24(10), 493–501.
22.Prieto-González, P., Šutvajová, M., Lesňáková, A., Bartík, P., Buľáková, K., & Friediger, T. (2021). Back Pain Prevalence, Intensity, and Associated Risk Factors among Female Teachers in Slovakia during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study. Healthcare, 9(7), 860. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9070860
23.Repko, M. (2017). Nejčastější vady páteře u dětí školního věku [The most common defects of the spine in children of school age]. Pediatrie pro praxi, 18(4), 212–218.
24.Rozim, R., Daubnerová, J., Slováková, M., & Bendíková, E. (2022). Changes in somatic characteristics and indicators of physical ability, physical performance, and body posture in 10- and 11–year-old pupils. In INTED2022 Proceedings, (pp. 547–556).
25.Šeráková, H. (2006). Aktuální poznatky k problematice vadného držení těla [Current knowledge on the issue of poor posture]. In 2. konference Škola a Zdraví. Retrieved from: http://www.ped.muni.cz/z21/2006/konference_2006/sbornik_2006/pdf/059.pdf
26.Ševčíková, Ľ., Rovný, I., Nováková, J., Hamade, J., Tatara, M., Janechová, H., & Šedová, M. (2004). Physical development of children and youth in Slovakia. Bratislava: Public Health Office of the Slovak Republic.
27.Shimon, J. M. (2025). Introduction to teaching physical education: Principles and strategies. Human Kinetics.
28.Trecroci, A., Invernizzi, P. L., Monacis, D., & Colella, D. (2021). Actual and perceived motor competence in relation to body mass index in primary school-aged children: A systematic review. Sustainability, 13(17), 9994.
29.Vojtaššák, J. (2000). Ortopédia [Orthopedics] . Bratislava: Slovak Academic Press.
30.Zhu, Z., & Yin, P. (2023). Overweight and obesity: the serious challenge faced by Chinese children and adolescents. Journal of Global Health, 13, 03036.