Young people are strong, China is strong. On the road to a sports power, young people contribute a steady stream of strength, and the health of young people is the focus of the whole people's attention.
Body posture is not only a manifestation of external beauty, but also closely linked to health. The childhood period is a critical period for body posture shaping.
However, statistics show that the physical health of Chinese adolescents has been declining for more than 20 consecutive years. Among them, 33% of adolescents have varying degrees of hidden health risks, and 80% of adolescents and children have bad posture problems.
However, why the body posture of adolescents has not attracted attention similar to common problems such as myopia and obesity?
How to shape adolescents' good posture?
The "Children and Adolescents' Physical Posture Test Indicators and Methods" completed by the Institute of Sports Science of the State General Administration of Sport is currently seeking public opinions from the public and will end on June 20.
Feng Qiang, deputy director of the National Fitness Research Center of the Research Institute of the State General Administration of Sports and the main drafter of "Children and Adolescents' Physical Posture Test Indicators and Methods", accepted an exclusive interview with Sino-Singapore Sports to make a professional interpretation.
China-Singapore Sports: The topic of young people's body posture is usually not paid much attention by the public, but it is very important. According to your research, what is the current status of the body posture of Chinese youth?
Feng Qiang:
We have been conducting research on adolescents' posture and spinal health since 2014, and found that this problem is relatively serious.
We found that the incidence of abnormal body posture is probably above 80%, which means that 80% of children have more or less 1-2 or more physical posture problems.
Sino-Singapore Sports: Why is the situation not optimistic, but it has not attracted widespread attention yet?
Feng Qiang:
Our analysis may have the following reasons: First, there are related problems with adolescents' posture and spine health, but it is not clear what the posture is and which key points need to be paid attention to.
In scientific research work or school daily monitoring work, there is not much help (and guidance) for the measurement of body posture, which also causes the society, teachers and children to not understand this.
Moreover, the measurement standards of body posture were not unified before, and different researches and literatures in different scientific research fields have different concerns, resulting in no unified understanding of posture measurement schemes.
In addition, testing methods are difficult to popularize in schools, and there are no professionals to popularize relevant knowledge for schools, health care departments, and sports departments. Although the problem is serious, it does not receive more widespread attention like obesity and myopia.
Data map: Yuying Middle School, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, first-year students in the playground for physical education.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Wei Liang
Sino-Singapore Sports: Under what background is the "Child and Adolescent Body Posture Test Indicators and Methods" promoted and formulated?
Feng Qiang:
With the development of modern society, children’s academic pressure is increasing, their physical activity levels are significantly reduced, and the popularity of electronic products has led to an increase in their screen time. The increase in this phenomenon will affect their health in adulthood. Come to a serious challenge.
Children are in a period of rapid growth and development, especially the second developmental stage before and after puberty. If we cannot control their body posture well during this period, it will be relatively difficult to correct posture problems in the future.
In addition, there is an unoptimistic development trend of body posture. If you can't intervene in a better intervention stage in time, and wait until the child enters work after adulthood, all problems may become more serious once they become prominent.
Through epidemiological research, we have found that all children who have had spinal problems during their adolescence will suffer from these diseases repeatedly throughout their adolescence. The probability of developing spinal diseases may be 4 in adulthood than children who have not experienced spinal-related diseases. ~6 times increase, which is one of the reasons why we should pay attention to the body posture in childhood and adolescence.
Advance the health work, prevent diseases through exercise, and improve children's health through physical exercise and lifestyle. This is one of the original intentions of our body posture testing industry standards.
Data map: Students at the Central Primary School in Shizimiao Town, Luanchuan County, Henan Province, have a physical education lesson on the new plastic playground.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Jia Tianyong
Sino-Singapore Sports: Starting from "Children and Adolescents' Physical Posture Test Indicators and Methods", what other plans are there next?
Feng Qiang: The
first step is to measure. Everyone has a unified standard and knows how to assess children's health problems. In particular, parents can also perform tests to make everyone aware of physical posture problems.
After the document is officially issued, we will cooperate with related science popularization. The simplified version of the course has been recorded before and will cooperate with the promotion.
In the future plan, consider whether we can work with the competent department of sports and the competent department of education to promote the integration of sports and education, and promote relevant practitioners such as schools (to participate).
For example, the training of physical education teachers will further guide more teachers, schools, and authorities to pay attention to children's physical posture issues.
In the next step, we may need to make the test more convenient, because the current test is relatively professional, and the teachers also need professional training to do a good job.
In the future, we want to try to use artificial intelligence or wearable devices to implant pre-testing solutions, so that in the future, we can simplify the evaluation process and benefit more children.
In addition, after the introduction of the standard, we will further improve the standard (formulation) of the normal value of (body posture).
We have accumulated sample survey data from 10 provinces, regions and cities in China in the early stage. After the measurement methods and indicator standards are introduced, the standard range of normal values must be further introduced, so that after the test, we can know whether the child is abnormal.
For example, parents all know that their children may hunch back, but to what extent is the hunch abnormal, we need to intervene.
Data map: In the youth spine health theme activity, the staff is explaining the children’s spine health knowledge.
Zhen Xiao
Zhongxin Sports: The 7 test standards in the "Child and Adolescent Body Posture Test Indicators and Methods" (neck extension, high and low shoulders, pelvic tilt, thoracic kyphosis, bilateral leg symmetry, human center of gravity deviation, scoliosis Forward bending experiment), has the problem of adolescent body posture covered? Will content be added in the future?
Feng Qiang:
After preliminary literature research, plus expert research and actual testing, we have now selected these indicators. Of course, it cannot be said that the 7 indicators cover all the physical postures, but they can basically identify the common features of children and adolescents. Abnormal problems are filtered to them.
There are also some indicators, such as the arch of the foot, which are not easy to measure from a practical point of view, so such indicators are removed.
We hope to better realize the leading role of standards in the application process.
The principle of screening indicators is: First, it has a very important impact on health.
Second, it is testable and has a certain degree of reliability and validity.
Based on expert opinions and preliminary work research, these 7 indicators are sufficient to satisfy the assessment of the physical posture of children and adolescents at this stage.
Of course, with the advancement of science and technology in the future, the research will continue to deepen, and the possibility of adding new indicators in the next few years is not ruled out.
Data map: Grade 3 students of Guoguohu No. 2 Middle School in Hubei Province.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Chang
Sino-Singapore Sports: Can strengthening physical fitness tests be equated with interventions in young people's posture?
Feng Qiang:
We have found that although everyone is very concerned about physical health, including physical fitness tests, physical fitness examinations entering the middle school entrance examination, and entering the college entrance examination, it has brought a certain positive promotion, but it has also caused the phenomenon of taking exams in the field of sports. What to test, what to learn, this actually has a certain negative effect on the healthy growth of the child.
For example, the current physique testing system basically focuses on large muscle groups such as standing long jump, pull-ups, and sit-ups, but the small muscle groups and deep muscle groups related to body posture maintenance and spine health are in It is not involved in the child's physical exercise.
During the test, we found that there are seven or eight-year-olds with the same lumbar spine as 50-year-olds, which was shocked.
In addition, some children can't maintain their posture even with the simple movement of raising their hands in front of them, so that the spine is in a good position. All the phenomena indicate that the school's educational environment needs to be improved.
Data map: students in class.
Photo by Shen Diancheng
Sino-Singapore Sports: How can the industry pay attention to and participate in the work of healthy young people's physical posture to the greatest extent?
Feng Qiang:
The intervention of body posture not only requires the sports department, but the effect of exercises alone is relatively limited, so we have done relevant publicity and promotion during the intervention process.
For example, adding corresponding content to the child’s health education class, giving the child’s parents a corresponding science knowledge explanation every semester, posting posters and distributing publicity brochures in the school, and then cooperating with sports intervention, teaching through physical education teachers, and overall intervention We found that the effect is still very satisfactory.
The home environment is also in great need of improvement. For example, studies have shown that parents’ exercise behavior will directly affect the physical state of their children.
Whether parents can understand what body posture is, and whether the maintenance of their posture can serve as a role model and demonstration effect for their children, the preliminary survey shows a relatively strong correlation.
This shows that the intervention of body posture is not only a matter for the children, but also requires our school leaders, physical education teachers, and health teachers. The entire health education process creates a good healthy atmosphere, which is very beneficial to the children.
This suggests that the whole society should adopt a comprehensive and three-dimensional intervention plan in the process of entering school or home intervention in the future. This is a set of better intervention paths that we have formed through exploration in the early stage.