Back pain or discomfort in children and adolescents can be prevented by educating children on back care, such as good posture in sitting, standing, bending and lifting during daily activities and proper use of backpacks.
State and Church schools are taking part in a Primary Healthcare Department initiative to promote back care among Year 5 pupils. The initiative is being led by physiotherapist Jacqueline Sciberras, who recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Health Improvement and Health Promotion from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.
Her dissertation, entitled ‘The effectiveness of back care education in school children and adolescents’, concluded that back care education is effective in increasing knowledge and initiating behaviour change.
The research was funded by the Malta Government Scholarship Scheme (MGSS).