College Students' Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding body posture: A cross-sectional survey--Taking a university in Wuhu City as an example

As body posture problems become more severe and tend to be younger, college students pay less attention to the effects of poor body posture. This study is an analysis of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to body posture among college and university students. A random sample of 1012 college students aged 18-21 years old from Anhui Polytechnic University was randomly selected to distribute and collect the questionnaires by online questionnaire in April 2023. Descriptive statistics were also used to analyze the response rates of college students on the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) theory of body posture. The results of the study showed that the majority of subjects demonstrated good knowledge and attitudes towards healthy body posture; Most of the sample, 66.8% were clear about the definition of body posture, and 71.9% needed a body posture assessment to understand their body posture problems, but only 27% would develop an exercise program to improve poor body posture. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that Students with higher knowledge and attitudes have good motor behavior in correcting poor body posture. In addition, our study found that among college students in the age range of 18-21 years, the younger the age, the better their behavior in improving poor body posture through exercise. The results of this study demonstrate the importance of knowledge about healthy body posture and aim to promote knowledge education programs about healthy body posture among college students and to reduce the risks associated with poor body posture.