The investigation of the relationship between body awareness and balance and posture in healthy individuals with different physical activity levels

VATANSEVER, Ö.M. The investigation of the relationship between body awareness and balance and posture in healthy individuals with different physical activity levels. Hacettepe University Institute of Health Sciences, Master Thesis in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Program, Ankara, 2018. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between body awareness, balance and posture in healthy indivuduals with different physical activity levels. 64 healthy volunteers within the range of 18-65 years without any orthopaedic, neurological, mental, vestibular, sistemic illnesses and problems that hinder achieving the balance tests were included in the study. Individuals' body awareness was assessed by the Body Awareness Questionnaire (BAQ). Balance was measured by modified Romberg Test and Y Balance Test. Postural analysis was assessed with the form created by Corbin et al. Physical activity level was determined with International Physical Activitiy Questionnaire-short form (IPAQ). Individuals were classified as inactive (n=20), minimally active (n=24) and sufficiently active (n=20) in accordance with IPAQ. We found that body awareness of sufficiently active group was better than inactive group (p0.05).When we investigated the relationship between body awareness and balance in accordiance with groups, there was no relationship between BAQ and Modified Romberg Test and Y Balance Test scores (p0.05). It was found that there was a negative and significant relationship between BAQ and lateral posture, total posture and classification of posture in inactive group (p0.05). It was determined that while body awareness was increasing in inactive group, their posture were improving too. As a result of recently developing technology, increased postural disturbances are becoming more serious problems for physiotherapists due to reasons such as increased sedanter activity, poor working conditions and increased stress. We think that if physiotherapist and the population they are working with become consious about body awareness, the development of postural disturbances can ocurred and these postural disturbances can be prevented in healthy individuals. Key words: Body awareness, balance, posture, physical activity