The effect of an 8-week corrective exercise program on the body image of women with hyper kyphosis

Hyper kyphosis is a common postural issue that affects many women, often leading to negative body image.
The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of an 8-week corrective exercise program on the body image of women with hyper kyphosis.
The research method used in this study was quasi-experimental. The study population consisted of female students aged 18 to 26 years with hyper kyphosis at Shahid Rajaee University. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n=20) or the control group (n=20). Hyper kyphosis was measured using a flexible ruler, while body image was assessed using the Body-esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults. The questionnaire had a reliability coefficient of 0.83 as measured by Cronbach's alpha. After 8 weeks of corrective exercise, both the experimental and control groups completed the questionnaire again. The control group did not receive any training during this time. The data were analyzed using the mixed ANOVA method with SPSS-26 software at a significance level of 95%.
The results of the mixed ANOVA analysis showed that the main effect of the training group and the interaction between the group and test stages were significant in the post-test stage for the dependent variable of total body image (F=6.82, P=0.013), appearance (F=6.72, P=0.014), attitude (F=8.81, P=0.005), and kyphosis angle (F=18.91, P=0.000). However, there was no significant effect of training on weight satisfaction.
The results of this study indicate that eight weeks of corrective exercise significantly reduced the hyper kyphosis angle (P=0.01), resulting in an improvement in the subjects' posture and a decrease in deformity. This improvement in appearance led to an increase in satisfaction with their appearance, as demonstrated by improvements in their body image.