The relationship between postural deformities of vertebral column and resting habits and equipment in Iranian middle-aged people

Introduction: Both sleep and rest are such important needs and habits of human beings that they are taken as guaranteed throughout their lives and are performed in different ways by different people. The aim of this research was to study the sleeping habits and sleeping instruments used for this purpose in middle-aged Iranians and also to examine the probable relationship between them. It also aimed to compare and to recognize the differences between middle-aged residents at different regions of Iran and, as whole, to clarify the relation among resting instruments, method of life, body condition and skeletal deformities.Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study in which statistical population was defined as total number of middle-aged men and women resident in Tehran, Yazd, Sistan and Balochestan, Lorestan and Kermanshah Provinces. By using available sampling method, 1719 people of this population completed a questionnaire designed for examining resting methods and vertebral column situation. The reliability of this assessment tool, which was calculated through Cronbach alpha, was 83%. About 10% of initial research population (134 people) who suffered from one of the skeletal deformities was selected voluntarily from different provinces for clinical examination. Flexible ruler has been utilized for measuring lordosis and kyphosis angles and Adams test for determining scoliosis. The data gathered from questionnaires were statistically analyzed by independent t-test and LSD in 95% (α = 0.05) significance level using SPSS software.Results: Study results showed that there was a significant difference between sleeping postures on prone, sideling and supine in both men and women across different provinces (P < 0.05). It also indicated that there was not a significant difference between using and not using mattress and pillow (P > 0.05). Regarding mattress, however, this difference was significant in different provinces (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Considering the relationship between skeletal deformities and resting methods, a statistically meaningful correlation has been observed between spreading lordosis and sleeping on stomach. Moreover, there was a meaningful relation between incidence lordosis and the material and texture of resting instruments (P < 0.05). It has not demonstrated any meaningful correlation among other study’s hypotheses.Keywords: Postural deformities, Life style, Middle-aged.