Differing Posture Measurements
Measurement precision is critical to the study of posture as an
objective physical marker. Many studies used radiographic analysis (the
gold standard Cobb angle) to measure the angle of kyphosis compared to
QOL.8,21,24,25,33 Inclinometers were employed in 2
studies in this review to evaluate posture after an exercise
intervention and found statistically significant improvement in kyphosis
over time.31,32 In one study using a cross-sectional
design, a statistically significant relationship between posture (based
on inclinometer measurements) and QOL was shown in 34 adult women with
osteoporosis (r=-0.48, p<0.005).22 The
inclinometer had reported adequate measurement precision with high
interrater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs]
ranging from 0.89 to 0.96).31,32,34