Effects of an Exercise Program Including Promotion of Self-Efficacy on the Physical and Psychological Functions of Middle School Students with Minimal Scoliosis

Purpose: This study was done to identify the effects of an exercise correction program for scoliosis on the physical and psychological functions of middle-school students with scoliosis. Method: The design of this study was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The students who participated in the study were 45 middle school students with scoliosis. Twenty-four students were assigned to the experimental group and 21 to the control group. The treatment given to the experimental group was a scoliosis correction exercise program. The scoliosis correction exercise program was given 3 times a week for a period of 12 weeks. Result: For Cobb`s angle, a significant decrease was observed in the experimental group. For flexibility, the sit-and-reach test showed a significant increase in the experimental group. For depression, self-esteem and body satisfaction, the difference between the two groups was not significant. Conclusion: Based on the above results, the effects of a spine correction exercise program produced a decrease in Cobb`s angle and an increase in the sit-and-reach test for flexibility. This program is not expensive and is convenient, and thus has been identified as a good nursing intervention for correcting scoliosis.