A photo-anthropometric study of students' head and neck posture during the use of anatomical models in practical anatomy classes

Aims: Anatomical models are widely used in practical anatomy classes for their ease of use and effectiveness in learning and teaching. This study aimed to assess head and neck posture via photo-anthropometry while students viewed anatomical models, and to compare it with neutral standing and sitting postures. Methods: This study included 120 young adults participants from the Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. Each student was photographed with a digital camera from anterior, posterior, and lateral views in neutral sitting, neutral standing, model usage sitting and model usage standing. This resulted in 12 photographs per participant. Measurements were taken using photo antropometric methods and the ImageJ software. These are sagittal head tilt angle, coronal head tilt angle, head position angle, neck tilt angle, and forward head shift when evaluating different postural conditions. . Results: The collected data were analyzed for correlations with variables such as gender, posture (sitting/standing), model usage (with/without), faculty and BMI. A moderate positive correlation was found between gender and forward head shift (0.319), and between faculty affiliation and neck tilt angle (0.303). This indicates posture differences based on gender and academic program. A strong negative correlation between faculty affiliation and head position angle (-0.394) suggests task-specific posture variation between faculties. BMI showed a strong positive correlation with forward head shift (0.374) and a negative correlation with head position angle (-0.279). This implies that higher BMI is related to higher forward head posture and lower head angles during model use. Conclusion: Students should be informed about common incorrect head and neck postures before anatomy training.