Introduction and aim:
Parents should play a special role in the prevention of motor organ disorders and the body statics of their offspring, primarily by providing them with appropriate conditions for daily life functionig. The objective of the study was assessment of the knowledge of primary schoolchildren’s mothers about postural defects and recognition of the scope of prophylactic measures undertaken to prevent them, according to their place of residence.

Material and Methods:
The diagnostic survey covered mothers of children attending classes I-III of randomly selected primary schools in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship. The age of the respondents ranged from 20–45 years. Results of 300 questionnaires were analyzed using a non-parametric Chi-square (χ2) test of independence.

Results:
The majority of the respondents, regardless of their place of residence, showed knowledge of the basic issues concerning the body posture. Mothers in the urban environment significantly more often acquired this knowledge from a physician (p<0.001) and physiotherapist (p=0.001). Rural inhabitants less often subjected the child to systematic specialized posture control (p=0.007). Only 20% of urban mothers and 22% of rural mothers attended at least one training session/talk for parents about the prevention of postural defects.

Conclusions:
There is a need for encouraging mothers of primary school children, irrespective of their place of residence to participate in lectures which allow to expand their knowledge about prevention of motor organ and body statics disorders, and to increase an access to specialized medical services for rural inhabitants.