Schoolbag carriage represents a considerable daily occupational load for children (Negrini et al., 1999). Whittfield et al., (2001) and Puckree et al., (2004) have reported that the carriage of heavy ...schoolbags is a suspected aetiological factor of the daily physical stress of school pupils. Methods: One hundred and eighty-seven pupils voluntarily participated in a controlled, descriptive, epidemiological retrospective study. Subjects’ biographical, epidemiological, exercise history and lifestyle information was gathered by a self-report questionnaire (adapted from Puckree et al., 2004). Subjects’ body mass, stature and mass of their schoolbags were measured using a Detecto stadiometer scale. Digital images, electromyographical muscular activity and a posture profile assessments were captured in the frontal and sagittal planes whilst the pupils were in the loaded (carrying a schoolbag) and the unloaded phases (not carrying schoolbags). These images were analyzed using biomechanical software, Dartfish. The study being retrospective in nature recorded the prevalence of schoolbag carriage musculoskeletal pain over the last 12 months. Descriptive statistical tests such as mean, mode, frequency, percentages and inferential chi-square statistical test (set at a probability of 0.05) were employed to analyze the data. Results: The result indicated that 78.99% of the cohort experience musculoskeletal pain due to schoolbag carriage (p<0.0001). The most prevalent anatomical sites of pain were the shoulders (37.04%), neck (20.37%), lumbar (11.73%) and thorax (10.49%) (p<0.0001). The mean mass of the schoolbag carried by the cohort was 5.45kg which was approximately 11.5% of their body mass. The predisposing factors of the musculoskeletal pain were the methods employed to carry the schoolbag (single strap (20.21%) versus double straps (76.6%), altered posture due to excessive schoolbag mass together with a reduced craniovertebral angle (p<0.05).
Discussion & Conclusion: The excessive schoolbag mass carried by the pupils placed strain on the immature vertebral column of these pupils thus causing postural deviations which induced musculoskeletal pain and discomfort.
Thesis (M.Sport Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.
Background: Field hockey is a team sport in which the competing teams attempt to score into the opposing team’s goal. In the attempt to score goals, players’ sprint (with possession of the ball) ...making sudden change in the direction of movement around their opponents which increases the risk of musculoskeletal injury and pain. Aim:This study documented the prevalence of hockey related musculoskeletal pain among the South African female senior national hockey team (n=30). Methods: Subjects completed a self-report questionnaire, which gathered their biographical, epidemiological and exercise history over the last 12 months. The following descriptive statistics (mode, mean, frequency, percentages) and inferential statistics (chi-square set at a probability of 0.05) were employed to analyse the data. Results:Twenty-eight (93.33%) of the cohort sustained musculoskeletal pain within the last 12 months (p< 0.001). The most prevalent anatomical sites that sustained hockey related musculoskeletal pain were; ankles (24.14%), lower back and hip (22.41%), lower leg (13.79%), knees (12.07%) and thighs (10.34%) (p< 0.01). The predisposing mechanisms of producing these hockey related musculoskeletal pain were rapid, rotational movement (43.75%), collision with players (18.75%), and being struck with the ball (12.5%) (p<0.01). Conclusion: The South African senior female hockey team experienced a high prevalence of hockey related ankle and lower back and hip musculoskeletal pain.
It is often challenging for youth with disabilities to access university education in Africa, and for those who manage to make it to university, while there, their experiences are still not ...barrier-free. The purpose of this study was to uncover the experiences of the barriers and facilitators to inclusion for youth with disabilities in universities in South Africa, Ghana and Ethiopia. This qualitative project applied a critical, participatory research approach to exploring youth experiences. Youth with disabilities and their colleagues conducted seven focus group discussions, with an average of five students in each focus group, and we used a qualitative descriptive method to analyze data. The findings uncovered similarities and differences in the barriers and facilitators to inclusive education among students with disabilities across all sites. Participants noted limited financial support and university services, and how inaccessible spaces and harmful attitudes are all barriers that hinder their access to education and inclusion. The identified facilitators include support systems and self-directed facilitation. Although the students self-advocated and reported some support to assist in their inclusion in university, it was still insufficient. Notably, some universities are making a concerted effort toward inclusion and accessibility, but more work needs to be done.
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