Background: The issue of excessively heavy schoolbags remains a public health concern in Africa. This study aimed to determine the weight of schoolbags among students in the public and private ...sectors of Yaoundé city, Cameroon and identify factors associated with low back pain.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the first term of the 2020/2021 academic year in French-speaking private and public primary schools in Yaoundé city, Cameroon. The study involved 2000 pupils (8.41±2.11 years), with 1000 from the public sector and 1000 from the private sector. The variables analyzed included weight, height, and schoolbag weight. A questionnaire, developed specifically for this study and based on the Standardized Nordic Body Map Questionnaire, was used to collect socio-demographic information and assess potential musculoskeletal low back pain. A diagram was included to indicate the lower back area for reporting pain. The questionnaire was administered, and each student answered it, with assistance from the investigator if needed. Descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as multiple logistic regressions, were employed for data analysis.Results: The average weight of the children and their schoolbags was 28.51±8.04 kg and 4.04±1.72 kg, respectively. Nearly 45% of the pupils were carrying a schoolbag weighing more than 15% of their body weight, and 23% reported experiencing low back pain. Schoolbag weights ranging from 10-15% of body weight were associated with a threefold higher risk (OR=2.66; 95% CI=1.65 – 4.31; P<0.0001) of developing low back pain. Pupils in the public sector had a lower risk (OR=0.28; P<0.0001) of developing low back pain.Conclusion: Children in the private sector experience low back pain more frequently. Carrying heavy schoolbags is associated with low back pain among pupils.
Background: Excessive spinal load caused by a schoolbag has a major impact on the child's body posture. The National Sanitary Inspector recommends the limit of schoolbag weight as corresponding to ...10-15% of the student's weight. The aim of the study was to assess the spinal load of children aged 6-9 years, caused by schoolbags, and to check if it meets the requirements expressed as a percentage of the child's weight. The weight of the items in schoolbags was also established. In addition, parents' awareness about schoolbags and the child's use of additional storage spaces (lockers) were analyzed. Material and Methods: Overall, 332 children aged 6-9 years (172 girls, 160 boys) attending selected schools in a city located in the Silesian Voivodeship participated in the study. The study included determining schoolbag weight and presenting it in relation to the child's weight. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for 2 independent variables with non-normally distributed data (the Shapiro-Wilk test). The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare >2 independent trials. The level of statistical significance was set at p = 0.05. Results: An average schoolbag weighted 3.57 + or - 0.58 kg. Schoolbag weight did not exceed 15% of the student's weight in 75% of the students; however, the schoolbags of only 17% of the students weighed less than 10% of the student's weight. The heaviest schoolbags were found among first-grade students. The girls had significantly heavier schoolbags compared to the boys (p = 0.037). The students using school lockers had heavier schoolbags than those who left unnecessary items on common shelves in the classroom (p = 0.006). Conclusions: The issue of heavy schoolbags remains a challenge for public health decision-makers despite the regulation that requires to provide children with space to leave books at school. The current rules do not effectively prevent children from carrying too heavy schoolbags. It is advisable to take measures to set an absolutely mandatory standard with which schools and students will be required to comply. Med Pr. 2020;71(6):687-97 Key words: schoolbag, schoolbag weight, relative schoolbag weight, student, primary school, school locker Wstep: Nadmierne obciazenie kregoslupa tornistrem ma duzy wplyw na postawe ciala dziecka. Zgodnie z zaleceniem Glownego Inspektora Sanitarnego (GIS) stosunek masy tornistra do masy ciala (m.c.) dziecka nie powinien byc wiekszy niz 10-15% m.c. dziecka. Celem tej pracy byla ocena obciazenia dzieci w wieku 6-9 lat tornistrami i skontrolowanie, czy spelnialo ono zalecenie wyrazone jako procent masy ciala dziecka. Sprawdzano takze mase przyborow szkolnych w plecakach. Dodatkowo analizowano spostrzezenia rodzicow dotyczace tornistrow oraz wykorzystywania dodatkowych miejsc do przechowywania (szafek) przez dzieci. Material i metody: Badaniem objeto 332 dzieci w wieku od 6 do 9 lat (172 dziewczynki, 160 chlopcow) uczeszczajacych do wybranych szkol na terenie miasta w wojewodztwie slaskim. Wykonano pomiary masy tornistrow i odniesiono wyniki do masy ciala uczniow. W przypadku 2 prob niezaleznych o rozkladzie odbiegajacym od rozkladu normalnego (test Shapiro-Wilka) zastosowano test U Manna-Whitneya. Test Kruskala-Wallisa wykorzystano do porownania wielu prob niezaleznych. Za poziom istotnosci statystycznej przyjeto p = 0,05. Wyniki: Srednia masa tornistra wynosila 3,57 + or - 0,58 kg. Masa tornistra u 75% uczniow nie przekraczala 15% ich m.c.--zaledwie u 17% badanych byla nizsza niz 10% m.c. Najciezsze tornistry byly noszone przez uczniow klasy I. Dziewczynki mialy istotnie ciezsze tornistry w porownaniu z tornistrami chlopcow (p = 0,037). Dzieci korzystajace z osobistych szafek szkolnych nosily ciezsze tornistry niz uczniowie, ktorzy zostawiali zbedne przedmioty na polkach przeznaczonych dla calej klasy (p = 0,006). Wnioski: Ciezkie tornistry to nadal powazny problem i wyzwanie dla decydentow zdrowia publicznego pomimo uregulowania prawnego, ktore nakazuje szkolom udostepnienie dzieciom miejsca na pozostawianie ksiazek w szkole. Obowiazujace przepisy nie zapewniaja bezpieczenstwa dzieci w tym aspekcie. Wskazane jest podjecie krokow w celu wyznaczenia bezwzglednej normy, do ktorej szkoly i uczniowie beda zobowiazani sie dostosowac. Med. Pr. 2020;71(6):687-697 Slowa kluczowe: tornister, masa tornistrow, wzgledna masa tornistra, uczen, szkola podstawowa, szafka szkolna
Heavy schoolbags and their adverse musculoskeletal effects are a cause of great concern. Parents' awareness and knowledge about this are crucial to prevent such health problems. Thus, this study ...aimed to assess parents' perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes regarding children's schoolbags and related musculoskeletal health.
A cross-sectional study was conducted targeting parents with children of school age. In January 2015, a self-administered, validated questionnaire was distributed to all participants, consisting of questions about their awareness, knowledge, and attitude regarding the negative effects of carrying inappropriate schoolbags on children's musculoskeletal health.
A total of 616 parents (284 fathers and 332 mothers) completed the questionnaire (response rate of 100%). A total of 247 (87.3%) fathers and 301 (90.9%) mothers knew that carrying heavy schoolbags produces back problems. However, only 105 (36.9%) fathers and 107 (37.6%) mothers knew that incorrect schoolbag weight and inadequate way to carry it may impede the normal alignment and growth of the spine. Only 107 (37.6%) fathers and 96 (28.9%) mothers knew the ideal weight of the schoolbag, while 49.6% of fathers and 42.8% of mothers did not check their children's schoolbags for unnecessary contents.
Awareness of parents about the consequences of heavy schoolbags and correct use is still limited and suboptimal. Educational sessions for parents and awareness campaigns may help to reduce the prevalence of musculoskeletal health problems among children.
Schoolbag weight in schoolchildren is a recurrent and contentious issue within the educational and health sphere. Excessive schoolbag weight can lead to back pain in children, which increases the ...risk of chronic back pain in adulthood. There is limited research regarding this among the Maltese paediatric population. A cross-sectional study was undertaken across all schools in Malta among students aged 8–13 years (inclusive). Data were collected using a questionnaire detailing schoolbag characteristics, self-reported pain and demographic variables, such as age and gender. Structured interviews with participants were also carried out by physiotherapists. A total of 4005 participants were included in the study, with 20% of the total Malta schoolchildren population. Over 70% of the subjects had a schoolbag that exceeded the recommended 10% bag weight to body ratio. A total of 32% of the sample complained of back pain, with 74% of these defining it as low in intensity on the face pain scale–revised. The presence of back pain was statistically related to gender, body mass index (BMI), school and bag weight to body weight ratio. After adjusting for other factors, self-reported back pain in schoolchildren is independently linked to carrying heavy schoolbags. This link should be addressed to decrease the occurrence of back pain in this age group.
Schoolbags and the consequences of carrying them, particularly those associated with overload, are often studied as a health concern. Modifications in gait and posture were reported when children ...carried loads that corresponded to more than 10% of their body weight (BW). The aims of this study were to verify the load that is carried by Portuguese students and how it is influenced by factors such as school grade, school schedule, lunch site, physical education, sex and body mass index (BMI). Acquiring a more specific knowledge of the Portuguese context and understanding the influence of these factors may allow us to generate proposals to control them in ways that benefit students.
The load carried by students in the 5th grade (10.6 ± 0.4 years) and 9th grade (14.7 ± 0.6 years) were weighed with a luggage scale on all days of the week, resulting in 680 evaluations. Data related to the school day were also collected, such as the student's lunch site, how he or she got to school and his or her school schedule for that day. Individual height and weight were also assessed.
The 5th grade students carried greater loads than the 9th grade students, resulting in a substantial difference relative to their BW. The school loads of the 5th grade students were mostly greater than 10% of their BWs. Girls tended to carry heavier loads than boys, and overweight students also tended to carry heavier loads. Students who could eat lunch at home carried less weight, and on physical education days, the total load carried increased, but the backpacks of the 5th grade students were lighter.
The results of the current study describe excessive schoolbag weight among Portuguese students and expound on some of the factors that influence it, which can help researchers and professionals design a solution to decrease children's schoolbag loads.
The incorrect carriage of schoolbags and heavy bags may result in back pain (BP) in adolescents. Our objective was to assess the problem of BP and associated factors among adolescents. This was a ...cross-sectional study targeting intermediate and secondary school adolescents in Abha City, Saudi Arabia. An anonymous questionnaire for BP was used. Student body weight and the weight of their full schoolbag were measured. The study included 876 adolescents. An overall prevalence of BP of 39.4% (95% CI: 35.3-43.7) was found. Upper BP (UBP), middle BP (MBP), and lower BP (LBP) amounted to 14.5%, 13.4%, and 11.5%, respectively. Associated significant factors with MBP were carrying the bag on one side compared to on the back (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.20-3.73) and being at intermediate level compared to secondary (aOR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.04-2.40). On the other hand, gender and schoolbag weight/body weight percent were not found to be significantly associated with MBP. None of the studied factors were significantly associated with overall BP, UBP, or LBP. BP is a prevalent among adolescents in southwest Saudi Arabia. One-sided schoolbag carriage is a significant associated factor for middle back pain. Parents and teachers should encourage students to consider the correct way to carry schoolbag.
Context: Heavy schoolbags are reported worldwide including India. The prescribed safe upper limit was 10% of student bodyweight. Aims: This intervention study explored (a) impact of awareness ...measures among stakeholders and (b) any systemic constraints for reducing bag loads. Settings and Design: This is a two-stage intervention study following a 2016-2017 baseline study of schoolbag weights in two rural schools. Subjects and Methods: The study involved 175 students (male: 79 and female: 96) from 8th to 9th standards. The intervention consisted of sharing the baseline findings of schoolbag weight, guidelines, and necessary measures for the same. The first intervention involved creating awareness among teachers regarding the harmful effects and the second intervention involved students. Bag weights were recorded on digital luggage scale in prelunch sessions in the following weeks after the intervention. Statistical Analysis: The impact of interventions was tested with (a) Paired t-test for mean bag weights and (b) Chi-square test for the proportion of heavy schoolbags. Results: The mean baseline bag weight of 3.77 kg declined statistically significantly after successive interventions to 3.4 and 3.2 kg. The baseline proportion of 51% of heavy bags (>10% of body weight) declined to 38% and 29%. Despite interventions, 19% students in 8th carried heavier bags than the 3.4 kg cap set by Government guidelines. Subjects taught in 8th standard were above 6/day. Conclusions: Awareness programs for stakeholders only partially succeeded in reducing bag weights. Hence, reducing the daily subject load is necessary.
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