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It Takes a Village to Carry a Backpack

Posted on: 11/30/1999
Are your kids on overload? Check their backpacks. There are laws in some countries preventing adults from carrying as much weight as children haul around in their backpacks every day. Backpacks could almost be considered an occupational hazard for children today.

Studies so far have proposed a maximum backpack weight of 10 to 15 percent of a child's body weight. The average load kids carry is more like 22 to 27 percent of their body weight. In Italy, the backpack load carried by kids exceeds the legal load-bearing limits set for adults. Italian researchers wanted to know if there's a real problem with the weight of kids' backpacks, and what can be done about it.

The researchers studied a group of 237 sixth graders (11 year olds) over an entire school year. They found some answers and uncovered more questions. Back pain in children was clearly linked to fatigue during backpack carrying. The weight of the backpack mattered less than how long children carried the pack. In fact, the amount of back pain over a lifetime was connected to the time spent carrying a backpack on the shoulders.

Certainly, the amount of weight children carry varies from day to day. This depends on classes taken, books needed, and assignments given for that day. Personal factors also seem to be important. Children's perceptions may add to the problem. For example, some children in this study seemed more sensitive to the same load. This was true for boys and girls and for students of different sizes. Perhaps difficulties in school translate to problems with backpacks.

A number of possible solutions to the problem have been suggested. Teachers can select books and plan the work for each day to limit the weight kids will have to carry. Parents can select backpacks that fit theirchild, spreading the weight across the shoulders and around the waist. Parents and children can review the contents of the backpack each day and keep out any unnecessary items. Teachers, parents, and children need to continue this process all year long.

The number of schoolchildren who report back pain or discomfort is high. This has been blamed on excessive weight carried in backpacks. If it takes a village to raise a child, then the same village must help with this problem. Teachers, parents, and children must work together to solve this situation.

References:
Stefano Negrini, MD, and Roberta Carabalone, DIPEng. Backpacks On! Schoolchildren's Perceptions of Load, Associations With Back Pain and Factors Determining the Load. In Spine. January 15, 2002. Vol. 27. No. 2. Pp. 187-195.

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