The purpose of the study was to describe the range of relative backpack weights of one group of elementary-aged children and the extent to which they exceeded recommended levels. A second purpose was to explore whether gender and age help predict the relative weight of children’s backpacks. Ninety-five 8- to 12-year-old elementary school students (56% girls; 88% car or bus riders) participated. Their school backpacks were weighed, and their age, gender, and mode of transportation to school were recorded. Only 40% of the sample carried backpacks that were less than 10% of their body weights. Five percent of the students’ backpacks exceeded 20% of their body weights. Neither age group nor gender significantly predicted relative backpack weight or relative weight levels. Recommendations are made for ways to reduce the weight these young children carry.
BauerD.FreivaldsA. (2009). Backpack load limit recommendation for middle school students based on physiological and psychophysical measurements. Work, 32, 339–350. doi:10.3233/WOR-2009-0832
7.
BrackleyH.StevensonJ.SelingerJ. (2009). Effect of backpack load placement on posture and spinal curvature in prepubescent children. Work, 32, 351–360. doi:10.3233/WOR-2009-0833
8.
California Department of Education. (2013). Textbook weight in California: Summary of the state board of education action. Retrieved fromhttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/txtbkwght.asp
9.
CheungC.ShumS.TangS.YauP.ChiuT. (2009). The correlation between craniovertebral angle, backpack weights, and disability due to neck pain in adolescents. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 22, 197–203. doi:10.3233/BMR-2009-0233
10.
ChowD.KwokM.Au-YangA.HolmesA.ChengJ.YaoF.WongM. (2005). The effect of backpack load on the gait of normal adolescent girls. Ergonomics, 48, 642–656. doi:10.1080/00140130500070921
11.
ChowD.LeungK.HolmesA. (2007). Changes in spinal curvature and proprioception of schoolboys carrying different weights of backpack. Ergonomics, 50, 2148–2156. doi:10.1080/00140130701459832
12.
ChowD.OuD.LaiA. (2010). Effects of load carriage on spinal motor control in schoolchildren. In LimC.GohJ. (Eds.), 6th World congress of biomechanics, international federation of medical and biological engineering proceedings (Vol. 31, pp. 60–63). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.
13.
ChowD.TingJ.PopeM.LaiA. (2009). Effects of backpack load on pulmonary capacities of normal schoolchildren during upright stance. International Journal of Ergonomics, 39, 703–707. doi:10.1016/j.ergon.2009.03.002
DaneshmandiH.Rahmani-NiaF.HosseiniS. (2008). Effect of carrying school backpacks on cardio-respiratory changes in adolescent students. Sport Sciences for Health, 4, 7–14. doi:10.1007/s11332-008-0060-8
16.
DianatI.JavadivalaZ.AllahverdipourH. (2011). School bag weight and the occurrence of shoulder, hand/wrist and low back symptoms among Iranian elementary schoolchildren. Health Promotion Perspectives, 1, 76–85.
17.
ForjuohS.SchuchmannJ.LaneB. (2004). Correlates of heavy backpack use by elementary school children. Public Health, 118, 532–535.
18.
GolrizS.WalkerB. (2011). Can load carriage system weight, design and placement affect pain and discomfort? A systematic review. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 24, 1–16. doi:10.3233/BMR20110275
19.
GolrizS.WalkerB. (2012). Backpacks. Several factors likely to influence design and usage: A systematic literature review. Work, 42, 519–531. doi:10.3233/WOR-2012-1383
20.
GoodgoldS.CorcoranM.GamacheD.GillisJ.GuerinJ.CoyleJ. (2002). Backpack use in children. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 14, 122–131.
21.
HaselgroveC.StrakerL.SmithA.O’SullivanP.PerryM.SloanN. (2008). Perceived school bag load, duration of carriage, and method of transport to school are associated with spinal pain in adolescents: an observational study. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy, 54, 193–200.
22.
HongY.LiJ.BrüggemannG. (2008). Influence of backpack weight on biomechanical and physiological responses of children during treadmill walking. In HongY.BartlettR. (Eds.), Handbook of biomechanics and human movement science (pp. 459–471). New York, NY: Routledge.
23.
HongY.LiJ.FongD. (2008). Effect of prolonged walking with backpack loads on trunk muscle activity and fatigue in children. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 18, 990–996. doi:10.1016/j.jelekin.2007.06.013
24.
HongY.LiJ.MaoD. (2004). Plantar pressure analysis during stair descent with various loads in children. In LamontagneM.RobertsonG.SveistrupH. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 22nd International Symposium on Biomechanics in Sports. Retrieved fromhttps://ojs.ub.uni-konstanz.de/cpa/issue/view/ISBS2004
25.
KellisE.EmmanouilidouM. (2010). The effects of age and gender on the weight and use of schoolbags. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 22, 17–25. doi:10.1097/PEP.0b013e3181cbf852
26.
KistnerF.FiebertI.RoachK. (2012). Effect of backpack load carriage on cervical posture in primary schoolchildren. Work, 41, 99–108. doi:10.3233/WOR-2012-1289
27.
KoleyS.KaurN. (2010). An association of backpack weight and postural habits in school going children of Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Anthropologist, 12, 107–111.
28.
KorovessisP.KoureasG.ZacharatosS.PapazisisZ. (2005). Backpacks, back pain, sagittal spinal curves and trunk alignment in adolescents. Spine, 30, 247–255.
29.
LimonS.ValinskyL.Ben-ShalomY. (2004). Children at risk: Risk factors for low back pain in the elementary school environment. Spine, 29, 697–702.
30.
MackieH.LeggS. (2008). Postural and subjective responses to realistic schoolbag carriage. Ergonomics, 51, 217–231. doi:10.1080/00140130701565588
MooreM.WhiteG.MooreD. (2007). Association of relative backpack weight with reported pain, pain sites, medical utilization, and lost school time in children and adolescents. Journal of School Health, 77, 232–239. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2007.00198.x
33.
National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, National Injury Information Clearinghouse, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. (2012). Product summary report, all products. Injury estimates for calendar year 2011. Retrieved fromhttps://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/NEISSQuery/PerformEstimates.aspx
34.
NegriniS.NegriniA. (2007). Postural effects of symmetrical and asymmetrical loads on the spines of schoolchildren. Scoliosis, 2, 8. doi:10.1186/1748-7161-2-8
35.
NeuschwanderT.CutroneM.MaciasB.CutroneS.MurthyG.ChambersH.HargensA. (2009). The effect of backpacks on the lumbar spine in children. Spine, 35, 83–88. doi:10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181b21a5d
36.
ParkJ.-I.KimJ.-S. (2011). Effects of spinal health educational programs for elementary school children. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 16, 121–129. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6155.2011.00278.x
37.
PauM.CoronaF.LebanB.PauM. (2011). Effects of backpack carriage on foot-ground relationship in children during upright stance. Gait & Posture, 33, 195–199. doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2010.10.096
38.
PauM.PauM. (2010). Postural sway modifications induced by backpack carriage in primary school children: A case study in Italy. Ergonomics, 53, 872–881. doi:10.1080/00140139.2010.489965
39.
RamprasadM.AliasJ.RaghuveerA. (2010). Effect of backpack weight on postural angles in preadolescent children. Indian Pediatrics, 47, 575–580.
40.
Rodriguez-OviedoP.Ruano-RavinaA.Perez-RiosM.GarciaF.Gomez-FernandezD.Fernandez-AlonsoA.…Turiso J. (2012). School children’s backpacks, back pain and back pathologies. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 97, 730–732. doi:10.1136/archdischild-2011-301253
41.
SkaggsD.EarlyS.D’AmbraP.ToloV.KayM. (2006). Back pain and backpacks in school children. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, 26, 358–363. doi:10.1097/01.bpo.0000217723.14631.6e
42.
TalbottN.BhattacharyaA.DavisK.ShuklaR.LevinL. (2009). School backpacks: It’s more than just a weight problem. Work, 34, 481–494. doi:10.3233/WOR-2009-0949
