Influence of the Weight of a School Backpack on Spinal Curvature in the Sagittal Plane of Seven-Year-Old Children

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Abstract

The aim of the paper was to determine a correlation between the weight of a child's backpack, their body weight, and certain features of their body posture. Material and Methods. The study group consisted of 109 children, all aged seven years. The parameters of body posture were determined using the Zebris Ultrasonic System. Results. The number of children carrying a school backpack in accordance with recommendations was 44 subjects (40.37%). Statistically significant changes were found in the total length of the spine ( Z = 2.223, p = 0.026) and between backpack weight and changes in the following parameters: the total length of the spine ( r _s = −0.3999, p = 0.017), the length and the angle of the lumbar lordosis ( r _s = −0.3352, p = 0.049), the angle of the lumbar lordosis ( r _s = −0.5065, p = 0.002), and the sacral angle ( r _s = −0.4279, p = 0.010). Conclusions. Wearing a backpack heavier than 10% of one's body weight can cause shallowing of the lumbar lordosis and a tendency towards a vertical position of the sacrum. Monitoring the weight of children's school backpacks and enabling them to leave books and notebooks at school would probably be beneficial in reducing the daily burden put on children's spines.

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Most cited references 43

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Sagittal standing posture and its association with spinal pain: a school-based epidemiological study of 1196 Flemish adolescents before age at peak height velocity.

Guy Vanderstraeten, Mieke Dolphens, Greet Cardon … (2012)

Cross-sectional baseline data set on the sagittal standing posture of 1196 adolescents. To describe and quantify common variations in the sagittal standing alignment in boys and girls who are in the same phase of growth and to explore the association between habitual standing posture and measures for spinal pain. Data on postural characteristics and spinal pain measures in adolescence are sparse, especially when somatic and biological maturity status is to be considered. Our understanding of the relationship between standing posture in the sagittal plane and spinal pain is also deficient. A total of 639 boys (age [mean ± SD], 12.6 ± 0.54 yr) and 557 girls (10.6 ± 0.47 yr), with predicted years from peak height velocity (PHV) being 1.2 ± 0.71 and 1.2 ± 0.59 pre-PHV, respectively, were studied. Postural examination included the assessment of global alignment and local spinopelvic characteristics, using post hoc analyses of digital images and direct body measurements (palpation, digital inclinometry, and wheeled accelerometry). Spinal pain experience was assessed by questionnaire. A wide interindividual variation in sagittal posture characteristics was observed. Logistic regression analyses yielded global alignment parameters to be associated with low back pain (lifetime prevalence), neck pain (lifetime prevalence, 1-mo prevalence, and doctor visit), and thoracic spine pain (doctor visit) outcome measures. None of the included local spinopelvic parameters could be identified as an associated factor with measures of spinal pain. The orientation of gross body segments with respect to the gravity line seems superior to local spinopelvic features in terms of clinical importance, at least in the current pre-PHV cohort. Opportunities may exist for postural subgrouping strategies to begin with global alignment parameters in order to gain further insight into the relationship between sagittal alignment and the relative risk of developing spinal pain/seeking medical consultation for this pain.

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Gait and posture responses to backpack load during level walking in children.

Youlian Hong, Chi-Kin Cheung (2003)

Eleven primary school boys aged between 9 and 10 years old completed carrying backpack loads of 0, 10, 15, and 20% of their body weight while level walking using natural cadence. Stride and temporal parameters, trunk lean angles and trunk motion range were analyzed. The results showed that both the backpack load and walking distance exerted no significant influence on stride and temporal parameters. However, when compared with the 0, 10 and 15% load conditions, the 20% load induced a significant increase (P<0.05) in trunk inclination. If trunk inclination is taken as the criteria to determine permissible backpack loads for children, those loads should not exceed 15% body weight. In addition, walking distance should be considered when permissible loads are determined.

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Association of relative backpack weight with reported pain, pain sites, medical utilization, and lost school time in children and adolescents.

David Moore, Rosemary G. White, Blake Moore (2007)

There is debate about a 10% versus 15% of body weight cutoff point for safe weight of school backpacks. Estimation of the cutoff may be affected by use of survey methods and failure to assess pain experienced while wearing a backpack. Previous research also suggests that younger students and females are more at risk for developing backpack pain. Five hundred and thirty-one 5th- to 12th-grade Northern California students and their backpacks were weighed. Students were individually interviewed about how often they experienced pain while carrying a backpack, the site of their pain, and if the pain had interfered with school activities or led to medical care. Data support the use of a 10% of body weight cutoff for safe use of backpacks for all grade levels. Younger students and females are more at risk due to relatively lower body weight while females also carry heavier backpacks than males. Greater relative backpack weight is associated with upper- and mid-back pain reports but not neck or lower back pain; it is also associated with lost school time, lost school sports time, and greater chiropractic utilization. The 10% cutoff is recommended along with a variety of practical methods to help schools achieve that goal for middle and high school students.

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Biomed Res Int

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Biomed Res Int

Journal ID (publisher-id): BMRI

Title: BioMed Research International

Publisher: Hindawi Publishing Corporation

ISSN (Print): 2314-6133

ISSN (Electronic): 2314-6141

Publication date (Print): 2015

Publication date (Electronic): 27 August 2015

Volume: 2015

Electronic Location Identifier: 817913

Affiliations

¹Department of Medicine, Institute of Physiotherapy, University of Rzeszów, Warszawska 26A Street, 35-205 Rzeszów, Poland

²Physiotherapy Department, Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education, Marymoncka 34, 00-968 Warsaw, Poland

Author notes

*Katarzyna Walicka-Cupryś: kwcuprys@ 123456o2.pl

Academic Editor: Frédéric Noé

Article

DOI: 10.1155/2015/817913

PMC ID: 4564613

PubMed ID: 26413545

SO-VID: 60f9d299-d743-45fa-b13e-6105634473bb

License:

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

History

Date received : 24 April 2015

Date revision received : 22 July 2015

Date accepted : 18 August 2015

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