Heavy Backpacks Can Cause Long-Term Health Problems
When Worn Incorrectly
Editor’s Note: Millions of grandchildren live full time with their grandparents and tens of millions more have a grandparent who takes them to and from school. This safety tip can help prevent injury or long term health problems.
Think the books and school supplies that your grandchild is carrying in a backpack slung haphazardly across one shoulder are harmless? Think again. Heavy loads carried by more than 79 million students across the U.S. can cause low back pain that often lasts through adulthood. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2010 nearly 28,000 strains, sprains, dislocations, and fractures from backpacks were treated in hospital emergency rooms, physicians’ offices, and clinics.
“A child wearing a backpack incorrectly or that is too heavy can be contributing risk factors for discomfort, fatigue, muscle soreness, and musculoskeletal pain especially in the lower back,” says Karen Jacobs, EdD, OTR/L, CPE, clinical professor of occupational therapy at Boston University, and an expert on school ergonomics and healthy growth and development of school-age children.
Luckily, preventing discomfort and pain is simple. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) offers the following tips for keeping grand kids safe while toting books to and from school:
- Always select a backpack that is the correct size for your child.
- Make sure the height of the backpack extends from approximately 2 inches below the shoulder blades to waist level, or slightly above the waist.
- Always wear well-padded shoulder straps on both shoulders so the weight is evenly balanced.
- Distribute weight evenly. Load heaviest items closest to the child’s back and balance materials so the child can easily stand up straight.
- Wear the hip belt if the backpack has one, to improve balance and take some strain off sensitive neck and shoulder muscles.
- Check that the child’s backpack weighs no more than 10% of his or her body weight. If it weighs more, determine what supplies can stay at home or at school each day to lessen the load.
- If the backpack is still too heavy for the child, consider a book bag on wheels.
Thousands of students, educators, parents, and health professionals will mark National School Backpack Awareness Day on Sept. 19 with backpack weigh-ins, backpack check-ups, activities, and special events.
To learn more about National School Backpack Awareness Day, visit www.aota.org/backpack.
