The Influence of Load Imposed by the Backpack School in Children and Teens in Brazil

Identification of factors related to behaviors associated with musculoskeletal pain among elementary students

BACKGROUND

Musculoskeletal pains are among evident health problems in children and adolescents. Backpack carrying behaviors and the sitting postures are among behavioral factors associated with musculoskeletal pain in schoolchildren. Therefore, this study aims to identify the factors related to these important musculoskeletal behaviors, using Health Promotion Models.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was created based on PRECEDE Model and Health Belief Model and was administered to 673 Iranian students, whom were selected randomly from elementary schools of Hamadan, Iran, in 2018.

RESULTS

The findings of the study revealed that proper sitting postures and backpack carrying were 42 and 33%, respectively. The findings also showed that predisposing factors including perceived susceptibility (p < 0.05, β = 0.219), perceived severity (p < 0.05, β = 0.166), perceived barriers (p < 0.05, β = - 0.191), perceived self-efficacy (p < 0.05, β = 0.188) and also enabling factors (p < 0.05, β = 0.329) were significantly related to sitting behaviors. Moreover, backpack carrying behaviors had significant relationships with predisposing factors of perceived susceptibility (p < 0.05, β = 0.198), perceived barriers (p < 0.05, β = - 0.258), perceived self-efficacy (p < 0.05, β = 0.185) and reinforcing factors (p < 0.05, β = 0.208).

CONCLUSIONS

It seems necessary for future preventive programs to take factors of musculoskeletal pains among children and adolescents into account.

Ergonomic factors of school bags and their adaptation to the weight of students

BACKGROUND

Students use a school bag to carry their school supplies which may not have the required standards and ergonomic factors.

OBJECTIVE

This study was aimed to examine the ergonomic factors of schoolbags and their adaptation to the weight of elementary school students.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was carried out on 721 primary schoolchildren. To collecting data a checklist, which its final version was approved by the experts, was designed by researchers. Data were analyzed by using SPSS ver. 22 and Chi-square test, One-Way ANOVA, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.

RESULTS

In this study, about 90.1% of students used a backpack to carry their items and most students carried backpacks with a weight up to 10% of their body weight. In 43.5% of the students, waist width was appropriate with backpack width at the bottom, and in 96.6% shoulder width was appropriate with backpack width at the top. Multivariate logistic regression showed that girls in compared to boys were more likely tolerated ratio of backpack weight to body weight, and also had more likely proportion of waist width and the backpack width at the bottom. The grades of the first, second, and fourth used more heavy backpacks. Students who their mothers were employee compared to housewives, carried heavier backpacks and had more likely proportion of waist width and the backpack width at the bottom. As the mother's age increased, the proportion of waist width and the backpack width at the bottom is diminished.

CONCLUSION

The schoolbags weight of many students was more than the standard weight, and their schoolbags did not have the required standards. Educational interventions can increase the knowledge of students and parents about the ideal weight of a schoolbag and the criteria for choosing a proper school bag.