Hygiena 2012, 57(3):89-93
Heavy Schoolbags as Another Factor of Defective Posture
- 1 Krajská hygienická stanice Olomouckého kraje se sídlem v Olomouci
- 2 Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, Pedagogická fakulta, Katedra antropologie a zdravovědy, Olomouc
Effects of the weights of school bags carried by pupils from the first two classes of primary schools in the Olomouc region (502 schoolbags belonging to 263 girls and 239 boys) on the pupils' posture were examined. The weight of the schoolbags of pupils from the 2nd year class was found to be higher than of pupils in the first year. The greatest difference between minimum and maximum weights (8.9 kilograms) was detected in the schoolbags of 8 year old girls. Only 17.5% of children carried bags that were within the recommended 10% of the child's body weight. Thus, 82.5% of the children carry heavier bags and 18.3% of these pupils carry extremely heavy bags (over 20% of their body weight).We conclude that the excessive weight of school bags contributes to poor posture and backache amongst these children.
Keywords: children, poor posture, weight of schoolbags
Received: December 2011; Accepted: January 31, 2012; Published: September 1, 2012 Show citation
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