Prevalence of Back and Shoulder Pain vis-a-vis Weight of School Bag and other Lifestyle Factors - An Epidemiological Study

Dr Deepak Kumar; Dr Virinder Singh Gogia; Dr Javed Ahmad

Volume : VII, Issue : VII, July - 2018

Prevalence of Back and Shoulder Pain vis-a-vis Weight of School Bag and other Lifestyle Factors - An Epidemiological Study

Dr Deepak Kumar, Dr Virinder Singh Gogia, Dr Javed Ahmad

Abstract :

Introduction:School children are at a development age and it is important that they do not carry excessive loads. Carrying a schoolbag is a daily activity for most children. Some research effort has been conducted in order to identify a safe load limit for children to carry their schoolbags. Heavy school bags can change the body posture and the musculoskeletal system must react appropriately in order to compensate for this stress.

Subjects and Methods:This cross–sectional study was performed in an urban school of North India. Sevety five school children (56% boys) in the age group 11–17 years studying classes 8 through 10^th were surveyed and examined for demographic details and school bag type, weight, carrying habits, presence/absence of back, shoulder or other pains.

Results and Analysis:Most prevalent musculoskeletal discomfort was shoulder pain (17.3%). Only 24% children carried bags <10% of their body weight. 30.7% felt their schoolbag as heavy.

Bag weight as percentage of body weight has significant association with age group (p=0.004) and student�s feeling of bag weight (p<0.001), while there was no significant association with gender (p=0.058) and bag carrying style (p=0.215).

There was significant association between health effects (shoulder, back and other body part pain) with bag carrying style (p<0.001), bag weight as percentage of body weight (p<0.001), and students feeling of bag weight (p<0.001), and no significant association with gender (p=0.060) and school bag weight (p=0.068).

Conclusion:A combined effort from education boards, schools, teachers and parent is needed to reduce school children�s bag weight less than 10 percent of their body weight.