Author Details

School children are adolescents who experience a period of accelerated growth and development of skeletal and soft tissue. The spinal structures of the child are markedly different from those of adults. As growth of the spinal structures extends over a longer period of time than the other skeletal tissues, incongruities in rate of tissue development can pose a threat to postural integrity. The present study was conducted to assess musculoskeletal problems faced by children due to carrying of school bag by using ergonomic tool i.e. Standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. The suggestions of the parents were also taken in this regard. The study was conducted on a sample of 120 school children from middle class (i.e. from vi to viii) and their mothers. Respondents were randomly selected from five government and five private schools of Ludhiana city form the age group of 11-14 years. A pre structured interview schedule was used to collect the data along with Standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Results showed that neck, shoulder and upper/lower back had significantly more problems than other body parts. It was further observed that maximum number of parents wanted that school authority should make judicious time table and lockers should be provided to avoid unnecessary loading of school bags. Moreover, need to conduct lectures on maintenance of good posture among school children was also felt by parents.

Keywords

Ergonomic Tool, Musculoskeletal Problem, School Bags.

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References

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Assessment of Various Contributing Factors for Back Pain in Children while Carrying School Bags

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Authors

K. Pant ¹, H. Kaur ¹, M. Sidhu ¹

Affiliations
1 College of Home Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (Punjab), IN

Source

Asian Journal of Home Science, Vol 11, No 1 (2016), Pagination: 151-156

Abstract

It is common today to see school children buckling from weight of their school bags, many children bear the burden of carrying school bags that are to heavy for their body frames, that might end up facing a number of health problems. The objectives were to assess the school bag weight and body weight to get the MASW(maximum acceptable school bag weight) and to investigate contributing factors of back pain felt by children carrying school bags. The study was conducted on a sample of 120 school children from middle class (i.e. from vi to viii) and on their mothers. Respondents were randomly selected from five government and five private schools of Ludhiana city form the age group of 11-14 years. A pre structured interview schedule was used to get the data to achieve the objectives. Results show that only 54 respondents were following the standard value of MASW, which is >15 per cent of the body weight. Average total time was 46 min to carry school bag and standard deviation was 9.40. It was observed that half of the respondents carrying school bags with one or both strap in one shoulder. Total distance covered by the respondents from home to school and vice versa was 218 meter in 46 minutes.

Keywords

Back Pain, BMI, Height, Body Weight.

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References

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