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Parental knowledge of their students’ backpack weight and contents was assessed by identifying many students who carried backpacks weighing at least 10% of their body weights through a survey of many students in elementary schools. Most parents of over 96% had never checked their child’s backpack weight; 34% had never checked the backpack contents.
Below Are Knowledge On Children’s Backpacks
Backpacks represent a common consumer product in our modern school system. However, their use may not always be without some adverse health effects. Every year school age children make more than 10,000 backpack related office or emergency room visits foreign countries. Carrying book bags on one shoulder significantly altered children’s posture and gait. While school children carry these heavy, one size fits all backpacks, it is uncertain that all the items would be needed on the days the backpacks are carried to school. Yet, one wonders how many parents ever take the time to check the weights or contents of these backpacks. We designed this study to assess parental knowledge of the weight and contents of their elementary school child’s backpack.
Subjects And Methods On Kids’ Backpacks
Subjects include students attending elementary schools who carry backpacks that weigh 10% or more of their body weights. The study was approved by our institutional review board. The weight and height of each child who returns a written parental consent, were determined along with their backpack weight, demographic data, and type of backpack. Students whose backpacks weighed 10% or more of their body weights were surveyed further to obtain additional information, including backpack contents. To assure quality, the survey instrument was protested, only calibrated weighing scales were used, some research staff were given intensive training on measurements, and the same person filled out the survey forms at each particular school to reduce interviewer variability.
Discussion On Children’s Backpacks
Most of the study show that majority of parents, whose children’s backpacks weigh 10% or more of their body weights, do not know the backpack weights or contents. Paradoxically, many of the published reports on backpack safety have focused on older children, adult use in the work place or for recreational hiking, and military personnel. Few reports have focused on young children. It is easy to underestimate the large supply demands required of children in our modern educational system. Carrying a day’s worth of books, supplies, gym clothes, and the myriad of items treasured by children for many hours is a difficult task.
