Association Between Schoolbag Weight And Back Pain Among Primary Schoolchildren In Kajang, Selangor

@#These days, there is a growing concern that schoolchildren are carrying too heavy school back on their backs. The use of a back pack is the most important factor causing low back pain among students. Thus, a cross sectional study was conducted on 81 schoolchildren from two different types of primary school in Kajang, Selangor. The objective of this paper is to determine the association between schoolbag weight and back pain among primary schoolchildren in Kajang, Selangor. For the method, respondents’ body weight and their schoolbag weight were measured using the electronic body composition OMRON and KERN weighing scale respectively, while the height was measured using Body Meter Seca 208cm. Back pain in the past one week was assessed using questionnaire, adapted from previous studies. This studied involving 81 primary schoolchildren from two types of school which were government and private school. 74.1% of schoolchildren had the schoolbag weight more than 10% of their body weight. 32.1% of schoolchildren reported having back pain and 21.0% of them were female respondents. Back pain was detected in 24.7% government schoolchildren and 7.4% private schoolchildren. There was significant association between back pain and; relative weight (x2=9.720, p=0.002) and types of school (x2=4.949, p=0.026). As conclusion, schoolchildren that carry schoolbag heavier than that generally recommended which is not more than 10% of body weight will experienced the back pain

Factors Associated with Relative Schoolbag Weight and Musculoskeletal Symptoms Among Elementary School Children

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of schoolbags and the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among elementary school children and to identify factors associated with relative schoolbag weight and musculoskeletal symptoms. METHODS: A descriptive correlation study was conducted with 228 elementary school children in grades 4-6. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, chi2-test or Fisher's exact test, logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Mean relative schoolbag weight (RSW) was 6.40%. Among participants, 13.2% carried more than 10% of their RSW. Only 49.6% of participants organized the contents in their school backpack correctly. Musculoskeletal symptoms were reported by 42.5% of participants. Results from logistic regression analysis identified grade was a significant factor predicting RSW, and gender, RSW, and using a locker were significant factors predicting musculoskeletal symptoms among schoolchildren. CONCLUSION: Although RSW of school children in this study was within the currently recommended load limit, a considerable proportion of school children were not following guidelines for safe schoolbag use. An effective schoolbag safety campaign for parents, students, and teachers needs to be developed and evaluated to prevent possible musculoskeletal symptoms related to schoolbag use.

Schoolbag Weight, its Content, and Incidence of Back Pain in Different Medium Primary Schools in Kuala Lumpur

Introduction: Schoolbag weight across different types of school and schoolbag content has not been studied in Malaysia.This cross sectional survey determines the weight of schoolbags, its content and occurence of back pain among primary school children in different medium primary school in Kuala Lumpur.Methods: Students' body weight, and schoolbags weight were measured using a calibrated scale. Schoolbag content was examined, and weighed according to necessary learning materials or unnecessary materials. Back pain in the past one week was assessed using a self-administered questionnaire, adapted from previous studies. Results: A total of 358 students (167 male, 191 female) were enrolled, of which 119 were from National School (NS), 122 from Chinese Medium School (CMS) and 117from Tamil Medium School (TMS). The mean schoolbag weight was 4.55 ± 1.62kg for NS, 8.53 ± 1.94kg for CMS and 6.06 ± 2.09kg for TMS, which was 11.7%, 22.0% and 16.6% of body weight, respectively. The mean weight of unnecessary schoolbag content was 0.64(0.91)kg for NS, 2.18 (1.49) kg for CMS and 1.96(1.56) for TMS students. Back pain was detected in 87.0% NS students, 68.0% CMS students and 66.7% TMS students. Significant asociation was found between occurence of back pain and types of school (X²=16.64,p=0.00). Conclusions: Students from all the three mediums primary school, in particular Chinese medium school carry school bag heavier than that generally recommended, with unnecessary materials weigh up to 2kg. The occurence of back pain is high and this is associated with the types of school.