Heavy school bags could show the way to backaches
and hunchbacks
Almost all the parents want that their children go
to the school in time with everything they need – like books, copies, lunch
box, water bottle etc. But with the
prescription of the long list of textbooks even to the Nursery students, it
looks that they have now been weighing their school bags as the combined weight
of everything they are having to carry to and from school is causing rapidly
increasing concern among back specialists.
With the availability of eBooks, interactive
assignments, and web-based learning, the senior students are relieved of heavy
college bags but the heavy for the school going children could lead to
backaches and hunchbacks.
As per the latest study by ASSOCHAM, around 68
percent of school children in India risk backaches, given a load of books in
their bags.
According to the survey, over 88 percent of
children in the age group of 7-13 years carry more than 45 percent of their
weight on their backs including art kit, skates, taekwondo equipment, a swim
bag, cricket kit every alternate day leading to serious spinal damage and
irreversible back problems.
While as per the Children’s School Bag Act 2006,
in any case, a schoolbag should not weigh more than 10 percent of a child’s
weight.
Another study shows that carrying anything that weighs
more than 15 percent of a child’s weight will be casing spinal damage whatever
bag you use.
In my later morning walk at the start of the
winter season, I could not resist from clicking the photograph with a heavy
load of backpacks on the back of the children who was feeling difficulty in
walking.
I was watching that tortoise-looking kid hunched
forward to counterbalance by moving up and down and one can well imagine the 12
years schooling impact of backpack-toting has on growing spines.
The trend of carrying the bag on should even among
the small school going children or on the crook of their elbow put a great
strain on their spine.
When talked to professionals, they said although
heavy bags do not have long-term problems or spine deformities they do cause
the head and shoulders to lean forward producing neck and should muscle pain
especially when the weight of the back is not evenly distributed across the
back.
While the bag should not be more than
three-quarters of the length of the child’s shoulder blades and waist, it
should fit properly on the back of the child. The bag must have side pockets to
distribute the weight evenly for things like water bottles, they added.
Frankly speaking, if children start getting back
pains at the school age, then there is the possibility of they will have it
lifelong which may affect the growth of the musculoskeletal system especially
if the children carry the bag on one shoulder.
The education authorities have to take it
seriously besides parents insisting that their children pack their bags only
with what they need for the next day and ensure that they are worn on both the
shoulders.
To shorten the weight of the bags, the teachers
can ask the students to keep the textbooks at home.
There is also a need to start the old system of
providing appropriate lockers in schools which law also stipulates that nursery
and kindergarten students should carry no schoolbag and school authorities too
should ensure to follow the guidelines on bags.
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