St. John's Occupational Therapist Cindy Sullivan helps 5th grader Andrew Obst understand the importance of backpack safety.
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School Backpack Weigh-In at Libby Middle School
September 28, 2007
WHEN IT COMES TO BACKPACKS…PACK IT LIGHT, WEAR IT RIGHT!
St. John’s Occupational Therapist Cindy Sullivan and a team of area occupational therapists joined forces with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) to weigh in on the issue of school backpacks and child health.
On September 20, 2007, Libby Middle School held a school backpack “weigh in” to encourage fifth grade students to “lighten up.” This effort is part of the National School Backpack Awareness Day held nationwide to educate children, parents, teachers, and communities about the serious health problems children may have from backpacks that are too heavy or worn improperly. Occupational therapy practitioners advise a backpack strategy of Pack it Light, Wear it Right.
“St. John’s has held this ‘Weigh In” event in past years, and we are consistently seeing more children with stooped shoulders, sore necks, and aching backs from carrying school backpacks; we can’t afford to put our children at risk for a lifetime of problems,” says St. John’s Occupational Therapist Cindy Sullivan. “We are joining AOTA’s commitment to move this public health issue forward today. Our children’s future well-being is in jeopardy.”
More than 40 million children in the United States carry school backpacks, and more than half of them may be carrying too much weight. Children carrying overloaded backpacks and improperly worn packs, according to U.S. and international studies, are likely to experience neck, shoulder, and back pain; adverse effects on posture and the developing spine; and compromised breathing and fatigue. The U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission estimates that more than 7,000 emergency room visits in 2001 resulted from injuries related to backpack and book bags – half of those occurred among children between the ages of five and 14, the ages of elementary and middle school students. The growing awareness of potential long-term problems to children has resulted in increased medical research and proposed legislation in at least two states to address the issues of backpack weight in relation to student health. AOTA is urging parents, students, and occupational therapy practitioners to reduce the risks from improper use of school backpacks. Strategies for loading and wearing backpacks:
> Backpacks should weigh no more than 15% of body weight (15-pound pack on a 100 pound child)
> Load heaviest items closest to the child’s back
> Wear both shoulder straps for an evenly balanced load
> Adjust shoulder and waist straps to distribute the burden more evenly along the child’s back; and
> Suggest that teachers consider the total weight of each day’s assigned class work – not only in content, but also in terms of textbook weight.
St. John's Lutheran Hospital Media Release
Related Link:
St. John’s Lutheran Hospital, www.sjlh.com
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