Abstract
Background: The problem of heavy school bags is a global problem recognized in many countries in Europe and the world, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition to poor posture habits, "sedentary lifestyles" and insufficient physical activity, school bags is one of the main causes of low back pain and deformity in pupils. The recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) is that the weight of the school bag should not exceed 10% of the student's weight. However, in practice these limitations are far from reality with the obvious problems caused by too heavy bags. The aim of the paper is to identify and analyze the backbone load caused by the overweight school backpacks in real school work conditions and eliminate them by creating new solutions that are in line with ergonomic and biomechanical principles, as well as the recommendation given by WHO. Methods: The research included first grade primary school students at the age of seven, including their parents. The research began by interviewing parents with relevant questions, as well as measuring the students’ height and weight and the weight of their school backpacks. The analysis was performed in CATIA v5 software package (Dassault Systèmes, Vélizy-Villacoublay, France) using its advanced biomechanical modules. By knowing the anthropometric and work environment data with ergonomic design and analysis, the biomechanical analysis, rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) and carry analysis were performed. Results: The conducted survey showed that 84% of students walk from home to school nineteen minutes on average and that 77% of them carry their school backpacks independently. Based on the measurements, it has been shown that, on average, the weight of the school backpacks is well above the WHO recommendation. A study conducted on a representative sample of students confirmed the relation between fatigue and spinal pain caused by carrying a heavy school bag. Computer analysis showed excessive loads on the spinal segment of L4/L5 that were outside the normal range of 3,400 N. Conclusions: A simulated computer analysis using RULA and biomechanical analysis with calculations of maximum loads in the lumbar segment of students found that school backpacks carried by students were too heavy for their age and well beyond the normal limits and WHO recommendations. The analysis showed that it is necessary to reduce the weight of the bag by about 30%.
Highlights
The weight of the school backpacks is a problem that has been recognized in many countries which have proposed preventive measures and appropriate actions to ensure the normal development and health of the students
Today's students' lifestyles are characterized by reduced physical activity where they spend a lot of time sitting, which, given irregular and unbalanced diet, causes many developmental problems and spinal pain
A school backpack that is too heavy and unsuitable for schoolchildren can lead to spinal stress, lumbar spine, shoulder pain and create all kind of health problems that will affect the quality of life of today's schoolchildren in the future
Summary
The weight of the school backpacks is a problem that has been recognized in many countries which have proposed preventive measures and appropriate actions to ensure the normal development and health of the students. The World Health Organization recommends that this weight should not exceed 10% of the child's. A school backpack that is too heavy and unsuitable for schoolchildren can lead to spinal stress, lumbar spine, shoulder pain and create all kind of health problems that will affect the quality of life of today's schoolchildren in the future. The recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) is that the weight of the school bag should not exceed 10% of the student's weight. In practice these limitations are far from reality with the obvious problems caused by too heavy bags. The aim of the paper is to identify and analyze the backbone load caused by the overweight school backpacks in real school work conditions and eliminate them by creating new solutions that are in line with ergonomic and biomechanical principles, as well as the recommendation given by WHO
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