Background
Carrying heavy backpacks by school students at growth age can cause irreversible physical harms. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between backpack weight and the incidence of lordosis, kyphosis, scoliosis, and dropped shoulders in elementary school students.
Materials and Methods
This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2015 in Abadan, Iran, and 383 elementary school students were selected and enrolled using the cluster sampling method. Data was collected through the grid method and a demographic questionnaire. The weights of students’ backpacks were recorded, and it was determined whether they were standard or not. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 22, descriptive statistics, and the Chi-square test.
Results
Findings showed that 36.9% of public school students’ backpacks and 55.1% of private school students’ backpacks were non-standard with respect to weight. A significant relationship was also found between non-standard backpack weight and prevalence of dropped shoulders, kyphosis and lordosis (P<0.05) among students.
Conclusion
Findings showed that non-standard backpack weight increases the prevalence of dropped shoulders, kyphosis and lordosis in elementary school students that can endanger the physical health of the future society; therefore, parents, teachers and health workers must give needed training to students about carrying the bags and backpacks.