Overloaded backpacks carried by children compromise their posture and may lead to future injuries of the spine, according to researchers who studied the effects of fatigue and load on posture of eight to nine year-old children carrying backpacks.
Although experts have previously suggested limiting backpack loads to 10 percent of a child's bodyweight, there is little published research that indicates what weights may compromise posture and gait in children. Because nearly 25 percent of young students carry packs weighing more than 20 percent of their bodyweight on a daily basis, and more than 6,000 children were seen in emergency rooms in 2001 for injuries related to carrying a backpack, researchers continue to investigate the effects of heavy packs on children
Children Carrying Heavy Backpacks Risk Poor Posture
