In Order To Maintain Good Posture, Know What Is The Maximum Weight Limit For A Child's School Bag

Illustration (Thirdman/Pexels)

JAKARTA - Holidays are over, it's time to go back to school. Books, stationery, food supplies, drinks, as well as a change of clothes, or sports shoes are ready to fill the children's school bags again. Seeing a child carrying a large bag, sometimes we feel anxious, but actually there is something to note about the bag, especially the weight.

Most scientists have agreed that backpacks used by school students should be limited to no more than 10 percent of the child's body weight. Then what about the wheeled trolley backpacks that children now often take to school? Is this a wiser choice?

In an article published in the journal Applied Ergonomics and later published in the Ergonomics section of the Journal Citation Reports, researchers from the University of Granada (Department of Physical Education and Sports and the Laboratory for the Analysis of Movement and HubemaLab) and Liverpool John Moores University to For the first time, the maximum limit for a backpack that uses wheels for a child is 20 percent of the child's body weight.

In 49 primary school children, researchers observed children's kinematics (waist-down posture) as they walked without weights, walked with a regular backpack, and walked while carrying a wheeled trolley backpack with varying loads (10 percent, 15 percent, and 15 percent). 20 percent of each child's body weight).

From the study it was found that kinematically, carrying (usually by pulling) a wheeled trolley backpack in children experienced fewer differences when compared to when a child carried a backpack, even though it was light in weight.

The burden of carrying a backpack that is too heavy for children will cause problems, including pain in the neck, back, and stiff shoulders. Children also get tired more easily. Over time this will also affect the child's posture. Because when carrying heavy loads, the body will tend to bend.

While it's still the beginning of the school year, try to weigh how much your child's bag weighs. If carrying a backpack is too heavy, a wheeled trolley backpack can be an option.