‘The evidence for an association between schoolbag weight and pain is limited’

GIVEN THE CHANGING PATTERN OF OBESITY, SCHOOLBAG WEIGHT BASED ON A CHILD’S BODY WEIGHT IS NOT APPROPRIATE

The seasonal debate has begun on the health effects of heavy schoolbags on children. However, according to Dr Sara Dockrell of Trinity College Dublin, there is limited evidence to show a link between schoolbag weight and back pain. The assistant professor of physiotherapy says “no association was found between the two” during her 20 years of research into ergonomics, and school bag carriage.

Dockrell says that while both lay and professional people often focus on the weight of schoolbags, this is not the only aspect that should be taken into consideration when examining the load children carry daily to school.

According to Dockrell, some countries have specified a legal schoolbag weight limit of 10pc of the child’s body weight.

However, she says that given the changing pattern of obesity in children, a “guideline schoolbag weight that is based on the child’s body weight is not appropriate”. Neither does she recommend wheelie bags which can be difficult to use on uneven ground or while going up or down stairs.

Dockrell suggests that, rather than focusing on the negative aspects of schoolbag weight, parents should focus on the ergonomics of the schoolbag they choose, how it’s worn and on the benefits of the exercise that children get when walking to school carrying their schoolbags.

Dr Sara Dockrell is Assistant Professor in the Discipline of Physiotherapy at the School of Medicine, Trinity College