Now that the school year begins, it is important to underline the importance of carrying the correct weight in the school backpack. And it is that, in the long term, Carrying a lot of weight in the backpack can cause students to have a smaller size than they should, with 15% of the student’s total weight being the figure that should not be exceeded, according to Dr. Helena Bascuñana, vice president of the Spanish Society of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine (SERMEF). With these data on the table, it offers a series of recommendations to “promote healthy habits from the beginning of the course in order to maintain them until the end, because boys and girls usually carry backpacks that are much heavier than they should be and the problem often appears. Back pain”.
How to take care of students’ backs
The SERMEF expert, a scientific society that brings together rehabilitation doctors in Spain, comments that it is easy to take care of your back if you follow a series of recommendations when carrying or choosing a backpack: It should not exceed 15% of the total weight of the student. They need to be padded on the back, have wide handles and a belt to be fastened at the waist. The student must always wear both straps and not leave one hanging. “It is also very important that children and adolescents have the habit of planning what they need to take the next day to try to carry as little weight as possible,” says Bascuñana, who has revealed that “in general, for children’s backs, they are backpacks with straps with belts are more recommended than those with wheels: it is always better for the back to push than to pull. It’s like shopping carts. Backpacks with wheels mean that children end up lifting them with one hand and that the weight distribution is worse, with the risk of generating back pain, ”she emphasizes.
In the case of the decrease in height, the expert explains that “the Spaniards have improved in size because the diet has improved, but also because child labor has disappeared. Child labor influenced the children to carry a heavy load with consequences on their height, and now this situation can occur again with the weight of the backpacks, which in some cases is very high. In the long term, carrying a lot of weight in the backpack can cause the child or adolescent to have a smaller size than she should”.
Physical exercise
On the other hand, the doctor also points out the sedentary lifestyle of the students due, in part, to the screens. “Children are on screens all day and because of that, many boys and girls are becoming sedentary. Before this situation was anecdotal. One hour of screen time a day is enough because it is even harmful to the eyes, ”she points out. “The ideal frequency with which children should practice an extracurricular sports activity would be every day. That is, seven days a week, but at least the minimum must be three times a week. This would be valid for the entire population”, she stressed. Lastly, the vice-president of the Spanish Society for Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine (SERMEF) stated that “it must be taken into account that sometimes physical activity (for children and adolescents, 60 minutes of exercise a day is recommended) can be integrated into daily life. It’s not just doing extracurricular sports. One thing is to do structured sports a week, such as an extracurricular activity, and then there is the daily physical activity that must also be carried out”. “You have to promulgate the culture of moving. For example, if you can walk somewhere better than going by car. Or climbing stairs better than an elevator”, she concludes.