What’s the best bag for school children?
Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by drchris in Ask Dr. Chris
Undoubtedly the best bag for carrying weight is a snugly fitting back pack secured over both shoulders.
According to the back health charity BackCare, as many as 80 per cent of children carry too much weight in poorly designed bags and in the most harmful way – on one shoulder. It warned that excessive load-bearing for long periods on immature spines could put children at increased risk of future back problems in adulthood.
A survey carried out by the British Chiropractic Association (click here to see more) revealed that many kids just don’t use both straps, so the one strap healthy back bag could be the answer as it distributes weight far more evenly than even some two strapped bags.
It is quite probable that an even greater concern may be their general lack of exercise and increasingly poor diet. Keeping children’s spines moving with simple exercises as outlined in my videos – Spinal Hygiene
Or the ‘straighten up’ campaign by the BCA - Straighten Up Link
Whatever bag you choose, backpacks should weigh no more than 10 per cent of the child’s body weight.
