What Parents Don't Know About Backpacks

Most parents have no idea how much their child’s backpack weighs, nor what is in it…that is what a recent research study published in the 2003 Archives of Disease and Childhood reports.

Every year school age children make more than 13,000 backpack related office or emergency room visits in the United States, and in the past four years there have been more than twenty documented studies showing that improperly worn backpacks may cause long term damage to a growing spine. Yet, one wonders how many parents never take the time to check the weights or contents of these backpacks.

The study, which was done to assess parental knowledge of the weight and contents of their elementary schoolchild’s backpack, showed that most parents (96%) had never checked the child’s backpack weight; 34% had never checked the backpack contents.

“What this study helps to reconfirm is the need for comprehensive educational programs in the schools that will deliver the guidelines for proper backpack use to parents, students and school administrators,” says Dr. Marvin Arnsdorff, co-founder of Backpack Safety America. “Parents remain the best advocates for safety promotion and should represent the group most likely to help to significantly reduce the number of backpack related injuries – by checking backpack weights and contents,” Arnsdorff says.

April has been designated National Backpack Safety Awareness Month, a time when students and schools across North America can come together and focus needed attention on proper backpack safety habits.

"Students, parents and educators should understand the risks in the use of backpacks," said Dr. Arnsdorff from Mt. Pleasant, S.C., a leader in the backpack safety movement internationally. "We're committed to the health and safety of these children, so we help raise awareness through our work with schools."

Dr. Arnsdorff joins thousands of healthcare professionals and educators throughout North America and around the world in helping school-age children use their backpacks safely and properly. He recommends the following safety tips from Backpack Safety America:

• Choose right - Choosing the right size backpack is the first and most important step to safe backpack use. Bring a friend to help you measure your backpack properly. The proper size backpack is 75 percent of the length of a child's back, approximately the space between the shoulder blades and waist.



• Pack right - The maximum weight of the loaded backpack should not exceed 15 percent of your body weight. Pack only what you need for the day. Carry a book or two by hand to relieve the load if necessary. If the backpack forces the wearer to lean forward to carry, it's overloaded.



• Lift right - Use these steps for proper lifting to prevent injury:
  1. Face the pack.
  2. Bend at the knees.
  3. Using both hands, check the weight of the pack.
  4. Lift with your legs.
  5. Apply one shoulder strap at a time. Avoid slinging the pack onto your back.



• Wear it right - Use both shoulder straps at all times to avoid unnecessary pressure to one side of your body. Make the shoulder straps snug, but not too tight. When your backpack has a waist strap, use it to stabilize the load.



• Keep backpacks off the floors and clear of walkways. Prevent the possibility of someone tripping over your backpack.



• Do not swing your backpack. It could hurt you and it is dangerous to those around you.



• Do not put sharp or pointed objects in the backpack. Store pens and pencils in a safe spot.

For more information on backpack safety visit www.backpacksafe.com or contact Backpack Safety America at 1-800-672-4277.