Document Type : Research Article (s)
Authors
- Akram Sadat Jafari Roodbandi 1
- Leila Hajizadeh 2
- Somayeh Daneshvar 3
- Mitra Asghari 2
- Vafa Feyzi 4
- Maryam Jalali 5
1 Ph.D. by Research Student, Research Center for Health Sciences, Institute of Health, Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
2 Occupational Health Department, Student Research Committee, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran
3 Occupational Health Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, IR Iran
4 Department of Occupational Health, Health Center of Saqqez, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, IR Iran
5 Department of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IR Iran
Abstract
Background: Heavy school bags increase students’ musculoskeletal disorders. According to instructions, weight of school bags should not exceed 10% of students’ body weight. This study aimed at investigating the ratio of school bags weight to students’ body weight and evaluating the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 723 students were selected from six elementary schools in Kerman. Such information as the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and demographic characteristics were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire.
Results: The highest prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was related to shoulders, neck, and waist. Indeed, weight of 50.1% of students’ bags was over 10% of their body weight. The results showed a significant relationship between the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and school bags’ weight to students’ weight ratio (P = 0.03). Additionally, such disorders were significantly more frequent among students of higher grades.
Conclusions: This study revealed a significant relationship between school bags’ weight and musculoskeletal disorders.
Keywords
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