Backpack Weight and Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Secondary School Students, Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND: Increased complaints by school students about back and shoulder pain and discomfort have raised concerns among parents, education professionals, and orthopedists and these discomforts may be because of schoolbag carriage. The aim of this study was to investigate of relationship of musculoskeletal symptoms with weight of backpack in Tehran secondary school students. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed in the city of Tehran in 2009. Two hundred thirteen students participated in study. Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used, asking about complaints of back, neck, and/or shoulders. Length and weight of the children were determined. Schoolbags were weighed, and the relative weight of the schoolbag was calculated. RESULTS: Most prevalent musculoskeletal discomfort was in shoulders as 38.1%, neck 27.6% and back 16.7%. Average difference of weight of backpack in sample that had musculoskeletal with other samples was significant (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: Weight of the backpack appears to be strongly related to the occurrence of shoulder, neck, back, and extremities complaints in students. Although musculoskeletal discomforts are believed to be multifactorial in origin, the carriage and manipulating of heavy backpack is signally a suspected factor and may represent an overlooked daily physical stress for secondary students.