Affiliations: [a] Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran
| [b] Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| [c] Student Research Committee, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| [d] Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Health, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran
| [e] Health Sciences Research Center, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Alireza Jafari, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran. E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Students use a school bag to carry their school supplies which may not have the required standards and ergonomic factors. OBJECTIVE:This study was aimed to examine the ergonomic factors of schoolbags and their adaptation to the weight of elementary school students. METHODS:This cross-sectional study was carried out on 721 primary schoolchildren. To collecting data a checklist, which its final version was approved by the experts, was designed by researchers. Data were analyzed by using SPSS ver. 22 and Chi-square test, One-Way ANOVA, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS:In this study, about 90.1% of students used a backpack to carry their items and most students carried backpacks with a weight up to 10% of their body weight. In 43.5% of the students, waist width was appropriate with backpack width at the bottom, and in 96.6% shoulder width was appropriate with backpack width at the top. Multivariate logistic regression showed that girls in compared to boys were more likely tolerated ratio of backpack weight to body weight, and also had more likely proportion of waist width and the backpack width at the bottom. The grades of the first, second, and fourth used more heavy backpacks. Students who their mothers were employee compared to housewives, carried heavier backpacks and had more likely proportion of waist width and the backpack width at the bottom. As the mother’s age increased, the proportion of waist width and the backpack width at the bottom is diminished. CONCLUSION:The schoolbags weight of many students was more than the standard weight, and their schoolbags did not have the required standards. Educational interventions can increase the knowledge of students and parents about the ideal weight of a schoolbag and the criteria for choosing a proper school bag.
Keywords: Children health, backpack standards, elementary school, anthropometrics
