ABSTRACT
Background & Objectives: Today, backpacks are frequently used by children and adolescents. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different loads of backpack on static and dynamic postural control of female students aged 9-11 years.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 15 healthy students with mean age of 10.20±0.07 years, body weight of 38.56±5.86 kg, body mass index of 19.52±2.76 km/m2, and mean height of 1.39±0.08 m. Subjects were randomly selected and their static and dynamic postural control under three different backpack loads, including no weight, and 10% and 20% of body weight, were evaluated using single-leg stance and Y balance tests. Data analysis was performed in SPSS using one-way and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results: In this study, a significant difference was observed in all the participants regarding static balance under three different backpack loads (P˂0.001). In addition, the results were indicative of a significant difference in the overall balance of the left foot between the group with backpack loads of 10% of the body weight and the group with backpacks weighing 20% of the body weight (P<0.009). Moreover, a significant difference was observed in the condition of backpack carrying (P<0.004) and overall balance of the right foot (P<0.001) between the group with no backpacks and subjects carrying backpack loads of 20% of the body weight.
Conclusion: According to the results of this study, increased weight of backpacks was associated with decreased postural control in female students. It is suggested that effective training programs be implemented by the school health managers and parents regarding proper backpack loading and carrying.
Rights and permissions | |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |