What is the maximum weight that children should carry in their backpacks and wheels to avoid injuries?

The issue of weight in backpacks and the possible damage that can be caused to the back, limbs and joints, is a topic that has been debated for several years. Normally, pediatricians recommend that the total weight of the backpack does not exceed 15% of the child's weight.

Now, thanks to a new study, it has been defined the maximum weight that children should carry in their backpacks to avoid injuries, both of those that go to the back, and those that are wheels, and which is the most recommended of both options.

Published in the magazine Applied Ergonomics and conducted by researchers from the University of Granada and the John Moores University of Liverpool, the study determined for the first time the maximum weight that children should carry when using a backpack with wheels, and verified the current recommendations about the weight of backpacks.

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According to their research, the maximum weight that children should carry in their backpacks, must be 10% of the total weight of each child. In the case of backpacks with wheels, the maximum weight they should carry, is 20% of the total weight of the child.

To reach these results, the study was conducted with the participation of 49 children of primary school age (approximately five to 11 years of age), to whom kinematic analyzes of the posture of his trunk and lower limbs were performed.

The differences they showed when walking freely and without weight were compared, when carrying a traditional backpack on the shoulders, and when dragging a backpack with wheels, which carried different amounts of weight: 10%, 15% and 20% of the weight of each participating child

Photo: University of Granada

For the analysis of these differences, a three-dimensional optical motion capture system was used, similar to those used in animated films and video games. In collaboration with researchers at the John Moore University in Liverpool, researchers from the University of Granada used statistical techniques to analyze complete kinematic curves, based on trajectories of trace points.

According to the results of the study, the greatest alterations observed when using the two types of backpacks, occur in the closest extremities, such as the hip and trunk, while in the more distant extremities, such as knees and shoulders, the difference is little.

When comparing the two types of backpacks, it was found that the backpacks with wheels were the ones that produced the least changes in the kinematics of the childrenTherefore, they are the ones that most closely resemble the movement of walking without weight, compared to backpacks, even when they have little weight.

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In conclusion, backpacks should not exceed 10% of the child's weight, and backpacks with wheels should not exceed 20%, and of both options, Backpacks with wheels are the best option, because they produce less alterations than backpacks.

Photos | iStock, University of Granada
Via | Healthline

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