A study of school bag weight and back pain among intermediate female students in Dammam City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: The most common cause of low back pain in children is muscle sprain and strain which can occur from carrying a heavy backpack or from activities. This study aimed to assess the relationship between school bag weight and back pain among female students in Dammam city.

Methods: A total of 300 female students were included in this study both from east and west sectors of Dammam city, Saudi Arabia. Tools: Data were collected using (1) A structured questionnaire sheet including, socio-demographic data of the students, and close-ended questions about the school-bags as methods of carrying, (2) A weight scale that measured student’s body weight and weight of the school bags, (3) A self-report (Numeric pain rating scale) that assessed pain intensity. Univariate and Multivariate Statistical analysis was performed to test the relationship between the study variables.

Results: A total of 288 school children (96.2% out of 300) were carrying bags of weight more than 15% of their body weight. Shoulder and neck pain were reported by 40% of the female students. Statistically there is a significant relationship was found between school bags weight and severity of shoulder pain (p = .042).

Conclusion and recommendation: The weights of schoolbags of Dammam city intermediate female students were higher than the internationally acceptable standards. Ministry of Education should set standards to prevent and mange problems of carrying heavy school bags in the intermediate school.