The school is about to start and as every year, it emerges the problem of excessive weight that children carry behind their backs.
While it is a matter that affects primary and secondary school children more, it is not uncommon to see preschoolers carrying gigantic backpacks. Prevention should start from when they are very young to avoid back ailments and injuries that can lead to problems in the future.
Under the campaign framework "Don't turn your back on your back", experts advise that children do not carry more than 10% of their own weight behind them. That is, a 6-year-old boy with an approximate weight of 20 kilos should not exceed a load of 2 kilos, which can be easily achieved if we calculate a couple of books and some useful items.
The most recommended are the backpacks with wheels or if they go to the back that do not load more than 10% of the child's weight and that are of a size appropriate to their age. If they are too large, those that reach the knees affect the lower back. The backpack should be five centimeters above the waist to have a good support.
The school should also put its grain of sand providing a space for children to leave the supplies at school and thus avoid carrying unnecessary weight. To do this, the duties to do at home should be the minimum.
A solution that is emerging and that I see very positive is to divide the heavy books into small fascicles much easier and lighter to carry and bring.
But along with all these measures, a fundamental recommendation that is often overlooked for protect the back of the weight of the backpacks It is the importance of the child doing physical activity from childhood, essential to have a healthy back.
