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Students use backpacks to transport their school work as much as 80-94% of the time. Parents are often concerned this may cause back injuries. But this is not clearly so. Some scientific studies find no association between back pain in school age children and their use of a backpack, while other studies do. One of the most commonly cited statistics on backpack injuries comes from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (US-CPSC), which reported that backpacks were associated with 12,688 injuries between 1999 and 2000. Many have assumed that the vast majority of these injuries occurred as result of wearing backpacks (and taking them off and putting them on). Another assumption is that students' backs are the most frequently injured body parts. Several researchers set out to study the nature of backpack injuries by taking a very close look at details of these 12,688 backpack-related injuries reported by the USCPSC. Most backpack-related injuries occur because children trip over their backpacks (28%)! Another common reason for a backpack injury is getting hit by one (13%). Most are hit accidentally, but backpacks have been used as weapons. Wearing a backpack accounts for 13% of injuries. Lifting a backpack accounts for 8%. Reaching for something in a backpack, accounts for 3% of injuries. Taking off a backpack accounts for 2% of injuries. The three most likely
body parts to be injured are the head (22%) and the hand (14%) and the
wrist (13%). Most head injuries are related to lacerations to scalp and
face. Most hand injuries result from reaching into the backpack and puncturing
one's hand on a pencil or jamming one's fingers. Foot and shoulder injuries
are tied for fourth and fifth most common body locations to Comment: This data studied emergency room cases. Other evidence points to complaints of ongoing back pain from backpacks to be relatively low as well, given the number of children using these packs. As such, teaching children about proper lifting and wearing of backpacks may not reduce many near-term injuries. Nevertheless teaching proper lifting techniques now can entrench "backsaving" habits for many years to come. -H.T. Contributed by:
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