Association of Musculoskeletal Disorders with Backpack carrying among school aged adolescents

*Corresponding Author: Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Tel:+98(21) 82884506; Fax +98(21)82884555; P.O. Box:14115-331; Email: kanani.safieh@yahoocom Introduction Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are injuries in the musculoskeletal system that affects the human body’s movement and many different parts of the body including shoulders, arms, legs, feet, hands, neck, chest, and upper / lower back [1-3]. MSDs as one of important health problems are the most prevalent and costly disorders and have caused a lot of people visit physicians recently [2, 4, 5]. Although MSDs are multifactorial and its complaints are a common issue among school-aged adolescents [1, 2, 6], but factors associated with the incidence of these disorders in these people can be divided into three groups; a heavy schoolbag, ergonomically unsuitable furniture, and incorrect sitting posture [7]. School bags and backpacks as one of these factors are the most popular means of carrying books and supplies among students today [1]. When students are using school bags, the neck and trunk moves in forward position placing abnormal forces on the body, for this reason, adolescents aged 12–18 years undergo rapid an application of external forces by school bags may suffer from musculoskeletal injuries [1]. In addition, backpacks can also strain muscles and joints and may cause musculoskeletal pains including low back pain, shoulder pain, and neck pain if they are too heavy or are used incorrectly [6, 8]. Therefore, when the musculoskeletal system may be more susceptible to injury, proper backpack and school bag use are crucial to preventing Aims: Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) as one of the important multifactorial health problems among school going adolescents that might be due to back pack carrying. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between backpack standards with MSDs among students. Method and Instrument: This was a cross-sectional designed study. The non-probability sample consisted of 159 students from four secondary and high schools in Pars Abad city, Iran, in 2019. A combination of two Nordic and Cornell questionnaires were used to collect data. The data were about demographic charisteristics and experiencing pain or discomfort in musculoskeletal system that were obtained via the self-report. Data analyzed by Chi-Square and Logistic Regression test using SPSS-22 software. Findings: In total, 159 students with mean age of took part in the study. A significant difference was found between the neck, shoulder, upper back, lower back, forearm, and thigh pains with backpack carrying standards such as “way of carrying backpack”, “how to put the light and heavy stationery in the backpack”, and “backpack height “. the inappropriate carrying of backpack and improper placement of stationery in the backpack could cause shoulder and thigh pains was more than other MSDs respectively Conclusion: This study indicates that there was a relationship between all of reviewed standards for using backpack with MSDs among school going adolescents. Thus, it is suggested to focus on increasing knowledge of adolescents and their parents to use the proper backpack.