News / International
Australia school kids risk severe spinal damage: Study
23 Jan 2012 at 22:06hrs | Views
Around 90 percent of schoolchildren in Australia are risking severe spinal damage because of incorrectly carrying their school bags, a study released on Monday by the Chiropractors' Association of Australia (CAA) found.
Australia's chiropractors are warning people about the danger of early bone degeneration and chronic disability if the trend continues.
"Putting too much stress on a child's back at such an important stage of growth and development will result in serious spinal problems immediately and later on in life," said Billy Chow from the CAA.
The study conducted by the CAA surveyed 346 students in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia.
It found ninety percent of them had bad posture when carrying their school bags.
About 80 percent were dragging around bags that were bulging and 75 percent weren't using their ergonomic features.
Chow said Australia's children continued overloading their backpacks with textbooks, sports and other gear, or were simply wearing them the wrong way.
Thirty-three percent of students wore their backpacks too low on their backs while 20 percent used only one shoulder, the study found.
Chow said the problems this caused ranged from reduced mobility, early degeneration of bones and joints, and pressure on a child's nervous system.
"These results are a major concern for the health of our schoolchildren," he said.
Chow said the CAA's study also found parents were unaware of the problems.
"Nearly all schoolchildren have bad posture while carrying backpacks (but) there is a lack of knowledge about how to identify what is bad posture, and therefore how to improve it," Chow said.
Australia's chiropractors are warning people about the danger of early bone degeneration and chronic disability if the trend continues.
"Putting too much stress on a child's back at such an important stage of growth and development will result in serious spinal problems immediately and later on in life," said Billy Chow from the CAA.
The study conducted by the CAA surveyed 346 students in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia.
It found ninety percent of them had bad posture when carrying their school bags.
About 80 percent were dragging around bags that were bulging and 75 percent weren't using their ergonomic features.
Chow said Australia's children continued overloading their backpacks with textbooks, sports and other gear, or were simply wearing them the wrong way.
Thirty-three percent of students wore their backpacks too low on their backs while 20 percent used only one shoulder, the study found.
Chow said the problems this caused ranged from reduced mobility, early degeneration of bones and joints, and pressure on a child's nervous system.
"These results are a major concern for the health of our schoolchildren," he said.
Chow said the CAA's study also found parents were unaware of the problems.
"Nearly all schoolchildren have bad posture while carrying backpacks (but) there is a lack of knowledge about how to identify what is bad posture, and therefore how to improve it," Chow said.
Source - Xinhau
