Low Back Pain in 15- to 16-Year-Old Children in Relation to School Furniture and Carrying of the School Bag.

 Birgit Skoffer

The objective of this study was to estimate the relationship between the occurrence of low back pain (LBP) and various types of school furniture and anthropometric dimensions in schoolchildren, and physical loading by school bag carrying.  546 aged 14 to 17 years answered a questionnaire about sitting positions during school hours and the presence and severity of LBP. Furthermore, the anthropometric dimensions and the weight of the school bags and the types and dimensions of the school furniture were described. The results showed that more than half of the adolescents experienced LBP during the preceding 3 months, and 24.2% reported reduced daily function or care seeking because of LBP. LBP occurrence was not associated with the types or dimensions of the school furniture or body dimensions, but was positively associated with carrying the school bag on 1 shoulder.

Spine, 2007, 32(24), E713-E717

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