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Spiteri K, Busuttil ML, Aquilina S, et al. Schoolbags and back pain in children between 8 and 13 years: a national study. Br J Pain. 2017;11(2):81-86doi: 10.1177/2049463717695144.
Spiteri, K., Busuttil, M. L., Aquilina, S., Gauci, D., Camilleri, E., & Grech, V. (2017). Schoolbags and back pain in children between 8 and 13 years: a national study. British journal of pain, 11(2), 81-86. https://doi.org/10.1177/2049463717695144
Spiteri, Karl, et al. "Schoolbags and back pain in children between 8 and 13 years: a national study." British journal of pain vol. 11,2 (2017): 81-86. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/2049463717695144
Spiteri K, Busuttil ML, Aquilina S, Gauci D, Camilleri E, Grech V. Schoolbags and back pain in children between 8 and 13 years: a national study. Br J Pain. 2017 May;11(2):81-86. doi: 10.1177/2049463717695144. Epub 2017 Feb 01. PMID: 28491300; PMCID: PMC5405972.
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Br J Pain. 2017 May;11(2):81-86. doi: 10.1177/2049463717695144. Epub 2017 Feb 01.

Schoolbags and back pain in children between 8 and 13 years: a national study.

British journal of pain

Karl Spiteri, Maria-Louisa Busuttil, Samuel Aquilina, Dorothy Gauci, Erin Camilleri, Victor Grech

Affiliations

  1. Malta Association of Physiotherapists, Gzira, Malta.
  2. Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity, Valletta, Malta.
  3. Ministry for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties, Valletta, Malta.
  4. Paediatric Department, Mater Dei Hospital, Msida, Malta.
  5. Directorate for Health Information and Research, G'Mangia, Malta.
  6. EU Affairs and International Relations, Research and Policy Development Directorate, Ministry for Education and Employment, Floriana, Malta.

PMID: 28491300 PMCID: PMC5405972 DOI: 10.1177/2049463717695144

Abstract

Schoolbag weight in schoolchildren is a recurrent and contentious issue within the educational and health sphere. Excessive schoolbag weight can lead to back pain in children, which increases the risk of chronic back pain in adulthood. There is limited research regarding this among the Maltese paediatric population. A cross-sectional study was undertaken across all schools in Malta among students aged 8-13 years (inclusive). Data were collected using a questionnaire detailing schoolbag characteristics, self-reported pain and demographic variables, such as age and gender. Structured interviews with participants were also carried out by physiotherapists. A total of 4005 participants were included in the study, with 20% of the total Malta schoolchildren population. Over 70% of the subjects had a schoolbag that exceeded the recommended 10% bag weight to body ratio. A total of 32% of the sample complained of back pain, with 74% of these defining it as low in intensity on the face pain scale-revised. The presence of back pain was statistically related to gender, body mass index (BMI), school and bag weight to body weight ratio. After adjusting for other factors, self-reported back pain in schoolchildren is independently linked to carrying heavy schoolbags. This link should be addressed to decrease the occurrence of back pain in this age group.

Keywords: Back pain; national; obesity; schoolbags; schoolchildren

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

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