SCHOOL BAG USAGE AND MUSCULOSKELETAL DISCOMFORTS OF NECK SHOULDER AND BACK AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN
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Date
2018
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Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University
Abstract
There have been several complaints from different stakeholders in school health about children carrying heavy school bags. Non – specific back, neck and shoulder pain among school children are mostly related to over load caused by heavy school bags. Since history of musculoskeletal discomforts in childhood is a strong predictor of having musculoskeletal disorders as an adult, development of neck, shoulder and back pain due to heavy school bag on the back is of prognostic concern. Hence, the focus of the research was on understanding the relation between the occurrence, frequency and intensity of musculoskeletal discomforts in neck, shoulder, back and selected independent variables such as age, gender, height, weight, body mass index, physical fitness, participation in games and sports, weight of the school bag and school bag usage methods. Since the growth of the vertebral column is continuous between the age of 7 to 14 years. 9 and 14 years. Sixty school going children of this age group 9 to 14 years were taken as sample for the investigation.
Mean age of the school children participated in the study was 11.50 years. Nearly one fifth of the respondents expressed server pain in the neck. The musculoskeletal discomforts experienced in neck by school children was found to have no significant relation with age, height, weight, body mass index, participation in games and sports, school bag weight and method of school bag usage. However, musculoskeletal discomforts in neck were found to have highly significant relation with gender and significant relation with physical fitness of the school children.
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Female school children reported more frequency and high intensity of pain and numbness in the neck than boys. With reference to the musculoskeletal discomforts in shoulder, one fifth of the sample reported occurrence of musculoskeletal discomforts in shoulder. Ninety percent of the sample were experiencing pain and numbness in the shoulder more frequently. The intensity of the shoulder pain perceived by these children was also found to be high. However, musculoskeletal discomforts in shoulder were found to have no relation with age, height, weight, body mass index, participation in games and sports, school bag weight and method of school bag usage.
Gender and physical fitness of the school children was found to have highly significant and significant relation respectively with musculoskeletal discomforts in shoulder. The mean scores earned by female school children differed significantly at 5 percent level of significance from the mean scores earned by male children on the occurrence, frequency and intensity of musculoskeletal discomforts in shoulder region.
School children with relatively high physical fitness score differed significantly from the children who scored medium physical fitness score in the occurrence of musculoskeletal discomforts in shoulder. In case of the frequency of experiencing musculoskeletal discomforts in shoulder, the school children who scored medium physical fitness score differed significantly at 0.05 level of significance with the school children who scored high physical fitness scores. In case of intensity of musculoskeletal discomforts in shoulder, children who scored high and low differed significantly from the children who scored medium physical fitness score.
In case of musculoskeletal discomforts in the back, one fourth of the sample reported no occurrence of pain and discomfort in the back. Eighty percent of the children experienced musculoskeletal discomforts in the back more frequently. Unbearable pain and discomforts was reported by one fifth of the sample. The musculoskeletal discomforts experienced in back by school children was found to have no significant relation with age, height, weight, body mass index, participation in games and sports, school bag weight and method of school bag usage. Musculoskeletal discomforts in the back was found to have highly significant relation with gender and significant relation with physical fitness of the school children. According to multiple comparison test mean scores earned by female school children differed significantly from the mean scores earned by male children on occurrence, frequency and intensity of musculoskeletal discomforts in back. Female school children were found experiencing more number of times and higher intensity of musculoskeletal discomforts in the back.
Significant mean difference between physical fitness of school children and the frequency of experiencing musculoskeletal discomfort in the back was found. In case of occurrence and intensity of musculoskeletal discomforts in back no significant relation was found with physical fitness.
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D5754
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