The responses from 245 students once again highlighted the problems caused by the weight of a school backpack. According to a Cypriot scientific study, two out of three students aged 11 to 18 reported lower back pain, and more than half reported neck pain.
Specifically, of the 245 participants, 162 (66%) reported lower back pain, and 58% reported neck pain. In fact, 89 of these students reported lower back pain more than once a week, and another 70 reported neck pain with the same frequency.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
This has an impact on the students’ activities, since, as they themselves stated, the pain significantly limited their activities.
In fact, nine students reported missing classes due to lower back pain, and six due to neck pain.
As noted in the study, these symptoms may persist into adulthood.
Heredity
Another interesting finding that emerges from the study is that a parental history of lower back or neck pain was associated with approximately 2.7 times higher relative odds of reporting neck pain among students. However, the researchers were unable to establish a link between the pain and the amount of time students spend in front of screens. Neither posture while using devices nor the number of hours spent on physical activity was significantly associated with the onset of these symptoms.
Watch the report by Nasia Ioannou:
