Abstract
This study investigated the changes in Ground Reaction Forces, GRFs and trunk inclination among primary students when carrying heavy backpacks. A randomised controlled experimental study was conducted on seven boys aged between 9 and 11 years old with similar Body Mass Index. Observations were done when the boys were carrying school bags of 0 (as control), 10, 15 and 20% of their own body weight whilst normal walking. Data acquisition was carried out using force platforms and 3-D motion analysis system. A significant difference in Ground Reaction Forces at load of 20% of body weight was found. The vertical GRF increased almost three times when loads increased up to 20% of body weight compared to 10% of body weight. The anterior-posterior GRFs were asymmetrical when loads were increased. When carrying load of 15% of body weight, the subjects adopted a compensatory trunk inclination. If Ground Reaction Forces and trunk inclination are important as the criteria to determine the acceptable backpack loads for children, those loads should not exceed 15% of body weight.
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Shasmin, H.N., Abu Osman, N.A., Razali, R., Usman, J., Wan Abas, W.A.B. (2007). A Preliminary Study of Acceptable Load Carriage for Primary School Children. In: Ibrahim, F., Osman, N.A.A., Usman, J., Kadri, N.A. (eds) 3rd Kuala Lumpur International Conference on Biomedical Engineering 2006. IFMBE Proceedings, vol 15. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68017-8_44
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68017-8_44
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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