Children at Risk
- 1 March 2004
- journal article
- Published by Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) in Spine
- Vol. 29 (6), 697-702
- https://doi.org/10.1097/01.brs.0000116695.09697.22
Abstract
A prevalence survey of 101 randomly selected elementary schools in the Israel Central District. To identify and describe risk factors for low back pain that exist in the elementary school environment. Recent surveys report a high prevalence of low back pain in children and adolescents that increases with age, with a correlation between low back pain in adolescence and that experienced in adulthood. Environmental risk factors have been associated with the development of low back pain in children. Because of the significant amount of time children spend in their school environment, risk factors need to be identified in this environment. A questionnaire, completed by school nurses, measured risk factors among 10,000 children in elementary schools in Israel. These included backpack and student weight, the availability of storage facilities, the appropriateness of chair and desk height to student height, seating arrangements during frontal lessons, and physical activity at recess. Between 30% and 54% of students carried >15% of their body weight. Nearly 15% of the first graders and 20% of sixth graders had inappropriate chairs. In 74% of the classes, students sat with their side facing the teacher and in 35% students sat with their backs. In 6% of schools, no physical activity is offered at recess. Shortcomings were found in all areas investigated. There is an urgent need for health promotion programs to increase awareness and reduce risks in the school environment.Keywords
This publication has 16 references indexed in Scilit:
- Postural Hygiene Program to Prevent Low Back PainSpine, 2001
- Effects of back care education in elementary schoolchildrenActa Paediatrica, 2000
- Occupational low back disorder causation and controlErgonomics, 2000
- Risk factors for low back pain in a cohort of 1389 Danish school children: an epidemiologic studyEuropean Spine Journal, 1999
- Non-specific low back pain in children and adolescents: risk factorsEuropean Spine Journal, 1999
- The Associations Between Adolescent Head-on-Neck Posture, Backpack Weight, and Anthropometric FeaturesSpine, 1999
- Epidemiological features of chronic low-back painThe Lancet, 1999
- Low back pain and its relationship to back strength and physical activity in childrenActa Paediatrica, 1996
- Are Radiologic Changes in the Thoracic and Lumbar Spine of Adolescents Risk Factors for Low Back Pain in Adults?Spine, 1995
- The Relationship Between Work History, Work Environment and Low-Back Pain in MenSpine, 1984