Bag weights are bending Nigerian children over

It is very common to see Nigerian school children almost bent over under the weight of their school bags, or constantly struggling to keep the bag straps on their shoulders and aligned with their steps. Experts warn of the impending long-term effect these weights could have on their health and school performance. The sight of […]

It is very common to see Nigerian school children almost bent over under the weight of their school bags, or constantly struggling to keep the bag straps on their shoulders and aligned with their steps. Experts warn of the impending long-term effect these weights could have on their health and school performance.

The sight of school children dragging the weight of school bags, lunch boxes and homework folders tucked under their arms, is quite common in Nigeria. Many of them are spared some of the weights because they have lockers in their schools where most of the books are stored. That way they only go home with books that have to do with assignments for the day.

However, more and more younger children are lugging heavy weight to pre- and primary school.

Siama Walid, 5, is a Primary 1 pupil who weighs 17kg. For every school day, she carries two bags – a backpack for books and a shoulder bag for snacks and lunch. A folder is tucked under her arm with completed assignments to be submitted that day and her communication book.

Her school bag without the books weighs 1.2kilograms. On a typical day it weighs 1.8kilograms with books. Her lunch/snack bag consistently weighs 2kilograms and could be more depending on whether a bottle of juice or fizzy drink is included. Her assignment and communication book folder weighs 800grams. All these weigh a total of 4.8kilograms.

According to Spine and Joint Replacement surgeon, Dr. Uchenna Katchy of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Siama, on a regular basis carries 1.4kilograms more than the recommended 20 per cent of her body weight that she should carry. This can affect her spinal posture, especially when she is climbing up staircases.

Also important is the way the bag is carried as there are basically two types of bags – shoulder bags and backpacks.

A sound warning from Katchy is that, “a child carrying a double strapped bag [backpack] should not carry more than twenty percent of their body weight. If  he/she uses the single strap bag it is recommended that they should not carry more than 10 percent of their body weight and parents should know the weight of their children.”

He added that, “When they are too heavy, they can cause spinal disorder, shoulder pain as well as neck and back pain.”

Besides physical consequences, pain and discomfort affect children’s capacity to learn and pay attention.

A 2014 study led by Stephen Shymon published on the researchgate site, used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to analyze the effect of heavy backpacks on children who had painful lower backs and those who didn’t. The result was that children with previous pain and heavy backpack loads suffered from disc compression which can cause problems later on.

To avoid this, he advises that, “We should also look at the quality of the load they carry. Books should be kept in school in lockers.”

In 2018, India banned heavy school bags for children and approved weight guidelines for children’s school bags. The guidelines, according to the country’s Human Resource Development, Class X school bags must not exceed 5kg while for Classes I and II, should not be more than 1.5kg. Classes III to V should be between 2kg and 3kg, while VI and VII should be 4kg. For Classes VIII and IX 4.5kg. The country has also banned homework for pupils in Classes I and II.

One study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India found that 68 percent of young children might suffer from mild back pain. The mild pain can develop into long-term back pain and affect bones of the spinal column.

The study involved more than 2,500 children between the ages of seven and 13. It found that more than 88 percent of children carried more than 45 percent of their body weight on their backs. These findings were part of the catalysts that led to the new guidelines.

Why it was it was in possible to find data on the bag weights of Nigerian children and the impact on their health, Katchy pointed out that, Spine health isn’t something that used to be considered a problem with children but that is changing as more and more children are complaining of back and neck pain.

He stressed that, “the ages between 12 and 14 are critical age for spinal development as well as muscle development. This is when there is maximum spinal cord development.”

The spine consists of two muscular muscles that hold the column together. He explained that, there is one on the left and another on the right side of the body. Either of which can weaken the other, which, could lead to scoliosis – the bending of the spine.

As a remedy, Katchy advises parents and teachers to watch what children put in their bags, which should not be more than the recommended weight for the bag design. Where a child develops any back complications, a doctor should properly evaluate him/her so that the child gets physiotherapy to rehabilitate the muscles and correct the posture and backache.

He also recommends that caregivers should ensure that their wards’ school bags are well-padded and as much as possible double strapped bags should be used. Bags should be evenly balanced, not hanging from one shoulder only.

Caregivers could also explore bags on wheels as schools consider having the children do a few minutes of limbering up exercises every day when they arrive and before leaving, to tone up muscles.

Just as India has banned homework for lower classes, Nigerian schools could also take a cue by not assigning homework to the very young children. Providing clean potable water through water fountains and dispenser in schools would also obviate the need to bring drinking water and ease the burden Siama and her like currently have to bear.