Parents will be buying new school uniforms this month, including school bags, with many of them unaware of the potential long term damage that the wrong school bag can inflict. It is as important to fit a childs school bag for the health of their backs as it is a pair of shoes for the health of their feet.
Research shows that up to 30% of teenagers are affected by back pain, close to the adult level. In 8% of students(two to three in a class) the condition is severe enough to affect school attendance, concentration, ability to play sport, relashionships and well being. There is evidence to show that adolesecent back problems persist into adult life.
Many children have no access to a locker at school and may be carrying more than 30% of their body weight in school bags. Health and safety legislation protects adults in their place of work, specifiying for example what kind of seats they sit on, how much weight they are allowed to carry, etc. No such laws protect children in school, their place of work. Much school furniture would be deemed illlegal in an office
Parents can help to protect their childrens health by ensuring that they have a correctly fitted , ergonomically efficient school bag. One UK company now sells a school bag that not only looks good, but also makes a major contibution to spinal health. The company ethos is `Let our children stand tall` The spinal protection and posture improvement school bag. The SPI bag®
The SPI® Ergonomic School Bag is the brainchild of a retired headmaster. The bags are manufactured in the Far East and are the only school bag endorsed by the Chiropratic Doctors Association of Hong Kong. The are available to buy online from the ESB Website and come with full fitting instructions and advice on good posture. The bags come in two sizes, three different styles and a range of colours, suitable for children from 7 years to University graduates. Schools can also purchase the bags at discounted prices
The SPI® school bag is designed so that the bag sits in the best position on the back to protect a childs spine. The straps and padding distribute the load evenly to reduce the stress on key muscles and joints in the back, neck and shoulders. Adjustable `parachute` shoulder straps ensure a snug fit once the bag is in place.Please view our video
Parents can help by encouraging goood posture, by encouraging their children to take in only what they need each day in their bags and by making sure the bags they use are upto the job, especially while young bones are still developing. They should also play an active role in ensuring that the school takes the risk of overweight and poorly designed school bags seriously.
Schools often dicate what style of uniform our children wear; they could play an important role in ensuring that children don’t suffer by introducing an ergonomic school bag as part of strict uniform.
ENDS (500 words)
All Media enquiries to: Lindsey Beagle
Tel +44 (0)1753 655161
Fax +44 (0)1753 655571
Lindsey.beagle@ergonomicschoolbags.co.uk
Notes for Editors:
Ergonomic School Bags Ltd is the sole UK importer of the SPI® Ergonomic School Bag. This innovative bag is the brainchild of a retired teacher and is now available in the UK for the first time. The bags provide an effective, practical solution to a serious and much overlooked problem. The company’s founder Lindsey Beagle is herself a mother of two and created the company to import and distribute the one bag that she found which really helped her own children to avoid back pain. For further information on the SPI® Ergonomic School Bag, please go to Ergonomic School Bags (UK) Ltd
According to BackCare, the charity for healthier backs, b ack pain is a major health problem, affecting approximately 17.3 million people in the UK – over one third of the adult population. Over the course of a year, around 3.5 million people experience back pain for the first time and for 3.1 million people their pain lasts throughout the whole year. It affects men and women equally. According to Department of Health statistics, back pain costs British industry an annual £5 billion and the NHS £481 million each year
source www.backcare.org.