Thai children are prone to suffer chronic back pain

BANGKOK: -- Thai school children are prone to suffer chronic back pain as textbooks on their backpacks are too heavy for them to carry.

A medical research said carrying heavy backpack daily poses high risk to suffer bone health problem, and even chronic back pain.

It said heavy backpack could cause the structure of the backbone to deform unusually which will not only bring physical pain to the back, but also lower learning capability and destroy learning concentration of children.

It cited recent study of school backpacks by a research centre for children safety at four primary schools in Bangkok which revealed that average weight of school backpack carried by students is six kilogrammes from an average weight of a student at 30 kilogrammes.

Such weight carried by school children is in excess of the standard weight to carry which allows no more than 10% of the children’s weight, or no more than 3 kilogramme.

Carrying too much weight on the back is prone to suffer bone health problems, and even chronic back pain as the back bone structure could deform.

It then advised that parents select backpack with wheels for their children and the carrying weight should not over 20% of their children’s weight.

In case of necessity, backpack should have shoulder strap of over 6 centimetres wide so as to allow the whole shoulder to absorb the weight.

It also advised that backpacks should not be carried on the back lower than the waist, and that children must walk with their back straight and not incline forwardly.

If this could be practised, the risk to suffer back pain could be eased or eradicated, it said.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/thai-children-prone-suffer-chronic-back-pain


-- Thai PBS 2015-01-09

You just have to laugh sometimes.

It's not as if they actually do anything with those books, except carry them.

My humble (perhaps misguided) suggestion is that it's training for later in life, after a local degree, so they can carry som tam.

Most don't wear the backpack properly carrying it way too low.

30kg. Really.

Most of the time students and adults alike sit cross legged on a hard floor with no support for their back.

As a farang I cannot sit on a hard floor cross legged for more than a few minutes before I am in pain.

Back pain nowadays is attributed to bending over playing with smartphones. I find if I play with my phone too long I get pain in my neck and back through bending down.

Students have desks where they can leave books they do not need for the days lessons. They do not have to carry all of them with them.

children worldwide have the same problem as its a part of school life these days

When my kids went to government school the backpacks that they were required to buy didn't las the school year from the weight of the books never the less the little one could barely carry it.

A medical research said carrying heavy backpack daily poses high risk to suffer bone health problem, and even chronic back pain.

Explains why some foreign backpackers sometimes look so funny, when fully packed with backpacks on their backs.

Must be a good exercise for them, as ASEAN's knocking heavily on Thailand's doors.

They have to be prepared to carry huge backpacks to find employment.-

Why don't the schools just have lockers for the kids to put their books and belongings in.. problem solved!

they suffer far more than risk of back pain.

Maybe it is because they are used to laying down in front of the telly and computer then walking upright??

...along the front of the the classroom...underneath the large/wide whiteboard....my school has provided a shelf together with sturdy plastic folders.

The students paid 30b each for the folders. At the end of each school day the children sort through the textbooks they need to take home (homework) and leave the rest in the folders...takes about 5 minutes for 30 students to complete...they have it down to a fine art..

Result....only a few books go home at night.....4 to 6 kg.

Prior to the shelf/folder system....the students in P1 - P6 were carrying 25kg of books home..and the M students 25 to 35kg of books.

Simple but effective solution.....depends on the concern for the welfare of the students that the schools management shows......most schools could not care less...!!!

I politely complained to my grandsons Primary school after weighing his school bag and found that it was over 7 kg. Needless to say, I received no reply. His school bag never lasted more than a couple of terms, if that.

When suggesting that the schools get lockers, some times the kids had to share text books as the school did not have enough. There have been quite a few cases of corruption involving with school supplies.

30kg. Really.

I think it was about the kids' weight.

I can only agree with others here who feel that the schools should provide a secure place in or near the classroom where students can keep their books rather than having to drag all of them home every night, and again back to school the next day.

My student's school requires the purchase of books that are rarely, if ever, used. Nonetheless, he has to carry all of his books to class every day because the class never knows which books the teacher will be using the following day. His bookbag is way too heavy for a primary school student to carry, yet they all do it.

This is nuts. And for a farang to suggest anything different to the administration, well, I'm sure it would be met with typical smiles and excuses why it cannot be changed.

30kg. Really.

I think it was about the kids' weight.

I think I need a new prescription

"Why don't the schools just have lockers for the kids to put their books and belongings in.. problem solved!"

The owner of the International School that I used to work at was too cheap to put lockers in the school. We suggested it many times but he wouldn't listen.

Give them all a tablet and digit books then.....

For me they're just a pain in the neck.

Off-topic posts and replies removed.

Most of the time students and adults alike sit cross legged on a hard floor with no support for their back.

As a farang I cannot sit on a hard floor cross legged for more than a few minutes before I am in pain.

Back pain nowadays is attributed to bending over playing with smartphones. I find if I play with my phone too long I get pain in my neck and back through bending down.

Students have desks where they can leave books they do not need for the days lessons. They do not have to carry all of them with them.

As a farang?????

How about the truth...as an old bloke I can't sit cross legged for very long.

Attributed to smartphones is bullshit old mate.

Back under the bridge I reckon.

A medical research said carrying heavy backpack daily poses high risk to suffer bone health problem, and even chronic back pain.

Explains why some foreign backpackers sometimes look so funny, when fully packed with backpacks on their backs.

Must be a good exercise for them, as ASEAN's knocking heavily on Thailand's doors.

They have to be prepared to carry huge backpacks to find employment.-

No doubt most will find employment...probably well paid as they go through life and add Thailand to their experiences..

What are you earning.....lostinisaan?

Bull, too much sitting, too much computer, and no sports, no wonder !

I think any back pain is more to do with being hunched over smartphones all bloody day ...

Lockers... Common sense... Tit

You just have to laugh sometimes.

It's not as if they actually do anything with those books, except carry them.

My humble (perhaps misguided) suggestion is that it's training for later in life, after a local degree, so they can carry som tam.

Actually many Thai students actually do a lot of homework.And it may surprise you that their is a huge emerging middle class of professionals where graduates will find employment..I find your post to be almost racist and quite offensive. Lets generalise about farang shall we??????Tell me what country your from and i'll be able to make cynical derogatory remarks about you even though I've never met you and know nothing about you!!

I was a school teacher in the UK last year. I was surprised, no actually I was shocked, to see students going to and from school with no school bags or books!! Not much homework or self study going on in that country!! It seems that the government provide and therefore own all text books in the UK!! Ever heard of lockers?????

Most of the younger Thai kids are picked up from school by their carers and have their bags carried for them...By the way there is a similar problem in many EU countries where students are expected to bring home textbooks to learn...

I get pains in the neck reading some of the posts on TV