According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 6,300 children between the ages of 5 and 18 were treated in emergency rooms for backpack injuries in 2016. Swanton Elementary School services over 500 children and frequently cites back pain as a reason for nurse visits, but does not provide any education on proper backpack safety. September 20, 2017 was National School Backpack Awareness Day which provided a unique opportunity to educate school parents and children about backpack safety.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1344/thumbnail.jp

Gelinne, Aaron M

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University of VermontScholarWorks @ UVMFamily Medicine Clerkship Student Projects Larner College of Medicine2017Backpack Safety Awareness to Prevent Back Pain inSchool-Aged ChildrenAaron M. GelinneUniversity of VermontFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerkPart of the Medical Education Commons, and the Primary Care CommonsThis Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Larner College of Medicine at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion inFamily Medicine Clerkship Student Projects by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contactdonna.omalley@uvm.edu.Recommended CitationGelinne, Aaron M., "Backpack Safety Awareness to Prevent Back Pain in School-Aged Children" (2017). Family Medicine ClerkshipStudent Projects. 304.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/304Backpack Safety Awareness to Prevent Back Pain in School-Aged ChildrenAaron GelinneFamily Medicine Clerkship, September 2017Mentor: Michael Corrigan, MDProblem Identification and Description• According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 6,300 children between the ages of 5 and 18 were treated in emergency rooms for backpack injuries in 2016• Swanton Elementary School services over 500 children and is the only elementary school in Swanton, VT. Back pain is a bi-weekly complaint with the school nurse .• Swanton Elementary School currently does not provide any information on proper backpack safety in regards to weight and pack adjustment. • September 20, 2017 was National School Backpack Awareness Day – this was a perfect opportunity to coordinate with Swanton Elementary School to educate parents and children about backpack safetyPublic Health and Community Costs• The prevalence of adolescent back pain approaches 20% - similar to that documented in adults1• 7% of children experiencing lower back pain will seek medical attention1• 13.4% of children have reported lost time in school or activities due to backpack related pain4• While not specific to children, the cost of back pain in the United States has been estimated to be approximately $90.7 billion, not including indirect costs such as lost school time, disability, etc. 7• According to Northwestern Medical Center, 25% of the population in Franklin County (location of Swanton Elementary School) has chronic lower back pain – above the national averageCommunity PerspectiveWendy Culligan, RNSwanton School Nurse: 1st – 3rd gradeDanielle Loiselle, RN Swanton School Nurse:  4th – 6th grade“sometimes backpacks look bigger than the kids at this age and it is hard to tell how much weight they are really carrying”“the school tries to do things to minimize carrying loads like having storage bins at school and getting rid of homework”“I notice specifically in the winter that kids carry more and more things – and the winter is long in Vermont”“I think that parents and children are not conscious at all about backpack safety”“kids have massive backpacks and are often carrying overfilled bags, especially ones who do a lot of after school activities”“it is common to see kids who are hunched over with poor posture and their head down because of what they are carrying”“parents should know more about backpack safety but nobody teaches this to our parents”“I see many kids who come in with lower back pain. Sometimes as frequently as every couple weeks”Intervention and Methodology• Intervention: Educate parents and children on proper backpack safety and the risks of improper use• Methodology: Design an educational infographic that focuses on backpack safety and notable backpack facts for dissemination at Swanton Elementary School on National School Backpack Awareness Day on September 20, 2017 8• The infographic focused on the most widely verified data for proper backpack usage including2-6:• Style• Weight• Adjustment• Provided the infographic to parents and children in a way that reaches the most people• School website and social media were identified by the school as being most widely viewed by parentsResults• The infographic was reviewed by the Swanton Elementary School staff and a Family Practice physician who commented that the infographic was simple, but effectively provided necessary information to parents • The infographic was posted on the Swanton Elementary School webpage and multiple school social networking sites • Each student was sent home with the infographic to give to their parents• The infographic was provided to the Swanton School nursing staff to use for future events/needsEvaluation of Effectiveness and Limitations• The effectiveness of this project could be measured following the educational intervention by:• Observing the backpack behavior of kids at Swanton Elementary School to determine before and after effects• Surveying the parents using a brief questionnaire that quantifies the quality of the infographic and whether the information was retained• Limitations:• Despite using endorsed means of school-to-parent communication, the number of parents who read the infographic is uncertain• The infographic focused on a limited amount of information in regards to backpack safetyFor the Future• Annually recognize National School Backpack Awareness Day and implement additional interactive activities such as backpack weighing and fitting tutorials• There are many other factors that contribute to back pain in the pediatric population that could be addressed• It would be beneficial to have backpack safety as only a small part of an entire education series on spinal health• Factors specifically discussed with the school and validated by the literature that could be included in a spinal health series are:• Back injuries in athletes• Obesity related back painReferences1. MacDonald J , Stuart E, Rodenberg R: Musculoskeletal  Low Back Pain in School -aged Chi ldren: A Review. JAMA Pediatr 2017;171:280 -287.2. Janakiraman B, Ravichandran H, Demeke S, Fas ika S: Reported inf luences of backpack loads on postural  deviation among school chi ldren: A systematic review. J  Educ Health Promot 2017;6:41.3. Brzek A, Dworrak T, Strauss M, Sanchis -Gomar F, Sabbah I , Dworrak B, Leischik R: The weight of  pupi ls '  schoolbags in early school age and its inf luence on body posture . BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2017;18:117.4. Moore MJ, White GL, Moore DL: Association of relat ive backpack weight with reported pain, pain s ites, medical  ut i l izat ion, and lost school t ime in chi ldren and adolescents. The Journal of  school health 2007;77:232-239.5. Dianat I , Sorkhi N, Pourhossein A, Al ipour A, Asghari -Jafarabadi M: Neck, shoulder and low back pain in secondary schoolchildren in relat ion to schoolbag carriage: should the recommended weight l imits be gender-speci f ic? Appl ied ergonomics 2014;45:437-442.6. Skaggs DL, Early SD, D'Ambra P, Tolo VT, Kay RM: Back pain and backpacks in school chi ldren. Journal of  pediatric orthopedics 2006;26:358 -363.7. Vassi laki  M, Hurwitz EL: Ins ights in Publ ic Health: Perspectives on Pain in the Low Back and Neck: Global Burden, Epidemiology, and Management. Hawai ' i  Journal of  Medicine & Publ ic Health 2014;73:122-126.8. The American Occupational Therapy Associat ion , Inc . https: //www.aota.org/backpackInformed ConsentThank you for agreeing to be interviewed. This project is a requirement for the Family Medicine clerkship. It will be stored on the Dana Library ScholarWorks website.  Your name will be attached to your interview and you may be cited directly or indirectly in subsequent unpublished or published work. The interviewer affirms that he/she has explained the nature and purpose of this project. The interviewee affirms that he/she has consented to this interview. Yes: X

Backpack Safety Awareness to Prevent Back Pain in School-Aged Children

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Backpack Safety Awareness to Prevent Back Pain in School-Aged Children

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