title: Quality of life, school backpack weight, and nonspecific low back pain in children and adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the degree of disability, anthropometric variables, quality of life (QoL), and school backpack weight in boys and girls aged 11-17 years. The differences in QoL between those who did or did not report low back pain (LBP) were also analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-six girls (13.9 ± 1.9 years of age) and 63 boys (13.7 ± 1.7 years of age) participated. LBP was assessed by questionnaire, and disability using the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. QoL was assessed by the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Multivariate analyses of variance and covariance were used to assess differences between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Girls reported higher disability than boys (p = 0.01), and lower QoL in the domains of physical (p < 0.001) and emotional functioning (p < 0.01), psychosocial health (p = 0.02) and physical health summary score (p < 0.001), and on the total PedsQL score (p < 0.01). School backpack weight was similar in both genders (p = 0.61) and in participants with and without LBP (p = 0.15). After adjustments, participants with LBP reported lower physical functioning (p < 0.01), influencing lower physical health summary score (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Girls had higher disability and lower QoL than boys in the domains of physical and emotional functioning, psychosocial health, and physical health summary scores, and on the total PedsQL score; however, similar school backpack weight was reported. Participants with LBP revealed lower physical functioning and physical health summary score, yet had similar school backpack weight to those without LBP.
authors: Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors: Rosangela B
authors: RB
authors: Macedo
authors: Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors: Manuel J
authors: MJ
authors: Coelho-e-Silva
authors: Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors: Nuno F
authors: NF
authors: Sousa
authors: Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisboa, Portugal.
authors: João
authors: J
authors: Valente-dos-Santos
authors: Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors: Aristides M
authors: AM
authors: Machado-Rodrigues
authors: University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom.
authors: Sean P
authors: SP
authors: Cumming
authors: Universidade Federal do Acre (UFAC), Rio Branco, AC, Brazil.
authors: Alessandra V
authors: AV
authors: Lima
authors: Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors: Rui S
authors: RS
authors: Gonçalves
authors: Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. Electronic address: raulmartins@fcdef.uc.pt.
authors: Raul A
authors: RA
authors: Martins
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016474:Weight-Bearing
keywords: Children and adolescents; Crianças e adolescentes; Lombalgia não específica; Mochila escolar; Nonspecific low back pain; Qualidade de vida; Quality of life; School backpack