title: Current Backpack Weight Status for Primary Schoolchildren in Colima, Mexico.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to identify the current status of backpack weight in primary schoolchildren in Colima, Mexico, in relation to gender, school grade level, and body mass index. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 240 randomly selected children from 20 primary schools. The participating children's parents signed statements of informed consent. Descriptive statistics, the χ(2) test, Student's t-test, and Kruskal-Wallis test were used. The mean age was 8.55 ± 2 years (range: 5-12 years). Seventy-eight percent of the schoolchildren presented with a backpack overload that was greater than 10% of their body weight. No significant differences were found in relation to gender. Four out of every five schoolchildren presented with backpack overload, exposing them to a potential health problem. Education and public policy prevention strategies for this situation should be implemented in Mexico and other regions of the world with the same problem.
authors.affiliation: Medicine Faculty, University of Colima, Mexico alicia_olmedo24@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Bertha Alicia
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Olmedo-Buenrostro
authors.affiliation: Medicine Faculty, University of Colima, Mexico.
authors.forename: Iván
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Delgado-Enciso
authors.affiliation: Medicine Faculty, University of Colima, Mexico.
authors.forename: Carmen Alicia
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Ramírez
authors.affiliation: Medicine Faculty, University of Colima, Mexico.
authors.forename: Sergio Adrián Montero
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.affiliation: Medicine Faculty, University of Colima, Mexico.
authors.forename: Clemente
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vásquez
authors.affiliation: Medicine Faculty, University of Colima, Mexico.
authors.forename: Ana Bertha
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Mora-Brambila
authors.affiliation: Medicine Faculty, Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Mexico.
authors.forename: Iram P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Medicine Faculty, Autonomous University of Zacatecas, Mexico.
authors.forename: Margarita L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Martínez-Fierro
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017770:Lifting; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D012574:Schools; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016474:Weight-Bearing
keywords: backpack; body mass index; overload; schoolchildren