Health Ministry officials have warned parents against allowing their children to carry school bags in excess of their body weight, warning of serious health impacts.
A recent study conducted by the University of Colombo of selected students of varying ages in Grades 6 and 7 comprising girls and boys, has revealed that the participating students had experienced significant pain around the neck and shoulder regions which could cause abnormal curvature of the spine.
Commenting on the study, Consultant Community Physician, Health Ministry, Dr. Kapila Jayaratne who conducted Asia’s first research overseen by Prof Dulitha Fernando of the Medical Faculty of the University of Colombo on school bags and their health impacts, sometime ago, said the study they had done confirmed the latest findings. He told the Sunday Observer that a representative sample of the country’s school population of over 1,600 children from 55 schools had been interviewed. “The positive findings were that nearly 80% of the children used the backpack model and 97% carried it on both shoulders. However, the vital waist-belt was present only in 30% of the bags and among them used only by 31%.
With regard to the bag weight/body weight, with the international stipulated cut-off being 10%, more than half the children surveyed (58%) had mismatched ergonomics because the rate was over 10%. The research showed that a majority of children take ergonomically-unhealthy bags, Dr. Jayaratne pointed out.
A check of the bag contents had found that textbooks comprised 37% of the weight, other books (writing books) 30% and non-book items 17.7%. The bag-weight made up the balance.
The findings indicated that there were unhealthy consequences due to school bags with 72% perceiving discomfort by carrying school material and 35% complaining of recurrent musculoskeletal pain.
Half of Lankan schoolchildren suffer from stress leading to mental problems
Health officials voiced their concerns on the rise in the number of schoolchildren who are mentally disturbed due to undue stress both inside and outside the school. Health Ministry sources told the Sunday Observer that the stress they undergo in school was due to bullying which most children could not handle. At home it was due to too much pressure put on them by ambitious parents who prevent them from engaging in extra curricular activities in order to ensure they perform academically. A psychologist speaking on grounds of anonymity said that, unlike in the past, the bond between children and their parents had broken as most parents spent very little time with their children. “They must spend at least an hour or more a day with their children engaging in hobbies they like and getting to know each other better. Without parental support or guidance many children turn to their peers or other adults who can mislead them and add to the stress they are already experiencing”, he warned. “Creating a friendly home environment is the first step to reducing stress. Exercising and playing outside the house before starting their homework is a good way to help them to relax and perform better in their studies,” he said. He warned parents not to push their children to do subjects they did not want to do and sacrifice their mental health for the sake of academic performance and urged school teachers to ensure children don’t get bullied.
Dengue cases nearing 5,000 mark with monsoon rains
With 47,866 cases of suspected dengue reported island wide, the disease is teetering on the verge of an epidemic, according to the latest Epidemiology. By September 23 the number of cases reported this month alone was 3,195 with the Western Province leading. Colombo regional division had the highest number at 787 with Gampaha (521) Kandy (341) and Kalutara (318). The Nuwara Eliya district also recorded 248 suspected cases. While in most districts the number of cases have tumbled compared to the previous months, officials said they were taking no chances. Sources from the Municipal Council area of Colombo which according to Epidemiology figures registered only 83 compared to 304 cases the previous month and 704 cases in September and 1,599 in August, said that the ongoing Dengue prevention programs had helped in cutting down the number of cases and appealed for public cooperation in keeping their environments clean. Dengue Control sources also appealed to the public to reduce mosquito breeding sites to protect themselves from the dengue fever. “See a doctor immediately if you are sick even for a day,” the Epidemiology Dept. sources urged the public. They also asked patients with fever to take only paracetamol and not any drugs that could complicate diagnosis.