By Elizabeth Gill Fri, September 5, 2008, 12:01 am PDT

Porters carrying huge loads of beer (Photo by Meg and Rahul) The school year has officially begun, and if you've survived the slings and arrows of the first days or weeks, congratulations! But don't get too comfy just yet. There's potential trouble lurking just behind you -- literally. Yes, right there on your back. If you're a student, or if you send a young charge off to school each day, then Pete the Posture Parrot has an important message for you. September is Backpack Safety America Month, and the campaign is in full swing to inform students and parents about the health risks of carrying too heavy a load on developing spines. Some practical tips can help prevent kids from developing back injuries. For example, young lads and lasses who are still growing should carry no more than the equivalent of 15% of their body weight on their backs. And all the rest of us could use a refresher in the proper method of lifting heavy objects. Perhaps it's time to find ways to get these books and packs off our kids' backs altogether. Many families have made the switch to rolling backpacks, and if we could make textbooks widely available as e-books, schools could issue laptops or Kindle-style readers instead of piling the pounds into kids' packs. While we're all for keeping kids healthy and safe, we don't want to overlook the great mystery in all this: Namely, why is a parrot, of all things, the mascot for backpack safety? Parrots don't carry things on their backs (although there are backpacks for humans to carry parrots!), they never seem to stand up straight, and as cuddly as Pete is, we'd have suggested a pirate. Just think -- they could hang bookbags from their hooks and store snacks in their peg legs, removing all strain from the back for good. Suggested Sites... Mayo Clinic: School Backpacks - advice on buying and wearing packs. American Academy of Pediatrics: Backpack Safety - tips from the experts on keeping backs healthy. Backpack Safety America - home of Pete the Posture Parrot. Find out how to bring the program to your school.

Directory categories: Backpacks, Back and Spine Health, Ergonomic Consulting, Electronic Literature, E-books

Archived under: Backpacks, Children, Childrens Health, Education, Health, Kids, Parenting, Safety, School, Teens

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