Effect of School Backpack Weight on Shape of Children\'s Feet

BACKGROUND The human foot, being the load-bearing element of the musculoskeletal system, located at the lowest point in the kinematic chain, takes on the greatest loads, and its efficiency determines a person's motor skills. The aim of this study was to assess the weight of school backpacks, foot structure, and the effect of school backpacks weight load on foot shape in 10-year-old children. MATERIAL AND METHODS We studied 119 students aged 10 years (61 girls and 58 boys). Research tools included: WLC 60/C2/K RADWAG precision scale (Uniwag, Cracow, PL), medical column scale with a telescopic height gauge MS 4971 (Charder, Taichung, Taiwan), and a CQ-ST podoscope (Electronic System, Czernica, PL). RESULTS In both sexes, backpack weight values relative to body mass were correlated negatively with differences in the values of the Clarke's angle of the right (R=-0.70; P