1 comment.Back to school: Reduce the weight of your child’s school bag
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With the start of the new school year fast approaching the Environmental Health Directorate is urging parents and guardians to reduce the weight from school bags for children as much as possible.
The Directorate has suggested that children should only be taking essential items for that particular day.
In 2020 guidelines were launched on the weight and carriage of school bags.
It was explained that research carried out at that time by the Malta Association of Physiotherapists in collaboration with Mater Dei’s Paediatrics Department and the Ministry for Education and Employment, indicated that the majority of students from the representative sample who took part in this study shows that the weight they carry is more than what is recommended.
The study, carried out among students aged 8 to 13 years, indicated that over 70% of the subjects had a schoolbag that exceeded the recommended 10% bag weight to body weight.
The Association of Family Doctors (APFD) had also highlighted the problem of weighty school bags back in 2014 reminding parents, school leaders and the Department of Education that according to international standards, school bags should not weigh more than 10% of the weight of the child.
I’ve been a concerned Grandparent since my grandchildren were four years of age, now eight and ten, about the extreme weight they’ve had to carry. I did email the school authority but I had no response. Having no reply made me think they didn’t see a problem there.