The weight of schoolbags and the occurrence of neck, shoulder, and back pain in young adolescents.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study of 745 young adolescents in the area of two Regional Health Centers in the Netherlands.

Objectives: To assess the occurrence of neck and/or shoulder and back complaints in young adolescents and examine relationships with type and weight of schoolbags and other physical and psychologic risk factors.

Summary Of Background Data: The occurrence of back pain in children and adolescents varies from 8% to 74% in the literature.

Influence of educational level on determinants of folic acid use.

In The Netherlands, periconceptional folic acid use to prevent neural tube defects was promoted through a national 'Folic Acid Campaign'. In two regions, a local campaign supplemented the national campaign to increase the chances of reaching women with low socio-economic status (SES). A framework of outcome criteria, defined as awareness knowledge, perceived safety, attitudes and subjective norms, was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the two local campaigns.