Evaluation of an ergonomically designed schoolbag: Heart rate variability and body discomfort rating.

Background: Unsuitable schoolbags may stress the spine and promote poor body posture, particularly for school students. Global recommendations have suggested that schoolbag weight must not exceed 10% of a healthy student's body mass, which would need continuous monitoring and enforcement.

Objectives: The present study presents a comparison between an ergonomically designed schoolbag, which helps reduce the potential effects of carrying a load, and a commercial one.

Development and Experimental Verification of an Ergonomic Backpack.

Carrying a heavy school backpack has extensively been reported as a prime cause of children's body strain. It is suggested that the load should not exceed 10 percent of the child's body weight; however, ensuring this requires continuous monitoring. The study explores how ergonomically designed school backpack based on the user anthropometric data ( = 280) and ergonomic parameters help reduce force concentration on shoulders and back.

Comparison between the Physiological Responses and Subjective Ratings of a Group of Male Students to Three Backpack Designs.

It is important for schoolchildren and their parents (or guardians) to know which backpacks exert the least strain on the cardiorespiratory system. In this study, we investigated the physiological responses of participants while they were walking on a treadmill and wearing one of three different backpacks (A, B, and C) under two different load-carrying conditions (equivalent to 10% and 15% of their body mass, respectively). The first condition was used as a control and involved walking without a backpack, while the second involved wearing a backpack and carrying a certain weight.