Clipping of news on Brazilian Culture, Law and Citizenship
01/15/2014
This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.
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Yara Aquino
Brazil Agency reporter
Brasilia - When buying school supplies , an item deserves special attention : the backpack . With the often excessive weight due to the amount of books and other materials , the bags must be adequate to distribute the weight well and does not harm the attitude of the students . Parents should be alert to prevent the children carry more weight than recommended .
The American Academy of Pediatrics considers that the ideal is that the backpack has between 10 % and 20 % of the body weight of the student. There are institutions that defend the percentage of 15 % . The pediatric orthopedic surgeon and professor at the Santa Casa de São Paulo Claudio Santili explains that lack consensus because there is no conclusive research on the topic . He argues that the maximum weight of the loaded material by school students is 10 % of body weight .
The use of overweight backpacks , especially if loaded improperly , can cause pain and even problems in posture, explains Santili . " If improperly loaded , only one side of the body , will cause contraction of the muscles of the opposite side and the child may have muscle pain . If it is prolonged, can lead to poor posture . "
When choosing a backpack , it is important that it is lightweight . When empty , it should not weigh more than a pound . Ideally, the two strips is because the single shoulder strap to not distribute the weight uniformly , which may cause problems of posture. The student must tensioning straps so that the pack fits snugly against the body and about two inches above the waist line .
The straps should be padded , adjustable width and four inches at the shoulders . Narrow straps can cause compression in the shoulders and restrict circulation . It is also interesting to focus the heavier the backpack in the center of the back and closer objects . The guidelines were developed by the Protest and the Brazilian Society of Pediatric Orthopaedics .
Sabrina Albuquerque has two children who are in elementary school , a 9 and a 13, and is worried about the weight they carry daily. " You can see the position that the material is too heavy , then ask to remove some books and carry in hand . But with this, they sometimes end up forgetting stuff , "he says . Sabrina believes that the school should be more concerned with the issue . " I think the school has just worrying much about content , vestibular , and does not care about such physical part of the children ," he says .
Backpacks with wheels can be an alternative for the overweight. The Brazilian Society of Pediatric Orthopaedics warns, however , that one must be careful with the handle of the basket should be at a proper height . The back should be straight while pulling it . This type of backpack , but faces resistance from adolescents .
Apart from appropriate backpacks , dialogue between parents and school is considered critical to address the problem of excess weight that students carry . Some institutions have adopted measures that reduce the daily amount of stuff they need to take .
Gabriela Braga is the mother of Gaius , 12 , who attends the 7th year of elementary education in a private school in Brasilia . She says that this year the school will adopt own netbook and handouts that will be delivered every two months . " This year will be given a handout every two months , with all the materials . There is a lot of stuff to carry. Extra, only a notebook ten materials , " he says.
The orthopedist Claudio Santili also alert parents to regularly check the school folders to avoid that children carry unnecessary objects . " The child must also be monitored . Often , she has the backpack things that need not be taken to school as little game to play , which adds weight . This is very common , "he said .
The discussions around the excess weight of the backpacks of children and adolescents resulted in a bill , approved in November last year at the Social Affairs Committee of the Senate , which determines that backpacks should have at most 15% by weight student . The bill also requires schools to have lockers for students to keep material. The text , however , does not provide any kind of oversight or penalties for those who violate the norm. The project still needs to return to the House of Representatives .
Source : Brazil Agency
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This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.