Backpacks that are too heavy damage students' backs.

Italian schools, where so many things go unnoticed, are among the strictest when it comes to torturing students with slings. According to statistics, even in elementary school, children around the age of six must carry a weight of around 5 kilograms, rising to 7 in middle school and 10 in high school. Yet doctors (especially pediatric orthopedics and physiatrists) consistently advise that the total weight should not exceed four kilograms, and according to Ministry of Health guidelines, the sling should not contain objects weighing more than 10-15 percent more than the body weight of the student carrying it.

Let's start with the consequences that a child faces due to carrying a backpack that is too heavy on his shoulders. First of all, excessive weight can cause backacheAccording to the Italian Association of Physiotherapists (AIFI), 5 out of 10 children between the ages of 6 and 10 suffer from low back pain, a number that is double that of their parents at the same age. Although the weight of a backpack does not appear to directly influence chronic spinal diseases, including scoliosis, excessive weight still causes other discomforts such as: incorrect postural attitudes which then require treatment. Added to this are potential muscle problems, the risk of slips and falls due to lack of balance, stress on all joints, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. Is it worth it to fill a school backpack?

Yet backpacks can easily be lightened, especially if teachers, students, and families collaborate.

• Leave heavier books at school if you don't need them for homework that day.
• Remove unnecessary items from your backpack for the day, including games.
• Privileging books divided into volumes: better to have books broken into several pieces than a single brick.
• Choose only things that you need for the day.
• Check the weight of your backpack: it might be too big and heavy for the items it's supposed to hold.
• Notify the school if your child or teenager has problems with their backpack being too heavy. 
• Greater use by teachers of materials shared in class.

When you pack your backpack to go school you need to proceed as follows:

• Place everything you need on a table.
• Start filling your backpack with the heaviest items touching your back and not towards the outside: this reduces the forward imbalance and lightens the spine
• Below are all the others.
• Avoid putting everything to one side. This can lead to a stance asymmetric and temporary functional scoliosis.
• If the backpack has multiple compartments, distribute the books and materials evenly across them. right and left.
• Both shoulder straps always on the shoulders.
• Adjust the shoulder straps: the backpack should fit snugly against your back without “hanging”.
• If the backpack has the belt at the waist, should be used: shift some of the weight from the shoulder muscles to the hips.

A school backpack that tires the student as little as possible must have these characteristics:

• Padded shoulder straps: They cushion the weight of books on the shoulders, preventing neck pain. Depending on the age and grade level, it's a good idea to choose a backpack with padded shoulder straps.
• Reinforced backrest: It helps cushion the weight of the backpack along the back and prevents pain. It has been confirmed that the weight of the backpack is not the only cause of scoliosis in children and adolescents, but a backpack without a reinforced back could cause long-term back pain.
• Reflective strips: They are very useful to ensure that children and young people are visible even when returning from school or from sports for their safety.
• Waist belts:  especially in middle school when the backpack load starts to get heavier, they are important to make the reinforced backrest fit well and distribute the weight across the entire spine
• Lightweight fabric so that there is no additional weight other than that of the books, notebooks and tools to be carried to class.

In Italy there is a national network called Schools without backpacks, born from the bottom of the school system, which includes 350 schools capable of adopting an educational model oriented towards community, student participation and well-being, including practices to reduce the physical burden of backpacks. In practice, this is how these schools work:

• Schools make available personal shelves or cabinets for every student.
• Books and notebooks remain at school: the student takes home only what is needed for specific assignments or projects.
• This greatly reduces the weight of the backpack, often close to zero.