Medical X-Press – Staff Writer
“Researchers at the University of Granada (UGR) belonging to the Joint University Institute for Sports and Health (Instituto Mixto Universitario Deporte y Salud, iMUDS), have scientifically proven that trolleys are more beneficial than backpacks for children’s gait, and it does less damage to their backs. The research involved a total of 78 schoolchildren aged six to 12, 43 girls and 35 boys, from public schools in Granada. All of them went for several weeks to the Biomechanics Laboratory located in the iMUDS, bringing the backpack or trolley they usually carry to school and loaded with the books and school material they must carry on a daily basis. The scientists performed several body composition tests to determine the percentage of fat and muscle mass. They also calculated the weight of their trolley or backpack to find out the relationship with the child’s body weight (BW).”(more)