The effect of backpack carriage with different loads on kinematics variables during walking in elementary school students in Hamedan city

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of carrying backpack with different loads on the kinematic parameters during walking in elementary school students.
Fifteen elementary school students with average age of 9.6±0.61 years were selected through convenient sampling method. Each Subject walked on the treadmill at a speed of 1.1 meters per second for 20 minutes while carrying backpacks under different conditions including 0, 10, 15 and %20 of their body weight. The gait was captured using a digital camera. Kinematic analysis was performed with Dartfish software. Data were analyzed by ANOVA with repeated measures (P Results showed that there was a significant increase in the knee flection in conditions 15% (P=0.02) and 20% (P=0.03), significant increase in ankle dorsiflexion for conditions 15% (P=0.03) and 20 % (P=0.04), and significant increase in step length for condition 20% (P=0.02) with increasing backpack load. Ankle plantar flexion angle for conditions 10% (P=0.01), 15% (P=0.02) and 20% (P=0.03) and step frequency decreased significantly in condition 20% (P=0.03) with increasing backpack load.
Based on the results of this study, it seems that carrying backpack with weighted 10 to 15 percent of body weight is appropriate for elementary school students.