Middle school children's participation in activities and the effects of pain from backpack use on participation

The purpose of this study was to explore the activities in which middle school students participate most often. This research also determined whether students reported having difficulty participating in specific activities because of musculoskeletal pain from using their backpack, and whether the pain impacted the frequency with which they participated in activities.

One hundred and twenty seven 7th grade students between the ages of 12 and 13 years old completed The Activity Participation Survey. This survey was used to determine the activities that students participated in most often and whether their participation was impacted by pain. Frequencies and independent samples t-tests were used to analyze the data.

The results revealed that over 50% of students participated in work related activities such as completing homework, carrying books during school and completing household chores most often throughout the week. The results also indicated that 31.0% of the students reported having difficulty participating in activities as a result of pain. Nearly 25% of students reported having difficulty carrying their books during school because of pain, and 19% reported having difficulty playing sports. It is notable that among the students who reported having difficulty carrying their books, 12% reported carrying their books less frequently.

Future studies should be performed to verify that pain from backpack use causes middle school students' participation in activities to be difficult. Continued research may further reveal that students may decrease the frequency that they engage in activities because of difficulty and pain, and results may be used to educate others on the scope and pertinence of this issue to students' daily lives.