Does a standard school trolley fit children of different heights?

Although school trolleys are an alternative to traditional backpacks, no studies have determined their suitability for children of different heights. This study aims to analyse the fit of a school trolley (0.89 m height from the top to the bottom of the handle) for children with different heights based on kinematic variables and the rate of perceived effort (RPE). A 3D motion capture system was used to analyse the kinematics of the thorax and hip during walking without load and when pulling a trolley loaded with 15% of the child's body weight (BW). The RPE was recorded at the end of each trial. The height of the subjects was clustered using Ward´s hierarchical cluster, and two groups were identified: Group 1: 120-139.9 cm; and Group 2: 140-160 cm. No differences were found between groups in the kinematics or RPE. In conclusion, a standard school trolley fits well to children with heights from 120 to 160 cm. Practitioner Summary: No studies have determined the suitability of school trolleys for children of different heights. This study aims to analyse the fit of a school trolley for children with different heights based on the kinematics and rate of perceived effort. The major finding is that a standard school trolley fits children with heights from 120 to 160 cm well and that the height of the school trolley was between 59% and 68% of the children's heights. Abbreviations: RPE: rate of perceived exertion; BW: body weight; CAST: calibrated anatomical system technique; GC: gait cycle.