Backpacks A-Weigh

Occupational therapy student Paul Scarpati '02 weighed Head Start student Oleg Yuzvak at Longview on September 25 to make sure the weight of the youngster's backpack was in proper proportion to his body weight. Joining Scarpati in the weighing effort were fellow OT students Jill Dennis '02, Robin Grace '02, and Liz Kreiling '02. A component of an intergenerational program conducted through Longview's Center for Life Skills, the backpack evaluation was held in recognition of the first National School Backpack Awareness Day.

Sponsored by the American Occupational Therapy Association, the special day was held to inform parents, students, teachers, and school administrators about the serious health effects that could result when backpacks are too heavy or are improperly worn. In 2001, for example, more than 7,000 emergency room visits resulted from injuries related to backpacks and bookbags. About half those injuries occurred in children between 5 and 14 years of age. Many of those injuries could be prevented by following the AOTA's recommendation that a loaded backpack should weigh no more than 15 percent of its carrier's body weight. For more information on backpack safety visit www.aota.org.