The Association of Self-Reported Backpack Use and Backpack Weight With Low Back Pain Among College Students

Heuscher, Zachary; Gilkey, David P.; Peel, Jennifer L.; Kennedy, Catherine A.

doi:10.1016/j.jmpt.2010.06.003

« Previous Next »Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
Volume 33, Issue 6 , Pages 432-437, July 2010

The Association of Self-Reported Backpack Use and Backpack Weight With Low Back Pain Among College Students

Zachary Heuscher, MS
- Masters in Epidemiology, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colo
David P. Gilkey, DC, PhD, CPE
- Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Education, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colo
- Submit requests for reprints to: David P. Gilkey, DC, PhD, CPE, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, 146 EH Bldg, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1681
Jennifer L. Peel, PhD, MPH
- Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colo
Catherine A. Kennedy, PhD
- Associate Professor, Department of Health and Exercise Science, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colo

Received 1 November 2009; received in revised form 16 February 2010; accepted 17 June 2010.

Abstract

Objective

Back pain has consistently ranked among the top general health complaints among college students, but few studies have examined risk factors for back pain in this age group. This cross-sectional survey evaluated the association between the self-reported annual low back pain with the estimated usual backpack weight among college students.

Methods

Data were collected from health education students during the spring semester of 2007 at the Colorado State University using an online survey. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression.

Results

Four hundred sixty-five (94.6%) health education students completed the online survey. The annual prevalence of low back pain was 29.2% (n = 136). A 25% increase in the odds of annual low back pain for each 4-kg increase in the estimated usual backpack weight was observed after adjusting for sex, smoking, reporting frequently feeling overwhelmed, and body mass index (adjusted odds ratio per 4-kg increase, 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.32). There was no evidence of an increased association of annual low back pain with carrying a backpack weight greater than 10% of the students body weight compared with those carrying less (adjusted odds ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.63-1.65).

Conclusions

The results of this study suggest that increasing reported backpack weight is associated with increased prevalence of annual low back pain. However, these results do not provide evidence to support the recommendation that the backpack weight necessarily be less than 10% of body weight.

Key Indexing Terms: Low Back Pain, Prevalence, Students, Backpack