AOTA, Panola College Occupational Therapy Assistant Program and Baker Koonce Intermediate School

Join together to Lighten the Burden of School Backpacks

Carthage, TX — the Panola College Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is partnering with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) to conduct a backpack awareness day on September 22^nd to educate children, parents, school administrators, teachers, and communities about the serious health effects to children from backpacks that are too heavy or worn improperly. This local event is part of National School Backpack Awareness Day events being held in schools and community centers across the country.  Volunteers from other Panola College organizations and Community Businesses will assist the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program with the project. 

WHAT: A Backpack Awareness Day "Weigh-In" of 4^th graders’ backpacks to increase awareness over the amount of weight that school children are carrying on their backs to and from school each day. Volunteers will weigh backpacks and provide flyers filled with important information for parents and teachers.  Occupational Therapy Assistant students will also provide flyers and information to other east Texas schools and local community centers to spread the word about back pack awareness.    

WHERE:  Baker Koonce Intermediate School’s gymnasium

                 Local Businesses and school systems located throughout east Texas 

WHEN:  September 22, 2004
               8:30 am to 2:00 pm

WHY: More than 7,000 children are taken to emergency rooms each year suffering injuries resulting from backpacks and book bags. The return to school is a reminder that more than 40 million American school children will once again be carrying heavy loads back and forth to school every day. Experts estimate that about half these children will be carrying way too much weight. Children carrying overloaded and/or improperly worn backpacks, according to U.S. and international studies, are likely to experience neck, shoulder, and back pain; adverse effects on posture and the developing spine; and compromised breathing and fatigue.

AOTA recommends that school backpacks weigh no more than 15% of a child’s weight. The growing awareness of potential long-term problems to children has resulted in increased medical research, more coverage of the issue in mainstream publications as well as medical journals, and proposed legislation in California and New Jersey to address the issue of backpack weight in relation to student health.

WHO: Tammy Smith, a licensed occupational therapy assistant, is an expert on healthy growth and development of school-age children.  She will be coordinating the "weigh-in" activities and will be available to answer questions.