Educational Research AY2015/2016

Background: Systematic reviews have been done to study the effects of backpack carriage on biomechanics of walking. However, none has been found so far which studies on a children population. Objective: The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the relationships between the backpack loads carried by students with the biomechanics of walking. Methods: A search of literature was done on electronic literature databases EBSCO, Taylor & Francis and ScienceDirect. Subsequently, publications were included and excluded based on their titles, abstracts and by reading the studies in full. Included publications are those that report findings on the kinematics and kinetics of walking in school children. Results: Backpack carriages with load conditions between 10% and 20% have been found to have significant effects in the kinematics of school children especially in trunk inclination angles. In terms of kinetics, backpack carriages resulted in an increase in ground reaction forces and plantar pressure. Conclusion: Carrying backpack between 10% and 20% of body weight would alter the kinematics and kinetics of walking in school children.