MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid, Jr. has sought the passage of a bill that seeks to limit the weight of bags school children carry to schools.

In Senate Bill No. 2179, Lapid said that over the years the carrying of heavy backpacks or schoolbags has become a detriment to Filipino children’s education and have caused spinal and muscle development problems to them.

The bill entitled “An act limiting the amount of weight of bags carried by children in school and implementing proactive measures to protect school children’s health from the adverse effect of heavy school bag’’ was forwarded to the committees on health and demography; education, arts and culture; and finance last week.

Lapid noted that while carrying heavy bags has become a common phenomenon in many schools nationwide, the practice of bringing heavy textbooks and other school supplies, hoping to be ready at all times in their class, have brought harmful effects to their health.

“At a glimpse, it seems this practice is good to schoolchildren. However, according to many foreign scientific studies conducted on this matter, overloading of school bags can cause side effect to the body of the children if they are exposed to this practice over a long period, since spinal ligaments and muscles are not fully developed until after 16 years of life,” Lapid said in his bill.

According to the senator, an investigation by the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Free State compared postural deviation in children who carry heavy school bags against those who do not.

Based on the study, 380 students in the study spent an average of 30 minutes per day carrying their bags. On average a pre-teen school bag weighed 13.1 pounds compared to a teenager's bag which weighed 14.3 pounds. The study revealed deviation to the side and/or backwards of children's spines when carrying heavy school bags.

He said the study also revealed that children who carry heavy bags on a daily basis and often between classes as well add constant additional pressure to the spine that cause long-term damage, which also include failure to maintain proper standing posture. Growing children also experience back pains and spinal complications because of the heavy load.

This, he said, could result in changes in lumbar disc height or curvature and young kids who get used to carrying such heavy bags can grow up with bad posture. He cited that pediatricians and chiropractors have observed the same phenomenon.

“Overloaded backpacks can be a possible source of "chronic, low-level trauma" that can result in chronic shoulder, neck, and back pain in your children,” Lapid said.

“Health is most priority for the children. Education is futile if the frail bodies of children are compromised. Pupils are supposed to listen to their teachers in school, and read their textbooks at home. In the end, having pupils carry heavy load to school will be counter-productive, with many of them physically deformed as adults,” he added.

“As such, it is the intent of this proposed measure that school administrators, teachers, parents and schoolchildren be made aware of this issue on overweight bags, and to make necessary proactive measures to avoid this unhealthful practice. By reducing injuries and pain caused by overweight backpacks, we are helping our school children stay healthier and at their best to learn in the classroom,” Lapid stressed.