Backpack weight and postural angles in preadolescent children.

It has been suggested that exposure to heavy school backpacks is a relatively recent phenomenon. Factors such as reduced use of student lockers secondary to security concerns, an increased use of laptop computers, and increased carrying of non-educational loads such as musical instruments and sports equipment have potentially increased student exposure to heavy load carriage. It is therefore pleasing to see research, as presented by Ramprasad and colleagues(1), continuing to raise awareness of this problem.