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| Saturday, 13 November 2004 |
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Country's first school bags on health study launched
Daily News Health Page (HealthWatch) on Wednesday launched the country's first national school bag study on students' Health when the Health Watch Apollo School Bag Study Committee had its preliminary meeting at Colombo Apollo Board Room, to find out scientifically whether there is a health risk involved in the heavily laden school bags that children carry to their schools at present. Most parents feel that the heavily laden school bags that children are compelled to carry to their schools causes orthopaedic problems later in life. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Dennis J. Aloysius (Family Physician visiting lecturer PGIM and Member HealthWatch Medical Advisory Panel) and comprised Dr. Mandeep S. Dhillon (Senior Orthopaedic Surgeon Apollo and Medical Committee Member Indian Olympic Association) and Dr. Githanjana Mendis (Consultant Neurologist and Head, Sports Medicine Unit, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports), Dr. Jyottinder Kaur (Consultant Paediatrician, Apollo), Anjalie Garnier (Sub-editor Daily News Features) and Study Coordinators, Edward Arambewela (Coordinator HealthWatch), Chammika de Silva (Marketing Manager, Apollo). Dr. Dhillon said Arambewela had been talking to him for sometime to collaborate with the HealthWatch to set up this study, because it appears to be a national issue, which has not been addressed to by any responsible body up to now. He was happy that at last that expectation has materialised, and he was participating at the preliminary meeting of this committee today. Dr. Dennis: Are we all in agreement that there is a issue for study in the school bags? Dr. Dhillon: There is no doubt that we are all in agreement that we need to collect scientific data first to see whether scientifically there is some evidence to suggest that there is a health problem involved in the school bags. At the moment it is only a theory that we have a problem in school bags. Now we have to seek for data to confirm or reject it. Dr. Githanjana Mendis: My son who is attending Royal College has his school bag laden with books that even I find difficult to carry. What he says is that they are asked by the school to bring all the books everyday to the school. Dr. Dhillon: This is the problem, in addition to books, those who do sports like cricket, carry even their cricket bats also in the bag. All added weight. This weight could specially affect children in Grades 5 to 11, who are in their formative years. Our task is to collect scientific data on this, to prove scientifically that it is so. Dr. Jyottinder: I have children coming to me complaining of back aches, who say that it could be due to the heavy school bags they carry. Dr. Dhillon: We have to design a questionnaire to be sent to all doctors, to study such cases in detail and send us a report. Arambewela: Doctor, at the moment even if somebody comes with a neck or back pain you don't question them on the type of school bags and their weight with the books they carried to school. Dr. Dhillon: No we don't generally. Arambewela: Isn't it possible that there may be some doctors who may have done some individual studies on this, or even some organisations who may have done some studies. We can call for whatever evidence and data they have. Dr. Dhillon: Yes, we can do that, and if we find them scientifically valid, we can take that data for the study. The committee will meet on November 25 at Apollo. The Committee invites all interested parties and organisations to send their views, and any study data they may have with them, and parents who may have had to take treatment for any of their children on account of carrying heavy school bags to write to the Committee, C/o Daily News before Nov. 25. Address: Coordinator, HealthWatch Apollo School Bag Study Committee, C/o Features Editor, Daily News,Lake House,Colombo 10. The Committee requested it's coordinators to write to the Secretaries of Education and Health Ministries informing them of the setting up of this Committee, and stating that the Committee would like an early appointment to meet the Education Ministry Secretary to discuss the possibility of getting the cooperation of school heads to collect data of any students who may have had to seek medical treatment caused due to the heavily loaded school bags they had to carry. |
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