Articles
Backpacks and Back Pain in Children
http://www.spine-health.com/topics/cd/pack/bp01.html
Each school year millions of children walk to, from and around school
carrying backpacks filled with books and materials. Parents should be
aware that overly stressing the back with a heavy backpack could cause
back pain in their child. Following a few guidelines and using common
sense can help avoid this type of back pain.
Guidelines for Parents Interested in Reducing the Risks of
Computer-Related Repetitive Strain Injury in Children, by Deborah Quilter
http://www.rsihelp.com/children.shtml
Many children are now using computers at home or school – or both. Few
schools or homes provide proper workstations for children; furthermore,
people become injured at "ergonomically correct" workstations
every day because of improper posture and technique and sheer overuse of
the hands. These injuries tend to be chronic and can worsen over time;
they can also greatly impede simple activities of daily living such as
dressing, driving and opening doors.
Fitting the Computer Environment to the Child
Protecting Your Child from Repetitive Strain Injuries
http://KidsHealth.org/parent/safety/ergonomics.html
Whether it's doing a school report or surfing the Net, your child may be spending lots of
hours at the computer. Here's how to protect kids from the injuries that constant use of
the computer can cause.
Wired News -- Helping Kids Avoid RSI, by Katie Dean
http://www.wired.com/news/topstories/0,1287,21777,00.html
Experts stress that parents and educators need to warn children of the
risks of RSI and teach them good work habits while they're young.
Wired News -- The RSI Generation, by Katie Dean
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,21672,00.html
Forget sleazy porn sites and violent computer games. A more dangerous
threat to children these days is the computer itself. When the Clinton
administration pledged to have a computer in every classroom, it did not
consider the potential harm that Repetitive Strain Injury could have on
students, experts say.
Wired News -- 'Nintendo Thumb' Points to RSI, by Claudia Graziano
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,16579,00.html
With President Clinton planning to wire all of the country's schools, kids
may be in for more than just an education: They could be looking at
long-term injuries. Researchers at Cornell University find that kids as
young as 11 and 12 are at risk of developing repetitive-strain injury,
thanks to an increase in classroom computer use and poor ergonomics.
Links
The Computer Ergonomics for Elementary
School Students (CergoS)
http://www.open.k12.or.us/cergos
The CergoS Web site will show you some simple and affordable ways to make
sure that your body is safe and comfortable while using a computer. This
project was supported by a grant from the Department
of Consumer and Business Services, Oregon OSHA. All material at this
Web site is free to everyone and can be reproduced.
KidsHealth.org
http://kidshealth.org
KidsHealth is the mighty Web site devoted to the health of children and teens. Created by
the medical experts at The Nemours Foundation, KidsHealth has trainloads of accurate,
up-to-date information about growth, food & fitness, childhood infections,
immunizations, lab tests, medical and surgical conditions, and the latest treatments.
ErgoAnswers: Kids Ergonomics
http://www.ergoanswers.com/kids.htm
ErgoStar ® Software for Public
Schools Teaching Grades K-12
http://www.ergostar.com/k-12.shtml
The Starfield Group, Inc. is offering its ergonomic adjustment software
free to K-12 schools in the United States. The easiest way to make
it available to every student, regardless of computer type or operating
system, is to put it on the Internet.. They encourage students to use this
software as often as necessary to arrange their computer work areas at
school and at home to increase their comfort and minimize the potential
for injury.
The Body Action Campaign
http://ds.dial.pipex.com/town/close/ya57/index.htm
This charitable organisation aims to teach children how to avoid the pain of RSI and other
Upper Limb Disorders.
The Effect of Computer Workstation Design on Student Posture and
Computer Task Performance: Children Grades Six and Eight
http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/AHProjects/children1/index.htm
Kathryn Laeser, Lorraine Maxwell, Kathleen Gibson, and Alan Hedge
Cornell University, Dept. DEA
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