HMC advisory highlights need for ‘ideal’ school bag

Aug 23, 2019

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has shared some tips with the public on what an ideal school bag should be like as students gear up to go back-to-school on Sunday, August 25.

Under the theme, "Protecting our children's health," HMC issued the advisory on its social media pages to stress the importance of ensuring schoolgoing children carry the right kind of bags to school to avoid any potential health risks.

Back to School – Protecting our Children’s Health pic.twitter.com/TL7o11oZlK
— Hamad Medical Corp. (@HMC_Qatar) August 22, 2019

According to the HMC guidelines, the ideal school bag should have "compact cotton padding from the backside of the bag" and the "waist strap should be connected to the shoulder straps".

The bag should be waterproof, easy to clean, durable and of high quality.

"The schoolbag must not weigh more than 10-15 percent of the child's total body weight," the advisory stressed.

There should be multiple pockets in the school bag to keep it balanced and ensure easy access to books and other contents. Additionally, the school bag should have wide cotton shoulder straps, the guidelines stated.

In terms of the material of the school bag, an ideal bag should be made of wool, light textile, or any other lightweight material.

Regarding the specifications of the bag, for elementary school students, the advisory states: 40cm in height, 28cm in width and 12cm in depth as dimensions that make an ideal school bag.

For middle and high school students the ideal bag should be 45cm in height, 30cm in width and 12cm in depth.

Further, the advisory highlighted that the bag should have an extendable handle corresponding with the child's height.

"When opting for a wheeled schoolbag, choose one with large wheels," the advisory pointed out.

HMC had also recently urged parents to monitor their children’s behavior at the beginning of the new academic year, underlining that a certain amount of school-related anxiety is normal among students.

“The beginning of a new school year can be a challenging time for young people and can trigger severe stress and anxiety. Educational environments play a dominant role in young people’s intellectual, emotional and social development and children with mental disorders such as anxiety can face major challenges. It’s important for parents to be vigilant and carefully monitor their children,” said Dr Saleem Al Nuaimi, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist with HMC's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.

While school anxiety is not a psychiatric diagnosis, when the condition is severe, it may be a symptom of an anxiety disorder and could signal the need for professional intervention, according to HMC.

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