[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20029]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 NATIONAL SCHOOL BACKPACK AWARENESS DAY

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, on September 21, 2005, the American 
Occupational Therapy Association and more than 700 occupational therapy 
practitioners nationwide and around the world will be celebrating 
National School Backpack Awareness Day. They will be working with over 
150,000 children to teach them how to prevent backpack-related injuries 
and to remain healthy and successful in school. In my home State of 
Maine, occupational therapists have arranged events in 15 schools and 
will be reaching over 5,000 students.
  According to a number of studies done both internationally and in the 
United States, children using overloaded and improperly worn backpacks 
experience neck, should, and back pain and have problems with breathing 
and fatigue at significantly higher rates than students wearing 
backpacks properly and with appropriate loads. No child should 
regularly carry more than 15 percent of their body weight on their 
back. At Backpack Awareness Day events, which will be held in schools, 
stores, hospitals, shopping malls, and a variety of other venues, 
occupational therapy practitioners will ``weigh-in'' children and their 
backpacks to make sure that the backpacks do not surpass 15 percent of 
the child's body weight. The therapists will provide guidance about how 
to properly load and carry a backpack will also share tips about how to 
stay healthy and succeed in school. In Maine, these weigh-ins are being 
conducted in local schools from Saco to Skowhegan, and also in 
communities like Farmington, where Franklin Memorial Hospital is 
sponsoring a weigh-in as part of their Youth Health Fest.
  Occupational therapy practitioners work with individuals across the 
lifespan. In schools occupational therapists work to modify educational 
environments to ensure that all students can achieve academic success. 
Occupational therapists provide assistance to teachers and school 
administrators in order to make school environments more accessible and 
conducive to learning. They also consult with educators to improve 
students' academic functioning and work to help prevent learning, 
mental, and physical disabilities from getting in the way of academic 
success. Occupational therapy practitioners in schools work directly 
with students, parents, and teachers to develop plans to improve 
students' function and productivity and to foster success and maximize 
their independence within the academic environment.
  National School Backpack Awareness Day is a good example of how 
occupational therapists work within our schools and communities to 
promote wellness, and I am pleased to have this opportunity to 
acknowledge their valuable contributions. I urge all of my colleagues 
to join me in supporting September 21, 2005, as National School 
Backpack Awareness Day.

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