Source: www.geekosystem.com
There is an epidemic affecting our country. A disease that starts from a young age and it affects the spinal development which has a potential to pose a permanent problem in later stages of adulthood and no I am not talking about polio or SARS. I am talking about a disease that many parents in this modern age have chosen to ignore that will have serious health repercussion on our technology savvy children.
Gone were the days that we allowed our children to frolic in the garden to catch grasshoppers or just go for an innocent run around the neighbourhood. Have you seen any children playing around your neighbourhood lately? When was the last time you saw your children having a game of hide and seek in the living room? If you are reading this article whether it is at home or out in a coffee shop; take a good look around you. Do not be surprised at the number of kids on hunching down on their mobiles whilst eating or curled up on a sofa with their tablets or on their laptops in bed, completely oblivious to the world around them. On average, they spend about 2-8 hours in these abnormal postures which will indefinitely cause semi permanent changes within the spine if left unchecked for years on end. What we are looking at is not just round of the mill back pain. We are talking about lost of curvatures within the spine what will be harder to correct the longer it is left unchecked.
Studies conducted in Poland to compare body postures of children from urban environments with their rural counterparts and it was found that urban children suffer from asymmetrical (imbalance) body posture especially the trunk and pelvis which are normally associated with early onset of scoliosis. It was concluded that urban children remaining in prolonged static positions contributed with the asymmetries where as rural children do not suffer from bad posture due to the fact they are performing greater movements associated with the rural lifestyle.
Susan Pitman, a Senior Research Officer from the Australian Child Support Organization has wrote intensively on the impact of media technologies on child development and wellbeing. It was concluded that spending too much time in media technologies and not being active can have a negative impact on a child’s language development, eating habits, substance abuse and of course physical health and development.
Source: www.being-visual.com
In a report by the The Star Online and in BBC News, it was reported that the most Asian children are thought that getting high grades means a successful life in the future. It may be some truth in that belief but it comes at the cost of neglecting physical education and development within a child’s life. Here in Malaysia, lower secondary and higher secondary students spend on average 30 hours in school per day and one session of Physical Education (PE) will be conducted in that week. After school, majority of them will attend multiple tuition classes that last into the night and during down times they are seen sitting by the computer or in front of the TV to distress. This means the average Malaysian students spends majority his or her lifetime time sitting down. We have not even started with the sedentary lifestyle of your average Malaysian adult. No wonder the incidence of lower back pain and headaches is on the rise!
John F.Kennedy once said “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body; it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” This rings so true in the today’s competitive modern society where brain is better than brawn so here we are, facing a new generation of smarter kids that are suffering from physical disabilities. So straighten up! Leave your tablets and smartphones and go out and run or have a walk to the nearest park with friends or family. Enjoy your youth and the beauty of what is out there first hand instead of seeing it through your screens.
Mr. Jonathan Goh is a physiotherapist currently working in Sarawak. He is the head of the physiotherapy unit in a private clinic and is passionate about adjusting lifestyles to avoid conditions like scoliosis and osteoarthritis.
References:
- Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine 2012, Vol 19, No 4, 846-850 by Justyna Drzał-Grabiec1, Sławomir Snela1,2, Institute of Physiotherapy, University of Rzeszów, Poland
- http://www.ozchild.org.au/userfiles/docs/ozchild/researchpapers/ImpactOfElectronicMedia.pdf
- The Star Online, Friday September 7, 2012 “Malaysian parents focus more on education than recreation” by Ben Ibrahim
- BBC News Business, 22nd October 2013, Asia’s parents suffering ‘education fever’ By Yojana Sharma