Surface Lightens Load for Backpack Awareness Day #lightenmyload #windowschampions

Times have changed a whole bunch since I lugged all of my notebooks and textbooks to all my classes from K through my grad school time.  I never had a laptop, a tablet, anything!  Students are kicking off the new school year, and it goes without saying that technology like laptops, tablets and readers are more present than ever before. This ends up with the vast majority of students carrying more limited-purpose devices, rather than consolidating to fewer devices that can help them do more. Recent research by Microsoft, found that 96 percent of people who carry a tablet also still have a laptop. All of these items increase backpack weight and take a toll on health, with back pain being the most frequent physical health complaint among college students. In fact, Karen Jacobs, an occupational therapist and clinical professor at Boston University said that according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission more than 22,000 people were treated for backpack-related injuries in the United States last year.

Surface Pro 3, a powerful and portable tablet that can replace a laptop can cut the weight a student carries in half. It weighs in at only 2.41 pounds with an attached Type cover and Surface Pen for digital note taking via OneNote meaning that it can replace the need to carry multiple devices and notebooks.   September 17, marks the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA) National School Backpack Awareness Day, created with the assistance of Jacobs in 2000. Microsoft will be taking part in a weigh-in event at Boston University where students can weigh their bags, get more info and tips to help reduce health impacts and learn how using one devices like Surface Pro 3 for everything can help lighten their loads.   Additional Points and Facts: o   When students and parents take in guidance from the AOTA about how to select and pack a backpack to maintain good health, they should take a hard look at Surface Pro 3 as a device that can do everything they need and more, while reducing the weight they carry around campus. o   The Problem:

• Students often carry multiple limited-purpose technology devices in their bags, along with text books, notebooks and other necessary school items. All of which add up to a heavy load – with the average college student’s backpack now weighing over 11.5 pounds – which can strain the lower back and cause long-term health problems.
• Back pain is the most frequent physical health complaint among college students.
• Twenty-nine percent of college students report having lower back pain.
• According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 28,000 people were treated for backpack-related injuries in the United States last year. That figure included 8,500 children between the ages of 5 and 18 who wound up in doctors’ offices and emergency rooms.
• The cost—in medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and legal liability—tops out at more than $1 billion annually.

o   Surface Pro 3—The Tablet That Can Replace Your Laptop (and your notebook)

• Surface Pro 3, is a powerful and portable tablet that can replace a laptop, and at only 2.41 pounds with an attached Type cover and Surface Pen for digital note taking via OneNote, it can cut the average weight of technology a college student carries in half – with a 14” laptop weighing an average of 4-5 pounds.
• Surface can actually replace a student’s tablet, laptop, notebooks and pens to help them be more productive, organized and stay entertained while moving around campus with more ease and reducing the chances of damaging their health.

o   AOTA Tips for Preventing Backpack Injuries:

• Check that your packed backpack weighs no more than 10 percent of your body weight. If it weighs more, determine what you can leave at home that day to reduce the load.
• Always select a backpack that is the right size for you.
• Distribute weight evenly. Load heaviest items closest to your back and balance materials so that you can easily stand up straight.
• If a backpack has a hip belt, wear it to improve balance and take some strain off sensitive neck and shoulder muscles.
• If the backpack is still too heavy, consider a book bag on wheels.

For More Information: Visit the Surface website, your local Microsoft retail store or www.microsoftstore.com. AOTA website for more health tips and resources for student backpack use. National Backpack Awareness Day page for additional information on events.

 

 

Information provided by Microsoft’s PR firm. No compensation received for this post.