Abstract
Low back pain (LBP) is one of the biggest health problems worldwide that often begins during childhood. The existence of a previous episode of LBP is a premonitory sign of future back pain problems, therefore, prevention among youth will be essential. The main objective of the study was to determine the lifetime, point, and 7-day prevalence of LBP in children. This cross-sectional study evaluated 849 participants (47.1 boys and 52.9% girls) aged 10–12 from 10 primary schools using a self-administered questionnaire. The results demonstrated a lifetime prevalence of LBP of 73.6%, a last 7-days prevalence of 21.2%, and a point prevalence of 9.66%. LBP intensity reported in a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was 3.37 (SD 2.02). Chi-square analysis identified a significant difference between boys and girls in LBP lifetime prevalence (p < 0.001), 7-day prevalence (p = 0.035), and point prevalence (p = 0.014). The Student’s t-test in pain intensity showed the same differences (p = 0.007). Studies on LBP prevalence in young primary school students are scarce. Therefore, future studies investigating the prevention of LBP should focus on school interventions since schools are the most suitable institutions to participate in back pain prevention and health promotion.
Highlights
Physical Activity and Sports Research Group (GICAFE), University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma, Spain; Citation: Vidal-Conti, J.; Borràs, P.A.; Abstract: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the biggest health problems worldwide that often begins during childhood
The results demonstrated a lifetime prevalence of LBP of 73.6%, which means that 625 out of 849 participants stated that they had suffered from back pain at least once in their lives
The chi-square analysis identified a significant difference between boys and girls in LBP lifetime prevalence (p < 0.001), 7-day prevalence (p = 0.035), and point prevalence (p = 0.014)
Summary
Physical Activity and Sports Research Group (GICAFE), University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma, Spain; Citation: Vidal-Conti, J.; Borràs, P.A.; Abstract: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the biggest health problems worldwide that often begins during childhood. The main objective of the study was to determine the lifetime, point, and 7-day prevalence of LBP in children. This cross-sectional study evaluated 849 participants (47.1 boys and 52.9% girls) aged 10–12 from 10 primary schools using a self-administered questionnaire. The lifetime prevalence of nonspecific LBP in children and teenagers varies between 3% and 70% [8,9,10], and these variations may be attributed more to differences in study design (cross-sectional or longitudinal), data collection method (questionnaire, examination, etc.), the definition of back pain, or to differences in age groups than to real differences among populations or geographical areas [8,11]. The largest study performed on children to determine the prevalence and risk factors for LBP was conducted in Majorca (Spain) including 16,357 participants [13]
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