Skip to main content

Table 6 Data from the epidemiologic literature on back pain in boys and girls (age included)

From: Back pain in children surveyed with weekly text messages - a 2.5 year prospective school cohort study

 

Balague et al.[[1]]

Brattberg et al.[[25]]

Taimela et al.[[6]]

Hakala et al.[[18]]

Watson et al.[[12]]

Country

Switzerland

Sweden

Finland

Finland

England

Design

Cross Sectional

Cross sectional + follow up

Cross sectional

Cross sect. + follow up

Cross sectional

Study sample

Schoolchildren in primary and secondary school- one school district

Pupils from 26 urban schools

Pupils from 45 different public schools

Population register. All Finns born on adjacent dates in summer (1985-9, 1993-7)

Pupils from secondary schools; state + private, urban + rural

Response rate

99%

87%

82%

77%

92% (LBP)

Valid sample size

1666

1245/ 471

1171

62677

1376 (LBP)

Data collection

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

Age group

7-17(mean 12)

8, 11, 13, 17

7, 10, 14, 16

12,14,16,18(12.6, 14.6, 16.6, 18.6)

11-14

Definition of back pain

LBP, BP (=all spinal pain)

Do you often have back pain?

LBP interfering with school/leisure activities + recurrent LBP past 12 months

Back or neck pain during the past half a year

LBP for one day or longer in the past month

Gender

Girls > Boys (+BP ++LBP)

Girls > Boys all age groups. Significant among the 13 and 17-year-old pupils

No general difference. Girls > boys in recurrent LBP reporting

Girls > boys No interaction between sex but increasing trend was seen in girls - boys U shaped curve

Girls > Boys

Age (prevalence increase)

>13

Trend of more long-lasting BP in older age groups. Especially among girls

Recurrent LBP increases > 14, 16

Prevalence increased with age

Increase with age in girls and boys