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Table 7 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

 

Petersen et al.[[19]]

Grøholt et al.[[26]]

Sato et al.[[22]]

Stanford et al.[[20]]

Kjær et al.[[7]]

Country

Sweden

Nordic countries

Japan

Canada

Denmark

Design

Cross sectional

Cross sectional

Cross sectional

Longitudinal - 8 yrs

Cross sectional + follow up

Study sample

Randomized cluster sample of pupils

Population registries children survey

Elementary and junior high school-children in Niigata City

Non-institutionalized civilian population (1994-5, 1996-7, 1998-9, 2002-3)

Primary/secondary school. 38 state schools in one municipality

Response rate

97%

64.5-69%

79.8%

?

62%, 57%, 58%

Valid sample size

1121

5911 (BP)

34423

2488

479, 439, 443

Data collection

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

Computer ass. Interview + Questionnaire

Interview + Questionnaire

Age group

6-13

7-9, 10-12, 13-15, 16-17

9-15

10-18

9, 13, 15 (mean 9.7, 13.1, 15.7)

Definition of back pain

Backache the last 6 months

Has the child had any of the following complaints? (BP, headache e.g.)

Any LBP now

Backache past 6 months

Any spinal pain

Gender

No gender difference

Girls > boys in all pain categories

11-12y girls > boys

Girls > boys

No difference in overall back (spinal) pain reporting at age 9 and 13 yrs.

Age (prevalence increase)

Prevalence of bachache higher from grades 4-6 than in grades 0-3 (Method change)

BP + headache most prevalent in the oldest age groups compared to the youngest

Increasing prevalence with grade levels until age 14 (LBP: Point prevalence)

Girls 12-18 yrs > boys 12-18 yrs

> 13 yrs