Table 7
Data from the epidemiologic literature on back pain in boys and girls (age included)
| 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 |