The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of parent-reported pain among children in the Nordic countries in 1996, and to describe the association between recurrent pain in children and parental socio-economic factors. We also wanted to estimate the association between parental pain and childhood pain and co-occurrence of different pain patterns in the same child. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional survey on children's health and well-being in the Nordic countries in 1996. About 10,000 children aged 2-17 years of age were selected from population registries. Mean response rate was 68%. We selected the cases > or = 7 years where the respondent was the child's biological mother or father, yielding a total of 6230 subjects. The adjusted analyses were performed using logistic regression in SPSS. The total prevalence of headache, abdominal pain and back pain among children 7-17 years of age was 14.9, 8.3 and 4.7%, respectively. The most common pain combination was headache and abdominal pain. Pain was most frequent among girls. The prevalence was slightly higher in low educated or low-income families compared to those of high status. Children living in low educated, low-income, worker families had approximately a 1.4-fold odds of having pain. There was a strong association between the different pain conditions, and between pain and other forms of distress in the same child. A site-specific association between parental and child pain was also shown, but we assume that this might have been mediated through subjective (information) bias.

Bullying is common among Nordic children, including pre-school children. Bullying is a threat to children's health, and augments problems in children with chronic conditions. The low prevalence of bullying in Sweden may be a result from sustained, strong anti-bullying policies. There is still a need for continuing interventions.

Socially and economically vulnerable families seem to run the greatest risk of having children with LTI and PSC, although the data do not permit a strict causal relationship to be drawn. Also, families with high formal education, solid economy and general satisfaction with their situation seem to be able to offer their children sheltered and stimulating conditions for growth and development, even in times of economic recession.

SummaryIncluded in a general health control of an un‐selected population of 2 447 four‐year‐old children, a vision screening was performed, using a visual acuity test (Marquez‐Bostrom's hooks), cover test and Wirt Fly Stereo test. The screening could be carried out in 98% of the children. 364 children (15.2%) were referred because of newly detected visual defects, and 358 children (15.0%) were professionally examined. Of these, 40.8% had a visual acuity of ≤0.6 and 5.9% of ≤0.1. Functional amblyopia was found in 12.3% and manifest strabismus in 10.3%, The main error of refraction was hyperopia (≥ 2.5 D), diagnosed in 28.5%, while myopia was infrequent, 3.9%.The children examined by the ophthalmologist were also classified into four groups, according to their need of professional care, where group 0 means overreferral and groups 2–3 represent “significant eye disorders”, in need of ophthalmological treatment and/or observation. Overreferral was found in 16.5% and significant eye disorders in 43%. With the visual acuity test, 97% of the children with eye disorders were detected. Retesting children, who failed the tests, reduced the over‐referral from 39.5% to 12.5% (p<0.001). By lowering the passing standards of the visual acuity test, still fewer children would have been overreferred, but, at the same time, 1/5 of children needing treatment would then have remained undiscovered.Including children already under professional care, the prevalence of strabismus in this unselected material of 4‐year‐old children was just below 4%, and the need for corrective glasses around 8%.Children reported to have family eye disorders, partus complications or present eye complaints were in the risk zone for suffering significant eye disorders, but this information from the parents was not sufficiently selective to be of practical value as a screening method.A small control group of 73 children and a follow‐up of 479 children at school 3 years later, revealed that no children with functional amblyopia were missed at the screening test.

Nordic children still enjoy a high standard of living in spite of economic constraints, and the prerequisites for a high QoL are fulfilled. Further research is suggested for clarifying the complex background of these results.